A timeline of human inventions in science from 2000-2024
Camera phone, iPhone, Tesla X and medical surgicalAR, which means augmented reality, are just some of the things that have be developed through science during the last 25 years, says Time's website. As the years have evolved, humans have become more equipped to create inventions that change lives. “[We] are changing how we live, work, play and think about what’s possible,” the website information says.
2000: Camera Phones: Sharp’s J-SH04 is the first camera phone that became commercially available. This led to users taking images on the go and using “Sha Mail” or “MMS.”
2001: Fuel-Cell Bike: Italian bike maker, Aprilia, invented a bike that would use pollution-free hydrogen gas to generate an electric current.
2002: Solar Tower: The Australian government built a greenhouse with a turbine to generate electricity across 200,000 houses in Australia. This led to cheap, green electricity.
2003: Fever Finder : The Singapore Technologies Electronics and the Singapore Defense Science and Technology Agency invented a system because of the recent SARS scare, allowing to check a temperature through a color-coded thermograph of a person.
2004: Perfect Aim: This vein contrast enhancer by Conenhill Biomedics navigates veins with a virtual map, reducing errors regarding getting blood.
2005: SeaLife DC 500: The underwater digital camera captures ultrasharp, high- resolution pictures for underwater photography. This invention can withstand water down to 200 feet.
2006: Selfhelp: Panasonic invented a robotic suit for stroke patients who have lost strength and sensation in one arm. This robotic suit helps with the movement of the healthy limb to help rehabilitate the damaged one.
2007: iPhone: The precursor of all iPhones today. This invention led to developing high-quality phones that eventually became a platform for more than 1 billion people.
2008: Sunscreen for Plants: Plants need sunscreen too to avoid the harmful UV rays of the sun, which led to this invention, allowinng for higher food yields and better-quality food.
2009: AIDS Vaccine: After more than 20 years of the AIDS virus being detected, the first immunization was invented by scientists for HIV infection, consisting of two shots reducing infection by 31 percent.
2010: Bloom Box: A California startup created a container called Bloom Box, which generates electricity through solid oxide fuel cells, allowing for cleaner sources in the future.
2011: Siri: It is now an integral part of the iPhone as a virtual helper, which set a precursor for all the upcoming Apple products that came [and are to come].
2012: Google Glass: A computer projected onto a pair of glasses. Google created this device to make augmented reality part of our daily lives.
2013: Rewalk: The exoskeleton or bionic suit for paraplegics. It relies on sensors that anticipate shifts in the user’s balance, allowing freedom for paraplegics.
2014: Hemopurifier: As the spread of the Ebola virus was at its peak, this invention has a specially designed cartridge that attaches to a dialysis machine and can find and clean out the Ebola virus while a patient is going through regular dialysis.
2015: Tesla Model X: As said by the CEO and developer Elon Musk, “any kind of car can go electric”– and that is how Tesla Model X has been unveiled, being the first luxury SUV car that goes up to 250 miles on one charge.
2016: The Orange-Fleshed Sweet Potato: Developed by the International Potato Center and HarvestPlus, the production of vitamin A-rich sweet potatoes in sub-Saharan African continent helps combat vitamin A deficiencies, malaria, blindness and other health problems.
2017: Mars InSight: NASA launched a spacecraft to give the best look of the Red Planet or Mars, which will study the planet’s thermal history and geological temperature.
2018: Allbirds Sweetfoam: Many shoe parts are made out of petroleum. To change it up, retail startup, Allbird, created a new material of flip flop made from sugarcane.
2019: GE Haliade-X 12 MW Offshore Wind Turbine: Known for being the largest offshore wind turbine, this invention offers to move the world towards clean energy.
2020: Heliogen HelioHeat: Bill Gross founded Heliogen, a high-temperature solar technology can cost-effectively replace fossil fuels using sunlight for a range of industrial processes by using a huge magnifying glass and the sun.
2021: COVID-19 Vaccines: After the pandemic, vaccines have been produced to reduce the rates of severe COVID-19 related hospitalization and deaths. Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are some of the leading companies to create this vaccine.
2022: Oscilla Power Triton Wave Energy Converter: The hydrokinetic energy is creating an offshore power grid.
A pilot version of this invention was deployed in Hawaii off of the Marine Corp. base in Kaneohe.
2023: Medical SurgicalAR: The augmented reality headset allows surgeons to pivot their way through a patient’s body, through improved visualize medical imaging data. It’s designed to improve surgical precision and patient safety.
2024: Arbor Power Station: Developed by former SpaceXrocket scientist, Brad Hartwig, this tech converts C02 from organic waste, like from agriculture products and food, into low-cost, clean energy.