2023 has been a fantastic year for innovation. The world has jumped forward in virtual and augmented reality technology, assistive devices, and things as simple as daily tools for the kitchen.
However, while the world of future technology has brought us plenty of cool gadgets this year, there are certain products that have really caught our attention.
Below we’ve picked out the gadgets and innovations that stood out to the BBC Science Focus team in 2023.
Cowboy Cruiser – the ultimate e-bike experience
For anyone who lives in hilly areas, the rise of e-bikes has been welcome. Gone is the embarrassment of puffing up a climb at a snail’s pace, while getting overtaken by walkers. A few companies stood out this year, but our favourite is Cowboy, whose Cruiser is as much computer as mode of transport.
It has a built-in phone charger, automatic lights and an app to measure your battery life, speed, location and more. Swapping the chain for a belt and hiding the electrical parts inside the frame ensures a sleek, minimalist design – and makes it nigh impossible to break.
There are no gears – instead, the bike automatically provides enough power for any given situation. It’s no surprise, then, that this is not a budget e-bike, but it could be worth the outlay all the same.
Buy the Cowboy Cruiser for £2,399
Dall-E 3 – The next-gen AI image generator
ChatGPT was the biggest tech news story of 2023, but its lesser-known sibling, DALL·E, also broke new ground. Launched in early 2021, the original DALL·E was one of the first and most influential artificial intelligence (AI) image generators.
With the third iteration unveiled in 2023, OpenAI – the company behind ChatGPT – continued to make the technology more powerful and accurate. For DALL·E 3, detail and understanding of prompts have improved, along with copyright controls (artists can opt out of having their work used for training the AI).
Earlier versions were confused by complicated subjects and requests demanding high levels of logic, but DALL·E’s ‘brain’ has also been tweaked to better understand the context of images. We’ll be talking about this kind of technology for years to come. Whether that’s a good or bad thing remains to be seen.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 – The perfect folding smartphone
Not too long ago, all smartphones followed the same design formula. Now, besides the familiar simple black slab, smartphones can fold over on themselves, and wrap up and down like roller blinds.
However, most of these admittedly impressive designs ignore one key factor: practicality. Not the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series, however, which hits a happy middle ground – innovative, but not too complicated; highspec, but not too expensive; fun, but practical.
With each new model, Samsung makes the folding aspect more useful, so it’s less of a gimmick. The core principle behind the Z Flip5 is to encourage you to look at your smartphone less. When folded, a small display shows important info at a glance, reducing the need to open it at all (but you still get the joy of slamming your phone shut after annoying calls).
It’s not quite as powerful as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, but who cares when its this fun.
Buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 for £1139
FluentPet – The pet language tutor
Every pet owner has looked at their cat or dog and thought: “I wish I knew what you’re thinking.” Well, now you can… kind of. FluentPet makes a collection of buttons, each one playing a different word when pressed by your pet. This, theoretically, enables them to learn to ‘talk’ with you.
Though the animals can’t understand the words in the way that humans do, they’ll see the actions that follow after they’ve pressed a particular button. Your pet can thus, so the idea goes, learn to associate that button with, say, ‘a walk’ or ‘food’. Depending on how deep into the world of dog and cat conversations you want to dive, a variety of kits are available
Unistellar eVscope 2 – A uniquely intelligent telescope
When it comes to innovations in telescope technology, Unistellar is light-years ahead. Its eVscope 2 has a built-in camera powered by an app to guide the lens towards planets, constellations and other identifiable points.
When a celestial object is selected in the app, the telescope automatically aligns and adjusts to give the perfect picture (with AI algorithms reducing background noise and improving clarity of images) as well as providing details of what you’re looking at. Perfect for newbie stargazers eager to explore the cosmos
Buy the Unistellar eVscope 2 for £3,199
Allbirds M0.0NSHOT – A net-zero carbon shoe
The Allbirds M0.0NSHOT has a light tread – both literally and in terms of its environmental footprint. Claimed to be the world’s first net-zero carbon shoe, it comprises a superfine merino wool upper from a net-zero carbon farm in New Zealand, which is paired with a sugarcane-derived foam midsole and bioplastic eyelets.
