# List of emerging technologies

This is a list of emerging technologies, which are in-development technical innovations that have significant potential in their applications. The criteria for this list is that the technology must:
* Exist in some way; purely hypothetical technologies cannot be considered emerging and should be covered in the list of hypothetical technologies instead. However, technologies being actively researched and prototyped are acceptable.
* Have a Wikipedia article or adjacent citation covering them.
* Not be widely used yet. Mainstream or extensively commercialized technologies can no longer be considered emerging.
Listing here is not a prediction that the technology will become widely adopted, only a recognition of significant potential to become widely adopted or highly useful if ongoing work continues, is successful, and the work is not overtaken by other technologies.

## Agriculture

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| Agricultural robotics | Research and development, trial projects | Automation of agriculture | Agricultural drone |
| Closed ecological systems | Research and development, working demonstrators (e.g. Biosphere 2) | Agriculture, scientific research, space colonization | Greenhouse, Eden Project, Bioshelter, Seawater greenhouse |
| Cultured meat | Research and development, trials | Humane, resource-efficient, healthier, and cheaper meat | New Harvest |
| Atmospheric water generator | Working prototype | Agriculture in semi-arid land | Desorption |
| Vertical farming | Research, development, experiments, and diffusion | Space-efficient farming and space travel applications | |

## Construction

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| Active structure | Research, development, commercialization | Adaptive structures that respond to different conditions, or supermassive buildings and infrastructure (e.g. space fountains) | |
| Arcology | Research, development, commercialization | | Photobioreactor § Outlook |
| Domed city | Planned feature for Mall of the World | Weather-controlled city, colonization of other celestial bodies | |
| Earthscraper | Demonstration | |

## Economy

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| Cryptocurrency | Diffusion | Payment, Digital currency | Bitcoin, Ethereum |
| Digital wallet | Diffusion | Payment, Digital currency | Google pay, Apple Pay |
| CBDC | Diffusion | Payment, Digital currency | Digital Rupee, Digital Euro |

## Electronics, IT, and communications

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| 6G cellular communications | Conceptual | Mobile phones |
| Artificial general intelligence | Hypothetical, experiments | Creating intelligent devices and robots; AI can counsel (or even take charge) in scientific projects, government, army, corporate governance, film and books creation, inventions etc. | Progress in artificial intelligence, technological singularity, applications of artificial intelligence |
| Biometrics | Diffusion, commercialization | | |
| Blockchain | Diffusion, commercialization | Finance, digital currency, identity (social science), Web3.0, Smart contracts | Bitcoin, Ethereum |
| Carbon nanotube field-effect transistor | Research and development | Future miniaturization of transistors | |
| Cashierless store | Limited commercialization | | |
| Civic technology | Research and development, projects | Smart cities, more responsive government | Smart city, e-democracy, open data, intelligent environment |
| Digital scent technology | Diffusion | | Smell-O-Vision, iSmell |
| DNA digital data storage | Experiments | Mass data storage | |
| Electronic nose | Research, limited commercialization | Detecting spoiled food, chemical weapons, and cancer | |
| Emerging memory technologies (T-RAM, CBRAM, SONOS, RRAM, racetrack memory, NRAM, phase-change memory, FJG RAM, millipede memory, Skyrmion, programmable metallization cell, ferroelectric RAM, magnetoresistive RAM, nvSRAM) | In development | | |
| Emerging magnetic data storage technologies (SMR, HAMR, BPM, MAMR, TDMR, CPP/GMR, PMR, hard disk drive) | In development (HAMR, BPM); diffusion (SMR) | Greatly improved storage density compared to current HDDs, can be combined | |
| E-textiles | Research, diffusion | Wearable technology | |
| Exascale computing | Projects | | |
| Exocortex | Diffusion of primitive amplifications; working prototypes of more; Hypothetical, experiments on more substantial amplification | | |
| Flexible electronics | Research, development, prototypes, limited commercialization (e.g. Samsung Galaxy Fold) | Flexible and/or foldable electronic devices, and flexible solar cells which are lightweight, can be rolled up for launch, and are easily deployable | Nokia Morph, Flexible organic light-emitting diode |
| Fourth-generation optical discs (3D optical data storage, Holographic data storage) | Research, prototyping | Storing and archiving data previously erased for economic reasons | Blu-ray Disc, Optical storage |
| Li-Fi | Demos, requires standardization | | Laser communication in space |
| Machine vision | Research, prototyping, commercialization | Biometrics, controlling processes (e.g., in driverless car, automated guided vehicle), detecting events (e.g., in visual surveillance), interaction (e.g., in human–computer interaction), robot vision | Computer vision, pattern recognition, digital image processing |
| Magnonics | Research | Data storage | |
| Memristor | Working prototype | Smaller, faster, more energy-efficient storage, analogue electronics, programmable logic, signal processing, neural networks, control systems, reconfigurable computing, brain–computer interfaces, RFID, and pattern recognition | |
| Metaverse | Experiments | Virtual reality, Augmented reality | |
| Molecular electronics | Research and development | | |
| Multimodal contactless biometric face/iris systems | Deployed at various airports and federal security checkpoints | Unimodal facial recognition scanners | |
| Nanoelectromechanical systems | Research and development | | |
| Nanoradio | Research and development, diffusion | | |
| Neuromorphic engineering | Research and development | | |
| Optical computing | Hypothetical, experiments; some components of integrated circuits have been developed | Smaller, faster, lower power consuming computing | |
| Quantum computing | Experiments, commercialization, early diffusion | Much faster computing for some kinds of problems, chemical modeling, new materials with programmed properties, Hypothetical of high-temperature superconductivity and superfluidity | |
| Quantum cryptography | Commercialization | Secure communications | |
| Quantum radar | Prototypes | | |
| Radio-frequency identification | Diffusion of high cost | Smartstores – RFID-based self-checkout (keeping track of all incoming and outgoing products), food packaging, smart shelves, smart carts. See: potential uses |
| Software-defined radio | Development, commercialization | Cognitive radio, Mesh networks, Software defined antenna | GNU Radio, List of software-defined radios, Universal Software Radio Peripheral |
| Solid-state transformer | Development, prototypes | | |
| Speech recognition | Research, development, commercialization | | |
| Spintronics | Working prototypes | Data storage, computing devices | |
| Subvocal recognition | Research, development, commercialization | | |
| Thermal copper pillar bump | Working prototypes in discrete devices | Electric circuit cooling, micro-fluidic actuators, thermoelectric power generation | Ultra high definition holographic disc, Metal–insulator transition |
| Three-dimensional integrated circuit | Development, commercialization | Memory and data processing | |
| Twistronics | Development |

