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We rank the technologies most likely to change the world by 2028

From today's rock stars of innovation to tomorrow's hidden gems, these 18 technologies have the greatest potential to transform the world over the next decade.
By ZDNET Editors, Contributor
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1 of 18 ZDNET Editors/ZDNET

18: Syngas and Power-to-Gas

The team at Lux Research started with the simple question: "What technologies have the greatest potential to transform the world over the next decade?" From there, they applied in-house data analysis to identify and rank the 18 most transformative technologies.

We count them down here, starting with #18: Syngas and Power-to-Gas. producing fuels from CO2 to drive the energy transition

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2 of 18 ZDNET Editors/ZDNET

17: Neural Interfaces

Tech to read and stimulate the brain will see growing validation in 2018.

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3 of 18 Getty Images/iStockphoto

16: Sugar Reduction

Over 162,000 patents aim to combat health ills from too much sugar.

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4 of 18 Getty Images/iStockphoto

15: Polyethylene Furanoate (PEF)

Innovation has grown at an 87 percent annual rate to improve on PET.

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5 of 18 Getty Images/iStockphoto

14: Energy Distribution System Monitoring

Growing demand and renewables require tech to balance the grid.

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6 of 18 Getty Images/iStockphoto

13: Edge Computing

When milliseconds matter, analytics can be local, not in the cloud.

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7 of 18 Getty Images/iStockphoto

12: IoT Security

Patents are up 13 times as connected devices proliferate.

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8 of 18 Jaco Beukman www.go-nipper.com, Getty Images/iStockphoto

11: Materials Informatics

Using IT and AI to break out of slow material development cycles.

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9 of 18 ZDNET Editors/ZDNET

10: Wireless Charging

Here now for consumer electronics, with R&D pushing for EV uses.

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10 of 18 ZDNET Editors/ZDNET

9: Smartwatches

Patents soar from near zero to over 23,000 in less than five years.

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11 of 18 ZDNET Editors/ZDNET

8: Augmented Reality (AR)

Enterprise applications are coming now, on heels of $4.4 billion in funding.

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7: Synthetic Biology

A recent $275 million round for Ginkgo Bioworks highlights the potential.

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13 of 18 ZDNET Editors/ZDNET

6: Solid-state Batteries

Safer and better batteries, pursued by start-ups and giants like Toyota.

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14 of 18 Getty Images/iStockphoto

5: Microbiome

Harnessing the power of microbes for nutrition, agriculture, and more.

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15 of 18 ZDNET Editors/ZDNET

4: 5G Networks

Over 70,000 patents set the stage for 5G network launches in 2018.

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16 of 18 Getty Images/iStockphoto

3: Genome Editing

$1.2 billion in VC funding to impact industries from food to health care.

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17 of 18 Alex_Tr., Getty Images/iStockphoto

2: 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing

Lux expects 3D printing to be a $20 billion market by 2025.

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18 of 18 Getty Images/iStockphoto

1: Machine Learning and Deep Neural Networks

The top transformative technology of the next decade, driven by a 30 percent annual increase in machine learning patents.

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