Why it’s Breakthrough: It’s a touchscreen that gets projected onto your skin so that you can interact with your phone or other small electronic device without struggling to make out the words on the small screen.

The Story: Who knew tapping on the skin of your hands and arm could send readable signals to electronic devices? Some researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft Research Labs, that’s who. The breakthrough is called Skinput, and it could change the way we interact with those small touchscreen devices.
Skinput’s researchers have shown that it …

Why it’s Breakthrough: It’s a mobile handheld device for people with reading-based disabilities, such as Dyslexia or Low-Vision, or for those who are blind.

The Story: Intel Corporation announced the unveiling of the Intel® Reader, a mobile handheld device designed to increase independence for people who have trouble reading standard print. The Intel Reader can assist the estimated 55 million people in the U.S. who have dyslexia or other specific learning disabilities, or have vision problems such as low-vision or blindness, which makes reading printed words difficult or impossible.

The Intel Reader, …

Why it’s Breakthrough: It drastically cuts x-ray radiation exposure for adults and kids while making very precise images for indisputable clinical interpretation.

The Story: Biospace med, an emerging medical technology company based in both Cambridge, Mass., and Paris, has unveiled the world’s first ultra-low-dose x-ray technology that’s also FDA-cleared. The technology is called the ‘EOS’ x-ray imager.

EOS can capture head-to-toe images of patients in a standing, weight-bearing position with a dramatic reduction in radiation dose—up to 10 times less than a conventional x-ray and up to 1000 times less than a CT (Computed Tomography) …

Why it’s Breakthrough: It’s a software program that instantly studies malicious code and automatically fixes and patches a hacker’s attack – all without the need for any human intervention whatsoever.

The Story: A team of computer science researchers at MIT, headed by Martin Rinard, have developed new software that automatically patches errors in deployed software in a matter of minutes.

The software is called ClearView and is designed to apply patches whenever it detects that something has gone wrong with the program. ClearView operates by monitoring a program’s normal behavior and establishing a …

Why it’s Breakthrough: It’s a system that tracks cell phones on highways to determine traffic patterns which can ultimately help commuters avoid traffic jams.

The Story: Frustrated and stuck in a traffic tie-up? Now, your cell phone might be able to get you out of it. Commuters trapped in traffic might find relief from the phone with a new technology that’s helping unlock highway gridlock.
We sit, we wait, we inch along … And with time to kill and no where to go, it’s no wonder many drivers turn to a cell …

Why it’s Breakthrough: It’s a way to create and power sustainable cell phone towers in rural areas, finally giving the billions of residents in these areas around the planet access to voice and text.

The Story: Sustainable energy is clearly becoming an essential part in everyday life for millions of people all over the world, and it is fair to say that its associated technology is rapidly maturing and no longer in its infancy.
However, it is one of the most striking paradoxes in the wireless telecommunications industry that the only truly …

Why it’s Breakthrough: It’s an organization that takes used and unwanted communications technologies (computers, Internet access devices and telephony), refurbishes and distributes it to rural and remote communities around the planet.

The Story:
More than 2 billion people in the developing world live in rural and remote communities that lack basic access to information and communications technologies.
Access to these technologies, directly or via local organizations, can improve their lives in simple yet profound ways, such as:
• Help save lives (rural healthcare)
• Provide better economic opportunities (agriculture, market access)
• Improve capacity for relief organizations (logistics, …

Why it’s Breakthrough: It’s the world’s first single laser-based projector. Oh, it also fits into your hand. And, it comes with an MP4 player as well.
The Story: Shanghai Sanxin Technology Development (SSTDC) is about to unveil the Laseno SMP-101. Unlike other pico projectors boasting laser capability, which use three different colored lasers, the SMP-101 utilizes a single white laser and a LCoS microdisplay panel. It also supports SVGA (800×600) resolution, a 250:1 contrast ratio and projects images with a brightness of over 20 ANSI lumens, which is brighter than any …

Why it’s Breakthrough: It’s a system that notifies people if they’ve forgotten certain everyday tasks. By using sensors distributed in their everyday environment that then trigger mobile devices, reminders are made so things like locking doors or taking medication aren’t forgotten.

The Story: An elderly woman is about to go to bed. She goes into her room, sits down on the bed, takes off her slippers and turns off the light. Suddenly, before getting into bed, a small alarm goes off and a mobile device reminds her that she has not taken …

Why it’s Breakthrough: It’s a free desktop sharing tool perfect for any online meeting, Web presentation or remote support situation. With Mikogo, you can invite up to 10 participants to view your screen live over the web. It’s a great solution for anyone looking to collaborate online.

The Story: Mikogo eliminates the need to make on-site visits for tasks that can easily be achieved via screen sharing over the Internet. Provide online technical support for customers. Conduct product demos or make sales pitches to prospects. Use Mikogo to discuss and edit a current team project. …