The best innovations. How Russia looks like in the world innovation ranking
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TwitterThe rapidly changing world constantly poses new challenges for humanity, for the solution of which we will need no less rapidly developing technologies that seem to be the embodiment of science fiction.
You may have already heard about some of these technologies, because many of them have been on the scientific horizon for some time, but 2016 promises to be the year of a real breakthrough.
We present to you a list of the most significant developments, according to the Council on Emerging Technologies of the World Economic Forum.
Nanosensors and the Internet of nanodevices
One of the most attention-grabbing areas today is nanosensors that can circulate within the human body or be embedded in structural materials. The ability to connect all of these sensors to the Internet will have a huge impact on the future of medicine, architecture, agronomy, drug manufacturing and other fields of science.
New generation batteries
The main obstacle to the development of renewable energy sources is the mismatch between demand and production capacity. Another problem is the impossibility of storing the excess energy produced in ideal conditions for subsequent transmission to the network. New high-capacity batteries based on sodium, aluminum and zinc solve this problem and make it possible to build mini-power systems that can provide a clean, reliable, 24/7 energy source for an entire community.
Decentralized Blockchain Trust System
Blockchain, or blockchain of transactions, is a term known from the digital currency bitcoin: a decentralized public network of transactions that is not owned or operated by any person or organization. With investments that surpassed $ 1 billion in 2015 alone, the economic and social impact of blockchain has the potential to change the way global markets and governments interact.
2D materials
Perhaps graphene is the most famous material consisting of a single atomic layer, but it is far from the only one. With the dramatic drop in manufacturing costs, such materials will soon find applications in a wide range of applications, from water and air filters to the next generation of clothing and batteries.
Self-driving cars
Although self-driving cars are not yet fully legalized in many countries, their enormous potential in various fields of application is leading to the rapid development of a key technology towards full autonomy.
Organs on a Chip
Miniature - the size of a memory stick - human organ models could revolutionize medical research and drug development by giving researchers the opportunity to observe biological mechanisms at work.
Photocells based on perovskite materials
The new materials have three advantages over traditional silicon solar cells: they are more efficient, easier to manufacture, and can be used just about anywhere.
Open ecosystems of artificial intelligence
The combined advances in natural language processing and social awareness algorithms, coupled with the unprecedented availability of data, will soon enable virtual assistants to assist a person in a wide range of tasks, from managing personal finances to advising on wardrobe choices.
Optogenetics
The possibility of using light and color to record the activity of neurons in the brain has been discussed for a long time, but thanks to recent developments, light rays can now penetrate deeper into tissues, which can help treat people with brain disorders.
Metabolic systems design
Thanks to advances in synthetic biology, systems biology, and evolutionary engineering, many chemicals can now be produced more easily and cheaper using plants, and the list will grow every year.
Key indicators of innovation
1. Dynamics of the main indicators of innovation activity
1.1. Innovative activity of organizations
1.2. The share of organizations engaged in certain types of innovative activities in the total number of organizations carrying out technological innovations
1.3. Research and development units in organizations carrying out technological innovations
1.4. The volume of innovative goods, works, services
1.5. Export volume of innovative goods, works, services
1.6. The share of innovative goods, works, services in the volume of sales in the domestic and foreign markets
1.7. Export structure of innovative goods, works, services
1.8. Rating of the results of innovative activities
1.9. Share of organizations participating in technological exchange in the total number of organizations implementing technological innovations
1.10. Distribution of organizations that carried out technological innovations and participated in technological exchange, by country and region
1.11. Joint projects for the implementation of research and development of organizations carrying out technological innovations
1.12. Cost of technological innovation
1.13. Cost of technological innovation by source of funding
1.14. Share of costs for certain types of innovative activities in the total cost of technological innovations
1.15. Ranking of information sources for technological innovation
1.16. Rating of methods for protecting scientific and technical developments in organizations that carried out technological innovations
1.17. Rating of factors hindering technological innovation
2. Innovative activity of organizations
2.1. Innovative activity of organizations by type of economic activity
2.2. Distribution of organizations that carried out technological, marketing, organizational innovations by type of economic activity
2.3. The aggregate level of innovative activity of organizations by type of economic activity
2.4. Innovative activity of organizations by size
2.5. Distribution of organizations that carried out technological, marketing, organizational innovations, by size
2.6. Innovative activity of organizations by type of ownership
2.7. Distribution of organizations that carried out technological, marketing, organizational innovations by ownership
2.8. Costs of technological, marketing, organizational innovations by type of economic activity
2.9. Costs of technological, marketing, organizational innovation by size of organization
2.10. Costs of technological, marketing, organizational innovations by ownership of organizations
2.11. Cost structure for technological, marketing, organizational innovations by type of innovation