## Entertainment

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| 4D Film | Commercialization | Films | |
| Cloud gaming | Commercialization | Handheld game consoles, Mobile gaming, Real-time ray-tracing | Google Stadia, GeForce Now |
| Immersive virtual reality | Hypothetical, limited commercialization | An artificial environment where the user feels just as immersed as they usually feel in conscious reality. | Virtusphere, 3rd Space Vest, haptic suit, immersive technology, simulated reality, holodeck (fictional) |
| Synthetic media | Research and development | Films, photos | Deepfake, StyleGAN, DeepDream, DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, Sora |

## Optoelectronics

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| Laser video display | Limited commercialization (e.g. Mitsubishi LaserVue TV in 2008) | Displays with a very wide colour gamut | Laser TV, Comparison of display technology |
| Holography (holographic display, computer-generated holography) | Diffusion | | |
| Optical transistor | Some prototypes | | |
| Screenless display (Virtual retinal display, Bionic contact lens, Augmented reality, Virtual reality) | Experiments | Virtual tools and entertainment in a real-world environment, aids for the visually impaired | Head-mounted display, Head-up display, Adaptive optics, EyeTap, Google Glass, Microsoft HoloLens, AR cloud |
| Volumetric (3D) display | Research, working prototypes, commercialization | Television, computer interfaces, cinemas, 3-dimensional imagery | Autostereoscopic display, stereoscopic display, volumetric display, Holographic display, Light Field display, Nintendo 3DS, Swept-volume display |

