How scientists make our lives brighter, longer and more convenient: 10 useful scientific discoveries and inventions of the 21st century

1. 3D printing technologies

The first 3D printers appearedInfographic: The History of 3D Printing back in the 1980s, but only in the 21st century they began to be used everywhere. Devices have become cheaper, and now not only plastic, but also metals, concrete, food and even living cells are used as consumables for them.

The largest 3D printed building is the Dubai Municipality (UAE) with an area of ​​641 sq. m. A two-storey futuristic building with a height of 9.5 m was created Dubai Municipality to Become the World's Largest 3D-Printed Building made of plaster-based material. And in Amsterdam, with the help of 3D printers, they erected Joris Laarman's 3D-printed stainless steel bridge finally opens in Amsterdam 12-meter stainless steel footbridge.

Israeli scientists used Researchers 3D print a heart with human tissue and blood vessels 3D printer for printing an artificial heart. The experimental organ, the size of a cherry, consisted of a hydrogel based on living cells that formed chambers and blood vessels. And the French company Poietis created French Start-up Develops Unique Technology for 4D Laser Bioprinting of Living Tissue artificial skin with a four-dimensional structure, which will help patients after burns and serious injuries, and has developed technologies for printing other tissues of the human body.

There is also a place for 3D printing in everyday life. For example, you can order a conventional 3D printer to create plastic figurines and parts, or go ahead and buy a device for printing food, from pizza to desserts to gourmet decor. In a global perspective, food 3D printing should reduce 3D printing of food reduces food waste the amount of food waste on the planet and make A guide to 3D Printed Food - revolution in the kitchen? even diet meals are quite appetizing.

2. Augmented reality

It is often confused with virtual reality, but these are completely different technologies. Virtual reality is a completely digital world that you can see through special glasses or a helmet with screens for each eye. With the help of augmented reality technology, digital objects are added to the picture of the real world we are used to.

The roots of augmented reality lie in the 20th century, but only a few years ago computing power allowed the technology to be introduced almost everywhere - from schools and kindergartens to assembly lines on automobiles factories. And for this you do not need complex expensive devices - an ordinary smartphone is enough.

It works quite simply. The camera of a smartphone or other gadget takes pictures of everything around, and a gyroscope or accelerometer monitors the change in the position of the device in space. Then the necessary objects are superimposed on the image from the camera - hints, inscriptions or funny virtual characters. They move along with the image from the camera, and when you look at the screen, you see two realities at once - our objective and digital.

Augmented reality makes learning easier Augmented Reality in Language teaching and learning? new languages: for example, a smartphone can recognize objects around and sign them. Technology helps surgeons Augmented Reality: The Future of Medicine to carry out operations, and engineers to collect Upskill and Boeing Use Skylight to Reinvent Wire Harness Assembly complex devices, giving clues in the process. Drivers can enjoy augmented reality navigation when the route map is displayed How does augmented reality affect the automotive industry today? over the road, designers - show The Rise of Augmented Reality in Interior Design and Property Developmentclients a new interior in the apartment before renovation. And in a restaurant, a visitor can consider before serving a dish How Augmented Reality (AR) is Reshaping the Food Service Industry him from all sides right at ease, which is still physically empty.

3. Fully artificial heart

Working prototypes of human organs have existed for a long time, but more often than not they were complex stationary systems with which it would hardly be possible to leave the hospital. In 2021, scientists and doctors were able to develop and implant a completely artificial heart for the first time.

A team of surgeons at Duke University Hospital led by Jacob Schroeder and Carmelo Milano performed New Generation Artificial Heart Implanted in Patient at Duke - First in U.S. successful organ replacement for 39-year-old Matthew Moore, who suffered from heart failure. With the implant, he will be able to conduct an almost familiar woman

life - to live surrounded by relatives, raise a two-year-old son, go to the store and to work, travel.

The only inconvenience is that the artificial heart is powered by an external battery, which lasts about 4 hours. The controller for controlling the device is also placed outside the human body. Therefore, the patient will have to carry a bag weighing about 4 kilograms and regularly connect to a computer in the hospital to monitor the status of the device.

4. Reusable rockets

SpaceX has developed rockets that can be recovered and reused. This efficient and low-cost alternative to single-use rockets can reduce the cost of delivering cargo to orbit.

The first re-launch of the rocket took place on March 30, 2017. SpaceX sent Falcon 9: first orbital class rocket capable of reflight into space Falcon 9 is a model with nine Merlin liquid engines that run on RP-1 kerosene and liquid oxygen. Later launched Falcon Heavy: the world’s most powerful rocket Falcon Heavy with three modified first stages of Falcon 9: one was used as a central unit, two as side boosters.

Not the entire rocket can be called reusable, but only its first of two stages. It has systems for return and vertical landing on a landing pad or platform floating in the ocean. The step withstands SpaceX's most ‑ flown Falcon 9 rocket is a sooty veteran after 10 launches and landings (photos) up to ten starts.

Later, Blue Origin, founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, launched New shepard its New Shepard single-stage reusable rocket. It runs on hydrogen and oxygen and is designed for suborbital flights. New Shepard is suitable for space tourism, but unlike Falcon, it will not be able to put artificial earth satellites into orbit.

5. High density batteries

New stand-alone devices need a lot of power to go without an outlet for as long as possible. At the same time, batteries must be compact and safe - for example, they must not explode when heated or mechanically damaged.

