The 100 Greatest Innovations Of 2015

Every December, Popular Science honors the 100 greatest innovations of the year. Brilliant, revolutionary, and bound to shape the future—these are the Best of What's New.

By Popular Science Team

Published Oct 23, 2015 7:09 PM EDT

The silver cylinder of the August Smart Lock with yellow and blue in the background — The August Smart Lock unshackles your home from the tyranny of physical keys. The 3-inch cylinder fastens to the back of an existing deadbolt, leaving the outside appearance of your door unchanged. Once attached, a Bluetooth signal from your smartphone can flip the mechanism to unlock the door. A guest with a smartphone and an August app can enter once you've granted them access. No more passing out hard-copy keys, which are much harder to revoke—and easier to lose. The Smart Lock lets you pick days and times for guest entry, so the dog walker can get in only during lunch hours, or your weekend Airbnb guests lose access once their stay is over. If your guests don't have smartphones, a Wi-Fi add-on allows you to buzz them in remotely. Plus, you can set the Smart Lock to bolt automatically every time the door shuts. And should anything fail, the old key still works. $229, plus $50 for remote connectivity Image: Jonathon Kambouris

HTC Vive — Jonathon Kambouris

ZTE Spro 2 — Jonathon Kambouris

GoPro Hero4 Black — Jonathon Kambouris

Meccano Meccanoid G15 KS: A DIY Robot You Can Talk To — Jonathon Kambouris

Philips Fidelio B5: Surround Sound in a Sound Bar — Philips

Red Epic Dragon: A Camera Built for the Future — Red Digital Cinema Camera Company

Nvidia Shield: Blazing-fast Media Console — Jonathon Kambouris

IMAX

Sphero BB-8 A Star — Jonathon Kambouris

Samsung SUHD Series — Samsung

Dish Network

Star Wars Battlefront: Biggest Videogame Space Battle — Electronic Arts

Boeing 777X — Courtesy Boeing

Rosetta: Comets Finally Get Their Closeup — Courtesy European Space Agency

Sikorsky Aircraft S-97 Raider: Fastest Helicopter — Courtesy Sikorsky Aircraft

DHI Parcelcopter: Real-World Drone Delivery — Courtesy DHL

Voyage To Pluto — Courtesy NASA

Xavion app from X-Avionics — Eric Adams

A small white and silver plane in a corrugated-metal hangar — Image courtesy XTI Aircraft Co.

A stocky little rocket is taking off from a launch pad against a clear blue sky — Courtesy Blue Origin

A small glider-style plane with solar panels on the tops of its wings, flying over a dusty urban desert landscape — Courtesy Solar Impulse

A small yellow semi-circlular vechile with electronics on the surface — Courtesy Naval Research Laboratory

Two modern smartphones overlapping on a black background — Image courtesy Turing Robotic Industries

Two translucent white cylinders--one big, one little--on a black background — Image courtesy Inrad Optics

A small figure on a flying prototype quadcopter, both in white, on a cloudy blue-gray sky — Image courtesy Malloy Aeronautics

A blue square, angled 30 degrees up on the left side, with a sans-serif "p" cut out of the middle — Image courtesy Peerio

Drone Shield: Ears, Not Eyes, In The Sky — Image: Jill Shomer

A translucent credit-card size lab-on-a-chip with a big red circle in the upper left — Image courtesy Aquila

An adhesive pen with a bunch of tiny dots in the background — Image courtesy Anti-Theft Dots

An NYPD officer using a smart phone in front of the World Trade Center memorial — Image courtesy NYPD

Tesla Motors Powerwall: Now You Can Supercharge Your Home — Courtesy Tesla

Windstream Technology Solar Mill: An Alternative-Energy Powerhouse — Courtesy WindStream Technologies

Bosch Power-Ready Wireless-Charging System: Tools Leading A Wireless Revolution — Courtesy Bosch

Stack Downlight: A Bulb That Gets To Know You — Courtesy Stack

Dyson Humidifier: The Ultimate Clean Machine — Courtesy Dyson

Leatherman Tread: First Wearable Multitool — Courtesy Leatherman

Briggs & Stratton EXi Series Engine: Never Change Your Oil Again — Courtesy Briggs & Stratton

Channellock Rescue Tool — Courtesy Channellock

Whirlpool HybridCare Heat-Pump Dryer — Courtesy Whirlpool

DeWalt Carbon-Fiber Composite Level — Courtesy DeWalt

DeWalt Carbon-Fiber Composite Level — Image: Jonathon Kambouris

Micra: The World's Smallest Pacemaker — Jonathon Kambouris

Human Epigenome Maps — Image compiled by Ryan Lister. Collage images: Leo Reynolds, chrisinplymouth, Karyn Christner, Eva Ekeblad via Flickr. Karyotype: NHGRI Talking Glossary of Genetics.

