Six inventions with Massachusetts roots have landed spots on Time magazine's "100 Best Inventions of 2020" list.
Owl Labs, the six-year-old startup developing remote meeting hardware, earned its slot with the Meeting Owl Pro, a 360-degree rotating camera designed for remote video conferencing. Owl Labs has been on a tear this year, fueled by a widespread, pandemic-driven increase in remote work. Sales of its Meeting Owls spiked in the spring, and the startup recently moved to a new headquarters in Boston.
Hydrow, the Cambridge-based developer of an at-home smart rowing machine and one of our 2020 Inno on Fire, made Time's list fueled by a similar trend. Sales of the machine, which retails for $2,245, surged some 400% from January to April, and the startup has recently garnered the support of several big names, including Green Pay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers as investor and comedian Kevin Hart as creative director.
Another major player on Time's list: Moderna, Boston-based developer of a Covid-19 vaccine candidate that is responsible for some of the most optimistic news of 2020. Earlier this month, the drugmaker revealed early Phase 3 clinical trial results showing its vaccine is 94.5 percent effective at preventing Covid-19. Moderna shares the honor with other developers of mRNA vaccines, including Pfizer.
Other local honorees on Time's list include Flare Safety Jewelry, a Bluetooth-compatible bracelet that enables the wearer to discreetly call for help; MIT Media Lab AlterEgo, a headset that allows the wearer to communicate with a computer without touching a keyboard or opening their mouth; and FEND, a drug-free salt- and calcium-based nasal mist that strengthens the mucus lining, helping it trap and flush out tiny pathogens, which was developed by Harvard aerosols expert David Edwards and is sold by Boston-based Sensory Cloud.
To assemble the 2020 list, Time solicited nominations both from its editors and correspondents around the world, and through an online application process. It then evaluated each contender on key factors, including originality, creativity, effectiveness, ambition and impact.
Read the full list from Time here.