Launching such a groundbreaking product on a large scale is a long-term goal; for now, you can only glimpse M0.0NSHOT at a pop-up in Selfridges London, but it should be available to buy in late 2024.
Find out more about the Allbirds M0.0NSHOT
Nike Running Division Aerogami – a self-ventilating jacket
Say goodbye to sweaty runs and awkward fiddling with zips on the go, and hello to Nike Aerogami technology.
Tiny, winged, moisture-reactive vents open as you sweat, improving airflow and keeping you cool and comfortable. Then, once you’ve been suitably aircooled, the vents automatically close again.
The all-black Nike Running Division Aerogami jacket has the added benefit of making you look like a character from The Matrix, or a friend of Batman who’s borrowed his sports cape for a run.
It’s one of many examples pointing to the future of smart materials in the world of sport and fashion, offering extra utility from your clothes in ways that were previously unimaginable.
Buy the Nike Aerogami jacket for £249.95
Teenage Engineering TP-7 – A recorder with model looks
The TP-7 isn’t the smartest of gadgets, nor the cheapest – but my, doesn’t it look good! Teenage Engineering is all about simplicity, making products that look great and work just as well.
There are no bells and whistles on this retrofuturistic-looking device; it just records. With the brushed steel case fitting perfectly in your palm, press the rocker to rewind or fast forward. The spinning disc in the middle is a joyful nod to the tape recorders of yesterday, as are the clickable record, start and stop buttons.
Though it’s light on features and high on price, the TP-7 is capable of making great-quality recordings even in busy environments, to capture music, interviews or even just passing thoughts. The device pairs with an app on your smartphone to upload audio automatically, ready to be listened to, or transcribed using AI.
If it weren’t for the seriously hefty price tag, this would be a near-essential purchase. As it is, the TP-7 is a high-functioning object of desire.
Buy the Teenage Engineering TP-7 for £1,299
Fairphone Fairbuds XL – Easy repair headphones
Fairphone has long produced smartphones like the Fairphone 5 that are easy to repair, last longer and made with environmentally conscious materials. Now the brand has turned its attention to audio with its Fairbuds XL over-ear headphones, launched with three core aims: to sound great, be sustainable and last as long as possible.
Having not actually tested them, we know only that the specs suggest great audio quality – though they’re up against some fantastic-sounding headphones at similar prices. But by using recycled materials and offsetting carbon emissions, Fairphone aims to reduce eco-anxiety with these, too.
Finally, pretty much every component in them can be repaired at home or replaced easily: you can switch out the battery, install new earcups, replace broken speakers. It’s the closest thing you’ll find to an immortal pair of headphones.
Buy the Fairphone XL headphones for £219
Sonos Era 300 – A speaker that truly surrounds
Over the years, Sonos has consolidated its status as a market leader among the best speakers largely thanks to consistency. Rarely taking risks, it focuses simply on great audio and appealing design.
In 2023, however, it tried something different. The Era 300 features six optimally positioned drivers on its front, back and sides, creating audio that bounces all around to emulate surround sound, but at a lower price and from a more compact unit.
Not only does it sound great, emulating a full array of speakers, but it retains the trademark sleek look. Also in Sonos style, it isn’t exactly a budget option, but the Era 100 offers similar, though smaller-scale, results for £200 less.
Buy the Sonos Era 300 speaker for £449
DJI Avata – A sense of flying like a bird
Sadly, unless you’re the kind of daredevil who dons a wingsuit to leap off a high cliff, your chances of actually flying are limited. Now DJI has created an experience that is, at least visually, pretty similar.
The DJI Avata is a first-person-view drone, controller and headset combo (including flying tutorial software) that gives the pilot a drone’s-eye view as it dives, flies and soars. The drone itself is packed with safety features to reduce the chances of crashing, helping you become a drone racer.
