Inventions change how we live, work, play and think about what’s possible. Every year, LIFE magazine lists the 100 best inventions based on their creativity and influence on our life. What did the magazine choose this year? Let’s take a look.

	Reading can be a big challenge for millions of people. They may have poor vision（视力）or reading difficulties. But OrCam Read can help them! This reading pen with a smart camera and an AI system can read the text aloud to the user after scanning（扫描）a page of text. You don’t need to connect it to the Internet. You can use it offline at home, work, school, or even in stores when you need to read any instructions.
	Honey is produced by bees. But bee farmers may kill them after getting honey because it’s cheaper than feeding the bees through the winter. To save bees, US company MeliBio has found a way to make the world’s first bee-free honey. They used synthetic（合成）biology to create honey directly from plants. This kind of honey tastes just like the real one, and it is healthy, too.
	When you feel angry or unhappy, what do you do about it? Scientists say you can try to calm others. This can help you calm down. That’s why Purrble was invented. This soft bear-like toy has 9 sensors（感应器）. It has a quick “heartbeat” and can respond to your touch. As you hold and pet it, its heartbeat slows. And it sounds like a cat, which means it really enjoys your touch! You will learn how to feel calm yourself in this way.

Cars make our lives convenient, but they can also be a problem. To improve the environment, many countries are developing electric vehicles (EVs). Among them, China is taking a leading role and has created the world’s largest EV market.

Last year over 40% of the 753,000 EVs in the world was sold in China. That was more than twice as those sold in Japan. Chinese young drivers are big fans of EVs. Some Chinese companies are among the top in the world’s EV sales.

“Charging an electric car is cheaper than a car with gas,” said Wu Hao, a driver who bought an electric car this year.

However, there are still some problems. It can be hard to find charging piles (充电桩) and the cars can’t go far before needing to be recharged. Some of these problems are being solved. But we still need more charging piles in some places.

China promised to stop increases carbon dioxide emissions (碳排放) by 2030. Developing EVs is one of many effects China has made to reduce pressure on its environment. As China goes, so will the world car industry.