Extraordinary breakthroughs that amazed us, worried us, puzzled us and gave us hope this year, across healthcare, AI, sustainability, food, finance and tech.
1: Trainers
Are sensory stimulants in his trainers the reason Erling Haaland is Man City’s top scorer? Probably not, but he is one of hundreds of athletes who have tested Nike’s Mind 001 and 002 “neuroscience-based” trainers, which use foam nodes to stimulate receptors in the feet that then activate areas of the brain related to focus. They launch in January 2026.
We feel: sceptically intrigued. (Dezeen/Nike)
2: Stethoscopes
Researchers at Imperial College successfully developed an AI-led stethoscope that can detect major heart conditions in 15 seconds. The stethoscope hadn’t previously changed since it was invented in 1816.
Risk: false positives. Hope: saving lives, by giving specialist-level diagnostic tools to GPs to detect killer diseases earlier. (The Guardian)
3: Food waste
The equivalent of 10bn meals is wasted in the UK each year, yet millions of households are in food poverty. Nestlé trialled an AI real-time monitoring tool, made by Zest, that reduced edible waste by 87% at one factory. Savings could scale to £14m and 700 tonnes of food.
Hope: the industry investing in solutions that could benefit humanity. (The Guardian)
4: Glasses
In France, Lunettes de Zac is changing how glasses are disposed of, refurbished, redistributed and sold at affordable prices. Ophélie Vanbremeersch started the business while still at university. It now has ateliers employing disabled workers, 400 partner opticians and 1,500 collection sites nationally.
We like: the sector disruption, circular model and social impact. (Poets and Quants)
5: Heat pumps
Scientists in China engineered a new, stretchable metal alloy that could revolutionise heat pumps, with a reversible temperature change ability 20 times greater than conventional metals. Prototypes are being tested.
We like: half the world’s energy use is for heating, most from burning fossil fuels. This could be a transformative solution. (HKUST)
6: Protein from air
Finnish food‑tech start-up Solar Foods developed Solein, a high‑protein powder grown from air, carbon dioxide and renewable electricity, using microbes instead of crops or animals.
Hope: could transform protein production, with fewer emissions and using less land and water. (The Guardian)
7: Postboxes
Following a successful pilot, Royal Mail began the rollout of 3,500 ‘postboxes of the future’ that can accept small parcels, to help it compete with rivals like Evri. Solar panels on top power the barcode scanner and open the parcel drawer. It’s the biggest redesign in 175 years.
We like: with fewer letters being posted, it keeps our iconic red postboxes alive. (BBC)
8: Dating
Dutch dating app Breeze launched in 13 cities across the UK. It cuts out pre-date messaging and goes straight to booking the date, at partner venues, as a way to remove online dating fatigue.
We don’t like: no chance to pre-vet. We like: skips awkward messaging. (The Tab/BBC)
9: Air to fuel
On a rooftop in Manhattan, New York startup Aircela demonstrated a machine that uses air, water and renewable electricity to capture CO₂ from the atmosphere and convert it into fossil‑free petrol that works in standard petrol engines.
Risk: the market and scalability are yet to be proved. We like: energy sector innovation that feels like sci‑fi. (Dezeen/Aircela)
10. Phone case
Design studio Special Projects showcased its innovative phone case, Aperture. It shows only a tiny window of the phone’s screen, so scrolling is harder and the friction of getting the phone out of the case encourages more mindful tech use. Currently in development.
We like: a playful, clever way to limit excess phone use. (Creative Boom)
11. Portable ECG
HeartBeam Inc received FDA clearance for its cable-free ECG software. Its device is the world’s first portable, at-home ECG, monitoring the heart’s signals from three directions to collect clinical-grade data. It will now have a limited release in 2026 to gather real-world validation.
Hope: could be a significant step forward in remote cardiac care. (HeartBeam/MDN)
12. 3D-printed homes
Could robotically 3D-printed houses be the solution to the housing crisis? It’s how Azure Homes makes sustainable tiny houses out of recycled polymers and fibreglass and in 2025 the company opened a new 25,000 sq ft factory in Denver that will upscale production and create new jobs.
Hope: to see this in the UK, making house building faster, greener and more accessible. (Azure/Time Magazine)
13. Energy
HeatHub by Thermify is a pilot programme that turns home computers into mini data centres then uses the heat created to provide cleaner, low-cost heating and hot water — using the same electricity twice, for computing and heating. In November, a couple in Essex became the first household to trial it and their energy bill dropped from £375 to £40 a month.
We like: smart, practical, could make energy affordable and support the transition to net zero. (BBC/Thermify)
14. Lovable
Everyone’s talking about, and building with, Lovable. The vibe coding platform became one of the world’s fastest-growing software companies by allowing non-developers to build full-stack websites and apps just through prompting, turning conversations into working, editable code
We like: slick and powerful, democratising development. (Contrary Research/EU Startups)
15. Bread to beer
Toast Brewing and Jason’s Sourdough collaborated to brew a pale ale using surplus sourdough. It tackles food waste and gives new life to ingredients that would otherwise be thrown away. Toast Brewing IPA launched in 200 Waitrose stores.
We like: turns food waste into a sustainable beer. (Chatting Food)
16. Biometric checkout
Mastercard, retailer Empik and Polish fintech PayEye tested an in-store biometric checkout in Poland, using eye recognition and secure biometric tokens. Customers paid by looking at a special eyePOS terminal, without using their card, and 75% preferred it to usual payment methods. It validated PeyEye’s technology and, since the pilot, PayEye is scaling it for a wider rollout.
We like: futuristic. Risks: privacy, accuracy and ethical concerns make eye recognition highly controversial. (PayEye/Mastercard)
17: Zero-UI health tracking
SensVita turned homes into passive monitors of health, by using radio frequency sensors placed in furniture to track heart and lung health through clothing. The sensors, which are in development and trials through Cornell University, detect subtle changes early, for medical intervention before issues escalate.
We like: no wearables, wires or electrodes and less patient burden. (Cornell)
18. Women’s safety
In 2020, South African schoolgirl Bohlale Mphahlele invented a wearable safety device for women and girls. It looks like an earring but, if they’re in a violent or dangerous situation, alerts pre-set contacts. This year she went viral again, post-graduation, for now forming her own company, to turn her idea into a product.
We like: innovation from determination to protect her community. (Good Things)
19. Quantum
Oxford physicists demonstrated the first networked quantum computing system, linking smaller devices via photons instead of relying on a single, expensive quantum machine.
Risks: with great power comes great responsibility. We like: it brings scalable, real-world quantum supercomputing closer, with huge potential in healthcare and sustainability. (Oxford University/Nature)
20. Traffic management
In cities across Europe, WISP piloted an AI-powered traffic light system that dynamically adjusts traffic lights, prioritises buses and adapts pedestrian crossings in real time, aiming to reduce congestion and cut emissions Road inefficiencies in Europe cost an estimated €33 billion, 10.2 million tonnes of CO₂ and 2,550 deaths a year.
Risks: favouring high-use routes and sidelining communities that already get less investment. We like: streets that respond to real life, not rigid timetables. (EIT Urban Mobility)
Thank you to our contributors: Tia Vaidya, Miki Chiu, Jassi Porteous, Jacqui Gibbons, Sophie Little, Sarah Frampton, Alex Holley, Savannah Klein, Jenn Torry, Emma Sokell, Jason DaPonte, Thea Manton, Oli Bullock, Tash Maiselman, Hayley Alter.
