Innovations

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When Machines See

Giving computers vision, through pattern recognition algorithms, could one day make them better than doctors at spotting tumors and other health problems.

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Six Innovators to Watch in 2013

All are inventive minds pushing technology in fresh directions, some to solve stubborn problems, others to make our lives a little fuller

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The Best Inventions of 2012 You Haven’t Heard of Yet (Part 2)

Here's the second half of a list of innovations that, while not as splashy as Google Glass, may actually become a bigger part of our daily lives.

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The Best Inventions of 2012 You Haven’t Heard of Yet (Part 1)

They haven't received much attention yet, but here are some of the more innovative--and useful--ideas that have popped up this year.

Meet Spaun, a computer model that mimics brain behavior.

A More Human Artificial Brain

Canadian researchers have created a computer model that performs tasks like a human brain. It also sometimes forgets things

Part rocking chair, part charging station

10 Gifts to Celebrate Innovation

From glasses that fight jet lag to a plant that waters itself to a rocking chair that fires up the iPad, here are presents no one will forget

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Take Two Pills and Charge Me in the Morning

Health and medical mobile apps are booming. But what happens when they shift from tracking data to diagnosing diseases?

The doodle that became Twitter

8 Ways People Are Taking Twitter Seriously

Born in desperation and long mocked, the social media platform has become a popular research and intelligence-gathering tool

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The 2012 Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards Liveblog

Follow along as we award the best innovators of the year

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Shopping Gets Personal

Retailers are mining personal data to learn everything about you so they can help you help yourself to their products.

Are you ready for some travel?

10 Ways Travel Is Getting Better

Sure, it can get aggravating, but here are some innovations that are making it easier and more enjoyable to take a trip

A dark Manhattan after Superstorm Sandy

Can We Ever Stop Worrying About Blackouts?

Only if utility companies are able to make their power grids smart enough to spot outages and "heal" themselves

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The Sharing of the Screens

Get ready for the day when your big screen and your small screens work together to connect you with shows and products.

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We Can Bank Online. Why Can’t We Vote Online?

Voting experts David Becker and Thad Hall discuss the technologies that could forever change the way we register and cast our votes

Can a brain be Republican or Democrat?

Are Your Political Beliefs Hardwired?

Brain scans suggest Democrats and Republicans actually are different biologically. Welcome to the world of political neuroscience.

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Should Cities Prepare For the Worst?

Is the crippling of New York City enough to motivate other cities to protect themselves against extreme weather?

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Tracking the Twists and Turns of Hurricanes

Incredibly powerful supercomputers and a willingness to acknowledge that they're not perfect has made weather scientists become much more effective in forecasting hurricanes.

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Turning Your Hand Into a Remote Control

A Microsoft prototype called Digits could put the power to control everything from TV screens to smart phones in a device you wear on your wrist

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Take That, Cancer!

The war on cancer has been going on for more than 40 years. Here are 10 small--and maybe not so small--victories scientists have had this year

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One Step Closer to a Brain

It sounds funny, but when Google created a huge computer network that was able to identify cats from YouTube videos, it was a big leap forward for artificial intelligence.

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