The editors of Technology Review, MIT's magazine of innovation, have announced their annual list of 10 emerging technologies with the potential to shape the way we live and do business.

The technologies
Liquid battery: Donald Sadoway, a Materials Chemistry Professor at MIT, has developed a liquid battery that could store enough electricity to allow cities to run on solar power at night.

Traveling-wave reactor: John Gilleland, Manager of nuclear programs at Intellectual Ven­tures, is leading the develop­ment of a reactor that would run on depleted uranium, making nuclear power safer and less expensive.

Paper diagnostic test: George Whitesides, a professor at Harvard University, is using paper to create medical tests that could make it possible to quickly and cheaply diagnose
a range of diseases in the developing world.

Biological machines: Michel Maharbiz, Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has deve­loped a wirelessly controlled beetle that could one day be used for surveillance or search-and-rescue missions.

$100 genome: Han Cao, Founder of BioNanomatrix, has designed a nanofluidic chip that could dramatically lower the cost of genome analysis. Cao's chip could allow doctors to tailor medical treatment to a patient's unique genetic profile, map new genes linked to specific diseases, and quickly identify new viruses and outbreaks.

Racetrack memory: IBM fellow Stuart Parkin has created an entirely new type of data storage using magnetic nano­wires. Which could eventually replace all other forms of computer memory and lead to tiny, rugged, and inexpensive portable devices.

HashCache: Vivek Pai, a Computer Scientist at Princeton University, has created a new method for storing web content that could make Internet access speedier and more affordable.

Intelligent software assistant: Adam Cheyer, Co-founder of the Silicon Valley startup Siri, is leading the design of powerful new software that acts as a personal aide. This virtual personal-assistant software helps users interact more effectively with web services.

Software-defined networ­king: Stanford Computer Scientist Nick McKeown deve­loped a standard called OpenFlow that allows researchers to tap into Internet switches and routers to easily test new networking technologies without interrupting normal service.

Nanopiezotronic: Zhong Lin Wang, Materials Scientist at Georgia Tech is creating piezoelectric nanowires that generate electricity using tiny environmental vibrations; that could power implantable medical devices and serve as tiny sensors.

DQC News Bureau

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