The dictionary defines theinnovation as “any novelty, change, transformation that radically modifies or in any case causes an effective rejuvenation in a political or social order, in a production method, in a technique, etc.”
In short, innovation is a break from the past, a paradigm shift that modifies what was there and traces a new path towards the future.
This is the theory.
But the practice? What they actually are Have technological innovations marked 2021? Which ones will we remember in the years to come?
The best innovations 2021: the vaccine for Covid-19
What’s innovative about a vaccine?
All.
A vaccine breaks the mold of the past to give new hope for the future. Which is what the vaccines against Covid-19 gave us.
Scientists around the world have been working tirelessly to find a way to stop the pandemic. Today the planet can count on 28 vaccines that have been tested on humans, 15 of which are used daily to combat the health emergency. Two of these, Pfizer and Modern, they stood out from the crowd.
The reason? I am the so-called mRNA vaccines.
L’mRNA or messenger ribonucleic acid it is an element that our body produces and that allows us to synthesize proteins of vital importance. The mRNA vaccine brings valuable information to the body and stimulates the immune response.
Let me be clear: it is not a new technology. In fact, in the 1980s, the first experiments began which led to a first mRNA vaccine for HIV. The research and development of these vaccines, however, has very high costs, which is why the study of this technique was resumed only at the beginning of the 2000s. today, it is helping us to stem the Covid-19 pandemic, tomorrow it could be used for the flu, herpes, hepatitis C, malaria and even cancers.
The metaverse
The metaverso it is undoubtedly one of the biggest innovations of 2021. And it is very strange since it is not yet reality.
Let’s take a step back. On October 28, Mark Zuckerberg opened Facebook Connect 2021 talking about the metaverse and this didn’t surprise us. After all, rumors have long been wanting the Silicon Valley giant grappling with this somewhat abstract entity.
Two months ago they began to understand how theory could be turned into practice.
Until that moment the metaverse was the fruit of science fiction, of the mind of Gibson and his Neuromancer, or of that of Cline and the world of Ready Player One. Suddenly we understood that that digital universe, that 3D version of the Internet that books and films have been offering us for years, could become reality.
The metaverse, as we conceive it today, is an evolved version of the network, a place to access using mainly virtual and augmented reality and where we can move, converse and buy just as we would in reality.
The social and economic potential of this new conception of the Internet is enormous.
That’s why, after the Met, other companies have also dived headlong into the metaverse. Microsoft thinks it can change the way we work, Tinder that of finding a soul mate, Disney the interaction between fans and historical characters of the brand. And these are just a few examples.
All of this is still a great, gigantic work in progress. The metaverse does not exist for now. Not in this sense. It will take time to make dreams come true but 2021 was definitely the year of the turning point.
Apple M1 e Google Tensor
The one of Apple and Google it was an unusual choice. At a time when the raw materials needed to build chips are scarce, the two tech giants have decided to create their own custom SoCs.
It sounds like madness.
Yet it was the winning choice.
Apple has started making its own M1 in 2020 but this year the Apple chip exploded. Cupertino not only used it for his own iPad Pro, turning a tablet into a workstation, but it gave birth two enhanced versions, the M1 Pro and the M1 Max, which now animate the new MacBook Pros.
A sensible choice? Judging by the performances, yes. In fact, the M1 manages to guarantee very high performance in any situation, although many software are not yet optimized for this particular chip.
It goes without saying that we expect great things from the upcoming evolutions of Apple’s SoC.
The Apple, however, is not the only one to have taken this path. This fall Google presented the new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, two smartphones that integrate Tensor, the new SoC by Big G. Also in this case the intention is to have a component designed to generate record performance: Tensor guarantees an 80% performance increase for the CPU and 370% for the GPU.
All this will not only serve to carry out the classic productive activities, the purpose of Google in fact is smake the most of machine learning to improve the user experience. Think, for example, of Google Assistant, the real-time translation function, removing people or objects from the background of a photo, and much more. Tensor will make these operations quick and intuitive.