Paired with incredibly high-quality cameras and other features enabling highly technical video shoots, the launch of the DJI Avata represents a huge leap forward in both drone and video-making technology.
Buy the DJI Avata drone for £1,099
Google Project Starline – The future of video calls
With more of us spending more time working from home, there’s a need for better video calls (if only to save us from the headaches we get from squinting to read the book titles on our colleagues’ shelves).
Google’s Project Starline aims to not only deliver better video calls, but also inject some personality. Multiple cameras and sensors capture high-resolution images and depth information that, along with machine learning algorithms, is used to create 3D images of the participants.
So even if the person you’re chatting to is on the other side of the world, they’ll appear to be sitting right across from you. Although Google isn’t the only company tapping into the boom in video calls (various competitors are creating their own video call booths), the improved 2023 prototype from the search engine giant has demonstrated it’s certainly ahead of the curve.
Find out more about the Google Starline project
Apple Vision Pro – The VR headset of the future
Since the invention of virtual reality, there have been plenty of pretty woeful attempts at creating user-friendly VR experiences.
Many headsets have been poorly designed, expensive and either very heavy themselves or weighed down by a tangle of cables. But in 2023, VR finally started to look like a viable venture, thanks to the launch of the Meta Quest 3 (from the brand previously known as Facebook) and the announcement of a surprise entry from Apple.
The Vision Pro (above), is due for release in 2024 and will be pricey, but looks likely to push VR to new heights by improving visual quality, reducing motion sickness and generally making the experience more tolerable.
Find out more about the Apple Vision Pro headset
Nothing Phone (2) – A light-up smartphone
By and large, smartphones are all much of a muchness. If they’re not flipping and folding, they’re sitting there looking pretty identical. So how do you get yours to stand out?
By adding flashing lights to the back. Now on its second iteration, the Nothing Phone features the Glyph Interface – an array of lights that flash in varying patterns to indicate a text, a call, a Tinder notification or even just when your battery is low.
The idea is to limit smartphone use for a less intrusive experience. Winning design awards throughout 2023, it’s not just a gimmick – this is actually a good smartphone packing a fast user interface, a powerful processor and a great camera.
Buy the Nothing Phone (2) for £549
Gogoro CrossOver – A scooter for all situations
The Gogoro CrossOver looks like a scooter, drives like a scooter and feels like a scooter – yet Gogoro calls it an SUV. However you classify it, though, this is a nifty piece of kit.
Essentially a big e-scooter with batteries that can be swapped on the move, the CrossOver is exceptionally customisable. An array of accessories and mounts can be fitted to 26 locking points, while four compartments offer a surprising amount of storage for its size.
Designed for both city riding and more rugged rural tracks, the CrossOver has a powerful motor and an all-terrain build ready for any path, beaten or not. Initially launched in Taiwan in 2023, the CrossOver is now being rolled out further afield
Find out more about the GoGoro CrossoOver
The ‘Music: Not Impossible’ project has been running since 2018, but 2023 saw it come to fruition, with the unveiling of this haptic device to bring music to deaf gig-goers.
Sensors and elements built into a harness, wristbands and ankle bands vibrate to create a ‘Surround Body Experience’ of complex polyphonic musical expressions across the wearer’s skin. In tests at poetry readings, live music performances and club nights, deaf and hearing participants reported an enhanced and intimate experience.
Find out more about the Music: Not Impossible vests
Spout Atmospheric Water Generator – Water created from the air
Extracting water from the atmosphere isn’t a new idea (the Inca did it), but it’s never come slicker than Spout.
Using a six-stage filtration process, it can generate 10 litres (approx 2 gallons) of clean water a day, while removing impurities such as mould spores and allergens.
This clever piece of kit is especially useful in places where tap water isn’t safe to drink, hugely reducing the cost (after the initial outlay) and environmental impact of buying water bottled in single-use plastic. The machine itself looks great, with a futuristic design that perfectly complements a modern kitchen.
Find out more about the Spout Water device
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