Best of What's New

The editors of Popular Science pick the year's top 100 innovations in the worlds of gadgets, aviation, engineering, health, and beyond. Est. 1988.

Latest in Best of What's New

Best of What's New Gadgets header
Technology

The most innovative gadgets of 2021

By Stan Horaczek

The top 10 health and medicine breakthroughs of 2021
Technology

The top 10 health and medicine breakthroughs of 2021

By Claire Maldarelli, Rebecca Sohn

One Creator Edition by Magic Leap Goggles
Technology

The best gadgets of 2018

By Stan Horaczek and Andrea Smith

Dyson's hair styling tool
Technology

2019’s most exciting personal care products

By Nicole Wetsman and Rachel Feltman

Blue Smith goggles
Technology

The 10 most thrilling recreation innovations of 2019

By Rob Verger and Stan Horaczek

NASA X-59 Quesst Aircraft in the sky
Technology

The most impressive aerospace innovations of 2019

By Neel V. Patel and Rob Verger

The 100 greatest innovations of 2018
Technology

The 100 greatest innovations of 2018

By Popular Science Team

100 greatest innovations of 2019: Best of What's New
Technology

The 100 greatest innovations of 2019

By Popular Science Team

Wolverine boots with Vibram Arctic Grip
Technology

The 9 Greatest Recreation Innovations Of The Year

By Berne Broudy and Grennan Milliken

Periscope: A Broadcast Network Of Your Own
Technology

Software

By Reported by Alan Henry and Lindsey Kratochwill

SUSIBA2: Rice That Fights Global Warming
Technology

Engineering

By Reported by Elisia Guerena and Lois Parshley

Snapshots of the best tech of the decade, including the Impossible 2.0 burger, Curiosity rover, and Fortnite video game
Technology

