The 9 Best Technology GIFs of 2016
2016 was a big year for technology—virtual reality got more hands-on, robots got a lot smarter, and researchers learned how to study individual human cells with unparalleled precision. How best to visualize some of these wonders? With mesmerizing GIFs. Here are the best ones used in MIT Technology Review articles this year.
The good news: work on housecleaning robots is underway. The bad news: it’s slow going.
2. Mark Zuckerberg Is Funding a Facebook for Human Cells
The billionaire is the first major donor to back the idea of creating an atlas of all human cells.

3. GE’s Bridge Over the “Valley of Death” for Innovation
The manufacturing giant put a $73 million R&D facility next to a 48-year-old turbine factory. The goal is better, faster innovation through processes like additive manufacturing.
4. Oculus Finally Delivers the Missing Piece for VR
New hand controllers make virtual reality much more compelling.
5. Why Google Is Selling Off Some of the Coolest Robots Ever Built
By putting Boston Dynamics up for sale, the search giant may be acknowledging how hard it is to turn impressive humanoid robots into a viable product.

6. A Robot That Sews Could Take the Sweat Out of Sweatshops
A big part of the garment-making process is still done by hand. Now some clothing makers hope to end that.
7. Freeze-Dried Molecules Can Be Used to Whip Up Medicines Anywhere
Just add water. That’s the appeal of a new freeze-dry method that turns DNA and other molecules into small reaction pellets needed to make a wide range of pharmaceuticals.
8. Innovator Under 35: Adam Bry, 27
Adam Bry's company, Skydio, is "building a drone for consumers that understands the physical world, reacts to you intelligently, and can use that information to make decisions."
Fanuc, a company that produces robot arms for factories, is trying to get them to learn on the job.
BONUS
If Apple Builds Smart Glasses, They’d Better Be Spectacular
The company could be gearing up to focus on augmented reality.

Keep Reading
Most Popular
A Roomba recorded a woman on the toilet. How did screenshots end up on Facebook?
Robot vacuum companies say your images are safe, but a sprawling global supply chain for data from our devices creates risk.
A startup says it’s begun releasing particles into the atmosphere, in an effort to tweak the climate
Make Sunsets is already attempting to earn revenue for geoengineering, a move likely to provoke widespread criticism.
10 Breakthrough Technologies 2023
These exclusive satellite images show that Saudi Arabia’s sci-fi megacity is well underway
Weirdly, any recent work on The Line doesn’t show up on Google Maps. But we got the images anyway.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.