The Fourth Industrial Revolution represents a fundamental change in the way we live, work and relate to one another. It is a new chapter in human development, enabled by extraordinary technology advances commensurate with those of the first, second and third industrial revolutions. These advances are merging the physical, digital and biological worlds in ways that create both huge promise and potential peril. The speed, breadth and depth of this revolution is forcing us to rethink how countries develop, how organisations create value and even what it means to be human. The Fourth Industrial Revolution is about more than just technology-driven change; it is an opportunity to help everyone, including leaders, policy-makers and people from all income groups and nations, to harness converging technologies in order to create an inclusive, human-centred future. The real opportunity is to look beyond technology, and find ways to give the greatest number of people the ability to positively impact their families, organisations and communities.
This superhero robot wears different outfits for different tasks
A shape-shifting device from CSAIL can walk, roll, sail, and glide using recyclable exoskeletons.
How technology is transforming the lives of India's farmers
In India, 270 million people live in poverty - the vast majority of them in rural areas. New technologies are being used to help the country's rural poor: but will it be enough?
The secrets to our universe might lie in this abandoned coal mine in South Dakota
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is being developed to study the most abundant yet elusive matter particle in the universe.
3 reasons you love your phone
3 reasons why we are addicted to smartphones.
It's tougher than ever to come up with big ideas. Here's why
Research suggests that big ideas are getting harder and harder to find, and innovations have become increasingly massive and costly endeavors.
How much heat can the body and mind really take?
These are the impacts extreme weather might have on people, both physically and mentally.
Could science one day cure us of old age?
A look at some current scientific research on ageing and the attempts to slow down, or even cure, the process.
A glimpse into the future of the digital economy
What is the next big transformation of the industrial internet? How will the internet of things transform industries? Three experts give their views in this podcast.
In the future you'll know exactly how much sleep you need
Research is unravelling the mysteries our body clocks - including the possibility that we might one day be able to control it.
These tiny robots can lift and carry cargo inside humans
Researchers at CalTech have created a new type of robot designed to move and lift molecular cargo.
4 reasons why your country should be more competitive
Why doesn't new tech make us more productive? Why is income inequality growing? This year's Competitiveness Index highlights four trends we should be paying closer attention to.
Quantum computing might have just gone to a whole new level
A pair of researchers from the University of Tokyo have developed what they're calling the "ultimate" quantum computing method.