The Pennsylvania Battery and Energy Storage Technology Center (BEST) team created High energy Li-Ion battery is safer for electric vehicles a safe and powerful lithium-ion battery that will allow an electric vehicle to travel up to 1.6 million kilometers. During the tests, nails were literally driven into it to cause a short circuit. But the temperature of the damaged cell increased by only 100 degrees Celsius - and in a conventional battery the difference would be 1,000 degrees Celsius.

Samsung researchers also made a breakthrough: they developed Samsung Reveals New Solid State Lithium Metal Battery With 900Wh / L Density 900 Wh / L solid-state lithium-metal battery. It is 50% more compact than existing batteries and is designed without the use of liquid electrolyte. Over time, the battery does not degrade - the amount of charge that it can accumulate remains the same.

6. Bionic hand

Bionic prostheses in the 21st century can almost completely replace natural limbs. Scientists have provided not only the ability to move them as if with their own hands, but even returned the ability to feel - the impulses of sensation are transmitted directly to the brain.

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in the United States have created Modular Prosthetic Limb MPL (Modular Prosthetic Limb - Modular Prosthetic Limb), which can perform almost all movements that the human hand is capable of. It has more than 100 sensors, as well as special motors that provide the usual strength and agility.

The prosthesis is equipped with tactile sensors and allows you to determine the location, temperature and texture of objects. And the neural interface provides intuitive and natural control of the artificial hand - just think about the action to perform it.

7. Graphene

The existence of the first known truly two-dimensional crystal (with a crystal lattice one atom thick) in In 2004, scientists Andrei Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were experimentally confirmed for the first time, and in 2010 they received The Nobel Prize in Physics 2010Nobel Prize in Physics.

Essentially, graphene is a one atom thick film of graphite (crystallized carbon). It could not be obtained for a long time due to instability. Game and Novoselov used Electric Field Effect in Atomically Thin Carbon Films an oxidized silicon substrate to stabilize the 2D film.

Graphene is very durable yet extremely flexible. It conducts current, and electrons move in it Electrons Can Travel Over 100 Times Faster In Graphene Than In Silicon, Physicists Show faster than in all known materials. In particular, it is 100 times faster than silicon, from which modern processors are made.

Using graphene, it is possible to create ultrafine filters, touchscreen displays, sensors, high-efficiency catalytic cells, nanochannels for working with DNA, and components for high-precision electronics. Graphene chips will improve the performance of computers and speed up data transfer, make devices more powerful and more compact.

8. Unmanned vehicles

Advances in artificial intelligence, large computing power, high wireless transmission rates data and accurate sensors - all of this served as the basis for the creation of cars that can do without driver. They scan the traffic situation in real time, recognize pedestrians and road signs and can make a decision in a difficult situation in a split second.

In 2021, Tesla Model 3 with FSD (Full Self-Driving) system independently drove Tesla Autopilot FSD San ​​Francisco to Los Angeles with Zero Interventions from San Francisco to Los Angeles and back is about 2,400 kilometers. The car successfully coped with the task even on busy city streets and made two stops to recharge the battery.

But autopilot isn't just being developed for personal cars. For example, in the US, a startup Waymo launched in 2020 Waymo is opening its fully driverless service to the general public in Phoenix unmanned taxi service. There are not many cars, but trips are available to everyone.

Unmanned taxis will appear in Russia Yandex told where the first unmanned taxis will appear in Moscow this fall - however, so far in experimental mode. Test participants selected by the company will be able to ride in a car without a driver in the Yasenevo area in Moscow.

Another application of unmanned vehicles is cargo transportation. NVIDIA Drive Platform Already Helps Unmanned Trucks truckers on the road, and will soon be able to replace them on standard routes. Tesla and other companies are also working in this direction.

9. Gene editing

In 2012, Jennifer Doudna from the USA and Emmanuelle Charpentier from France developed the CRISPR-Cas9 molecular tool, which is called the “genetic scissors”. For this scientific breakthrough in 2020, they received Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

CRISPR ‑ Cas9 allows you to edit the genes of plants and animals. This opens up new avenues for breeding and has the potential to stop the spread of disease - for example, if mosquito genes are changed, they cannot tolerate malaria and Lyme disease.

CRISPR ‑ Cas9 has already contributed to cancer treatments. Research is underway that, in the future, can save What are genome editing and CRISPR ‑ Cas9? from hereditary diseases and genetic mutations.

But it is wrong to think that CRISPR-Cas9 will open the way for GMOs. First, genetically modified organisms have received for the first time Herbert W. Boyer and Stanley N. Cohen back in 1972. CRISPR ‑ Cas9 can only improve the accuracy of DNA modification and get rid of negative side effects.

By the way, the map of the human genome is also an achievement of the 21st century. The main part of the work on the Human Genome Project has been completed The human genome project in 2003.

10. Humanoid robots

Robot Atlas Atlas: the most dynamic humanoid robot from Boston Dynamics - the darling of the Internet: he knows how to do somersaults, he can stay on his feet after strong blows, he is able to overcome obstacles and even dance. The developers call it a research platform designed to push the boundaries of full-body mobility and the most dynamic humanoid robot.

In fact, the Atlas and other Boston Dynamics models - such as the Spot robotic dog and the Stretch robotic loader - have deep practical implications. They are able to replace people in difficult or dangerous conditions: to look for victims under the rubble of buildings or in fires, explore remote areas, deliver goods and complete boring routines around the clock operations.

There are other applications for humanoid robots. For example, model consultants, companions and waiters, assistants for people with disabilities are being developed.

And the Russian robot Fedor even visited Twitter fedor37516789 in space in 2019. He knows how to drive a car and an ATV, open doors, climb stairs, walk through a labyrinth, shoot and work with a drill.