## Energy

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| Airborne wind turbine | Research | Wind power generation at higher altitudes, increasing efficiency | KiteGen |
| Americium battery | Estimated working prototype in 5–10 years from 2019 | Energy storage | |
| Artificial photosynthesis | Research, experiments, growing interest in a macroscience global project | Photosynthesis-like energy and oxygen production from artificial structures | Sustainocene, Renewable energy, Nanotechnology |
| Concentrated solar power | Growing markets in California, Spain, Northern Africa | Electricity generation | DESERTEC, BrightSource Energy, Solar Millennium |
| Double-layer capacitor | Diffusion, continued development | Faster-charging, longer-lasting, more flexible, greener energy storage (e.g. for regenerative braking) | |
| Energy harvesting | Experiments | Constant energy source for mobile, wearable and ubiquitous devices | Humavox |
| Flywheel energy storage | Limited commercialization | Energy storage | |
| Fusion power | Research, experiments | Electricity and heat generation, fusion torch recycling with waste heat | ITER, NIF, Wendelstein 7-X, Magnetic confinement fusion, Dense plasma focus, Muon-catalyzed fusion |
| Generation IV nuclear reactor | Research, experiments | Electricity and heat generation, transmutation of nuclear waste stockpiles from traditional reactors | |
| Gravity battery | Small-scale examples | Energy storage | |
| Home fuel cell | Research, commercialization | Off-the-grid, producing electricity in using an environmentally friendly fuel as a backup during long term power failures. | Autonomous building, Bloom Energy Server |
| Lithium–air battery | Research, experiments | Laptops, mobile phones, long-range electric cars; storing energy for electric grid | |
| Lithium iron phosphate battery | Commercialization | Energy storage | |
| Lithium–sulfur battery | Research and development | Energy storage | |
| Magnesium battery | Early commercialization | Energy storage | |
| Molten salt reactor | Research, experiments | Electricity and heat generation | |
| Nanowire battery | Experiments, prototypes | Laptops, mobile phones, long-range electric cars; storing energy for electric grid | |
| Nantenna | Research | Electricity generation | |
| Ocean thermal energy conversion | Prototype | Electricity generation | |
| Solid-state battery | Niche uses | Reliable, power-dense energy storage (particularly for electric cars and wearable technology) | |
| Smart grid | Research, diffusion | Advanced grid power management | Smart meter, SuperSmart Grid |
| Space-based solar power | Early research | Electricity generation | |
| Thorium nuclear fuel cycle | Research started in the 1960s, still ongoing | Electricity and heat generation | |
| Vortex engine | | Power generation | |
| Wireless energy transfer | Prototypes, diffusion, short range consumer products | Wirelessly powered equipment: laptop, cell phones, electric cars, etc. | WiTricity, resonant inductive coupling |
| Zero-energy building | Expansion | Energy-efficient homes | Passive house |

## Materials and textiles

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| 4D printing | Research and development | | |
| Aerogel | Hypothetical, experiments, diffusion, early uses | Improved thermal insulation (for pipelines, aerospace, etc.), as well as insulative "glass" if it can be made clear | |
| Amorphous metal | Experiments, use in amorphous metal transformers | Armor, implants | |
| Bioplastic | Limited commercialization (e.g. polylactic acid in 3D printing) | Disposable packaging and single-use items |
| Conductive polymers | Research, experiments, prototypes | Lighter and cheaper wires, antistatic materials, organic solar cells | Jacquard weaving |
| Cryogenic treatment | Research, experiments, prototypes | Significantly stronger metal components |
| Edible packaging | Diffusion | Biodegradable alternatives to plastic | |
| Electric armour | Prototypes | Better protection for warships and armoured fighting vehicles from shaped charge weapons | |
| Fullerene | Experiments, diffusion | Programmable matter | |
| Graphene | Hypothetical, experiments, diffusion, early uses | Higher-specific strength structural components, higher-frequency transistors, lower-cost mobile displays, automotive hydrogen storage, biosensors, more efficient batteries | |
| Lab-on-a-chip | Limited commercialization | More efficient laboratory analysis | |
| High-temperature superconductivity | Cryogenic receiver front-end (CRFE) RF and microwave filter systems for mobile phone base stations; prototypes in dry ice; experiments for lower temperatures | No-loss conductors, frictionless bearings, magnetic levitation, lossless high-capacity accumulators, electric cars, heat-free integrated circuits | |
| Magnetic nanoparticles | Development | Cancer treatment, wastewater treatment | |
| Magnetorheological fluid | Research and development, limited magnetorheological damping applications | Seismic damping for earthquake resistance | Electrorheological fluid |
| Microfluidics | Research and development | | |
| High-temperature superfluidity | Superfluid gyroscopes exist but work at very low temperatures | High-precision measure of gravity, navigation and maneuver devices, possible devices to emit gravitomagnetic field, frictionless mechanical devices | |
| Metamaterials | Hypothetical, experiments, diffusion | Microscopes, cameras, metamaterial cloaking, cloaking devices | |
| Metal foam | Research, limited commercialization | Space colonies, floating cities | |
| Multi-function structures | Hypothetical, experiments, some prototypes, few commercial | Wide range of applications (e.g. self-health monitoring, self-healing materials) | |
| Nanomaterials: carbon nanotubes | Hypothetical, experiments, diffusion, early uses | Higher-specific strength structural components | Potential applications of carbon nanotubes, Carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers |
| Quantum dot | Research, experiments, prototypes, commercialization | Quantum dot lasers, quantum dot displays, faster data communication, laser scalpels | |
| Self-healing materials | Research, experiments | Infrastructure, robotics, biotech | |
| Silicene | Early research | Nanoscale electronics | |
| Superalloy | Research, diffusion | Significantly stronger metal components (particularly in aircraft jet engines) | |
| Synthetic diamond | Research, commercialization | Electronics | |
| Time crystal | Research experiments | Quantum computers with stable qubits | |
| Translucent concrete | Commercialization | Construction of buildings and sculptures (e.g. Europe Gate) | |

