With our busy lives and so much new technology created daily, it’s easy to overlook some of the incredible inventions revolutionizing our world. It’s important to acknowledge these tech innovations, so here are a few personal favorites for the week. Now these are just a few of the many groundbreaking projects that have been announced recently, but they seem far too important to go unnoticed.

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The first acknowledgement on our list is a research project being conducted between MIT and Chilean scientists that aids in solving the worldwide water crisis through the use of fog nets. However, their idea is far from new. It is inspired by the natural phenomenon of some insects gathering water from dense fog with webs, or in the case of this invention “nets.”

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Some countries already have fog collecting systems in place to supplement their water needs. The issue is that these existing fog nets are only capable of collecting 2% of the water from the fog. The significance of this project is the sheer efficiency of the new nets due to the spacing between holes, combined with a material that has yet to be determined by the research team.

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They are estimating that their fog nets will be capable of pulling 10% of the water from the air, with that number increasing exponentially if more nets are layered one behind the other. This simple method of arid climate water collecting could bring clean water to the hundreds of millions of people that go without safe drinking water.

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Following the theme of health, a team of researchers working with assistive technology have developed a new method of interaction for fully paralyzed individuals. Oddly enough, this method of controlling a wheelchair, phone, or even a computer relies on the individual to have a tongue piercing. It may sound strange but the movements of a small magnet in a titanium ball are recorded with sensors attached to the patient's head.

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As the individual moves their tongue, they can decide the direction their wheelchair moves or even move a cursor around on a screen. These patients are very limited in their selection of assistive devices so any addition is a good one. This is a particularly effective device because it is hardly invasive, and it does not interfere with eating or speaking due to the developers adding an on/off command activated simply by pressing the tongue against the cheek for three seconds.

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The hope for this product is to create an environment that is fully capable of catering to partially and fully paralyzed individuals all while making those individuals more independent.

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The final piece of technology may very well be the most impactful around the globe. We know now that our oceans are becoming filled with trash from all over the world and shorelines everywhere are becoming hazardous for humans and wildlife. This problem will not be going away anytime soon but the team at the Seabin Project is working to combat this crisis.

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Their invention is a fairly simple one. It’s a floating waste bin that is capable of pulling roughly half a ton of waste from the water every year. It is a circular device with a small pump at the bottom that sits level with the water. It is designed to be strategically placed in calm waters to allow nature to direct most of the trash towards it.

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These Seabins have a capacity of twelve kilograms, and even have the ability to trap oil with basic absorption technology. They are relatively inexpensive and their combined effect could potentially pull millions of pounds worth of waste from our waterways and oceans. This is just one more of the many developments that aids in combating the combined effects of our species on the rest of the planet.

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Technology is always advancing because there are always problems that need solutions. It’s very easy to be overtaken by the problems and not see the incredible work that people have put in to make life better for the rest of us. These wonderful examples of innovation should remind us of the significance of science and technology to our everyday lives.