New Delhi: There is no doubt that scientific advances can change the world, and every year, the World Economic Forum comes up with a list of emerging technologies to watch out for.
The 2026 report, released on 24 June, includes cooler roofs, smarter grids, and quantum-proof security.
Here is a list of 10 emerging technologies which have moved out of the laboratory and are likely to take the world by storm.
1. Everything-to-grid energy
Today’s electrical grid is built so that power plants generate energy, and households, cars, and other appliances consume it. However, the relationship between the grid and electricity consumers is changing due to the emergence of electric vehicles, solar panels, and home batteries.
Everything-to-grid technology allows devices to store electricity and even send it back to the grid when there is a high demand. This could mean that acres of parks could someday act as a giant backup battery for electric cars in case of an emergency.
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2. Direct lithium extraction
Lithium is a key ingredient in rechargeable batteries, which are used in electric vehicles, smartphones, and for storing renewable energy. However, extracting lithium has long been a complicated process where lithium-rich salt water is pumped into large shallow reservoirs, and once the water has evaporated, the slurry of minerals is then collected.
Compared to this process, Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) uses advanced filters and chemistry to separate the lithium from the underground brines in just a few hours. This technology could make lithium production much faster and more capable of meeting the growing demand for batteries.
3. Passive radiative cooling materials
The world is getting hotter, and air conditioners, while essential, are no longer sustainable solutions—they consume massive amounts of energy and contribute to climate change. Instead, passive radiative cooling materials offer a cleaner solution.
These are special coatings of paint or other films which reflect sunlight and release heat through thermal radiation. Buildings that are coated with such materials will be able to remain cool without consuming energy. These films could even be used to cover roofs, windows, vehicles, and electronic devices, ultimately helping cities cope with rising heat.
4. Eliminating harmful ‘forever chemicals’
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are human chemicals used in appliances like non-stick pans, waterproof clothes, or fire-fighting foam. They are called “forever chemicals” due to their strong structural bonds, which prevent them from breaking down easily. These then accumulate in the soil, water, and even the human body.
Until recently, scientists had only found ways of collecting these materials and moving them somewhere else, but new technology can now destroy these molecules using heat, chemical reactions, and electricity. This would be an important breakthrough for cleaning polluted environments.
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5. Precision fermentation
For years humans have used fermentation to make food such as bread, yoghurt, or beer. But scientists have taken fermentation a step further, by genetically programming microorganisms like yeast and bacteria to generate specific ingredients.
Every molecule belonging to a living organism is encoded into its genome. Scientists have now figured out how to isolate the genes responsible for creating an ingredient, and they can give a microbe the “instructions” to produce the result they want. When such microbes are cultivated in large fermentation tanks, they allow researchers to manufacture substances, even medicines at times, in a manner that needs fewer natural resources and leads to less pollution.
6. Exosome-based drug delivery
A medicine is only as good as its ability to reach its target. That is the key issue with molecular medicines—they often degrade within the blood before they arrive at their destination. However, researchers have now found a way to use the body’s own exosomes to deliver medication.
The body’s cells continuously produce exosomes, small sacs, to deliver proteins and RNA to one another. Since the body recognises these sacs as its own internal material, researchers found that they would be perfect for drug delivery. Bioengineers then redesigned exosomes to carry medicines to diseased cells or parts of the body. This technology could significantly improve treatment for cancer, brain disorders, and even genetic diseases.
7. Personalised mRNA cancer vaccines
The mutations in cancer cells can vary, making different types of cancers dangerous in their own ways. However, so far, treatments could not be created to target vulnerabilities that only one patient might face. However, personalised mRNA cancer vaccines are very different from existing drugs.
These vaccines are designed to use information from a patient’s tumour to understand the genetic mutations and mark those cancer cells as foreign. The mRNA vaccine that is then crafted is used to teach the body to recognise and attack those foreign cells.
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8. Quantum simulations for drug discovery
A single protein can contain thousands of atoms, each of which could react differently to others, determining how a potential drug might interact with it or cause other reactions in the body. Studying these interactions has been a tedious task, which often leads to errors. Nearly nine out of 10 drug candidates that enter clinical trials fail due to several reasons.
However, researchers have now begun using quantum simulation, where ‘smarter’ computers can predict molecular behaviour in a way that classical computers could not. Such simulations allow researchers to predict how a drug candidate might behave even before it enters a trial phase. This technology could speed up drug research and the discovery of new medicines.
9. World models
Much of AI today consumes enormous amounts of data, but still has a limited understanding of how the world actually works. However, researchers are looking to build ‘world models’ which give AI an internal simulation of the world, much like how babies learn about the world.
For example, these models would allow robots to understand in advance what might be the result if they push an object a certain way. While such technology is still emerging, scientists believe it would improve robotics, self-driving vehicles, and equip future AI assistants with a better understanding of the world.
10. Lattice-based cryptography
Online banking, private messages, and even government secrets are protected by modern encryption. However, future quantum computers might easily be able to break through many of today’s encryption systems. To create more robust forms of data protection, scientists have come up with lattice-based cryptography, which relies on complex math puzzles in multidimensional grids—these are the kind of problems that even quantum computers struggle to solve.
At its core, this technology goes beyond just creating stronger digital locks before the next generation of computers arrives. Lattice-based cryptography hides data within complex geometric structures where extra information, or noise, has been added to confuse anyone who tries to break into it. Such technology is likely to be at the forefront of next-generation cybersecurity.