2.12. Distribution of costs for technological, marketing, organizational innovations by types of innovations and types of economic activity
2.13. Distribution of costs for technological, marketing, organizational innovations by type of innovation and size of organizations
2.14. Distribution of costs for technological, marketing, organizational innovations by types of innovations and forms of ownership of organizations
2.15. Intensity of costs for technological, marketing, organizational innovations by type of economic activity
2.16. Intensity of costs for technological, marketing, organizational innovations by size of organizations
2.17. Intensity of expenditures on technological, marketing, organizational innovations by forms of ownership of organizations
2.18. Assessment of the results of innovative activities: 2012-2014
3. Technological innovation
3.1. Share of organizations implementing technological innovations in the total number of organizations by type of economic activity
3.2. Share of organizations that carried out product and process innovations, in the total number of organizations that carried out technological innovations, by type of economic activity
3.3. The share of organizations that simultaneously carry out technological and marketing innovations, in the total number of organizations that carry out technological innovations, by type of economic activity
3.4. Distribution of organizations that carried out simultaneously technological and marketing innovations by type of economic activity
3.5. The share of organizations that carried out technological and organizational innovations at the same time, in the total number of organizations that carried out technological innovations, by type of economic activity
3.6. Distribution of organizations that carried out simultaneously technological and organizational innovations by type of economic activity
3.7. The structure of organizations that carried out technological innovations, by type of innovation activity
3.8. Share of organizations engaged in certain types of innovation activities, in the total number of organizations carrying out technological innovations, by type of economic activity: 2014
3.9. Distribution of organizations carrying out technological innovations by type of innovation and economic activity: 2014
H.10. The share of organizations that had research, design and engineering departments, in their total number by type of economic activity
3.11. The number of departments that carried out research and development, and the number of their employees in organizations by type of economic activity
3.12. Share of employees who performed research and development in the total number of employees of organizations that carried out technological innovations, by type of economic activity
3.13. Cooperation in the development of technological innovations: 2014
3.14. Share of goods, works, services of organizations that carried out and did not carry out technological innovations, in the total volume of goods shipped, work performed, services by type of economic activity: 2014
3.15. The volume of innovative goods, works, services by type of economic activity
3.16. The volume of innovative goods, works, services by the level of novelty and types of economic activity
3.17. Share of innovative goods, works, services in the total volume of goods shipped, works performed, services by the level of novelty and types of economic activity: 2014
3.18. Newly introduced or undergoing significant technological changes innovative goods, works, services, new to the market of the organization, by type of economic activity
3.19. Newly introduced or undergoing significant technological changes innovative goods, works, services that are new to the world market, by type of economic activity
3.20. Newly introduced or undergoing significant technological changes innovative goods, works, services, new for the organization, but not new for the market, by type of economic activity
3.21. Volume of innovative goods, works, services under state and municipal contracts by type of economic activity: 2014
3.22. Export of innovative and not subject to technological changes goods, works, services by type of economic activity
3.23. Export of innovative goods, works, services by country and type of economic activity
3.24. Share of organizations participating in technological exchange, in their total number by type of economic activity
3.25. Share of organizations participating in technological exchange in the total number of organizations carrying out technological innovations, by type of economic activity: 2014
3.26. Import of technologies by organizations carrying out technological innovations, by type of economic activity
3.27. Export of technologies by organizations carrying out technological innovations, by type of economic activity
3.28. Forms of technology acquisition by organizations implementing technological innovations, by type of economic activity: 2014
3.29. Forms of technology transfer by organizations implementing technological innovations, by type of economic activity: 2014
3.30. New technologies (technical advances) acquired and transferred by organizations implementing technological innovations: 2014
3.31. Participation of organizations in joint research and development projects: 2014
3.32. Organizations participating in joint research and development projects, by type of economic activity
3.33. Organizations that carried out technological innovations and participated in joint research and development projects, by partner country and type of economic activity
3.34. Organizations that carried out technological innovations and participated in joint research and development projects, by types of partners and types of economic activities: 2014
3.35. Organizations that carried out technological innovations and participated in joint research and development projects, by type of cooperation ties and types of economic activity
3.36. Joint projects for the implementation of research and development of organizations carrying out technological innovations, by type of economic activity
3.37. Joint research and development projects of organizations carrying out technological innovations by types of partners and types of economic activities: 2014
