The Hyperloop, a concept first developed in 2013, is a vacuum tube that would transport passengers faster than the speed of sound, at approximately 760mph, between cities. Startup HTT went to work securing talent and investments from the likes of NASA, Boeing, SpaceX, and Tesla to launch the project. Construction costs are set so low that the Hyperloop will cost less than California’s similar plan for a high-speed rail system traveling at 220mph.

A 5-mile test track is currently in the works for Quay Valley, California, a proposed solar-powered concept city of 75,000 residents that will use the Hyperloop as primary transportation. Residents would be able to travel the length of the city in only 80 seconds. Analysis and optimization of the concept will continue through 2017, and HTT expects to transport passengers as soon as 2018.

The ingenuity doesn’t end there. Plans for Hyperloop include augmented windows that display Hollywood-inspired environments, like Jurassic Park, in addition to digital advertising that would monetize the system.

The Hyperloop could radically alter the concept of commuting, and soon. Keep an eye on the technology of the future! Can you imagine traveling to work in a human vacuum?

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Nima by 6SensorLabs

A large percentage of the population suffers from celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, which can make eating at restaurants and parties risky business. Even traces of gluten protein can be dangerous. That’s why 6SensorLabs has developed a sensor to test food and drink samples for gluten. Users deposit a sample into the sensor’s well, where a proprietary antibody processes it for traces. If the sample is safe, a smile appears. If it contains gluten, a frown. This invention will make socializing a safe and anxiety-free experience for those with dietary needs.

Safety Truck by Samsung and Leo Burnett

The problem: staggering deaths in Argentina caused by trucks obstructing drivers’ views along windy roads. The solution: Samsung partnered with an ad agency to develop a system of four screens positioned on the back of a truck, which display footage taken from the front of the truck. So far, the technology has tested effective. With further refinement, road safety in Argentina will be vastly improved.

Casper Mattress

Mattress shopping is stressful. There are endless options, an array of features to choose from, prices to consider, and delivery to manage. But the Casper brand has an answer. The Casper mattress is a single style, made with a mix of comfortable foams, set at transparent prices, and sold exclusively online. It arrives in a vacuum-packed cardboard box. Not the best sleep of your life? Return it for a full refund within 100 days. No surprise why this one makes TIME’s best inventions of 2015.

Can you imagine what creations 2016 will bring us?

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1. Giordano Bruno

In 1584, this Italian astrologer insisted that Earth was not the center of the universe. This was a radical idea for 16th-century Europe, particularly Italy, which upheld Roman Catholic doctrine declaring that all celestial bodies orbited our planet. Bruno was tried for heresy by the Roman Inquisition and burned at the stake, but his published theories would inform the work of later scholars.

2. Wright Brothers

Would you have believed a machine could fly? In 1906, these famous brothers began pitching their successful flying machine to governments in order to negotiate a contract to sell their invention. They were met with ridicule and scorn from skeptics. They were once known as “bluffers” across Europe, but opposition would soon be quieted several years later, after their first public demonstration of flight.

3. Galileo Galilei

You’ve heard of this Italian astronomer often called the “father of modern physics.” He collected data on the phases of planets and tracked satellites and sunspots using a telescope. He is credited with several scientific inventions, including a military compass, but his biggest idea was that the Earth orbits around the sun, which is, in fact, the center of the universe. He, too, was declared a heretic by the Roman Inquisition. His work was banned and he remained under house arrest for the rest of his life.

If you have a big idea on your hands, take heart. Radical thinking changes the world, not just by inventions alone, but by perspective. In many parts of the world today, we welcome new ideas and challenge ourselves to accept different perspectives. Don’t fear criticism while you forge a path.

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James and his wife developed the wildly original novelty toy for $500 using a machine that coiled 80ft wire into a small spiral. The first Slinkys sold out within ninety minutes. The couple formed James Industries, manufacturing headquarters, in Pennsylvania. In those first two years, James Industries sold over 100 million toy springs. Slinky was inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in 2000, and in 2002, Slinky was the named the official toy of Pennsylvania.

Slinkys remain a bestselling toy and have been adapted for different uses throughout history. As a teaching tool, the springs can simulate the behavior and properties of waves. During the Vietnam War, US troops modified the toy to serve as a mobile radio antenna. NASA has also used Slinky in physics experiments pertaining to zero gravity.

What if Richard James hadn’t been paying attention? What if he doubted the novelty of such a toy? Luckily, he invested time, research, and money in an idea he truly believed in. The Slinky has been climbing down stairs ever since!

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Over 350 million Rubik’s Cubes sold! Lesson: Don’t pre-judge ideas!

The Rubik’s Cube is a familiar and beloved three-dimensional combination puzzle game. Invented in 1974 by architecture professor Erno Rubik, and reaching peak popularity in the 1980s, it remains the top-selling puzzle game in the world. The original game has evolved into many theme and color variations, but the classic features six faces of a cube, made of up nine colored stickers, that can be rotated independently by a pivot mechanism. Turning an individual face remixes the colors of a face, creating the premise of the puzzle. The player must solve the puzzle by making a series of adjustments to return the cube to its original state: six solid-color faces.

Rubik developed the puzzle in order to solve conceptual problems in his architecture studies. Understanding the movement of individual components in relation to the composite integrity of a structure led to the prototyping of the cube. Rubik only realized the potential of the model as a puzzle when he attempted to restore his cube to its original state.

Today, mathematicians, competitive puzzle solvers, and theorists across multiple disciplines continue to use the Rubik’s cube as a conceptual teaching tool, and game-lovers across the globe enjoy this unique and stimulating toy. Imagine if Rubik had doubted his learning process and kept his model to himself—another example of the importance of trusting your ideas, following your logic wherever it takes you, and adopting a “hands-on” approach to development. You never know what problems you may solve, or, in Rubik’s case, create!

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