The Most Mind-Blowing Technology in the World Today  

Published Fri, Apr 19th, 2013   Louis Basenese, Chief Investment Strategist 

On Wednesday, we profiled three incredible technological innovations that are on their way to changing our world.

Today, we’re picking up where we left off – with Nos. 4 through 7 on our list.

Like our first three, not only do they qualify as mind-blowing, they also hold outstanding future investment potential.

So sit back and imagine the possibilities. Because they’re going to become a reality!

Transformative Technology #4: Power Through the Air?

In the late 1800s, Nikola Tesla hatched a plan to transmit electricity through the air. He even started to build a 57-meter tower on Long Island that he claimed could transmit power kilometers away.

Was he a crackpot? Nope.

While Tesla ran out of funding for his innovation, tech heavy hitters likeNokia (NOK), Dell (DELL), Intel (INTC), Texas Instruments (TXN) and prominent professors have spent years spearheading a movement to (finally) turn Tesla’s far-flung idea of “wireless power” into a reality.

I’ll spare you the physics behind it. Here’s all you need to know…

Before long, mobile phones, laptops, flat-screen televisions and even electric vehicles could be capable of charging themselves without being plugged in. That is, once the charging infrastructure is built.

And that’s where we should focus our investment attention. While demand for wirelessly charged gadgets promises to be fickle, power demand certainly won’t be. So the company with the best wireless charging technology stands to reap the most profits.

It wouldn’t hurt, either, to consider selling short Energizer Holdings (ENR). As one of the world’s largest battery makers, its business will inevitably take a hit once wireless power goes mainstream.

Transformative Technology #5: The Unbreakable Smartphone?

For many people, the joy and convenience of a fully functioning smartphone is instantly shattered – literally – when it gets dropped on the floor, thereby smashing the touchscreen, or destroying vital internal components.

Well, imagine if that broken phone suddenly repaired itself. That’s the idea behind the latest research at Caltech.

Researchers have created complex integrated circuits that can survive substantial damage (including being blasted by a laser) by reconfiguring the way they process information.

Now, the chips aren’t truly self-healing. They don’t physically repair themselves. Instead, as MIT Technology Review notes, they use a second processor that finds new ways of performing tasks in spite of the damage.

So an unbreakable iPhone might be overly optimistic. But electronic devices that can overcome manufacturing flaws – and withstand high temperatures and deterioration as they age – are certainly within the realm of possibility.

Transformative Tech #6: Wearable Technology

On Wednesday, I told you to forget about Google Glass. This heavily hyped wearable technology may be cool… but it means you have to walk around with nerdy glasses on all the time. No, thanks.

Truly disruptive work is being done by Peratech, in collaboration with the London College of Fashion and the University of the Arts, London.

The difference? Forget having to secure a tech gadget to your chest, wrist, or head… these guys are embedding it right into clothing.

As Peratech’s CTO, David Lussey, says, “With our technology, you could print a keyboard onto a sleeve or onto the back of a glove and link it via Bluetooth [to a device.]”

Beyond adding touch-sensing technology directly to clothing (and yes, you can wash them), these materials can also be used to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs), harmful chemicals emitted as gases from various substances such as paints or pesticides. MOREHERE