3.38. Joint projects for the implementation of research and development of organizations carrying out technological innovations, by types of cooperation ties and types of economic activity
3.39. Technological partnership in the implementation of research and development of organizations carrying out technological innovations: 2014
3.40. Costs of technological innovation by type of economic activity
3.41. Cost of technological innovation by type of innovation and economic activity: 2014
3.42. Distribution of costs for technological innovation by type of innovation and economic activity: 2014
3.43. Cost of technological innovation by source of funding and type of economic activity: 2014
3.44. Distribution of costs for technological innovations by sources of financing and types of economic activity: 2014
3.45. Intensity of spending on technological innovation by type of economic activity
3.46. Patent Organizations: 2014
3.47. Share of organizations that have patented inventions in the total number of organizations that have carried out technological innovations, by type of economic activity: 2014
3.48. Availability of intellectual property objects in organizations: 2014
3.49. Patents for inventions in organizations carrying out technological innovations, by type of economic activity: 2014
3.50. Share of organizations that rated individual sources of information for technological innovation as the main ones, in the total number of organizations
3.51. The proportion of organizations that rated certain methods of protecting scientific and technical developments as the main ones, in the total number of organizations that carried out technological innovations
3.52. The proportion of organizations that rated certain factors hindering technological innovation as the main ones, in the total number of organizations
4. Marketing innovation
4.1. Share of organizations engaged in marketing innovations in the total number of organizations by type of economic activity
4.2. Cooperation in the development of marketing innovations: 2014
4.3. The volume of goods, works, services produced using marketing innovations, by type of economic activity
4.4. Marketing innovation costs by economic activity
4.5. Share of organizations that have carried out certain types of marketing changes, in the total number of organizations that have had ready-made marketing innovations over the past three years, by type of innovation and economic activity: 2014
5. Organizational innovation
5.1. Share of organizations that carried out organizational innovations in the total number of organizations by type of economic activity
5.2. Cooperation in the development of organizational innovations: 2014
5.3. Organizational innovation costs by economic activity
5.4. Share of organizations that have carried out certain types of organizational changes in the total number of organizations that have had ready-made organizational innovations over the past three years, by type of innovation and economic activity: 2014
6. Innovative activity in the regions of the Russian Federation
6.1. Organizations that carried out technological, marketing, organizational innovations
6.2. Share of organizations engaged in certain types of innovative activities in the total number of organizations carrying out technological innovations: 2014
6.3. The volume of innovative goods, works, services
6.4. Participation of organizations in joint research and development projects
6.5. Cost of technological innovation
6.6. Distribution of costs for technological innovation by type of innovation activity: 2014
7. Environmental innovation
7.1. Share of organizations that carried out environmental innovations in the total number of organizations that had ready-made innovations in the last three years: 2014
7.2. The share of organizations that carried out innovations to improve environmental
safety in the production process of goods, works, services, in the total number of organizations that carried out environmental innovations: 2014
7.3. The share of organizations that carried out innovations that ensure an increase in environmental safety as a result of the consumer's use of innovative goods, works, services, in the total number of organizations that carried out environmental innovations: 2014
7.4. Distribution of organizations carrying out environmental innovations by goals and types of economic activity: 2014
7.5. Share of organizations using the environmental pollution control system in the total number of organizations: 2014
7.6. Special costs associated with environmental innovation: 2014
8. International comparisons
8.1. The aggregate level of innovative activity of organizations
8.2. Share of organizations implementing technological innovations in the total number of organizations
8.3. Share of organizations implementing technological innovations in the total number of organizations by countries outside the European Union: 2014
8.4. Share of organizations engaged in marketing innovations in the total number of organizations: 2014
8.5. Share of organizations implementing organizational innovations in the total number of organizations: 2014
8.6. Key indicators of innovation activity in the CIS countries: 2014
8.7. Share of organizations that received funding from the budget, in the total number of organizations that carried out technological innovations
8.8. Technological innovation cost intensity
8.9. The share of innovative goods, works, services in the total volume of goods shipped, works performed, services
8.10. Share of organizations participating in joint research and development projects in the total number of organizations implementing technological innovations
8.11. Share of organizations participating in joint research and development projects, in the total number of organizations carrying out technological innovations, by partner countries
8.12. Share of organizations that rated individual sources of information as the main ones in the total number of organizations that carried out technological innovations: 2014
Methodological comments
As evidenced by BCG's 2016 Most Innovative Companies: Overcoming Rejection of Outside Inventions, companies increasingly need to balance internal and external innovation while overcoming resentment within the organization.
This year's list includes companies from all over the world: 34 from the USA, 10 from Europe and 6 from Asia.
