Breakthrough Awards 2010: Popular Mechanics' 10 Most Transformative Products Of 2010 (PHOTOS)

Popular Mechanics' sixth annual Breakthrough Awards recognize the top people and products that have "truly moved society forward," celebrating innovations that range from artificial retinas to hedge trimmers.

"From soccer balls that generate light to cell phones that diagnose medical conditions, our diverse, inspired winners are making the seemingly impossible a reality," explained Popular Mechanics editor-in-chief James B. Meigs in a press release, noting that the honorees are "leading the way into the future."

Check out Popular Mechanics' picks for the 10 most transformative products of 2010 in the slideshow below. Click here for a full list of the Breakthrough Award winners, as well as descriptions of their accomplishments.

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2011 Nissan Leaf

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Why: With room for five, a 100-mile range, and a price tag that isn't sky high, Nissan's electric vehicle "hits the mainstream like none of its predecessors," writes Popular Mechanics.

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Why: With room for five, a 100-mile range, and a price tag that isn't sky high, Nissan's electric vehicle "hits the mainstream like none of its predecessors," writes Popular Mechanics.

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Comments

[FalstaffsMind]

07:05 AM on 10/06/2010

The Leaf will be innovative if it manages to sell in large numbers, something a pure electric car has never done. I also like the Trane thermostat. When you live in a hot humid climate like Florida, a thermostat that knows the weather could be a major step forward in energy savings. As for the iPad, I do think it's transformative. In my business, Public Safety, we have tried for years to get data in (and out) of the hands of first responders. It's proven very difficult. Virtually all of the tablet type devices had operating systems that were clumsily adapted from keyboard and mouse centric platforms. The thing that makes the iPad tranformative is that for the first time you have an operating system elegantly designed for finger tip use. That's an important step. Old guys like me remember how long folks worked at replacing the keyboard as an input device. We had MS work on voice to text, and Graffiti from Palm. Now along comes the iPad that does it so gracefully, people have completely missed the inflection point.

[Yeah-sure]

01:46 AM on 10/06/2010

The Nissan Leaf? It basically does exactly what the '97 Toyota RAV4-EV did -- seat 5 and go 100 miles on a charge. So the Leaf is one of the most innovative products of 2010 because it mimics technology developed about 15 years ago?

And to say it's mainstream is a pretty good joke -- since it hasn't actually been sold to anyone yet!

[mikeyaz17]

02:07 PM on 10/05/2010

the fact that the ipad is not on here leaves us to question the editor's intelligence level. whether you or love apple, the ipad is probably the MOST transformative creating an entire new genre of gadget and business model.

i have said it before and i will say it again... to the editor of this article...

"get out of my office"

[Shawn Wolfe]

12:37 PM on 10/05/2010

I live in Houston and have the EVO4G they should change it to 4J for "joke" I cannot watch any kind of movie or live TV or even youtube vid on the 4G network without it choking every 2 seconds to buffer. Downloads from the Droid marketplace are just as slow..

I was in the country this weekend and noticed out there when my EVO connected at 3G I was downloaded lightening fast.. Apps took under 2 seconds to download.. Youtube videos played straight through with no stuttering..

What the hell good is 4G when you over saturate your 4G network and flood it with users who then slow it to a crawl? The only innovation I see in that is Sprint used a 4 and a G to increase monthly revenue by $30 million.. Imagine how much they could have made by calling it 10G.

[jsarets]

07:44 AM on 10/05/2010

How is the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket not on this list?  That was certainly the most impressive American-made product launched (in this case literally) in 2010.

[ethancorso]

09:48 PM on 10/04/2010

The HTC EVO is NOT a breakthrough device. It's an evolutionary baby step forward for smart phones.

[JasonMcl]

05:44 AM on 10/05/2010

I think what they were getting at is that instead of paying for home internet + mobile internet the EVO is fast enough to take care of both. It is still pretty much the only 4G phone.

[JasonMcl]

08:31 PM on 10/04/2010

This Android Data Phone is a pretty innovative product.

http://thechive.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/monday-motiv-4.jpg

[bioShell]

07:30 PM on 10/04/2010

Most of these products are small computers with a pretty interface. I hardly see that as breakthrough. They get their data in pretty much the same way as before. The cars are interesting only becuase they are being produced commercially, moving a vehicle with electric motors is hardly new.

The real innovation in my opinion is where you can't see it, in the nanometer scale. Many of these small-processor-based are here because processor are becoming smaller, faster ,and cheaper. The devices here are like that because it is easier to pack such functionality in such a small package.

Although I really don't see them as huge innovations it is a progression from older devices.

[crayola 08b]

07:13 PM on 10/04/2010

i'm surprised the iPad isn't on the list considering how popular it's been and that every tech company in creation has done an about face to come up with an iPad killer next year.

