TIME's Best Inventions of 2008
From a genetic testing service to an invisibility cloak to an ingenious public bike system to the world's first moving skyscraper — here are TIME's picks for the top innovations of 2008
17. The Mobile, Dexterous, Social Robot
Nexi is the first of a new class of robot being developed at MIT's Media Lab and referred to as MDS, which stands for mobile, dexterous, social. Nexi can, or eventually will be able to, move around on wheels (hence mobile), and it can pick up objects (dexterous). But its most striking feature is its humanlike, albeit creepy, face, which can express a startling range of emotions (social).
View the full list for "TIME's Best Inventions of 2008"Latest Lists
Most Popular »
- Israel vs. Hizballah: Drumbeats of War
- Autism Numbers Are Rising. The Question is Why?
- U.S. Companies Shut Out as Iraq Auctions Its Oil Fields
- The Pentagon Prepares for a Missile Attack from 'Iran'
- The Young Victoria: How a Queen Shapes Her Destiny
- And the Decade Goes To ...
- Tech Guide
- Avatar Arrives! Can James Cameron Be King Again?
- Mexico Takes Down a Drug Lord. But Will It Make Any Difference?
- Why You Can't Trust the Press
- Autism Numbers Are Rising. The Question is Why?
- Yemen's Hidden War: Is Iran Causing Trouble?
- U.S. Companies Shut Out as Iraq Auctions Its Oil Fields
- Corliss Appraises Avatar: A World of Wonder
- Detroit's Last White City Council Member
- China's Domain-Name Limits: Web Censorship?
- Super-Earth: Astronomers Find a Watery New Planet
- America's Most Wanted Teenage Bandit
- New Zardari Corruption Charges: Bad News for U.S.
- GM Keeps Opel, Announces Job Cuts, Angers Germans
RSS