Since 2004, BCG has conducted 11 surveys of more than 1,500 innovation executives across a wide range of countries and industries to gain an understanding of the state of business innovation.
The Most Innovative Companies 2016: Getting Past "Not Invented Here" report provides a list of 50 companies rated as the most innovative by senior executives around the world, and identified a growing need for companies to implement external developments.
The sample size of Russian respondents for the 2016 report is 40, with the participation of the energy sector and industrial production being above average, while the participation of the telecommunications, media and technology sectors is below average.
"With the increasing pace of market change and the fact that even in more traditional sectors, technology is becoming a key factor, it can be fatal to treat external inventions as aliens," said BCG partner and co-author Andrew Taylor. successful innovators find a strategic balance between internal and external innovation. They are wisdom and efficiency in finding and scanning external ideas and are quick to implement them in their companies. "
According to the report, the difference between the most active innovators and the lagging firms in this aspect lies precisely in the search for external development.
Active innovators are taking a more analytical approach: according to the available data, 65% of new ideas are found through social media and big data analysis (compared with only 14% for inactive innovators).
Active innovators are also flexible in how they innovate. For example, 66% of those surveyed reported that their companies often find new ideas through external partnerships (compared with 22% for weak innovators).
BCG partner and report co-author Michael Ringel notes: "We are seeing innovators increasingly use advanced analytics to find key technologies for which they are licensing and targeting acquisitions and partnerships, enabling them to shorten development cycles and outperform the competition." ...
Companies seeking to take advantage of external innovation employ a range of structural and cultural techniques to bring external ideas to life within their businesses.
“Leading innovators are overcoming rejection of 'someone else's' invention through structural and cultural change,” says Hadi Zablit, BCG partner and co-author of the report. and through incentive measures and leadership style, develop a more open culture. "
The available evidence supports this view. For example, among active innovators, 62% of companies use incubators (compared to only 13% among inactive innovators). 80% of active innovators also report that their organizations are open and willing to cooperate (compared with 22% among inactive).
Russian companies use big data to identify market trends, and most of them can use their own data to innovate. However, Russian respondents are less likely to use big data analysis or incubators.
Below are the top 10 most innovative companies.
10. IBM
Starting well before the computer era, it not only influenced modern computers - IBM, in fact, created their modern look.
IBM's contribution to the development of the computer world is enormous. These are hard disk drives, first introduced on September 13, 1956, and floppy disk drives (floppy disks), developed in 1971.
And the structured query language SQL, which is used in all relational databases.
And most importantly - the personal computer IBM PC, presented in 1981. This computer marked the beginning of a new era - the era of PC architecture.
Today the company is engaged in the production of supercomputers, high-performance servers, processors and software.
IBM is one of the ten largest manufacturers of various electrical and electronic equipment around the world. Research and development and consulting are a very important part of the company's work.
9. Facebook
The website was originally called Thefacebook and was only available to students at Harvard University, then registrations were opened to other universities in Boston, and then to students of any US educational institution with an email address in the .edu domain.
Since September 2006, the site is available to all Internet users over the age of 16 who have an e-mail address.
Facebook ranks among the five most visited websites in the world.
1.03 billion people monthly use the Facebook mobile app.
The site has 200 billion "friendships".
Thanks to this site, Mark Zuckerberg at 23 became the youngest billionaire on the planet.
8. Toyota
Toyota Motor Corporation is Japan's largest automotive corporation, also providing financial services and several additional business lines. The main office of the company is located in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture (Japan).
Toyota Motor Corporation is the main member of the Toyota Group. The Toyota brand is mainly associated with this company. The company began its activity with the production of automatic looms.
Toyota is the world leader in the sale of hybrid electric vehicles and one of the largest companies promoting the use of hybrid vehicles to the mass market around the world.
Toyota's brand value is estimated at $ 42.1 billion.
7. Samsung
Samsung Group is a South Korean group of companies, one of the largest in South Korea, founded in 1938.
In the world market, it is known as a manufacturer of high-tech components, telecommunications equipment, household appliances, audio and video devices. The main office of the company is located in Seoul.
Companies belonging to the Samsung Group concern electronics and microelectronics, the chemical industry, construction, automotive, heavy industry, finance and loans, and insurance.
The structure of the concern includes a full cycle of electronics production, from the extraction of resources, their processing and ending with finished products.
Most of the conglomerate's divisions perform subordinate functions in relation to companies engaged directly in the manufacture of finished electronic products, and work exclusively for the concern or only within South Korea.
This feature is clearly visible in the distribution of profits by divisions. Thus, the main income of the concern comes from the electronics industry.
