Inventions: What will we think of next?

Here’s a collection of some of the great uses of technology over the last couple of years. Send us your suggestions for other great inventions via Twitter @washpostbiz and we’ll add them here.

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Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2)

The Falcon HTV-2 is an unmanned, rocket-launched, maneuverable aircraft that glides through the Earth’s atmosphere at incredibly fast speeds (approximately 13,000 miles per hour). The hypersonic glider launched atop a Minotaur rocket on Aug.10 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The Hypersonic Test Vehicle-2 is an experiment in extremely high speed flight technologies by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

/ AP

Laptop controlled by eye movements

Barbara Barclay of Tobii Technology, who is seen reflected in a computer monitor, plays a video game in New York, Feb. 28, using only her eyes.

Seth Wenig / AP

Smartheart app

The Smartheart app by SHL Telemedicine transforms a cellphone into a heart monitor by sending ECG data to a remote medical team that can respond to any problems. The app was unveiled in May.

/ Photo courtesy of SHL Telemedicine

Zafirro Iridium razor

The makers of this razor took a page from the books of nanotechnology, particle physics and more to create this $100,000 shaver. The blades, which Zafirro claims “lasts forever” are made of sapphire, and the razor's body is made of iridium.

/ Photo courtesy of Zafirro

Chip that detects infectious organisms in food

Scientist Geoff Lowman poses with a chip that reads DNA and is being used to help decode genomes in the outbreaks of E. coli affecting Europe at the Life Technologies laboratory June 8 in Carlsbad, Calif. The new technology gave way to the development of a rapid test which can be used to determine whether a food source contains the pathogen within 10 to 24 hours.

Gregory Bull / AP

The Online Electric Vehicle

The Online Electric Vehicle, towing three carriages, moves along a blue line under which power strips are buried for recharging, after a launch ceremony in South Korea July 19. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology unveiled the wireless electric trams to the public in March 2010, and since then it had developed three commercial trams. The vehicle has replaced the old diesel-powered carts used by passengers for transportation within the park.

Ahn Young-joon / AP

One-winged flight machine

A maple seed is seen on the hand of Craig Stoneking, project manager at Lockheed Martin Advance Technology Laboratories, as engineer David Sharp holds the company's new drone Aug. 10. The unmanned, one-winged flight machine is based on the flight of maple seeds that twirl down from trees during the spring.

Julio Cortez / AP

Chip that 'thinks' like a human

IBM announced Aug. 18 a new chip it developed that is designed to act like the human brain. Computer systems that use the chips would be able to "learn through experiences" and remember, among other functions, the company said. This technology is called cognitive computing.

/ Photo courtesy of IBM

The ‘Airbike’

EADS’s “Airbike” was printed from a 3D printer, making it the first functional bike to be created from a computer. The bike is made of nylon and doesn’t require any assembly.

/ Photo courtesy of EADS

The Electric Networked-Vehicle

EN-V, which is short for Electric Networked-Vehicle, maintains the core principle of personal mobility — freedom — while helping remove the motor vehicle from the environmental debate and redefining design leadership. EN-V is a two-seat electric vehicle that was designed to alleviate concerns surrounding traffic congestion, parking availability, air quality and affordability for tomorrow’s cities. The Jiao (Pride) model (pictured) was unveiled in Shanghai in 2010.

GM / WIECK

Solar-powered LED light bulbs

Children hold up Nokero solar-powered LED light bulbs at the Thriving Talents school in Kisii, Kenya. The bulb runs on a battery that lasts about four hours after it's charged by the sun. The light bulb is expected to provide light to 1.4 billion people who do not live near a power grid, Post Ideas@Innovations blogger Emi Kolawole reports.

Nokero / Cheyenne Ellis

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Chip Ganassi Racing driver Dario Franchitti of Scotland (L) celebrates as he crosses the finish line ahead of teammate Scott Dixon of New Zealand and KV Racing Technology driver Tony Kanaan of Brazil during the Indianapolis 500 autorace at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana, May 27, 2012. REUTERS/John Sommers II(UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT MOTORSPORT)

Dario Franchitti wins the Indianapolis 500

Dario Franchitti wins his third Indy 500 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 27: Christian Slayton, 12 prays to a fallen soldiers memorial as motorcycles from the Rolling Thunder event pass by in Washington, DC on May 27, 2012. Slayton, who is from Raleigh, NC ran out to the makeshift memorial to say a prayer of thanks for all the veterans living and fallen. He said he wanted to thank them for letting us be free and able to have the rights that some countries never had. Riders from across the nation come together every year to ride from the Pentagon over to the National Mall as a rememberance those POW and MIAs in the Vietnam War. (Photo by Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

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Visitors stop to read the names on the Vietnam Memorial at sunrise on the fist day of the Memorial Day weekend in Washington Saturday, May 24, 2008. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

Honoring the Vietnam War’s fallen

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 24: Aaron Rubinstein, center, with fellow students, lights candles before the annual Mass for family members of the cadavers used in anatomy studies on May, 24, 2012 in Washington, DC. At right are Steven Kazuska and Meghan Kuska. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)

Students express gratitude for cadavers

Georgetown University students thank the families who allowed the use of cadavers for study.

Cambodian Grilled Corn is basted with a mix of coconut milk and sugar, then grilled until caramelized. Recipe by grilling expert Steven Raichlen, for a Chef on Call lesson. (Michael Temchine for The Washington Post) Freelance Photo imported to Merlin on Fri May 16 15:10:05 2008

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FAIRFAX, VA - MAY 23: US Army Veteran Sandra Strickland embraces her daughter, Heaven, 8, after dinner Wednesday May 23, 2012 in Fairfax, VA. After losing her job, custody of her children and being evicted from her apartment, Strickland moved into a home for homeless female veterans provided by Final Salute, Inc. (Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

Fairfax shelter becomes a lifeline for homeless female veterans

A former Army captain opened the shelter with last fall.

Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament Volodymyr Litvin (Bottom) looks on as deputies of the Ukrainian opposition fight with deputies of the pro-presidential majority during a session of parliament in Kiev, as opposition parties protest a bill proposed by the ruling party which would make Russian an official state language along with Ukrainian. AFP PHOTO/STRINGERSTR/AFP/GettyImages

Ukrainian parliament fight, SpaceX cargo craft, Mars rover Opportunity and more in the day in photos

Ukrainian parliament fight, SpaceX cargo craft, Mars rover Opportunity and more.

Red Panda Bears sleep in the Panda Bear enclosure at the Beijing Zoo on May 22, 2012. The zoo grounds were originally a Ming Dynasty imperial palace and finally opened to the public in 1908. The zoo's history states that during the WWII, most of the zoo's animals died of starvation with only 13 monkeys and one old emu surviving the war. AFP PHOTO/Mark RALSTONMARK RALSTON/AFP/GettyImages

Barn owls, pit bulls, red pandas, cheetah cubs and more in animal views

Barn owls, pit bulls, red pandas, cheetah cubs and more.

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Inventions: What will we think of next?

Here’s a collection of some of the great uses of technology over the last couple of years. Send us your suggestions for other great inventions via Twitter @washpostbiz and we’ll add them here.

Featured Photo Galleries