8 Best Inventions Of The 21st Century
Apps, social media, and driverless cars are all now a reality which we would have never thought possible back in the 90's. In no particular order, let's take a look at some of the best and most important inventions since 2000.
Artificial Intelligence
Sci-fi movies from older times feature talking robots and computers that can think for themselves. These things still feature in movies, admittedly, but artificial intelligence is becoming a real "thing". In 2011, for instance, a computer system called IBM Watson competed on and won American quiz-show Jeopardy, beating two all-time champions in the process. Though we're not at a stage where robots are uprising and taking over the world, the capability to develop full artificial intelligence can't be too far off.
The Electric Car
If you haven't heard of Elon Musk and Tesla by now, we're almost 100% certain you're living in a media black hole. While his latest antics have been more geared towards space exploration, Tesla was an innovation of its own. Although electric cars had been invented previously, and subsequently, Tesla was the first to make them easily and readily available. Nissan and BMW have recently followed suit and produced their own commercially available electric cars.
The Apple iPod
Though there are now loads of portable MP3 players available, and most have actually been long forgotten and replaced by phones with huge storage, the iPod was the gadget that transformed how we listen to music. Gone were the days of walkmans and CD's, and the ability to carry around so many songs in such a small device made it the must-have item of 2001.
Facebook
Facebook, introduced in 2004, wasn't the first social media site to grace the internet (anyone remember MySpace?), but it was by far the most influential. Initially developed for Harvard students only, Facebook now has over 150 million users. The ability to share snippets of your life with a multitude of contacts and use the internet to build lasting networks is one that is now ingrained into everyday life for both business and individuals.
YouTube
YouTube arrived on our screens in 2005 – just over a decade ago. To think that YouTube has changed the face of media consumption in such a short space is incredible. For everything from how-to videos, to comedy show catch ups, viral videos and marketing campaigns, YouTube is to go-to whenever a video element is needed.
Smartphones
Yes, phones existed before 2000. The age of the smartphone, however, is a whole different ball game. There's been many variations and the smartphone now is far more advanced than even 5 years ago. However, the role that modern day smartphones play in our day to day lives is undeniable. Being able to access almost any type of information or service at the touch of a button must surely make the smartphone one of the very best inventions of all time.
Also read: The five most useless inventions ever
AbioCor Artificial Heart
This artificial heart was first used in an operation in 2001. It powers itself, so has no wires which can cause infection. It lasts for five years, which is impressive in itself. The end goal is to manufacture an artificial heart that will last an entire lifetime. Very few operations to date have used the heart, but we're sure that in generations to come, human heart transplants will be a thing of the past!
Driverless cars
As if electric cars weren't innovative enough, Google's driverless cars have started being tested. Legislations have been passed in some states in the US allowing driverless cars, and if testing goes smoothly, these could become a reality in the next few years. Although there are ethical issues surrounding the cars (e.g. if faced with pedestrians on a road, does it crash and potentially sacrifice passengers, or does it hit the pedestrians?) there is still the potential for them to become commonplace on the roads in future.