6. Netflix
Netflix is an American company that provides movies and TV series based on streaming media. Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Los Gatos, California.
Netflix runs on a variety of devices and apps such as Smart TV, Windows Phone, Android, iOS, PC, Mac OS, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
The company offers free viewing for a month from the date of registration.
In recent years, Netflix has launched its own production of television series that are only available to their customers.
5. Amazon
Amazon is an American company, the largest in the world in terms of turnover among those selling goods and services over the Internet and one of the first Internet services focused on selling real consumer goods. It is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
Amazon.com was founded in 1994 by American entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, and the site was launched in 1995.
The company was named after the Amazon River, the deepest in the world. Initially, only books were sold on the site.
In June 1998, the store began selling music discs, and in November of the same year, video products.
Later, the range expanded to include MP3 recordings, software, video games, electronics, clothing, furniture, food and toys.
Amazon.com currently covers 34 product categories, including e-books, consumer electronics, children's toys, food, household goods, sporting goods, and more.
The company also has subsidiaries outside the United States in Brazil, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, France, Italy, Spain, India and China.
4. Microsoft
World renowned manufacturer of software for desktops, mobile devices, clusters, servers and game consoles.
In addition to software, the company is also engaged in the production of game consoles themselves, computer manipulators and audio players.
The name of the company was formed from two words: MICROcomputer SOFTware. At first it was written with a hyphen: Micro-soft. The company changed the logo several times without changing its essence; only the font used to write the word Microsoft changed.
Today, this name no longer corresponds to the truth: software is created not only for microcomputers, but also for high-performance servers and the like.
The history of Microsoft is a story of dizzying success and continuous development. The corporation has repeatedly made mistakes and miscalculations, but always quickly corrected them, eventually conquering more and more new areas for itself and setting new records.
And if in the first year only three people worked at Microsoft (including the founders), then by 2008 their number amounted to more than 80 thousand - in offices scattered around the world.
3. Tesla Motors
Tesla Motors is a Silicon Valley-based American automobile company focused on the production of electric vehicles. Named after the world famous electrical engineer and physicist Nikola Tesla.
Tesla is rolling out a network of "Superchargers" - electric vehicle charging stations designed to enable Tesla vehicles to take long journeys. The stations use mainly energy from solar panels.
All new machines have the ability to use stations, but some older 60 kWh models require the purchase of an additional module for $ 2500.
In April 2016, the first Supercharger station in Russia appeared in the Moscow region.
Among the company's investors are Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, one of the founders of the PayPal payment system Elon Musk, founder and president of eBay Jeffrey Skoll, Daimler AG, Toyota.
At the first stage, Elon Musk invested the most - $ 70 million, earned from the sale of his stake in PayPal.
2. Google
Today the Google brand is known all over the world. The most powerful company in its short history managed to conquer a significant part of the virtual services market. And the term to google is widely used in English as an analogue of the phrase "search the Internet".
Google has a history of just over a decade. But during this time, she managed to turn into a large corporation, open more than 70 offices in 40 countries around the world.
The number of employees is estimated at tens of thousands of people. The main office is located in Mountain View, California.
And the central European is located in a prestigious area of Zurich. The corporation tries to create the most comfortable working conditions for its employees, so many people dream of working for the company.
The Google search engine has rapidly taken over 60% of the global online market. More than 50 million queries are registered here every day and more than 8 billion virtual pages are indexed. The system has become multilingual: almost two hundred languages are available to users.
1. Apple
Apple is an American corporation that manufactures personal and tablet computers, audio players, phones, and software.
One of the pioneers in the field of personal computers and modern multitasking operating systems with a graphical interface. Headquartered in Cupertino, California.
Through innovative technology and aesthetic design, Apple has built a cult-like reputation in the consumer electronics industry.
The company employs over 92,600 people worldwide.
Innovative technologies are unique solutions aimed at developing existing ones or creating fundamentally new types of production activities.
The rapidly changing world constantly poses new challenges for humanity, for the solution of which we will need no less rapidly developing technologies that seem to be the embodiment of science fiction.
You've already heard that many of them have been on the scientific horizon for some time, but 2016 promises to be the year of a real breakthrough.
Significant developments, according to the Council on Emerging Technologies of the World Economic Forum.
Nanosensors and the Internet of nanodevices
One of the most attention-grabbing areas today is nanosensors that can circulate within the human body or be embedded in structural materials. The ability to connect all of these sensors to the Internet will have a huge impact on the future of medicine, architecture, agronomy, drug manufacturing and other fields of science.
