18 technology marvels that floored us in 2010

As we take our first steps into 2011, here are some memorable fragments of the year gone by.

Especially in the world of technology. Here are 18 technological marvels that took 2010 by a storm. Don't miss them.

Image: A holograph is projected above a mobile phone by a 3D projecter (not pictured) displayed in the Innovision booth at the Computex 2010 computer fair in Taipei June 1, 2010.

Photograph: Reuters

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Eurocopter's X3 high-speed hybrid helicopter demonstrator performs, in this September 6 file photo by Eurocopter, during a test flight at the Istres flight center.

The X3 prototype, which combines forward-facing propeller engines astride two short aircraft wings with overhead rotor blades, was unveiled at the European company's factory in southern France following months of secrecy about the project.

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A visitor waves in front of the sensor that triggers the joints of a dummy that is part of 'PWM1', an art creation by Taiwan artist Huang Zan-lun, during the Art Taipei 2010 August 20, 2010.

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TSA physicist Rob Klueg shows a cross section from the scan of a chocolate covered peanut candy during a tour of the Transportation Security Laboratory near Atlantic City, New Jersey, June 16, 2010.

The US government laboratory develops and tests new technology to detect weapons and explosives on passengers and in the luggage of travellers.

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German Transport Minister Peter Ramsauer wears 3D glasses as he watches a Virtual Reality Powerwall to see the Airbus A350 in virtual reality, during a visit to the Airbus facility in Finkenwerder near Hamburg October 21, 2010.

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Thespian, a humanoid robot, communicates with the audience through a user's interface at the Robotic World exhibition at Madatech, the Israel National Museum of Science, in the northern city of Haifa July 8, 2010.

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The Apple 'iPad', a new tablet computing device, sits on display after its launch event in San Francisco, California, January 27, 2010.

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A robot from Android FC, a three-robot soccer team from the School of Infomatics at the University of Edinburgh, shows off its skills during a photocall for their upcoming show in the Edinburgh International Science Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland April 1, 2010.

The robot soccer players are fully autonomous and have em-bedded processors that enable them to make sense of their surroundings and react to the movements of other players.

Visitors to Photokina look through 3-D glasses at the booth of Japanese camera maker Panasonic on the first day of the world's largest fair for imaging in Cologne September 21, 2010.

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Pupils of Berlin's Hausburg European school use a Microsoft Surface multi-touch computer in a digital cl-assroom at the Microsoft stand during a presentation at the CeBIT exhibition centre in Hanover March 1, 2010.

The new Microsoft Surface does not require a keyboard and mouse to operate, providing users with a new way of dealing with digital content.

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A humanoid robot named 'I-Fairy' (centre) acts as a witness at the wedding ceremony between Tomohiro Shibata (left) and Satoko Inoue in Tokyo May 16, 2010.

The couple decided to use the robot, which conducted the ceremony with its audio functions, from Inoue's company to perform the witness' duties as they first met due to common work interest related to robots.

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A security official demonstrates a full body scanner during a photocall at Departure Gate 2 at Hamburg Airport in Hamburg September 27, 2010.

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Combo picture shows a robot produced by the electrical engineering department of the National Taiwan University mimicking the facial ex-pressions of a human at the Taipei International Robot Show October 19, 2010.

The yet-to-be-named robot, which consists of a life-sized head and torso, was designed to show basic emotions for improved interaction.

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Assistants demonstrate the game 'Kinect Adventures' for Kinect for Xbox 360 during a media briefing at the Wiltern theatre in Los Angeles June 14, 2010.

Microsoft Corp will begin selling its 'Kinect' motion-sensing game system on Nov. 4, before the crucial holiday season, hoping to lure new and casual players to the Xbox and steal a march on rivals.

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A dentist demonstrates on a dental patient robot at its unveiling ceremony at Showa University in Tokyo March 25, 2010.

The humanoid female robot was developed to give practical experience for dental students and can be used for examination purposes.

The 157-cm tall robot displays autonomous action of physiological phenomenon such as eye and tongue movement and can be controlled by either original programming or an instructor using an external touch panel, the university said.

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A hostess operates a Kempler and Strauss W PhoneWatch during a media preview for the 2010 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, January 5, 2010.

The show runs January 7-10.

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Artificial hands are pictured in the factory of Austrian artificial limb replacement manufacturer Otto Bock in Vienna July 6, 2010.

Otto Bock has developed an innovative prosthesis which is based on targeted muscle reinnervation, a process that uses residual nerves in the residual limb for the control of prosthesis functions.

The mind-controlled prosthetic arm allows the user to complete movements in the joints the way they were executed by the natural arm prior to amputation.

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Solar Impulse's chief executive officer and pilot Andre Borschberg flies the solar-powered HB-SIA prototype airplane above Lake Leman near Vevey during a test flight from its base in Payerne to Geneva International airport on September 21, 2010.