## Medicine

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| Artificial uterus | Research, experiments | Space travel, extracorporeal pregnancy, reprogenetics, same-sex procreation | |
| Body implant, prosthesis | Trials, from animal (e.g., brain implants) to human clinical (e.g., insulin pump implant), to commercial production (e.g. pacemaker, joint replacement, cochlear implant) | Brain implant, retinal implant | Prosthetics, prosthetics in fiction, cyborg |
| Cryonics | Hypothetical, research, commercialization (e.g. Alcor, Cryonics Institute) | Life extension | |
| De-extinction | Research, development, trials | Animal husbandry, pets, zoos | Revival of the woolly mammoth |
| Electronic medical records | Deployment | Replacing paper medical records | |
| Human DNA vaccination and mRNA vaccination | Implementation in 2021 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic | Disease vaccinations, cancer therapy | |
| Enzybiotics | Successful first trials | | |
| Genetic engineering of organisms and viruses | Research, development, commercialization | Creating and modifying species (mainly improving their physical and mental capabilities), bio-machines, eliminating genetic disorders (gene therapy), new materials production, healthier and cheaper food, creating drugs and vaccines, research in natural sciences, bioremediation, detecting arsenic, CO2 reducing superplant, | Biopunk, Genetically modified food, superhuman, human enhancement, transhumanism, gene doping, designer baby, genetic pollution |
| Hibernation or suspended animation | Research, development, animal trials | Organ transplantation, space travel, prolonged surgery, emergency care | |
| Life extension, strategies for engineered negligible senescence | Research, experiments, animal testing | Increased life spans | Immortality, biological immortality |
| Nanomedicine | Research, experiments, limited use | | |
| Nanosensors | Research and development | | |
| Omni Processor | Research and development; some prototypes | | |
| Oncolytic virus | Human trials (Talimogene laherparepvec, reolysin, JX-594), commercialisation (H101) | Cancer therapy, imaging | Oncolytic virus |
| Personalized medicine, full genome sequencing | Research, experiments | Personalized medical procedures, genome sequencing during drug trials | Personal genomics |
| Phage therapy | First trial uses | | |
| Plantibody | Clinical trials | | |
| Regenerative medicine | Some laboratory trials | Life extension | |
| Robotic surgery | Research, diffusion | | |
| Senolytic | Under investigation | | |
| Stem cell treatments | Research, experiments, phase I human trial spinal cord injury treatment (GERON), cultured cornea transplants | Treatment for a wide range of diseases and injuries | Stem cell, stem cell treatments |
| Synthetic biology, synthetic genomics | Research, development, first synthetic bacteria created May 2010 | Infinitely scalable production processes based on programmable species of bacteria and other life forms | BioBrick, iGEM, synthetic genomics |
| Tissue engineering | Research, diffusion | Organ printing, tooth regeneration | |
| Tricorder | Research and development | Diagnosing medical conditions | Medical tricorder |
| Virotherapy | Research, human trials | Gene therapy, cancer therapy | Virotherapy, Oncolytic Virus |
| Vitrification or cryoprotectant | Research, some experiments | Organ transplantation, cryonics | |

