Popular Science Announces The 100 Best Innovations of 2022

Popular Science Announces The 100 Best Innovations of 2022

NEW YORK — NOVEMBER 30, 2022 —​ Today, Popular Science announced the 2022 “Best of What’s New” Award winners featuring the most innovative products and technology of the year. 

“The ‘Best of What’s New’ Awards are our way of celebrating the most exciting and groundbreaking innovations of the year. These awards highlight the revolutionary inventions that are helping to improve our daily lives, our society, and our planet,” says Rob Verger, Technology Editor, Popular Science. “From the future of air travel to revolutionary skin care products, and from sustainable outdoors equipment to game-changing gadgets, this year’s list is a thrilling mix that we’re proud to call the Best of What’s New.”

This year was one of big innovations with an eye on sustainability including products and technologies that are improving people’s homes, safeguarding their health, and boosting their well-being. The awards span 10 categories including Aerospace, Automotive, Engineering, Entertainment, Gadgets, Health, Home, Personal Care, Sports & Outdoor, and Emergency Services & Defense. Winners this year illustrate how scientists and engineers around the world are moving technology forward while also thinking about the environment we live in and ways to improve it. 

Businesses found new ways to entertain, including a projector that lets you enjoy the big screen anywhere in your home (The Freestyle from Samsung), and earbuds that keep you connected to the world around you by blending digital sound with ambient noise in your space (LinkBuds from Sony). Additionally, personal care companies found opportunities to help you relax and unwind without having to go to the spa (TheraFace Pro from Therabody and Venom Go from Hyperice).

NASA drew back the curtain on the universe’s early galaxies previously hidden from view to become the “Innovation of the Year” (James Webb Space Telescope from NASA), while cutting edge technologies in health are helping to improve treatments for degenerative diseases and mental health (AuriNovo from 3D Bio Therapeutics and 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline from SAMHSA). With a continued focus on sustainability in all categories, scientists created interesting new products to help the environment including a sleek greywater tank for someone’s home that will reduce carbon footprint and save up to 45% on tap water, wastewater emissions, and water bills (H300 from Hydraloop); and a bike helmet that can be easily taken apart and recycled at the end of its life (Myelin Helmet from POC). 

Category winners:

• Aerospace: James Webb Space Telescope by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 

• Auto: Vision EQXX by Mercedes

• Engineering: Çanakkale Bridge in Turkey by Turkish and South Korean Contractors

• Entertainment: Top Gun: Maverick by Skydance Media/Paramount

• Gadgets: Adaptive Mouse Kit by Microsoft

• Health: AuriNovo by 3DBio Therapeutics

• Home: H300 by Hydraloop

• Personal Care: TikTok makeup filters by Grace Choi

• Sports & Outdoor: Orca Carbon by Taiga

• Emergency Services and Defense: Wildland Firefighter Respirator by TDA Research, Inc.

Other winners include: 

• The Mayflower Autonomous Ship by IBM; Car crash detection by Apple; PAXLOVID by Pfizer; MotoE by Ducati; Electronic bag tags by Alaska Airlines; Smart Bluetooth Showerhead by hai; Essential Ski by Rossignol; and inReach Messenger by Garmin. The complete list can be found here. 

ABOUT POPULAR SCIENCE

Established in 1872, ​Popular Science is one of America’s oldest and most trusted magazine brands. ​Popular Science​ has a legacy of bringing readers groundbreaking innovations and discoveries, demystifying the world, and examining everything from the marvels of deep space to the secret lives of everyday staples. Popular Science makes science and tech engaging, approachable, and inclusive to keep readers, listeners, and viewers plugged in to and excited about the world around them. Popular Science is part of Recurrent Ventures, a privately held media company that includes brands like Futurism, Field & Stream, and Outdoor Life as well as the licensing group responsible for Popular Science’s line of Telescopes, STEM toys, children’s books, and more.

ABOUT BEST OF WHAT’S NEW

Every year since 1988, the editors of Popular Science have reviewed thousands of products in search of the top 100 innovations—breakthrough products and technologies that represent significant advancements in their categories. Best of What’s New Awards are presented to products and technologies in 10 categories: Aerospace, Automotive, Engineering, Entertainment, Gadgets, Health, Home, Personal Care, Sports & Outdoors, and Emergency Services & Defense.