THE 5 BEST INVENTIONS OF 2012

The year 2012 has been a year of historic significance and stands out from other years for a number of reasons. But 2012 is slowly drawing to a close so it is time to take a look back at some of the year’s the most amazing ideas and tech innovations. Of course the list can be very long, but here's a look at five of them.

The project of Ukrainian students won the first prize at the Microsoft Imagine Cup competition in 2012. This wonderful device consists of a pair of sensored gloves , a microcontroller and a Bluetooth transmitter. The sensors can recognize sign language and translate it into text on a smart phone, turning the text into corresponding spoken words. Most non-deaf people don`t know sign language. That`s why Enable Talk Gloves can help to solve the most common problem with which deaf people often come across.

This year Google announced the latest developments for its Google Earth and Google Street View products. With the "3D Buildings" layer in Google Earth, anyone can view photorealistic interactive maps of entire cities and get 3D models of buildings, monuments and much more. The 3D models are created by users all over the globe and anyone can easily add models to it. These new developments are available not only for computers, but also for smart phones.

Baxter is the latest brainchild of the world’s most celebrated roboticist Rodney Brooks. This low-cost, user-friendly robot can spark new factory revolution. Baxter is different than other industrial robots by being more rapid, adaptive and extremely safe. The robot can feel if it hits something, and c stop. Baxter doesn’t require costly and time-consuming programming and is affordable to small and medium-size companies.

The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality head-mounted display. This unique headset is the cutting edge of virtual reality for video games, giving an entirely new level of appeal. Having only one cable Rift is extremely light and very comfortable to wear. The 3D effect is amazing; the focus distance feels totally natural. With a response time of under 50 milliseconds the gaming process becomes very realistic.

Google Glass is a computer that’s built into the frame of a pair of glasses. With the help of this device the augmented reality will become a part of our daily life. The display of the glass comes into focus when you look up and to the right. Using a headset, you can get audio output staying connected to new messages, video chats and other notifications contacts. While wearing the device you can also make use of Google Apps, take and share photos and check appointments.