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

—By Jeremy Caplan, Kristina Dell, Andrea Dorfman, Laura Fitzpatrick, Justin Fox, Sean Gregory, Lev Grossman, Barbara Kiviat, Jeffrey Kluger, Richard Lacayo, Michael Lemonick, Lisa McLaughlin, Jay Newton-Small, Alice Park, Mark Thompson, Bryan Walsh and Rebecca Winters Keegan

Full List

Invention of the Year

  1. 1. The Retail DNA Test

The Other 49 Best Inventions

  1. 2. The Tesla Roadster
  2. 3. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
  3. 4. Hulu.com
  4. 5. The Large Hadron Collider
  5. 6. The Global Seed Vault
  6. 7. The Chevy Volt
  7. 8. Bullets That Shoot Bullets
  8. 9. The Orbital Internet
  9. 10. The World's Fastest Computer
  10. 11. Green Crude
  11. 12. Housing Funds
  12. 13. The Memristor
  13. 14. The Bionic Hand
  14. 15. The Direct-to-Web Supervillain Musical
  15. 16. The Dynamic Tower
  16. 17. The Mobile, Dexterous, Social Robot
  17. 18. The New Mars Rover
  18. 19. Montreal's Public Bike System
  19. 20. The Everything Game
  20. 21. The Synthetic Organism
  21. 22. The Shadowless Skyscraper
  22. 23. The Branded Candidate
  23. 24. Bionic Contacts
  24. 25. Thin-Film Solar Panels
  25. 26. The Speedo LZR Racer
  26. 27. Bubble Photography
  27. 28. The Invisibility Cloak
  28. 29. The 46th Mersenne Prime
  29. 30. The Internet Of Things
  30. 31. Einstein's Fridge
  31. 32. Facebook for Spies
  32. 33. Biomechanical Energy Harvester
  33. 34. Made-in-Transit Packaging
  34. 35. Airborne Wind Power
  35. 36. The New Ping-Pong Serve
  36. 37. Smog-Eating Cement
  37. 38. The Baseball Instant Replay
  38. 39. Enhanced Fingerprints
  39. 40. The Seven New Deadly Sins
  40. 41. The Peraves MonoTracer
  41. 42. Disemvoweling
  42. 43. High-Tech Running Shoes
  43. 44. Sunscreen for Plants
  44. 45. The Short Refinance
  45. 46. Aptera Electric Car
  46. 47. Google's Floating Data Center
  47. 48. The Time Eater Clock
  48. 49. Sound-Enhanced Food
  49. 50. A Camera For the Blind

Tech Buyer's Guide

  1. Home Audio
  2. Cameras
  3. TVs
  4. Computers
  5. Toys
  6. Phones

Gadget of the Year

  1. Sanyo Xacti HD1010
  2. Peek
  3. Flip Mino
  4. Wii Fit
  5. Eye-Fi Explore SD Card
  6. Dash Express
  7. T-Mobile G1
  8. MacBook
  9. Canon PowerShot A590 IS
  10. iPod Touch

Video

  1. The Best Inventions of the Year

Gadget Poll Results

  1. Gadget of the Year Poll Results

Most Popular »

Full List »
  1. Facebook's Secret Code
  2. Tiger Gets Mulligan from the TV Networks
  3. Uganda's Anti-Gay Bill: Inspired by the U.S.
  4. The Troubles at Kroger: Frugal Consumers
  5. TIME's Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs of 2009
  6. Why Greece Could Be the Next Dubai
  7. The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting
  8. Putin: Yes, I May Run Again. Thanks for Asking
  9. Why Does Google Search Love Examiner.com?
  10. Family Feud Imperils a Prized Spanish Art Collection
  1. Uganda's Anti-Gay Bill: Inspired by the U.S.
  2. Facebook's Secret Code
  3. The Job Market: Is a College Degree Worth Less?
  4. The Troubles at Kroger: Frugal Consumers
  5. TIME's Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs of 2009
  6. Why Greece Could Be the Next Dubai
  7. Family Feud Imperils a Prized Spanish Art Collection
  8. Will Fashion's Biggest Names Kiss the Runway Goodbye?
  9. Why Does Google Search Love Examiner.com?
  10. Tiger Gets Mulligan from the TV Networks

Lists by Topic

Topics

Most Popular