Brain Chip Helps Blind People See

Elon Musk says his company Neuralink is aiming to restore partial sight to fully blind patients in 2026. The company plans to test its newest and most powerful implant, Blindsight, in humans early this year. The chip will be wirelessly connected to an external video camera and implanted into the brain’s visual cortex. Bypassing the eyes, it is designed to generate the perception of vision based on what the camera captures, even for people born blind. The resulting vision will be low resolution in early tests but will hopefully get better over time, Musk says, though some experts worry he is overpromising on the quality of the brain-computer interface.

Foldable iPhones Arrive

Foldable phone in a jewelry box on pink background, with sparkling effects.

It’s like the 1990s all over again! You will soon be able to punctuate your angry conversations by slamming your iPhone shut. Apple plans to bring a foldable version of its phone to market in late 2026, aiming not just to catch up with the competition but improve on some longstanding issues with existing popular foldable phones. The iPhone Fold, as it’s called, will have an inner hinge mechanism that leads to a less visible crease in the display, the company claims. The device is expected to cost at least US $2,000—that’s $800 more than some 2025 base iPhone prices. The phone will have to compete with strong rivals that have already cultivated model loyalty, like Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series.

Double Rendezvous in Deep Space

Cartoon of a magnifying glass showing an asteroid speeding toward the viewer.

In July 2026, a Chinese sample-return mission is expected to rendezvous with 469219 Kamoʻoalewa, a near-Earth asteroid. The mission, called Tianwen-2, will also use instruments that include multiple spectrometers and cameras, a magnetometer, and a dust analyzer to collect data about the asteroid. After more than six months of study, Tianwen-2 will leave the asteroid and drop the collected sample down to Earth before heading off to investigate 311P/PanSTARRS, a complicated celestial object that’s part asteroid and part comet.

Sending Humans Back to the Moon

A cartoon of an astronaut floating near the moon and holding a magnifying glass.

In another giant leap for mankind, the first crewed mission to the moon since 1972 is scheduled to launch in April 2026. The 10-day flight will usher in NASA’s efforts to have a sustained human presence on the moon by testing hardware and systems for future lunar exploration. This will be the first time a crew assesses the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft for human use. While the astronauts won’t actually land on the moon, they will get as close as 7,400 kilometers from its surface and spend time investigating how near-lunar space travel affects their health.

An AI Supercomputer the Size of a City

Illustration of circuit board cityscape with smokestacks on a pink background.

Meta is spending its way to AI excellence, experts say. The company plans to take its first “AI supercluster” online in 2026, consuming as much as 1 gigawatt of power. Prometheus, as it’s called, is on a site near Columbus, Ohio, with a footprint that approaches the size of Manhattan. But it’s just part of a wider project that will cost Meta hundreds of billions of dollars, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. In addition to Prometheus, Meta is developing an even larger data center, Hyperion, that will be able to scale up to 5 gigawatts and is expected to be operational in 2028.

Mining the Moon and Mars

Red planet with robotic arm, examining rocks and minerals connected in circular diagrams.

How can missions to Mars refuel on the red planet? Blue Origin suggests that its in situ resource-utilization system, called Blue Alchemist, could be the answer. The company plans to run an autonomous demonstration of the system in a simulated lunar environment this year, demonstrating how it uses electric current to extract breathable oxygen and valuable metals from regolith without also releasing toxic chemicals or carbon emissions. Blue Origin claims that Blue Alchemist could facilitate lunar and Martian settlements, both for humans and robots. It could also help make deep-space exploration possible by using asteroids, the company says.

Who Needs Tritium?

Atom illustration with protons, neutrons, electrons, and a question mark above, on teal background.

By the end of the year, we could be one step closer to commercial fusion energy. The first-ever project to demonstrate the deuterium-tritium fuel cycle—the most viable route to practical fusion energy—plans to be operational by late 2026. Unity-2 will run through the entire D-T fuel process, including discharge, purification, and resupply, to establish that tritium recycling is a sufficient method to produce fusion energy. It will also be a testbed for related technology—members of industry will be able to stress-test their fusion-related innovations with Unity-2 and push them up the technology readiness scale.

A Self-Driving Car of Your Own

A person relaxes in a cozy car interior, reading a newspaper with books and a coffee nearby.

You may soon see privately owned completely self-driven cars on the road, as automotive startup Tensor plans to release its SAE Level 4 car to consumers in the second half of 2026. This level of autonomy means that the car comes equipped with tools for control, including a steering wheel, gas pedal, and brake, but can safely travel without a person in the driver’s seat. Although some driverless taxi services, such as Waymo, function at Level 4, Tensor’s product would likely be the first private car at this level of self-sufficiency. Tensor’s chief business officer suggests that riders can even watch Netflix or do work while on the road in the company’s cars.

Deciding the Future of Chipmaking

Question mark above a microchip on a pink background.

2026 could be a monumental year for the future of chips. Intel announced that it plans to decide whether it will pursue its advanced 14A chipmaking process this year. The company’s chief financial officer says that Intel will pursue 14A manufacturing capacity only if enough external customers commit to using the process. Stepping away from 14A would signal that Intel is forgoing efforts to compete with TSMC and Samsung for chip-technology leadership.

Social Media Ads Fully Created by AI

Projector with funnel showing items: house, shoe, ball; on green background.

Soon, an algorithm will determine not only what ads you see on social media, but also what’s in them. Meta plans to fully automate ad creation and delivery on its platforms by the end of 2026, putting every step of the process in the “hands” of AI. Though there are already some AI tools integrated into the company’s ad platform, Meta wants to do more. It’s developing a way for any brand to present only a product and budget to an AI tool, which will then create an entire ad (including text, images, and video), determine the users to target, and offer business suggestions.

“Robo-Umps” Make It to the Big Leagues

Baseball with a cap, mimicking a security camera, mounted on a yellow background.

Major League Baseball (MLB) will take a big swing on new tech for the 2026 season. The league will debut the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System to check the accuracy of umpires’ pitch calls. Each team will start the game with two challenges. ABS uses an array of 12 cameras around each stadium to track a pitch’s movement to determine whether it crossed through the strike zone, delivering its verdict in about 15 seconds. The Korea Baseball Organization debuted a similar system for its league in 2024, and MLB has previously tested the tech in the minor leagues, spring training games, and the 2025 All-Star Game.

11 Amazing Engineering Events in 2026