• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, November 21, 2019

Every year brings new technological innovations to market, with some turning into hits while others flame out.

The top inventions this year are in categories including consumer electronics, entertainment and food and drink, according to Time Magazine’snew “Best Inventions of 2019” list.

The list of 100 top inventions includes devices for hearing and seeing, navigating and learning.

For example, the Roybi Root is an artificial intelligence-powered, $189 device to help young children learn a language.

Some of the interesting items on Time’s list:

• Futurecraft.loop, Adidas sneakers that are totally recyclable
• Moxi, a hospital robot from Diligent Robotics designed to relieve nurses of non-patient-facing tasks
• Holoride, a virtual reality device from an Audi spinoff that reads vehicle data and converts it into a VR experience
• Serve, a robot with two eyes and four wheels from Postmates, designed to ride along sidewalks to deliver meals
• The TV of the Future, the LG 88-inch 8K TV with OLED technology
• The SmartHalo 2 for bikes translates directions from a smartphone into LED lights on the handlebars indicating the next turn

These items were selected based on input from the pub's editor and correspondents, and then evaluated on originality, creativity, influence, ambition and effectiveness.

The technology is just part of the potential success of these inventions. The key part is how well the products are marketed and distributed.

Making a “best of” list does not necessarily translate into market success.

For example, Boston-based Jibo, the family robot, was featured in a Time cover story as one of the best inventions of 2017. After raising some $70 million, the robot maker shut down.