New generation batteries
The main obstacle to the development of renewable energy sources is the mismatch between demand and production capacity. Another problem is the impossibility of storing the excess energy produced in ideal conditions for subsequent transmission to the network. New high-capacity batteries based on sodium, aluminum and zinc solve this problem and make it possible to build mini-power systems that can provide a clean, reliable, 24/7 energy source for an entire community.
Decentralized Blockchain Trust System
Blockchain, or blockchain of transactions, is the term known from the digital currency bitcoin: a decentralized public network of transactions that is not owned or operated by any person or organization. With investments that surpassed $ 1 billion in 2015 alone, the economic and social impact of blockchain has the potential to change the way global markets and governments interact.
2D materials
Perhaps graphene is the most famous material consisting of a single atomic layer, but it is far from the only one. With the dramatic drop in manufacturing costs, such materials will soon find applications in a wide range of applications, from water and air filters to the next generation of clothing and batteries.
Self-driving cars
Although self-driving cars are not yet fully legalized in many countries, their enormous potential in various fields of application is leading to the rapid development of a key technology towards full autonomy.
Organs on a Chip
Miniature - the size of a memory stick - human organ models could revolutionize medical research and drug development by giving researchers the opportunity to observe biological mechanisms at work.
Photocells based on perovskite materials
The new materials have three advantages over traditional silicon solar cells: they are more efficient, easier to manufacture, and can be used just about anywhere.
Open ecosystems of artificial intelligence
The combined advances in natural language processing and social awareness algorithms, coupled with the unprecedented availability of data, will soon enable virtual assistants to assist a person in a wide range of tasks, from managing personal finances to advice on choosing a wardrobe.
Contrary to Hollywood stereotypes, you will not find living human organs floating in biologists' laboratories. Even aside from all the technical difficulties of maintaining an organ outside the body, whole organs are too valuable as transplants to be experimented with. Yet a lot of important biological research and practical drug testing can only be done by examining an organ as it works. The new technology can solve this problem practically: by growing functional human organs in miniature, on microchips.
In 2010, Donald Ingber of the Wyss Institute developed light-on-a-chip, the first of its kind. The commercial segment quickly jumped into development, including the Emulate company led by Ingber and others from the Wiess Institute, as well as DARPA. Since then, different groups of scientists have reported on the successful implementation of miniature models of the lungs, liver, kidneys, heart, bone marrow and cornea. Further there will be others.
Each organ-on-a-chip is about the size of a USB stick. It is made of flexible, translucent polymer. Microfluidic tubes, each less than a millimeter in diameter, are brought to cells taken from an organ of interest to scientists, and work in a complex tandem with a chip. When nutrients, blood, and test components like experimental drugs are pumped through the tubes, cells replicate the key functions of a living organ.
The chambers inside the chip can be arranged to mimic a specific structure of organ tissue, such as tiny air sacs in the lung. Air passes through the channel and very closely mimics human breathing. At the same time, blood filled with bacteria can be pumped through other tubes and the cells can be observed to respond to infection without any risk to humans. This technology allows scientists to observe biological mechanisms and physiological behavior like never before.
Organ microchips provide a breakthrough for companies that are developing new drugs. Their ability to emulate human organs allows for the accurate and realistic testing of possible drugs. Last year, for example, one group used the chip to mimic the way endocrine cells release hormones into the bloodstream and did important research on diabetes drugs.
Other groups are exploring the possibility of using organ-on-a-chip in personalized medicine. In principle, these microarrays can be created from stem cells harvested from the patients themselves, and then tested to determine individual treatments that have a better chance of success.
The hope remains that miniature organs could significantly reduce the pharmaceutical industry's dependence on animal testing. Millions of animals are sacrificed every year in such tests, which is the source of heated debate. But ethics aside, animal testing is simply ineffective because humans may react differently to the same drugs. Tests on miniature human organs can be much better.
The military also believes organ-on-a-chip also has life-saving potential, but slightly different. An artificial lung, as well as other similar organs, could be the next major step in research into how biological, chemical, or radiological weapons affect humans. Now, for obvious ethical reasons, such tests are not possible.
Perovskite solar cells are on the rise
Silicon, which currently dominates the global marketplace, suffers from three fundamental constraints. A promising new way to produce high-efficiency solar cells using perovskites instead of silicon could solve all three at the same time and significantly increase the generation of electricity from sunlight.
The first major limitation of silicon photovoltaic cells is that they are made from a material that is rarely found in nature in the pure elemental form that is needed. Although there is no shortage of silicon in the form of silicon dioxide (sand on the beach), a huge amount of energy must be applied to rid it of oxygen. Typically, manufacturers heat silica to 1500-2000 degrees Celsius in an electric arc furnace. The energy required to operate such furnaces sets a fundamental lower limit on the production cost of silicon photovoltaic cells and also adds to the greenhouse gas emissions of the manufacturing process.
