Each year new advances in technology emerge, some with the power to inspire change in the way we think about the world. In 2014 especially, any remaining gap between science and technology became all the smaller—from solar technology, to artificial intelligence and beyond. According to Forbes, by September of 2014 enough solar energy had been produced in the U.S. to power homes. Three-dimensional printers have allowed us to create nearly anything imaginable on the go: weapons, drones, cars and even prosthetic limbs. Games using augmented reality mechanics and brain computer interfaces have melded the mind and technology in ways that mimic science fiction movies.

And yet for as far as we've come technologically, it's likely the progress of today will look amateur compared to achievements in the future. In what ways will tomorrow's generations apply technology to safety, communications and healthcare? How can technology change the course of space exploration, and how we experience entertainment? Check out these ten technologies that have already begun changing the world.

NASA Send your Names to Mars. Do you Know?
The hottest deep-space destination of the moment is undoubtedly Mars. We're counting down the days until humans set foot on the Red Planet, but that date may not exactly be right around the corner. Fear not, Mars lovers; NASA has another option for getting people to Martian soil much quicker. But we're not talking about astronauts — we're lookin' at you.