5. Regrowing Stereocilia - The Hairs that Help You Hear

Stereocilia, or the tiny hairs inside our ears, are an integral part of the hearing system. But overexposure to noise - such as experienced in music concerts or blasting tunes from an iPod - can permanently damage them, degrading a person's hearing over time. Researchers at Stanford, however, have hit a breakthrough in growing hair-like cells that function just like those in our ears. This could mean solutions for damaged hearing.

The research is still about a decade away from offering a solution that can be used in humans, but the potential is there for helping to restore hearing to those with noise-induced hearing loss.

6. Liquid-Filled Eye Glasses

Sometimes low tech is far more effective than elaborate gadgets. Such is the case with Josh Silver's eyeglasses that adjust to the wearer's correct prescription simply with liquid. More or less liquid is added to the lens until the prescription is just right for the wearer. The inexpensive glasses address an important need of more than one billion people in developing nations worldwide who lack access to eyecare. Here is Josh Silver demonstrating how the glasses work and the impact they can have on people, from improving their productivity to their quality of life.

7. Printing New Skin Directly onto Wounds

Skin is an organ that protects our bodies from infection, and for burn victims, it's the loss of that protective barrier that is the biggest threat. Skin grafts - surgically moving healthy skin from one part of the body to the burned area - is one way of aiding recovery. But what if new skin could be created in an instant, sprayed on like a printer sprays ink onto a paper? Turns out, we can do that.

Researchers at Wake Forest University have created a device that can spray new skin cells onto burn victims, supplanting skin grafts as the standard treatment. The device can be wheeled directly over a patient in a hospital bed, where a laser takes a reading of the wound's shape and size, and the precise amount of skin cells is applied exactly where they're needed.

"We literally print the cells directly onto the wound," said student Kyle Binder, who helped design the device. "We can put specific cells where they need to go."

The device still needs to undergo testing by the FDA for approved use on humans, but it has proven to be effective on mice.

8. Wheel Chairs Powered by Fuel Cells and Solar Panels

Wheelchair technology has come a long way for getting people around. Ensuring they have a charge from a sustainable source of energy is part of that improvement. Over the last few years, we've seen Fuel Cell (Hydrogen-Powered) Wheelchairs and Solar Powered Wheelchairs pop up as more environmentally friendly ways of charging up the chairs. While they're not the most streamlined of chairs, using off-grid charging is a big plus and we're certain that in the next few years, we'll see even more innovative and less bulky ways of incorporating alternative energy into mobility.
 

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