3 Incredible Inventions that May Have Passed You By

Every single year, incredible minds from across the globe pool together to address some of the most pressing issues of our age. Giving each creation the attention it deserves would take many hundreds of hours, and many thousands of words, and, unfortunately, it just isn’t possible for many of us to keep up to date with the latest news from the world of science, medicine, and engineering.

That said, there are plenty of inventions improving the world at this very moment that you should know about. Read about just three of them below.

1. The Air-to-Water System

When Kenyan Beth Koigi moved to university and found no clean water available, she began to work on perfecting her own filter to enable others access to drinkable water. The trouble, however, came when a drought hit her city in 2016, and even water in need of filtration was no longer available.

Now, however, Koigi has circumvented this issue altogether by devising an air-to-water system named the Magik Water, which is capable of extracting water from the air itself and converting it into clean, drinkable water for those with no access to a reliable and healthful source.

2. The Self-Retaining Surgical Retractor

The surgical retractor is nothing new in and of itself, but numerous reiterations have been released over the years in order to make this seemingly simple device as convenient as possible for surgeons.

While the original surgical retractors were made of heavy, unbending metal, the latest developments from www.junemedical.com offer an overhauled design made from medical grade plastic, which allows for greater manoeuvrability and control, and features an ingenious cam lock system which enables the surgeon to make quick, precise adjustments to the device’s positioning, without the help of an assistant – or even both hands.

3. Bionic Eyes

While it may seem like something straight out of a futuristic superhero movie, the notion of replacing lost vision with high tech ‘bionic eyes’ is now a reality.

In December of 2016, the NHS completed the first successful bionic eye implant surgery, using the Argus II – a device capable of replacing the sight lost by patients suffering from Retinitis Pigmentosa, one of the most common inherited conditions responsible for sight loss.

While the Argus II is not yet capable of perfectly replicating human sight, it offers an incredible opportunity to those whose sight has degenerated to a point where, just a few years ago, they would have lost hope of ever seeing any improvement.

Millions are being poured into the development of these devices to ensure that future generations can continue to live life relatively normally, even as their natural eyesight begins to fade, and we can expect to see plenty more massive strides forward in the coming years.

As we move deeper into a new decade, and humanity continues to face new and daunting challenges that threaten to undermine modern life, we can rest assured knowing that the brightest minds of our age will continue to devise ingenious new devices that serve to improve our health, and our quality of life, against the odds.