All articles tagged with #inventions
TIME's annual Best Inventions list for 2025 highlights 300 groundbreaking innovations across various fields, including AI, healthcare, and entertainment, showcasing the rapid acceleration of technological progress over the past 25 years.
Science fiction has inspired numerous real-world inventions, from holograms and tablets to self-driving cars and the metaverse, demonstrating how imaginative stories often serve as blueprints for technological innovation.
Members of the 'Ask Reddit' community recently discussed accidental discoveries and inventions, including LSD, universal glue (Post-It notes), bird migration, Chauvet Cave paintings, gated reverb, X-rays, glass production, reverse transcriptase, Viagra, Silly Putty, polycarbonate polymer, dry cleaning, Precambrian Ediacara fossils, gunpowder, brown dwarf "The Accident," Niels Abel's math proof, Parakaryon Myojinensis, and the blue LED.
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued guidelines stating that only a real person can be named as an inventor on a patent, not AI. The guidelines aim to reassure innovators that their AI-assisted inventions can be patented while upholding human creativity. The decision reflects the Biden administration's focus on artificial intelligence issues and aims to provide clarity on patent protections as AI becomes more prevalent in the inventive process. However, concerns have been raised about potential abuse of the guidelines leading to an increase in low-quality patents and unproductive litigation.
The US Patent and Trademark Office has confirmed that artificial intelligence systems cannot be listed as inventors in patent applications, but humans can use AI tools in the invention process and must disclose if they do. The person using the AI must have significantly contributed to the invention's conception to be able to register a patent, and simply overseeing or owning an AI that creates things doesn't qualify for patent filing. This decision follows public consultations and a court ruling upholding the patent office's decision that only "natural humans" can apply for patents.
In an op-ed, Michael Harriot criticizes a New York Times article for focusing on how Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce popularized the "fade" haircut in Black America, attributing it to his popularity and not acknowledging its origins. Harriot sarcastically lists eight innovations and creations that were conceived or popularized by white culture, highlighting the historical contributions of Black people and critiquing the tendency to credit white individuals for cultural phenomena that originated in Black communities.
The UK Supreme Court has ruled that artificial intelligence (AI) cannot be recognized as an inventor in a landmark case regarding patent rights. The case involved a U.S. computer scientist who sought to register patents for inventions created by his AI system. The UK's Intellectual Property Office rejected the application, stating that an inventor must be a human or a company. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld this decision, clarifying that under UK patent law, an inventor must be a natural person. The ruling has raised questions about how the patent system should handle AI-generated inventions, and the government will review this area of law.
SoftBank's CEO, Masayoshi Son, has announced that he is shifting his focus towards AI inventions. This move comes as the company looks to diversify its portfolio and expand its reach in the technology industry.
Amazon has a dedicated page for Shark Tank products, and there are many brilliant gadgets to sort through. Here are some of the highest-rated and lowest-priced standouts, including a car seat gap filler, laundry detergent sheets, glasses magnets, a drain hair catcher, solar-powered lanterns, a balance board, reusable storage bags, bottle spatulas, a water-powered brush for cleaning cars, and a silicone grease guard for cooktops.
NASA's research and inventions have led to the creation of many everyday household items, including water filters, microprocessors, crash helmets, cordless tools, scratch-resistant lenses, smoke detectors, satellite television, shoe insoles, modern golf ball dimples, and joysticks. These spin-offs from space exploration have transformed how people live their lives and interact with their environment.
Century-old writings by inventor Nikola Tesla seem to predict the development of artificial intelligence, foreshadowing the rise of the groundbreaking tech. Tesla's scientific brilliance set him up to make eerily accurate predictions, including prescient insight into the emergence of machines with their "own mind." The resurfaced essay has been described as Tesla’s "philosophical treatise" where he used his research and genius to explain "how to satisfy humanity’s increasing need for energy." Tesla is credited for accurately predicting a handful of other technological advances currently in use today, such as tech that could transmit data wirelessly, also known as the internet, and the creation of cellphones.
Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, still believes her company could have revolutionized healthcare if it hadn't attracted so much attention so quickly, according to a recent interview with The New York Times. Holmes, who is currently awaiting the start of her 11-year prison sentence for fraud, also stated that she plans to work on healthcare-related inventions while in jail, including new ideas for COVID-19 testing. Despite her conviction, Holmes maintains her idealistic delusion and continues to believe she can change healthcare.