Five Swiss inventions have been named among the best of 2024 in the latest list published by Time Magazine. Innovations from Switzerland ranged from shoes and healthcare to energy.
Every year, Time Magazine publishes its 200-strong list of the best inventions created over the last 12 months. To do this, its editorial staff ranked innovations by their originality, efficacy, ambition and impact.
For 2024, special attention was paid to inventions in “growing fields” like healthcare, artificial intelligence and green energy. “The result is a list of 200 groundbreaking inventions…that are changing how we live, work, play, and think about what’s possible,” they wrote.
This year, five Swiss inventions made the Time best-of list. This adds to the country’s reputation as a hive of development, having also been named the most innovative country in Europe for 2024.
First on the Swiss list came from hot-topic brand On shoes with its new “LightSpray.” The technology allows robots to spray build a 30-gram running shoe in just three minutes. According to the company, the development means that each shoe is much lighter and produces up to 75 percent fewer carbon emissions when being built.
Next, the Basel giant of pharmaceuticals Roche was given high praise for its new self-collection pap smear to detect cervical cancer. The condition, which kills 4.000 people a year in the United States alone, is often underdiagnosed because many don’t want to go through the uncomfortable screening process. With the new smear, users will be able to collect their own samples in a controlled healthcare setting.
“Women are saying, ‘I never have to see a speculum again. I love this,’” Roche senior business leader Vanessa Bennett told Time. So far, 300.000 women have been screened using the technology.
From Canton Vaud, the company Aspivix was given a spot on the list for its more comfortable alternative to the contraceptive IUD or coil. According to the magazine, the “medieval-looking” coil causes discomfort in 90 percent of patients. Using suction, the Carevix has “significantly reduced the pain and bleeding when inserting the IUD."
The final medical invention came from Onward Medical and its new ARC Therapy treatment for spinal cord injuries. Their therapy method involves using electric stimulation to amplify signals from the brain to the damaged back. In a study published in Nature, the company found that nine in 10 patients regained some strength or functionality after treatment, including among people who suffered their injuries decades ago.
Finally, in a turn from medicine to sci-fi, the final Swiss invention came from Ticino-based company Energy Vault and its gravity energy storage system tower. One of the main challenges facing governments around the world when it comes to green energy is where to store reserve power for when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow.
Through their system, solid blocks will use Earth’s gravity to store energy. When demand is low, a motor will power a winch which will raise the blocks to the top of the tower. When the power is needed, the blocks are lowered by gravity, releasing it back into the grid.
Want to learn more about the other inventions which made the list? Check out the full piece by Time Magazine.
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