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Five Tech Innovators Under 35

Joe Maglitta | Date: 09-22-09 | Comments

Meet the trendsetters reshaping computing and the world.

Money may make the world go round, but it�s often terrain created by bright young technical minds. The September/October issue of MIT�s Technology Review introduces this year�s global crop of tech whizzes making the world a better place to work and live. Below are five standouts in IT-related areas. You�ll find complete profiles of �35 Innovators Under 35� here.

Cody Friesen, 31 (Fluidic Energy): Cheap High-Energy Batteries

The innovation: A better way to charge simple, inexpensive, long-lasting zinc-air batteries that hold two to 10 times the energy of lithium-ion counterparts

Application: Laptops, electric cars, wind-and-solar generated energy, portable electronics

Look for it: Commercial prototype this fall

Adam Dunkels, 31 (Swedish Institute of Computer Science): Minimal Wireless Networking

The innovation: Lightweight embedded wireless networking protocol that allows almost any device to communicate over the Internet using only 100 bytes of RAM

Application: Wireless sensor networks, satellites, pipelines, electric meters, trucks, cameras, car engines

Look for it: Contiki, a complete operating system for embedded systems available now

Kevin Fu, 33 (UMass/Amherst): RFID Chips to Defeat Hackers

The innovation: Encryption software for radio-frequency identification (RFID) communications that thwarts data theft and mayhem

Application: Credit cards to pacemakers

Look for it: Stay tuned

Jeffrey Heer, 30 (Stanford University): Simple Open-Source Visualization Software

The innovation: Easy-to-use open-source browser software that lets nontechnical users present, publish and collaborate using creative data visualizations

Application: Widespread potential, from business to government to education to research

Look for it: Learn about and download Protoivis 3.0 now

Ali Javey, 29 (UC Berkeley): �Painting� Nanowires into Electric Circuits

The innovation: Creating high-quality transistors and photo-sensors using a roller printer, glass cylinder, nanowires and a plastic substrate

Application: Any place requiring advanced electronics, from cheap solar cells to high-resolution displays

Look for it: Details here; stay tuned