Most Useful Inventions Over The Past 2 Years

Technology seems to move at a rapid pace in the modern world. While this can sometimes seem a little overwhelming, it has also created the ideal environment for innovations and inventions. So, here we’ll explore the most useful inventions that have been created in the past two years.

Generative AI Designs:

Generative AI technology entered the mainstream in late 2022, but the innovation has gone from strength to strength. This technology uses deep learning to produce creative assets including text, music, images and video. You may have already played around with Midjourney or ChatGPT, but these just scratch the surface of the technology. Corporate use generative AI has far greater sophistication. When used to its full capacity, it can reduce the lifecycle time of product development, compose new materials, optimize the design of parts, generate synthetic data and even design drugs in months rather than the process taking years. Experts are predicting that 30% of large organization’s outbound marketing messages will be generated by AI by 2025 and over the next decade we may see a major blockbuster movie released that is 90% AI generated. While many people are still wary about AI, due to the concerns about job losses, studies have shown that AI can increase productivity for a wide variety of tasks and there are specific benefits for less experienced or low ability employees. AI is expected to have increasing success over the coming years, but the risks, such as copyright issues, deep fakes and malicious use will need to be navigated. 

6G:

Many of us have only just started to wrap our heads around 5G, yet 6G is on the horizon. The features of 6G including the industries it could impact from self driving to entertainment have not yet been fully confirmed. However, the research and design of 6G has already begun and we should start to see implementation by 2030. This follows the historical telecom industry patterns of adding new generations approximately every 10 years. 6G is expected to go well above and beyond 5G in terms of higher peak data rates, greater connection density, more energy efficiency and lower latency. It is uncertain whether the jump from 5G to 6G will be as significant as it was during the move from 4G to 5G. Most experts are in agreement that AI is likely to be a key component of this new technology along with privacy, security and secrecy. What is expected to be fully different moving on from 5G is the government implication on design. There are several governments including the US, Japanese and Korean governments that are already intending to have some say in the future infrastructure of their respective countries. This could be a net positive for privacy, but there may be some compromises. 

4D Printing:

The concept of 4D printing is a little confusing, but it doesn’t refer to creating or accessing another dimension. In simple terms, 4D printed products are 3D printed objects that can change properties when a specific stimulus is applied. For example, if it is heated, shaken or submerged in water. Therefore, 4D printing involves using Smart Materials. The challenge of 4D printing is going to be finding the smart materials that are suitable for all uses. For the time being, think shape memory polymers or hydrogels. There is some work continuing in this space, but we’re a little way of seeing 4D printers in stores. However, there are some promising applications, such as clothing that change characteristics in certain conditions such as improved grip in wet weather or become more snug in colder temperatures. We could even see pills that only activate when the body hits a certain temperature or furniture that fluctuates between flexible and rigid. It could even be implemented in computational folding, so an object that is larger than the printer can be created in a single part. 

Bottle Free Body Wash:

Many of us have experienced the issue of traveling and finding that a bottle of body wash or a container of shampoo has leaked everywhere. While this can be incredibly frustrating and annoying, it is not the only issue with beauty products. The personal care industry also has a plastics problem. Fortunately, bottle free body wash solves both of these issues. These body wash sheets are well beyond using a refillable bottle. They are body wash sheets wrapped in a water soluble sachet. You simply need to open it up, remove the cleanser, wet it and it will transform into a lather. Best of all, the packaging simply dissolves and washes away down the drain. This is a great option for travelers, but there are even rolls available for use at home, where you can simply ear off a sheet for each shower. Currently, there are only one or two brands offering waterless, fully dissolvable body wash, but this useful invention is expected to become more widely available in the coming years. 

SpaceX Starlink:

Today, Elon Musk is most associated with social media controversy since his takeover of Twitter and rebranding it as X. However, let’s not forget that his company SpaceX also produced one of the most useful inventions from the last two years in the form of Starlink. Starlink is the satellite internet branch of SpaceX and there are currently over 3,000 Starlink satellites orbiting the earth. This network is bringing internet access across the globe to previously challenging corners of the world. For example, during the early days of the Ukraine/Russia conflict, Starlink satellite access was granted to Ukraine. In fact, despite Musk stating that his company would not foot the bill for these services indefinitely, they continue to provide internet access in the region. 

While technology continues to move on at a rapid pace, it is important to pause and take a measure of the innovations and useful inventions that have been created over the past two years. Although some of these inventions have not fully made it to market yet, they are certainly one to watch in the coming years for the potential to change our lives.