LIST: Top 10 inventions that could change the world (PHOTOS)

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(CNN) -- If necessity is the mother of invention, then the father must be ingenuity. Or imagination. Or determination. Or maybe even luck.

The point is, a lot of factors must align for someone to invent something that’s truly groundbreaking.

Which is why when a lone tinkerer or a team of engineers capture lightning in a bottle, it should be celebrated for the rare achievement it is.

As part of our continuing focus on innovation, CNN once again is honoring 10 new inventions in technology and related fields. These are gadgets or prototypes with big, game-changing goals: to harness wind energy a thousand feet off the ground, to seal gunshot wounds in seconds, to send text messages by waving your finger, to ferry private citizens into space.

Some of these creations have been in the works for years but are finally ready for their close-up. Others are brand new on the scene. But all have the potential to shake up industries, to save lives, to make our daily existences a little bit easier.

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Click on the first image to see a photo gallery & learn more about each gadget >>