Frontier Technology Glossary
Clear explanations of AI, brain interfaces, sensing, propulsion and advanced materials: what works, what is being researched and what remains theoretical.
24 terms · Alphabetical order
AI agents
Systems that combine a model and tools to take successive actions toward a goal.
Artificial general intelligence
The goal of a system that learns and solves a broad range of tasks beyond a narrow specialty.
Autonomous systems
Systems that sense their surroundings and select actions within assigned goals and limits.
Biological computing
Processing information with molecules, cells or living neural networks.
Brain–computer interface
A connection that translates signals from brain activity into commands for a computer or device.
Directed energy
Energy concentrated on a target, including high-energy lasers and high-power microwaves.
Hyperspectral imaging
Measuring many narrow spectral bands at each image location to study materials and processes.
In-memory computing
Performing operations where data is stored to reduce transfers to a separate processor.
Ion propulsion
Spacecraft propulsion that uses electricity to accelerate and expel charged particles.
Light sails
Lightweight surfaces that use the momentum of light to alter a spacecraft’s motion.
Memristive memory
Devices whose conductance depends on earlier electrical signals and can represent information.
Metamaterials
Engineered structures whose small-scale geometry creates unusual properties, including control over waves.
Multimodal models
Models that connect information across formats such as text, images and audio.
Neural implants
Implanted devices that record neural activity, stimulate nerves or combine both functions.
Neuromorphic chips
Processors inspired by neural networks that can compute through events and spike-like signals.
Organoid intelligence
Experimental research into using three-dimensional neural tissue for information processing and studies of learning.
Photonic computing
Performing computations with light, usually alongside electronic components.
Photonic crystals
Periodic structures that control light propagation according to frequency and direction.
Plasma propulsion
Propulsion systems that use ionized gas and electrical energy to accelerate propellant.
Quantum computing
Information processing with quantum states and algorithms designed to exploit their properties.
Quantum sensing
Using quantum properties of matter to measure small changes in the environment.
Remote sensing
Measuring a place or object without contact, using light and other radiation received by a sensor.
Reservoir computing
Using a system’s evolving response to recognize patterns in signals over time.
World models
Learned representations of how environments change, including the consequences of actions.