[Madbunny]

09:41 PM on 10/04/2010

Because the ipad isn't a breakthrough device.

Tablets have been around for ages, what the ipad has that they didn't was nice marketing and a good design team. Couple those two things with the rabid apple fanbase and pretty much any product will do well.

[Louisknyc]

08:23 AM on 10/05/2010

The iPad should have been on the list, but so be it. But I'm so tired of hearing about "tablets being around for ages". The touch interface is what makes the iPad useful. Yes, previous tablets were around, but they were dismal failures. Apple successfully reinvigorated the category.

[crayola 08b]

08:45 AM on 10/05/2010

your theory doesn't hold water. the phone has been around for ages too but there's an HTC phone in the list. plus microsoft (one the first companies to market a tablet) had to go back to the drawing board to come up with a new tablet that can realistically compete with the iPad, just as they had to do with their phone technology. you apple haters are hilarious. you're like the Tea Party of the tech sector.

[DRaymond]

11:29 PM on 10/04/2010

Because, although undoubtedly popular, the iPad was not transformative.  It was an iPod touch with a larger screen.

[HighDesertBob]

07:02 PM on 10/04/2010

Most of the products listed are clones or somewhat improved versions of something else. The truly innovative product is the Bosch Axial-Glide Miter Saw. The saw eliminates the slide mechanism that restricts where they can be located in a shop or on the job. This design will allow putting it on a bench against the wall and still have full travel for cross cutting.
As with all new products or designs, the cost is a bit high. But, I suspect as time goes by and more are sold and the design is copied by other tool makers, the price will come down where it will be more affordable to the home shop.
Very cool design.

[leftheaded]

06:34 PM on 10/04/2010

I rarely touch my desktop computer, ipod, or laptop since I got my ipad. Sorrry... this list is lacking.

[Madbunny]

09:41 PM on 10/04/2010

As it the ipad.

[microsoap]

11:08 AM on 10/05/2010

I'm a fan of you. You hand those hypocritical fanboys their as|ses on a platter. (:

[Trevor Tutro-Anderson]

06:10 PM on 10/04/2010

That thermostat looks pretty nifty. It also sounds like it's got some interesting things going for it as well.

[MrAngryPants]

05:54 PM on 10/04/2010

You've GOT to be kidding.... Uuuuh... Where is the iPad...?

[Madbunny]

09:42 PM on 10/04/2010

it's on the list that was made in 2001.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_Personal_Computer

[Louisknyc]

08:27 AM on 10/05/2010

Yes, it was a very successful category. LOL. I wonder why everyone is now copying Apple's, according to you, non-innovative design?

[DRaymond]

11:30 PM on 10/04/2010

Because the iPad was an iPod touch with a big screen.  Just because it was popular and well marketed does not make it transformative.

[MrAngryPants]

01:24 AM on 10/05/2010

I beg to differ... The Medical field is clamoring to use it. Corporations and businesses are begging to incorporate into their daily business lives, millions of people are buying it and using it as if they've had it for years and can't imagine not having it, replacing their laptops and desktops permanently... You - and the author - seem to ignore the fact that this is in fact a truly transformative product. Sure the "pad" has been around for years, but when 146 people use it, well - that doesn't mean you take away the success of a company making it a phenomenal success by way of elegant engineering, fantastic and previously unimagined ease of use, and yes - great marketing.

Get over it, and admit this list is extremely and glaringly flawed list in leaving out a product that is at the forefront of a major shift in how we use a computer now - if you can really call it that. It's more like a life helper, media watcher, task completer, socializer, etc., etc.

Just watch.

[Louisknyc]

08:28 AM on 10/05/2010

Yes, which is why everyone is falling all over themselves to play catch up with Apple's "non-transformational" device. What hypocrisy. Why don't they all go back to the Tablets of 2001 if that was the true transformative device. Hmm?

[gourmand]

05:17 PM on 10/04/2010

The Leaf? Not sure if I'd want my car to be associated with something that dies in the cold.

[Charismatron]

06:27 AM on 10/05/2010

Dude, c'mon--Google "the function of leaves". Seriously, do you really only think of leaves as something that "dies in the cold"? It's almost hilarious--I mean, really? :)

[gourmand]

03:21 PM on 10/05/2010

I was being sarcastic...Darn, I knew I should have used exclamation points instead of a period. Oh well.

[TakeSake]

04:59 PM on 10/04/2010

I want the saw!

[wallonthefly]

06:03 PM on 10/04/2010

I like the idea of that saw as well. If I can get some of the functionality of a radial arm saw in the size of something only slightly larger than a regular miter saw, then it's clearly a winning concept. My only concern is whether the various hinges and pivot points make for more things that can get out of alignment as compared to a traditional sliding saw.