"Before they changed the world, these technologies were schematics on paper."

In Popular Mechanics, Jay Bennett details 15 patents that have changed our world. They are:

Magnetic Levitation (Maglev)

iPhone

Motorized Exoskeleton

Quadcopter Drone

3D Printer

Bionic Eye

Global Positioning System

CRISPR Gene Editing

Brain Implant

Graphene

Bluetooth

Self-Driving Car

Solar Panel

(3G) Third Generation Wireless Mobile Telecommunications

Virtual Reality

Go here to read about each one and see diagrams to further explain.