Best innovations 2021: Razer Zephyr
best innovations 2021:
Al CES 2021 Razer had shown Project Hazel, a tech mask that combined the need to protect themselves during the pandemic with gamers’ passion for RGB lighting. At the time, the US company was not sure it wanted to turn its prototype into a real product but the enthusiasm of the community overwhelmed them and so, in October, Razer announced the marketing of Zephyr.
Defined “wearable air purifier“, Or“ wearable air purifier “, this gadget has practically sold out despite the $ 99 required for the purchase.
But what is special about it? It is about an N95 mask that filters both incoming and outgoing air to protect the wearer and the people around her. Its particular structure also favors air recycling, with two fans whose speed you can define (4200 or 6200 RPM).
Comfort is also fundamental, with silicone sheaths and the possibility of adjusting the length of the two cords that fix it to your head, so as to really adapt to anyone.
Razer Zephyr turns out like this perfect to keep you safe, comfortable in the long run but also suitable for socializing, thanks to the transparency that leaves your lips uncovered so as to communicate more easily with others. There are even two small internal LEDs that can light up your face even when you are in dark environments, as well as of course external RGB LEDs with Razer Chroma technology and support for 16.8 million colors.
But what is innovative about this mask? First of all, its development is revolutionary: a company that normally produces peripherals and PCs has decided to use its know-how to create something that was useful in this precise historical period. Secondly, the approach is different because there is great attention for those who use it AND for those around you, both from a medical and a social point of view.
It’s not perfect yet, mind you. Aesthetically it is still a bit bulky and perhaps not suitable for those who do not like LEDs to madness but overall it is one of the most interesting products of the last 12 months.
Starlink
On closer inspection Starlink was born in 2015 so what sense does it make to include it among the best 2021 innovations? The answer is pretty simple: this is the year of the debut.
In fact, in January Elon Musk’s satellite connection entered beta, making it available in certain areas of the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom; the following month, however, pre-orders for the kit were opened, with the service actually starting to work a few weeks later.
Starlink, which uses a dish and a few other elements to bring the Internet to even the most remote places on the planet, is able to guarantee an average download speed of 150 Mbps with a latency of about 30 ms. A small miracle that can be useful both to individuals and to professionals and companies who can finally count on a valid alternative to optical fiber.
The service is still not perfect. During our test, for example, we found frequent – albeit very short – disconnections that make video calling and online gaming impossible. We must then consider that there are currently 1600 Starlink satellites in orbit: few to guarantee the maximum possible efficiency but already a lot if seen through the eyes of astronomers, committed to observing the celestial vault.
IThe cost is not for everyone: we are talking about € 499 for the kit, € 60 for shipping costs and € 99 per month for the service.
Elon Musk’s satellite connection though is full of potential and, in the future, it could guarantee access to the Internet for millions of people.
The NFTs
NFT sta per Non-Fungible Token, that is, non-fungible tokens. Basically the opposite of bitcoins and cryptocurrencies which, by their nature, are fungible, just like money.
NFTs have their own uniqueness, which means that they are not interchangeable and that not all NFTs have the same value.
But, in a nutshell, what is an NFT?
Simplifying we could consider it the equivalent of a certificate of authenticity, associated with digital assets of various kinds.
The first tweet from Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, became an NFT.
The Nyan Cat gif is an NFT.
The world’s first SMS, sent in 1992, was sold as an NFT.
And these are just a few examples of a technology that today has a turnover of tens of millions of dollars.
I2021 was the year that NFTs reached the general public. The year in which they went from a “niche” phenomenon to a topic of conversation. The year we realized that the blockchain has endless possibilities. Today they are cryptocurrencies and NFT, tomorrow who knows.
The best innovations 2021: space tourism
The space race has finally started again.
On April 16, 2021, NASA announced that it had chosen SpaceX to return to the Moon. A $ 2.9 billion decision that has displeased rivals from Elon Musk’s aerospace agency, so much so that Blue Origin has sued NASA.
In this scenario – which saw Bezos lose in court against the American aerospace agency and SpaceX – fits space tourism why not, we never gave up on the idea of …