## Neuroscience

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| Artificial brain | Research | Treatment of neurological disease, artificial intelligence | Blue Brain Project, Human Brain Project |
| Brain–computer interface | Research and commercialization | Faster communication and learning, as well as more "real" entertainment (generation of feelings and information in brain on-demand) and the control of emotions in the mentally ill | Experience machine, Neuralink, Stent-electrode recording array |
| Brain-reading, neuroinformatics | Research | | |
| Electroencephalography | Research, diffusion | Controlling electronic devices via brain waves | BrainGate |
| Head transplant | Success in animal experiments, including 2-headed result | Treatment of debilitating diseases or severe disfigurement | Brain transplant, hand transplantation, organ transplantation |
| Memory erasure | Hypothetical, research | Treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder | |
| Neuroprosthetics | Research, animal trials | Visual prosthesis, brain implant, exocortex, retinal implant, neurograin | |
| Wetware computer | Experimentation | Artificial Intelligence, better understanding of neurons | |

## Military

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| Caseless ammunition | Field tests and limited commercialization | Lighter and cheaper ammunition; the lack of a case may also simplify the design of firearms | Lightweight Small Arms Technologies |
| Cloaking device | Successful experiments cloaking small objects under some conditions | Stealth | Metamaterial cloaking |
| Directed-energy weapon | Research, development, some prototypes | | Laser Weapon System, Iron Beam |
| Electrolaser | Research and development | | |
| Electrothermal-chemical technology | Research and development | Tank, artillery, and close-in weapon systems | |
| Force field | Hypothetical, experiments | Military and law enforcement, space travel | Plasma window |
| Green bullet | Development | Environment-friendly ammunition | |
| Hypersonic cruise missile | Development | | Avangard, Kinzhal, Zircon, BrahMos-II, Prompt Global Strike, DARPA Falcon Project, DF-ZF, Boeing X-51 Waverider |
| Laser weapon | Research and development, trials | Tracking and destruction of rockets, bombs, drones etc. | Advanced Tactical Laser, High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System |
| MAHEM | Research and development | A formed penetrator using molten metal in place of self-forging explosives | Explosively pumped flux compression generator |
| Precision-guided firearm | Research and development | Increased accuracy by marksmen | EXACTO, Smart bullet, TrackingPoint, SMASH Handheld |
| Railgun | Research and development | Cheaper and safer ammunition | Coilgun |
| Stealth technology | Research and development | Electronic countermeasures | Plasma stealth, Stealth aircraft, Radar-absorbent material |
| Telescoped ammunition | Research and development | More compact cartridges | |
| Lightweight Small Arms Technologies | Research and development | | |

## Space

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| Artificial gravity | Research and development | Space travel | Spin gravity |
| Asteroid mining | Conceptual; NASA has announced plans to capture and redirect an asteroid | Commerce, resource supply | |
| Inflatable space habitat | Development, prototypes built and tested | Space habitats | Bigelow Aerospace |
| Reusable launch vehicle | Commercial | Circumvention of the cost of expendable launch vehicles outside of national government or military missions | Reusable launch vehicle |
| Starshot | Research | Uncrewed interstellar probes | |
| Stasis chamber | Research and development, experiments | Interplanetary space travel, interstellar space travel, medical | |

## Robotics

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| Android, gynoid | Research, development, prototypes, diffusion, commercializing | Disabled, infant and older people care, housekeeping, sex-worker, flight-attendant, model, hostess, waiter, security guard | Tesla bot , Atlas |
| Gastrobot | Prototypes | Robots fuelled by digesting organic matter | |
| Molecular nanotechnology, nanorobotics | Hypothetical, experiments | Machines that can make anything given the materials, cheap planetary terraforming | Rotimatic |
| Powered exoskeleton | Research, development, prototypes, diffusion, commercializing | Heavy lifting, paralysis, muscle-related diseases, warfare, construction, firefighting, care for the elderly and disabled | LOPES (exoskeleton), ReWalk, Human Universal Load Carrier, fictional armor Iron Man's armor, Future Force Warrior |
| Self-reconfiguring modular robot | Hypothetical, experiments, early prototypes | As a universal physical machine, SRCMR may change the way many physical structures and machines are made | Robot, swarm robotics, autonomous research robot |
| Swarm robotics | Hypothetical, experiments | Autonomous construction, space construction | Swarm intelligence, autonomous robotics, nanorobotics, particle swarm optimization, multi-agent systems, behavior-based robotics |
| Uncrewed vehicle | Research and development, diffusion, commercial | Transport of goods, surveillance, oceanography, wildfire mapping, pipeline security, home security, anti-piracy, border control, pursuing criminals, oil, gas and mineral exploration and production, geophysical and geomagnetic surveys, exploration of hazardous areas, firefighting, military and peacekeeping operations, search and rescue, bomb disposal, police raids | Unmanned aerial vehicle, AeroVironment, AeroVironment Global Observer, AeroVironment Nano Hummingbird, Unmanned combat air vehicle, Unmanned ground vehicle, Unmanned space vehicle, Unmanned surface vehicle, Unmanned underwater vehicle, Autonomous underwater vehicle |

