The Wharton School of Business performed a survey to determine the top 30 innovations of the last 30 years. The list is presented below, with the innovations directly attributable to computer science in bold. These innovations are the technologies that computer scientists had a direct hand in developing. For the remaining innovations, computer scientists played an important support role, developing control software for technologies like mobile phones, DNA testing and sequencing, MRI, microprocessors, and robotic surgery.
The majority of the provided list would not exist without computer scientists.
- Internet, broadband, WWW (browser and html)
- PC/laptop computers
- Mobile phones
- Email
- DNA testing and sequencing/human genome mapping
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Microprocessors
- Fiber optics
- Office software (spreadsheets, word processors)
- Non-invasive laser/robotic surgery (laparoscopy)
- Open source software and services (e.g., Linux, Wikipedia)
- Light-emitting diodes
- Liquid crystal display (LCD)
- GPS systems
- Online shopping/ecommerce/auctions (e.g., eBay)
- Media file compression (jpeg, mpeg, mp3)
- Microfinance
- Photovoltaic Solar Energy
- Large-scale wind turbines
- Social networking via the Internet
- Graphic user interface (GUI)
- Digital photography/videography
- RFID and applications (e.g., EZ Pass)
- Genetically modified plants
- Bio fuels
- Bar codes and scanners
- ATMs
- Stents
- SRAM flash memory
- Anti-retroviral treatment for AIDS