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Top 10 Emerging Technologies of 2020

POSTED ON: November 23, 2020

Photo Credit: Vanessa Branchi
Photo Credit: Vanessa Branchi

Dean Barry Shoop is one of 25 International experts selected to the 2020 World Economic Forum (WEF) Meta-Council on Emerging Technologies. This steering committee, convened annually by Scientific American and WEF, identifies the top 10 emerging technologies that will become material, either socially or commercially within the coming few years. This year’s technologies, which were announce in Scientific American, are:



1. Microneedles for Painless Injections and Tests.

2. Sun-Powered Chemistry.

3. Virtual Patients.

4. Spatial Computing.

5. Digital Medicine.

6. Electric Aviation.

7. Lower-Carbon Cement.

8. Quantum Sensing.

9. Green Hydrogen.

10. Whole-Genome Synthesis.

The 2020 Meta-Council on Emerging Technologies is co-chaired by Bernard S. Meyerson, Vice President of Innovation for IBM, and Mariette DiChristina, former Editor-in-Chief of Scientific American and Executive Vice-President, Magazines, Springer Nature. This year, this group sifted through more than 75 nominated technologies. To win the nod, the technologies must have the potential to spur progress in societies and economies by outperforming established ways of doing things. They should also not yet be in wide use, but likely have a major impact within the next three to five years. The steering group met virtually to whittle down the candidates and then closely evaluate the front-runners before making final decisions.

 

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