It’s been a good year for innovation. As we panicked our way through several months of Swine Flu and a global financial meltdown some pretty amazing things were invented right under our collective nose. So to give these inventions and innovations their time in the spotlight I’ve compiled what I believe to be the most inventive and innovative top 10 list you’ll find anywhere on the internet. It goes in reverse!

10. Teleportation: AKA “Live Migration” This new feature from Sun Microsystem’s VirtualBox 3.1.0 allows virtual machine sessions to be moved, while running, from one computer to another. It’s compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris. AND the other type of teleportation (the Star Trek kind) is apparently just around the corner too.

9. The Jaipur Knee: AKA The $20 Knee, this hotly contested invention (claimed to have been developed by two separate American Universities) reduces the cost of a prosthetic limb from thousands of dollars down to $20. In many developing countries limb loss from landmines or disease affects a large number of people. This invention now increases the economic chances of those who have suffered the loss of a limb, which means the economic health of entire regions in developing countries will likely benefit.

8. LED Light Bulbs: Driven by the $10 million L-prize from the American Department of Energy, companies like Seimens and Phillips (the first to enter a finished product) can drastically reduce the amount of energy consumed by light bulbs in North America through their new designs. By installing these new bulbs in place of the antiquated ones enough energy to power over 17 million homes will become available just from the increased efficiency.

7. The Electric Eye: Developed  by MIT this microchip implant will help those who are completely blind to regain their sight.

6. VPL Vaccine Technology: Maryland company Novavax has developed a process to create just in time vaccines that bypass the need for tens of millions of eggs to be used as hosts. The new vaccines also eliminate common side-effects from traditional vaccines.

5. The Solar Shingle: Developed by Dow, this innocuous roofing material looks pretty much just like a roof shingle and  is expected to cost 10% to 15% less than traditional solar panels as well as being quicker to install.

4. Closed Containment Aquaculture: Two recent developments have made the future of human food security a whole lot brighter. In China, a massive closed containment aquaculture project that will provide millions of tonnes of Trout and Salmon is underway using Canadian technology from Agri Marine, while in Australia Blue Fin Tuna has been successfully bred using similar closed containment methods.

3. The Ares Rocket: It seems NASA had been stuck in the past in many ways, particularly when it came to its Rocket fleet. The Ares Rockets represent a turning point for the agency and opens up all sorts of possibilities for manned space flight by increasing the safety, efficiency and range of missions.

2. The AIDS Vaccine: 30 Years after HIV/AIDS appeared a vaccine trial has finally provided a glimmer of hope in the battle against this incredibly complex disease. Reducing the chances of contracting the disease by 30% the vaccine and similar variants are still being developed and tested.

1. I’m leaving this spot blank for YOU to comment on what you think the number one invention of the year is. My list is likely to be different than yours, as many of the other ones online that I’ve seen are. We here at Senses are very interested to hear what you think the coolest invention of the year is. So leave a comment below and we’ll put yours at the number 1 spot if we think it beats our number 1 being held in reserve!

NUMBER 1 INVENTION OF THE YEAR AS CHOSEN BY YOU THE PEOPLE:

Closed Containment Aquaculture (Fish Farms).

Today is World AIDS Day and although the disease remains currently incurable, the advancements in medical technology that prolong life and mitigate the effects of the sexually transmitted auto-immune virus  are impressive. We’ve come from a point where 25 years ago patients would be dying within months to a year of being diagnosed. Now, with early HIV detection, an HIV positive person in their 20s can enjoy a dramatically increased life expectancy, well into their senior years.  This is of course thanks to improvements and discoveries in treatments, but some are cautioning that the younger generation is placing too much faith in antivirals. 30% of new HIV cases in Quebec are from men and women  in their late teens and 20s. In some parts of the world the virus is increasing in both old and young alike. It is most commonly poorer regions of the world that see a continuing rise and spread of the disease but one of the world’s richest countries is also seeing a sharp increase.

Surprisingly, cases of  HIV and AIDS in Japan have been rapidly increasing and lack of education as well as cultural “hang-ups” are cited as the leading causes. Many other parts of Asia and Africa are heavily impacted by the socioeconomic damage of the persistent disease; Japan saw its first case in the early 1990s. Some areas of Asia are in danger of similar rapid increases like Japan’s. New research in  Pakistan shows that HIV/AIDS has been increasing there with a risk of the disease flaring up dramatically, led largely by IV drug use and the sex trade. Even in North America, aboriginal Canadians have a higher infection rate of HIV/AIDS than the national average and are a higher risk group than other segments of the Canadian population while the Canadian city of Vancouver, consistently cited as one of the most livable cities in the world and an affluent global destination has a persistent and serious hard drugs and sex trade HIV/AIDS challenge that is endemic to the city’s poorest neighborhood- the downtown eastside.  Vancouver’s gay community is also acutely aware of the dangers of this social and sexual disease. 50% of all HIV cases in the Province of BC in 2008 were from gay men, proving that the disease is still looming over the homosexual community in a profoundly serious way.

Though a global effort has been under way to combat the disease it remains entrenched in certain sectors of the population and in certain geographies,  but there are some who are optimistic that a combination of education and prevention, proposed universal voluntary HIV testing and treatment programs as well as a long term strategy and even an eagerly anticipated AIDS vaccine can potentially eradicate the disease in our lifetime. Technologies and practices such as condoms, abstinence, education pushes, topical microbicides (spray on gels and foams that prevent the spread of the virus during sex) and testing kits like the ones recently donated to the AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s 2009 Testing Millions Global Campaign by Chembio Diagnostics (an American Firm that manufactures, licenses and markets proprietary rapid diagnostic tests) are all examples of tools and practices that have been developed over time to combat HIV/AIDS. The disease presents a fascinating insight into how technology and science intersect with culture and economics around a microbe that can have such devastating personal and social impacts. World AIDS day is a reminder of just how complex the challenges are as HIV and AIDS continue to affect lives, cities and countries. Though the news may be good overall according to the UN, it isn’t good everywhere.