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"Innovations That Improved the World in 2013\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1. The Lab Grown Burger\n\n\nIt may have cost $330,000 to develop, but thanks to a major investment from Google co-founder Sergey Brin the world saw its first lab-grown burger in August. \nResearchers at the Netherland's Maastricht University toiled in a lab for five years to create the meat patty, which was developed using 20,000 protein strands grown from stem cells taken from a cow's shoulder.\nWhile it's still a long time before a lab-grown burger will be appearing on the menu at McDonald's, this beef cake represents the enormous potential of scientific solutions to meet down on the global demand for meat. \n\n\nImage: David Parry/PA\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2. Google Glass Brings Autonomy Back to Disabled People\n\n\nTammie Van Sant was paralyzed in a tragic car accident almost 20 years ago. While the California woman has long known she'd never walk again, she's tested device upon device to help her type, make phone calls and take pictures. Until this year, none of them had worked.\nEnter Google Glass. Van Sant was accepted to the Google Glass Explorer program in May, and the novel wearable tech product has changed her life since. \nEquipped with Google Glass, Van Sant can now navigate for herself, talk on the phone and photograph the world around her.\nWhile Google Glass can't improve disabilities, it can bring its wearers a level of autonomy never before offered by assistive technology.\n\n\nImage: Google/Tammie Van Sant\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n3. The Beef Tendon Condom\n\n\nCondoms are an affordable and reliable way to prevent unwanted pregnancy and the transmission of diseases. The problem is, men prefer sex without condoms because of the loss of pleasure brought on by wearing them. So the Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation gave out $1 million in grants to scientists working to create the next generation condoms that will perform reliably without the perceived pleasure trade-off.\nWhile some of the projects receiving funding are researching ultra-thin plastic and polymer options, one funded project uses cow tendons. Because the perfect condom will replicate the feel of human skin, animal tendons are a logical choice. Bill Gates hopes one of the funded teams will bring a product to market that men ultimately prefer to not wearing a condom at all.  \n\n\nImage: Manjunath Kiran\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n4. Debit Cards for Syrian Refugees\n\n\nRather than distributing paper vouchers for food rations, the U.N. World Food Programme has decided to distribute prepaid debit cards to Syrian refugees living in Lebanon. The debit cards are accepted at more than 300 stores across Lebanon that have signed up to participate.\nIn addition to feeding the refugees, these debit cards will help spur economic development in Lebanon, which is somewhat resource-strained by the influx of refugees of the Syrian civil war.\n\n\nImage: Safin Hamed\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n5. Clean Cookstoves\n\n\nA new cookstove, which runs only on clean fuel, is helping to curb deforestation in Zambia. The cookstove is fueled by bio-waste pellets, and could help eliminate dangerous charcoal-burning stoves while curbing the country's annual loss of more than 600,000 acres of forests. \nEmerging Cooking Solutions' bio-waste  pellets, which are made from disposed sawdust, also replace the need for petroleum gas and kerosene in the kitchen, saving women time collecting firewood, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions and indoor air pollution. \n\n\nImage:  Mashable, Zoe Fox\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n6. The Solar-Powered Shack\n\n\nLife in the slums, where more than 60% of Africa's urban population lives, is often resource-limited and unsanitary. The South African iShack adds a modern and sustainable twist to the traditional slum dwelling. Equipped with solar panels, iShack improves living conditions by providing clean energy to its residents. \nThe solar panels provide power for interior and exterior lighting, as well as a cellphone charger. iShack's roof is designed to collect water from rain fall, the windows are built to optimize air circulation and the back wall is made from clay to regulate temperatures. \nThe iShack will sell for $660 per unit.\n\n\nImage: Yasuyoshi Chiba\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n7. Crop Growth Sped Up by Thousands of Years\n\n\nAn Israeli startup called Kaiima uses genome multiplication to increase the yield of crops, improve the efficiency of water use and strengthen plants coping with harsh environmental factors. All of this means one thing: more food for a world where many go hungry. \nDemand for crops has increased 90% in the last 30 years, so the agriculture tech, or \"agritech,\" industry is blowing up. The beauty of the need to rethink where we get our food, for Kaiima at least, is that the agritech industry will hopefully begin spinning a significant profit. \n\n\nImage:  Kaiima Bio-Agritech\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n8. The Invisible Bike Helmet That Doubles as an Airbag\n\n\nWe bet you've never seen a bicycle helmet that you wear around your neck before, nor an airbag for bikes. But that's exactly what H\u00F6vding is -- a discreet helmet cyclists wear around their necks that inflates like an airbag in the event of an accident. \nWhile this may sound like a hastier option than a traditional bicycle helmet, H\u00F6vding claims its incognito helmets offer the best shock absorption in the world. \n\n\nImage:  Hovding\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n9. Tremor-Reducing Spoon for People With Parkinson's \n\nA new spoon from Lift Labs is making it much easier for people with Parkinson's disease who suffer from hand tremors to eat. The spoon, which will soon be joined by a knife and fork, counteracts a shaking hand's movements by up to 70%, making it much easier for people with Parkinson's disease to eat. \nThe ability to self-feed may not seem very significant, but the spoon's creators believe that it will help people with Parkinson's maintain self-dignity while suffering from the disease.\n\n\nImage:  Lift Labs\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n10. Drones Monitor Illegal Poachers\n\n\nPoaching isn't a new problem, but Kenyan conservancy Ol Pejeta may now have a way to stop the long-time threat to animals, particularly rhinos and elephants. While park rangers can only patrol in so many places at once, drones now offer an aerial perspective of daily happenings in the Kenyan reserve. \nOl Pejeta released a drone above its land in June, which it believes will be able to catch illegal poachers in the act. \n\n\nImage: Philippe Desmazes\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNever before in history have new innovations unfolded so quickly, and that pace will only keep accelerating. \nBut we're not just talking about long-lasting cellphone batteries and self-driving cars. Brilliant minds around the world are using today's latest technologies to make the world a better place.\nSee also: 10 Empowering Apps for Social Good\nThese 10 innovations from 2013 were not only great technological feats, but they also have the potential to improve millions of lives. \nIn the above gallery, you'll find new solutions that are helping to meet the increasing global demand for food, make the lives of people suffering from diseases and disabilities easier, and protect animals and the environment. \nHomepage image: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2013/12/04/innovations-world-2013/>