Biostamp: Health Stats That Stick — MC10

Fitguard: A “Check Engine” Light For Your Brain — Jill Shomer

Eargo: The Most Comfortable Hearing Aid — Jonathon Kambouris

Teixobactin: First New Antibiotic In Nearly 30 Years — NovoBiotic

Xoft: Targeted Cancer Radiation In One Go — iCad

Medtronic Closed-Loop System: A Savior For Diabetics — Medtronic

Exvive3D: 3D-Printed Tissue — Organovo

Aim: A Monitor With Muscle — Jonathon Kambouris

Kolibree: A 3D-Motion Toothbrush — Jonathon Kambouris

Periscope: A Broadcast Network Of Your Own — Jonathon Kambouris

Windows 10: The Windows We’ve Been Waiting For — Jonathon Kambouris

Be My Eyes: A Smartphone App That Gives The Gift Of Sight — Courtesy Be My Eyes

Google Photos: Adding Google Smarts To Your Photo App — Courtesy Google

IBM Watson: Team Up With A Supercomputer — Wikimedia User Clockready

Hound: Nimble-Minded Digital Assistant — Courtesy SoundHound

Pixar RenderMan: Create Your Own *Toy Story* For Family And Friends — Courtesy Everett Collection/Pixar

Albedo100 Light-Reflective Spray: Paint That Can Save Your Life — Jonathon Kambouris

Stower Candle Charger: Charge Your Phone With A Flame — Jonathon Kambouris

Voormi Fall Line Jacket With Core Construction: The Only Jacket You'll Need — Jonathon Kambouris

Epson M-Tracer Golf Swing Analyzer: Golf Coach In Your Phone — Courtesy Epson

Dainese D-Air racing Misano Suit: Failproof Motorcycle Airbag Suit — Courtesy Dainese

Uvex Snowstrike VT Goggles: Fighter-Pilot Goggles for Skiers — Jonathon Kambouris

Torquing Group Zano Self-Tracking Drone: A Drone That Snaps Your Selfies — Courtesy Torquing Group

MSR Guardian Purifier: Drink Water from a Mud Puddle — Jonathon Kambouris

Avatech Avanet Cloud Platform/Mobile App: An App That Helps You Avoid Avalanches — Courtesy Avatech

Front-end view of a gray BMW sedan on a white background — Image courtesy BMW

A beige heavy-duty armored car in a shop with a white man in jeans working on it — Courtesy Oshkosh

A burly rear view mirror with a taxi visible in its view, driving on a New York City street — Courtesy Cadillac

A Volvo XC90 with rugged rocks in the background — Courtesy Volvo

A side view of the Model X vehicle, gull-wing rear doors open — Courtesy Tesla Motors

Two cars on a desert highway, both Acuras, one passing the other — Courtesy Acura

A dark gray motorcycle on a white background — Courtesy Kawasaki

A head-on view of a slim silver sportscar with a cityscape in the background — Photo-illustration by Eric Heintz, based on an image from Divergent Microfactories

A night scene with a car dashboard in the foreground and a man and a woman sitting on the car hood in the background, city lights in the distance — Courtesy Android

A red Audi sports car with black racing stripes, driving on a desert road under a clear blue sky — Courtesy Audi

Amazon Echo: HAL For Your Home — Jonathon Kambouris

Microsoft HoloLens: A Headset That Creates Holograms — Microsoft

HearNotes WireFree: Earbuds for Cord Cutters — HearNotes

Raspberry Pi 2: World’s Cheapest PC — Raspberry Pi Foundation

Buddy The Robot: A robot at your beck and call — Blue Frog Robotics

DJI Inspire 1: The Ultimate Drone for Filmmakers — Jonathon Kambouris

USB Type-C: The Next USB Port — USB

Seek CompactXR: A Thermal Camera For Your Phone — Jonathon Kambouris

Pebble Time Steel: Longest-Lasting Smartwatch — Pebble

iPhone 6S: 3D At Your Fingertips — Apple

SUSIBA2: Rice That Fights Global Warming — Courtesy of U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

A Fuel-Free Commuter Ferry — Courtesy of Wind+Wing

A Camera Powered By Wi-Fi — Courtesy of University of Washington

Durst Organization, Port Authority of NY and NJ: The Most Secure Skyscraper Ever — Courtesy of Tishman

Yarn Made From Slaughterhouse Waste — Courtesy of ETH Zurich

The World's Fastest, Strongest, Lightest Temporary Bridge — Courtesy of Hiroshima University

A robot that can overcome disabilities in two minutes — Courtesy of Pierre and Marie Curie University

A solar panel floor that can charge your phone — Courtesy of Onyx Solar

Surf Snowdonia Wavegarden — Courtesy of Wavegarden

A Laser So Pure, It's White — Courtesy of Arizona State University

Siemens: Hydrogen Energy's Green Giant — Courtesy of Siemens