Enrichment

The 5 coolest innovations of 2021

by Joseph Guzman | Dec. 16, 2021 | Dec. 16, 2021

Story at a glance

  • Billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos each took a ride in supersonic, suborbital rockets developed by their own rocket companies to the edge of space, kicking off a new era of commercial space flight.
  • A Tokyo-based startup started taking orders for what they call the “world’s first practical hoverbike” this year.
  • In summer of 2021, a small company developing an implantable brain-computer interface that could help treat conditions like paralysis received the go-ahead from U.S. regulators to kick off clinical trials of its flagship device.

This year saw its fair share of impressive innovations, from life-saving COVID-19 vaccines to a giant reusable rocket system aimed at landing on the moon and beyond. 

The past 12 months have been full of unexpected technological advances, including new methods, ideas and products, all occurring despite a global pandemic. 

Here are the five coolest innovations of 2021, according to Changing America. 

Civilian space travel

A new age is upon us as ordinary — and some not-so-ordinary — citizens reached for the stars this year. Billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos each took a ride in supersonic, suborbital rockets developed by their own rocket companies to the edge of space, kicking off a new era of commercial space flight. Meanwhile, Elon Musks’ SpaceX launched the first all-civilian orbit crew into space in September. The crew orbited the planet for several days before splashing down in the Atlantic. Star Trek legend William Shatner and former NFL star Michael Strahan also hitched rides this year to the “final frontier.”

The NFT art market

There was a lot of talk, and likely a lot of confusion, about NFTs this year. NFTs, or non-fungible tokes, are unique files that live on a blockchain and are able to verify ownership of a work of digital art. The concept hit a milestone in October, when an NFT created by digital artist “Beeple” sold for $69 million through Christie’s auction house. It was the first time a global auction house auctioned off an entirely digital artwork with no physical component. The prevalence of NFTs has exploded over the course of this year. 

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The world’s first “practical” hoverbike

A Tokyo-based startup started taking orders for what they call the “world’s first practical hoverbike” this year. A.L.I. Technologies, a drone manufacturer, debuted its “XTurismo Limited Edition” at a race track near Mount Fuji in October where the bike showed off its aerial moves. The bike is equipped with a conventional internal combustion engine and four battery-powered motors. According to A.L.I. Technologies, the flying bike can fly for up to 40 minutes at more than 60 miles per hour. The bikes weigh more than 600 pounds and can carry up to 220 pounds. The company said it plans on manufacturing 200 hoverbikes with shipments planned in the first half of 2022. But securing a flying bike doesn’t come cheap, as the vehicles come with a price tag of more than $680,000. 

NASA’s plan to crash into an asteroid

In what seems like the plot of a movie, NASA in November launched a spacecraft that will deliberately slam into an asteroid more than 6 million miles away at speeds upwards of 15,000 miles. The goal of the mission is to determine whether intentionally smashing into the massive rock could change its course, should an asteroid ever set its sights on Earth in the future. The mission, dubbed the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), will target an asteroid system made up of a 780-meter asteroid and a smaller “moonlet” measuring 160 meters across. 

Implantable brain-computer interface

In summer of 2021, a small company developing an implantable brain-computer interface that could help treat conditions like paralysis received the go-ahead from U.S. regulators to kick off clinical trials of its Stentrode implant. The device implanted in the brain converts thoughts into commands to operate external devices for those who are paralyzed. The device is delivered to the brain through blood vessels in a two-hour procedure similar to how stents are inserted into the heart. Elon Musk’s Neuralink is also developing similar technology. Musk claimed earlier this year Neuralink wired up a monkey’s brain to play video games with its mind.

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