Which of today's emerging technologies have a chance of solving a big problem and opening up new opportunities? Join us as Jason Pontin, Editor of MIT Technology Review Magazine, walks us through their picks for the '10 Breakthrough Technologies of 2016' and why everyone should be paying attention to them now. Technologies covered: Immune Engineering - Genetically engineered immune cells are saving the lives of cancer patients. That may be just the start. Precise Gene Editing in Plants - CRISPR offers an easy, exact way to alter genes to create traits such as disease resistance and drought tolerance. Conversational Interfaces - Powerful speech technology from China’s leading Internet company makes it much easier to use a smartphone. Reusable Rockets - Rockets typically are destroyed on their maiden voyage. But now they can make an upright landing and be refueled for another trip, setting the stage for a new era in spaceflight. Robots That Teach Each Other - What if robots could figure out more things on their own and share that knowledge among themselves? DNA App Store - An online store for information about your genes will make it cheap and easy to learn more about your health risks and predispositions. SolarCity’s Gigafactory - A $750 million solar facility in Buffalo will produce a gigawatt of high-efficiency solar panels per year and make the technology far more attractive to homeowners. Slack - A service built for the era of mobile phones and short text messages is changing the workplace. Tesla Autopilot - The electric-vehicle maker sent its cars a software update that suddenly made autonomous driving a reality. Power from the Air - Internet devices powered by Wi-Fi and other telecommunications signals will make small computers and sensors more pervasive.

1. Jason Pontin
Editor in Chief and Publisher
MIT Technology Review

2. Since 2001

3. Track Record

4. SUCCESS
Microfluidics
Stephen Quake
2001
Track Record

5. NOT YET PROVEN
Social TV
Marie-José Montpetit
2010
We’re still waiting.
Track Record

6. SUCCESS
Intelligent Software
Assistant (Siri)
Adam Cheyer
2009
Track Record

7. NOT YET PROVEN
Universal Memory
2005
We’ve not yet seen
ultradense data storage
from nanotubes.
Track Record

8. SUCCESS
Data Mining
Usama Fayyad
2001
Track Record

9. NOT YET PROVEN
Green Concrete
Nikolaos Vlasopoulos
2010
A commercial method of
reducing cement’s carbon
footprint has not been
perfected.
Track Record

11. Problem
Cancer remains a leading cause of death.

12. Breakthrough: Immune Engineering
Image: Cancer Research UK

13. Key Players

14. Why It Matters
Cancer, multiple
sclerosis, and HIV could
all be treated by
engineering the immune
system.

15. Problem
Climate change is increasingly damaging
agricultural productivity.

16. Breakthrough:
Precise Gene
Editing in Plants

17. Key Players
Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology
Chinese Academy of Sciences

18. Why It Matters
We need to
increase
agricultural
productivity to feed
the world’s growing
population, which is
expected to reach
10 billion by 2050.

19. Problem
We need better ways to interact with our devices.

20. Breakthrough: Conversational Interfaces

21. Key Players

22. Why It Matters
It can be time-
consuming and
frustrating to
interact with
computers by
typing.

23. Problem
Space travel is far too expensive.

24. Breakthrough: Reusable Rockets

25. Key Players

26. Why It Matters
Lowering the cost
of flight would open
the door to many
new endeavors in
space.

27. Problem
The time it takes to program robots restricts the
use of the technology.

28. Breakthrough: Robots That Teach
Each Other

29. Ashutosh
Saxena
Stefanie
Tellex
Pieter Abbeel,
Ken Goldberg,
and Sergey
Levine
Jan
Peters
Key Players

30. Why It Matters
Progress in robotics
could accelerate
dramatically if each
type of machine
didn’t have to be
programmed
separately.

31. Problem
We need cheap and easily access to our genetic
data if we’re to control our own health.

32. Breakthrough: DNA App Store

33. Key Players

34. Why It Matters
A lower entry point for
genetic tests could
entice many more
consumers, providing
a foundation for new
business
opportunities and
crowdsourced medical
research.

35. Problem
Solar cells are far too expensive.

36. Key Players

37. Why It Matters
The solar industry
needs cheaper and
more efficient
technology to be
more competitive
with fossil fuels.

38. Problem
Email sucks.

39. Breakthrough: Slack

40. Key Players

41. Why It Matters
In many kinds of
workplaces, the
“water cooler” effect
that lets people
overhear their
colleagues’
conversations can
enhance productivity.

42. Problem
People aren’t very good drivers.

43. Breakthrough: Tesla Autopilot

44. Key Players

45. Why It Matters
Car crashes
caused by human
error kill
thousands of
people a day
worldwide.

46. Problem
Batteries are too large to power
tiny electronic devices.

47. Breakthrough: Power from the Air

48. Key Players

49. Why It Matters
Freeing Internet­
connected devices
from the constraints
of batteries and
power cords will open
up many new uses.

50. WHY DOES ANY OF THIS MATTER?
New technologies solve big problems
and expand human possibilities.

51. WHY DOES ANY OF THIS MATTER?
New technologies solve big problems
and expand human possibilities.
Technology isn’t
an absolute good.

52. Technology isn’t
an absolute good.

53. Jason Pontin
Editor in Chief and Publisher
MIT Technology Review