Here were citing 10 that are. These advances from the past year all solve thorny problems or create powerful new ways of using technology. They are breakthroughs that will matter for years to come.

Agricultural Drones

Relatively cheap drones with advanced sensors and imaging capabilities are giving farmers new ways to increase yields and reduce crop damage.

Ryan Kunde is a winemaker whose familys picture-perfect vineyard nestles in the Sonoma Valley north of San Francisco. But Kunde is not your average farmer. Hes also a drone operator—and hes not alone. Hes part of the vanguard of farmers who are using what was once military aviation technology to grow better grapes using pictures from the air, part of a broader trend of using sensors and robotics to bring big data to precision agriculture.