Perovskites are a large-scale class of materials in which organic molecules, mainly carbon and hydrogen, bond with a metal like lead and a halogen like chlorine to form a three-dimensional crystal lattice. Their production can be much cheaper and the associated emissions are much less. Manufacturers can apply perovskites in thin films to virtually any surface without the need for an oven. The film also weighs very little.
Which, in turn, removes the second big limitation of silicon solar cells: their rigidity and weight. Silicon photovoltaic cells are great for use on flat, large panels. But large-scale installations of these panels are very expensive, which is why you usually see them on rooftops and on "solar farms".
The third major limitation of traditional solar cells is their energy conversion efficiency, which has stood at 25% for 15 years. Initially, perovskites promised much lower efficiency. In 2009, perovskite elements based on lead, iodide and methyl ammonium converted less than 4% of the received sunlight into electricity. But the pace of development of perovskites has been phenomenal, in part due to the fact that this class of materials can handle thousands of different chemical compositions. By 2016, the efficiency of solar cells based on perovskites had climbed to 20% - a fivefold improvement in just seven years with a doubling of efficiency in the last two years. They can now compete commercially with silicon photovoltaic cells, and the efficiency limits of perovskites can still be much higher. Rapidly developing perovskite photovoltaic cells may very soon bypass the already mature silicon PV technology.
Scientists still have to answer several important questions about perovskites, such as how they will withstand years of weathering and how they can be produced in such quantities to compete with silicon panels in the global market. But even a relatively small influx of these new elements can help provide solar power to remote areas not yet connected to the grid. Combined with emerging battery technology, perovskite solar cells could help transform the lives of the 1.2 billion people currently lacking reliable electricity.
Metabolic engineering turns microbes into factories
Trace the path of the products we buy and use every day - from plastics and textiles to cosmetics and fuels - to their introduction and discover that the vast majority of them were made from materials created deep underground. Factories that produce everything we need for modern life largely make it from a wide variety of chemicals. These chemicals are produced in factories primarily from fossil fuels - mainly petroleum products - which are broken down into many other compounds.
It would be much better for the climate and perhaps for the global economy to produce many of the chemicals for industry from living organisms rather than from oil, gas and coal. We already use agricultural products in this way - we wear cotton clothes and live in wooden houses - but plants are not the only source of ingredients. Microbes have much more to offer in the long run and make inexpensive materials with a wide range of properties that we take for granted. Instead of digging raw materials out of the ground, we can “cook” them in giant bioreactors filled with living microorganisms.
For bio-based chemical production to work, it must compete with conventional chemical production in both price and performance. With the latest advances in metabolic engineering systems that alter the biochemistry of microbes so that they spend their energy and resources to synthesize useful chemicals, this goal is within reach. Sometimes these adjustments involve changing the genetic makeup of organisms; sometimes involve more sophisticated engineering of microbial metabolism and tuning of system properties.
With the latest advances in synthetic biology, systems biology, and evolutionary engineering, metabolic engineering is now capable of creating biological systems capable of producing chemicals that are difficult (and expensive) to produce using traditional methods. In one of the most recent successful demonstrations, microbes have been tuned in to produce [poly (lactate-co-glycolate)], an implantable, biodegradable polymer used as surgical sutures, implants and prostheses, and cancer drug delivery and infections.
Metabolic engineering systems have also been used to create yeast strains that produce opioids to treat pain. These drugs are needed all over the world, especially in developing countries where pain is not effectively managed.
The range of chemicals that can be produced using metabolic engineering is expanding every year. While this method is unlikely to be able to replicate all of the products extracted from petroleum products, it can reveal new chemicals that would never have been produced from fossil fuels - in particular, complex organic compounds that are currently too expensive because they are needed. extract from plants or animals, and even then in tiny quantities.
Unlike fossil fuels, microbial chemicals are virtually unlimited and emit relatively few greenhouse gases; some of them could theoretically reverse the flow of carbon from Earth into the atmosphere by absorbing carbon dioxide or methane and incorporating it into products that will eventually be disposed of as solid waste.
As biochemical production grows for industrial use, it will also be necessary to be careful not to accidentally release engineering microorganisms into the environment. While these finely tuned microbes will be at a disadvantage in the wild, it is best to keep them safe in their tanks while happily working to produce useful things for the benefit of humanity and the environment.
