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12 Cool Tech Innovations That Contribute To The Greater Good

Forbes Technology Council
POST WRITTEN BY
Expert Panel, Forbes Technology Council

When a new tech product emerges, it often causes a lot of buzz. Avid early adopters are always on the lookout for new developments, waiting for the next Alexa or Ring Video Doorbell. But often the most talked-about and exciting tech is that which genuinely contributes to the greater good.

To help you uncover some of these gems in the technology world, we asked a panel of Forbes Technology Council members to share their favorite tech innovations that give back. Their best answers are below.

1. Virtual Reality

From the outside it may look like VR is an entertainment tool for gamers and content consumers. What most people fail to see is the potential of VR to transcend locality and enable humans to surpass the barriers of the physical. We’re already seeing companies like Couch Travel that allow people to travel in real time around the world, even visiting several countries in one day. It’s fascinating. - James Kawas, Saily

2. Self-Driving Cars

As technologists, we often to forget to ask the question, “Will this help the greater good?” One up-and-coming technology that really might have an impact on the greater good is self-driving cars. Self-driving cars have the potential to dramatically reduce pollution, increase green spaces, give us all hours back in our day and eliminate the leading non-health-related cause of death. - Kevin Batchelor, Complete Merchant Solutions

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3. Water Vapor Extractors

One technology that I am very bullish on is the water vapor extractor. While the tech has been around for a while, commercialization has not happened at a scale that will bring the cost down. Single-use plastics can be greatly reduced if reliable water can be provided at affordable cost anywhere. Water extracted from water vapor is pure and has little or no environmental hazards. - Ashwin Ramasamy, PipeCandy

4. Consumer Money-Access Tools

From Brex to Earnin to Robinhood, a new crop of fintech companies are disrupting consumer finance on all sides. Earnin, a company changing the way people access and manage earnings, gives individuals control over how/when they access income, shifting the dynamics of the gig economy and changing how people on the edge of “making it” can manage their money. It’s very powerful. - RJ Bardsley, Racepoint Global

5. Blockchain

One of the current realities of the world economy is the power and gravity of big data. This phenomenon gives the large institutions that are able to collect and process massive data sets an enormous advantage and creates a massive barrier to entry. Blockchain allows for the distribution of this datacentric power, putting privilege and privacy back in the hands of individuals. - Chris Grundemann, Myriad360

6. Stratospheric Balloons

The internet has dramatically transformed how the world communicates, but billions of people are still not part of the digital revolution. Stratospheric balloons that carry transmitters up into “near space” can expand internet networks to larger rural areas. Not only do the balloons connect the unconnected, but they can also provide network resilience in case of a disaster. - Christopher Yang, Corporate Travel Management

7. Ocean Clean Up

Ocean Clean Up, out of the Netherlands, is currently deploying its technology to tackle the 5 trillion pieces of plastic currently littering our oceans. Using algorithms, real-time telemetry and solar power, their technology will solve a global problem in years instead of decades. - Dawson Whitfield, Looka (formerly Logojoy)

8. Artificial Intelligence

Regardless of the business, companies need to analyze data to make better decisions. With the amount of data being generated today, manual analysis is no longer feasible. AI and machine learning can process and analyze large volumes of data at machine speed. The findings can solve challenges in sustainability, environment, traffic congestion, cybersecurity and healthcare for the greater good. - Saryu Nayyar, Gurucul

9. Robotics And Automation

Robotics and automation are hands down the coolest tech around. With advancements in machine learning, we can free people from the life-threatening industrial process with robotics and save hundreds of lives—not to mention the work AI can do to save the environment. The applications of robotics and automation with AI are limitless. - Nitin Ranjan, Elutions

10. Wearable Health Devices

Wearable devices with sensors, such as the Apple Watch, have become very popular in the last year. These have an exciting opportunity to truly contribute to the greater good by helping to monitor the health of vulnerable people with chronic conditions and the elderly—monitoring blood sugar and fall detection are just two examples. - Eugene Khazin, Prime TSR

11. Solar Energy And Battery Storage

Oil dependence is lowering as solar production and battery storage have become more cost-effective. Economic fundamentals are shifting—for example, Tesla is an energy company masquerading as a car company. With patent-protected energy production, storage and transmission infrastructure deployed internationally, Tesla is creating differentiators that will last lifetimes, and they’re just the start. - David Cassidy, TCG, Inc.

12. Crowdsourcing Platforms

I really like the concept of crowdsourcing to address a variety of business requirements—everything from funding, to graphic design, to threat intelligence. The power of the crowd can be especially helpful to smaller companies that may have limited resources. - Richard Tracy, Telos Corporation