The best tech of the last decade

By Popular Science Team

Aerospace
Technology

Aerospace

By Reported by Eric Adams and Sophie Bushwick

The 10 Most Important Aerospace Innovations Of The Year
Technology

The 10 Most Important Aerospace Innovations Of The Year

By Kelsey D. Atherton, Sophie Bushwick

HTC Vive
Technology

Entertainment

By Reported by Andrea Smith and Michael Nunez

BMW 2016 7 Series
Technology

Auto

By Reported by Eric Adams and Kevin Gray

Skype Translator
Technology

The 7 Greatest Software Innovations Of The Year

By Dave Gershgorn and Lindsey Kratochwill

December 2013: The Best Of What’s New
Technology

December 2013: The Best Of What’s New

By Popular Science Team

Best innovations of the year
Technology

Best of What’s New 2009: The Year’s 100 Greatest Innovations

By Mark Jannot

The Greatest Tech Of 2016
Technology

The Greatest Tech Of 2016

By PopSci Editors

Big Agnes Torchlight Sleeping Bags
Technology

The 8 most exciting sports and outdoor products of 2020

By Stan Horaczek and Rob Verger

Unspun Body scan jeans
Technology

The 10 most exceptional personal care products from 2020

By Rachel Feltman and Jordan Blok

IndyCar and Red Bull Aeroscreen
Technology

The best car and automotive technologies of 2020

By Dan Carney and Stan Horaczek

3M Claw Drywall Picture Hanger
Technology

The 8 most helpful new home products of 2020

By Sandra Gutierrez G. and John Kennedy

Bjarke Ingels Group CopenHill
Technology

The wildest engineering innovations of 2020

By Sara Chodosh and Andrew Rosenblum

Epic Unreal Engine 5
Technology

The best entertainment tech of 2020

By Stan Horaczek

SpaceX Crew Demo 2 / Crew Dragon
Technology

The most daring aerospace innovations of 2020

By Rob Verger and Charlie Wood

Apple Magic Keyboard
Technology

The best gadgets of 2020

By Stan Horaczek

Best of What's New 2020
Technology

The 100 greatest innovations of 2020

By Popular Science Team

BOWN Security
Technology

The most significant security innovations of 2020

By Yael Grauer and Purbita Saha

Smartwatch measuring blood pressure
Technology

The 11 most noteworthy health innovations of 2019

By Claire Maldarelli

Osmo Pocket DJI pocket camera
Technology

2019’s most innovative gadgets

By Stan Horaczek and Corinne Iozzio

Lamborghini's hybrid Sian
Technology

2019’s most impressive automotive innovations

By Dan Carney and Chuck Squatriglia

Wireless headphones by Bose
Technology

2019’s coolest entertainment innovations

By Stan Horaczek and Corinne Iozzio

Smart home camera
Technology

The biggest security breakthroughs of 2019

By Eric Adams and Chuck Squatriglia

Leatherman free P4 multi tool
Technology

The 9 most useful home products of 2019

By Harlon Murphy and John Kennedy

Impossible plant based burger packaging
Technology

The most important engineering innovations of 2019

By Andrew Rosenblum and Sara Chodosh

One-pound Fly Creek HV Carbon with Dyneema tent by Big Agnes in nature
Technology

The best recreation gear of 2018

By Berne Broudy and Rob Verger

Onyx exoskeleton by Lockheed Martin on a soldier's leg
Technology

The greatest security innovations of 2018

By Eric Adams and Corinne Iozzio

The Parker Solar Probe is the single greatest innovation of 2018
Technology

The Parker Solar Probe is the single greatest innovation of 2018

By Shannon Stirone

social media powerlifting
Technology

Peeing for astronauts, a DIY breast reconstruction, and other tales from the field

By Popular Science Team

Where we’re going, we won’t need roads
Technology

Where we’re going, we won’t need roads

By Joe Brown

The head of the U.S.’s largest mosquito control program has science on her side
Technology

The head of the U.S.’s largest mosquito control program has science on her side

By Jason Lederman

No interaction required
Technology

The most profound technologies are those that disappear

By Bryan Gardiner

TVs are about to get bigger. Way bigger.
Technology

TVs are about to get bigger. Way bigger.

By Stan Horaczek

On the evolution of sneaker tech, from 1933 on
Technology

On the evolution of sneaker tech, from 1933 on

By Marissa Shieh

Davo Karnicar
Technology

Extreme skier Davo Karnicar folds his skis

By Rob Verger

Jane Poynter wants to send you to the edge of space in a very big balloon
Technology

Jane Poynter wants to send you to the edge of space in a very big balloon

By Laura Parker

Body, heal thyself
Technology

Body, heal thyself

By Daniel Engber

The 10 most important automotive technologies of the year
Technology

The 10 most important automotive technologies of the year

By Joe Brown

The year’s 10 most incredible aerospace inventions
Technology

The year’s 10 most incredible aerospace inventions

By Kelsey D. Atherton

The best entertainment tech of the year
Technology

The best entertainment tech of the year

By Stan Horaczek

This year’s 11 most important innovations in engineering
Technology

This year’s 11 most important innovations in engineering

By Mary Beth Griggs

2017’s coolest tech for your home
Technology

2017’s coolest tech for your home

By Sophie Bushwick

Ibex Tactix Folding Skis
Technology

The top 11 innovations in recreation this year

By Berne Broudy

The most ingenious gadgets of 2017
Technology

The most ingenious gadgets of 2017

By Stan Horaczek

The year’s most important innovations in security
Technology

The year’s most important innovations in security

By Kelsey D. Atherton

The 12 most important health innovations of the year
Technology

The 12 most important health innovations of the year

By Claire Maldarelli

The year’s most exciting innovations in software
Technology

The year’s most exciting innovations in software

By Rob Verger

Boeing Starliner Space Suit
Technology

The 100 greatest innovations of 2017

By Popular Science Team

The 100 Greatest Innovations Of 2016
Technology

The 100 Greatest Innovations Of 2016

By Popular Science Team

Humans don’t know how to drive self-driving cars
Technology

Humans don’t know how to drive self-driving cars

By

Estwing Al-Pro Framing Hammer
Technology

The 10 Greatest Home Innovations Of The Year

By Dave Gershgorn and Harlan Murphy

The 9 Most Important Security Innovations Of The Year
Technology

The 9 Most Important Security Innovations Of The Year

By Kelsey D. Atherton, Sarah Fecht