Blockchain enhances privacy, security and data integrity
Blockchain, or blockchain of transactions, is a term known from the digital currency bitcoin: a decentralized public network of transactions that is not owned or operated by any person or organization. Any user can access the entire blockchain, and every transfer of funds from one account to another is recorded and verified using mathematical methods borrowed from cryptography. Since copies of the blockchain are scattered all over the planet, it is considered an effective method of protection against hacking.
The problems that bitcoins pose to law enforcement and international currency control are constantly discussed. But blockchain has applications beyond simple monetary transactions.
Like the Internet, blockchain is an open global infrastructure on which other technologies and applications can be built. And like the Internet, it allows people to bypass traditional middlemen by working with each other, thereby reducing or eliminating transaction costs.
Using blockchain, individuals can exchange money or buy insurance safely or without a bank account, even across national borders - this could be a breakthrough for two billion people in a world ruled by financial institutions. Blockchain technology allows strangers to enter into fast and reliable contracts without lawyers or intermediaries. It is possible to sell real estate, tickets, shares or other type of property or rights without a broker.
The long-term consequences of blockchain use for professional intermediaries like banks, lawyers and brokers can be very serious and not necessarily worse, because these intermediaries themselves pay huge amounts in the form of transaction costs for doing business. Analysts at Santander InnoVentures, for example, estimate that blockchain technology could save banks more than $ 20 billion a year by 2022.
About 50 major banks have announced an initiative to explore and use the blockchain. Investors have poured over a billion dollars last year into startups that will operate blockchain for a wide range of businesses. Tech giants like Microsoft, IBM and Google are already running blockchain projects.
Because blockchain transactions are recorded using private and public keys - long strings of characters that are unreadable to humans - people can remain anonymous by allowing third parties to verify their digital handshake. And not just people: organizations can use blockchains to store public records and guarantees.
Perhaps the most encouraging benefit of blockchain technology is the incentive it creates for participants: to work honestly and by rules that are the same for everyone. Bitcoins have led to known abuses in the smuggling trade, and some malicious use of blockchain technology will be inevitable. This technology does not make theft impossible, it only complicates it. But, like any technology, the blockchain is improving and improving, and in this its prospects are very bright.
2D materials create new tools for technologists
New materials can change the world. We are not just talking about the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. Concrete, stainless steel and silicon have brought us to the modern age. Now, a new class of materials, consisting of a single layer of atoms, marks far-reaching possibilities. This class of 2D materials has grown over the past few years to include lattice layers of carbon (graphene), boron (borophene), hexagonal boron nitride (white graphene), germanium (germanene), silicon (silicene), phosphorus (phosphorophene), and tin (stanene). ... Many other two-dimensional materials have been shown in theory but have not yet been synthesized, like graphane from carbon. Each has amazing properties, and different 2D substances can be combined like LEGO bricks to create new materials.
The monolayer revolution began in 2004, when two scientists created 2D graphene using ordinary duct tape - perhaps the first time a Nobel discovery was made using a tool found even in kindergarten. Graphene is stronger than steel, harder than diamond, lighter than anything else, transparent, flexible and perfectly conducts electricity. It is also impermeable to most substances, with the exception of water vapor, which flows freely through the molecular network.
Initially, graphene was more expensive than gold, but thanks to improved production technologies, it has fallen in price. Hexagonal boron nitride is also commercially available and follows a similar trajectory. Graphene has become cheap enough to be incorporated into water filters for desalination and wastewater treatment. As the cost declines, graphene can be added to concrete and asphalt to purify urban air because, in addition to being strong, this material absorbs carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides from the atmosphere.
Other 2D materials are likely to follow the trajectory of graphene and find applications in a variety of applications as manufacturing costs decline, especially in electronics. Technologists are still discovering new unique properties of two-dimensional materials. Graphene, for example, is used to make flexible sensors that can be sewn into clothing - or directly printed into 3D fabric using other manufacturing techniques. When added to polymers, graphene can make aircraft wings lighter and stronger.
Hexagonal boron nitride has been combined with graphene and boron nitride to improve lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors. By accommodating more power in smaller volumes, these materials can shorten charging times, extend battery life and reduce weight - useful in everything from smartphones to electric vehicles.
Whenever new materials are released into the environment, there are concerns about their toxicity. Ten years of toxicology studies on graphene have found nothing to fuel concerns about its health and environmental effects. But research continues.
The invention of 2D materials has created a new box of powerful tools for technologists. Scientists and engineers mix and match these ultrafine compounds - each with unique optical, mechanical and electrical properties - to produce materials optimized for a wide variety of applications. Steel and silicon, the foundations of 20th century industrialization, look clumsy and crude compared to their heirs.