The Best Inventions Of The Year

From the phone that has changed phones forever, to futuristic cars, to a building made of water, to a remote-controlled dragonfly—a dazzling display of ingenuity

—By Maryanne Murray Buechner, Kristina Dell, Andrea Dorfman, Lev Grossman, Anita Hamilton, Rebecca Winters Keegan, Jeffrey Kluger, Michael D. Lemonick, Coco Masters, Lisa McLaughlin, Alice Park, Julie Rawe and Deirdre van Dyk

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Al-Jazari (circa A.D. 1150-1220)

Smithsonian Institution / Corbis
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Considered the father of modern engineering, this Arab scholar invented a programmable humanoid automaton and 50 other mechanical gadgets such as water cranks and pumps with suction pipes.

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