## Transport

| Emerging technology | Status | Potential applications | Related articles |
| Airless tire | Research, development, early prototypes | Safer tires | Tweel |
| Atmospheric satellite | Experimentation | More widespread communications | |
| Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit | Commercialization, diffusion | Reducing air pollution, decreasing oil consumption | Electric vehicle |
| Flexible wings (X-53 Active Aeroelastic Wing, Adaptive Compliant Wing), fluidic flight controls | Experiments, prototypes | Controlling aircraft, ships | Aircraft flight control system, BAE Systems Demon, fluidics |
| Distributed propulsion | Prototypes | More efficient air travel |
| eVTOL | Research, Development | Low emission and low noise air travel, air taxis |
| Flying car | Early commercialization, prototypes | More effective transportation | Terrafugia Transition, Moller M400 Skycar, Urban Aeronautics X-Hawk, AeroMobil |
| Fusion rocket | Research, development | Fast interplanetary travel, with limited interstellar travel applications | |
| Ground-level power supply | Standardization, commercialization | Reduction of required battery size and weight for battery electric vehicles by charging while driving | Trafikverkets Program för ElvägarTransport in France § Electric roads |
| Hoverbike | Working prototypes, early commercialization | Package delivery, search and rescue | |
| Hovertrain, Ground effect train, Ground effect vehicle | Research, development | Faster trains | Aérotrain, Duke Hospital PRT, Hovercraft |
| Hybrid airship | Prototypes | Air travel with low fuel consumption | Airlander 10 |
| Ion-propelled aircraft | Research, development, prototypes | Better flying transportation, efficient propulsion in air | Electrohydrodynamics |
| Jet pack or backpack helicopter | Early commercialization, prototypes | More effective individual transportation |
| Maglev train | Research, early commercialization, diffusion | Faster trains | Transrapid, Shanghai Maglev Train, Linimo |
| Magnetic levitation | Research, development, Commercialization (Maglev Train) | High temperature superconductivity, cryogenics, low temperature refrigerators, superconducting magnet design and construction, fiber reinforced plastics for vehicles and structural concretes, communication and high power solid-state controls, vehicle design (aerodynamics and noise mitigation), precision manufacturing, construction and fabrication of concrete structures, maglev car, maglev based spacecraft launch | Vactrain, Levicar |
| Magnetohydrodynamic drive | Research, development, prototypes | Marine Propulsion, Aircraft Propulsion, Spacecraft Propulsion | Yamato 1 |
| Mass driver | Prototypes | | |
| Orbital propellant depot | Research, development | Deep-space missions with larger payloads, satellite life extension, lowering cost per kg launched to space | |
| Personal rapid transit | Early commercialization, diffusion | More effective transportation | Morgantown PRT, ULTra |
| Physical Internet | Research | | |
| Scooter-sharing system | Commercialization | Increased density | Bird (company) |
| Vactrain | Research, development | Faster way to get somewhere | ET3 Global Alliance, Hyperloop |
| Plasma propulsion | Research and development | Spacecraft propulsion | |
| Pulse detonation engine | Research and development; one prototype flown in 2008 | Higher-efficiency propulsion | |
| Quiet Supersonic Technology | Prototype | Supersonic air travel over land | |
| Self-driving car | Research, development, early commercialization | Reducing concerns of tiredness while driving and also looking outside in the car. Helpful in countries where employment of personal drivers is expensive. | Waymo, Tesla FSD |
| Space elevator | Research | Non-rocket spacelaunch | Orbital ring, Sky hook, Space fountain |
| Spaceplane | Research, development | Hypersonic transport | A2, Skylon |
| Vehicular communication systems | Research and development, some diffusion | Traffic management, automatic accommodation of emergency vehicles, driver assistance systems, automated highways | Artificial Passenger, Dedicated short-range communications, Intelligent transportation system |