Best Inventions of 2025

November 25, 2025

En Espanol

A humanoid robot folds clothes on a bed inside a modern, sunlit room. — SPENCER LOWELL FOR TIME

Every year, TIME magazine publishes a list of the year’s best inventions. Some of these are tech gadgets, such as a robot that helps with household chores. Others are toys and games designed to make life more fun. Some use AI. Others rely on your imagination. TIME for Kids has chosen nine of our favorites here. Which one tops your list?

Brand-New Barbie

Close-up of three Barbie dolls with different hairstyles and outfits, posed against a red background.

PETER GARRITANO FOR TIME

In March, Mattel revealed its You Create Barbie Basics Kits. They’re doll-making kits designed to encourage creativity. Each comes with three interchangeable heads. Each also comes with three “articulated” bodies: dolls with moveable parts, including elbows and knees that bend. Kits include wigs, clothing options, and accessories too. Plus, certain kits feature different body types and skin tones. Now Barbie fans can create a doll that looks just like them, or a doll with a unique look. —By Leslie Horn Peterson

Careful Crafting

Hands use a small cutting tool to shape a piece of cardboard on a green crafting board.

COURTESY CHOMPSHOP

Have you ever gotten creative with cardboard? It can be tough to cut, especially with kid-size hands. The solution: Chompshop’s ChompSaw. It looks like a mini table saw, but without a blade or spinning parts. It works like a rapid-fire hole puncher. There’s a small cutting area, so there’s no way to hurt your fingers in the opening. In addition to cardboard, it cuts paper, fabric, and craft foam. —LHP

Weather Watch

A person stands on a rocky beach launching a large white weather balloon into the sky.

TYLER JACOBSEN—WINDBORNE SYSTEMS

Weather forecasting systems help keep people safe, but they aren’t perfect. WindBorne Systems Atlas, a network of long-lasting weather balloons, was designed to help. The balloons measure factors like temperature and wind speed. Then Atlas uses an AI model to produce more-accurate forecasts. Better forecasts give people more time to prepare for bad weather.—By Catherine Boudreau

Home Runs, Revamped

Baseball player in a Yankees uniform stands ready to bat, gripping the bat tightly while focusing on the pitch.

PAMELA SMITH—AP PHOTO

The New York Yankees hit a record-tying 15 home runs in their first three games of the 2025 season. During that streak, some players used Louisville Slugger Pro Prime TPD1 bats, otherwise known as “torpedo bats.” Look closely at these funny-looking bats. They have a wider “sweet spot.” Data shows that players are more likely to connect with the ball there.—By Sean Gregory

Serious Thrills

A roller coaster speeds along a high track with riders, overlooking a desert canyon and a colorful amusement park below.

COURTESY INTAMIN AMUSEMENT RIDES AND SIX FLAGS QIDDIYA CITY

The world’s tallest, fastest, and longest roller coaster is almost ready to ride. Falcon’s Flight is more than 600 feet tall. With a 519-foot drop, it hits a top speed of 155 mph. Oh, and it’s two miles long. It’s so massive, it can be seen from outer space. The coaster is one of 28 rides coming to Six Flags Qiddiya City, outside Riyadh, in Saudi Arabia. The park is expected to open this month.—By Jared Lindzon

Top Banana

Two hands hold a bunch of bright yellow bananas against a peach-colored background.

COURTESY TROPIC

Nothing’s worse than a brown, mushy banana. To extend shelf life and reduce food waste, a UK company called Tropic has created the Tropic non-browning banana. The banana stays fresh at least 12 hours after peeling. Tropic is now working on a banana that stays greener longer. And it’s developing one that will be resistant to a disease affecting banana crops in several countries. —CB

Beat the Bite

A person on a rocky trail holds a smartphone connected to a small device on their ankle, with a fitness app open on the screen.

COURTESY HEAT IT US LLC

Are you a mosquito magnet? Studies show that heat can reduce pain and itching caused by bites. Heat It, a device that treats mosquito bites without chemicals, fits on a key chain and plugs into a smartphone. Users apply it to a bug bite, gently heating the skin. A smartphone app allows users to control the temperature and the length of the treatment, to get it just right. —By Jessica Klein

Robot Roommate

A humanoid robot stands near a table in a modern kitchen, holding colored markers above an open coloring book.

SPENCER LOWELL FOR TIME

Want a robot to do your chores? Meet Figure 03, a humanoid robot built to work in factories, businesses—and homes. As of October, the robot was capable of certain household tasks, such as folding clothes. (It can load a dishwasher, but a human needs to start the wash and help if it drops something.) The company hopes to have a more developed version in some homes in 2026. —By Billy Perrigo

Connect the Dots

Two pairs of hands touch the raised dots on a braille display labeled “Monarch.”

COURTESY AMERICAN PRINTING HOUSE FOR THE BLIND

More than 4,000 U.S. students read using braille, a system of raised dots that are read with the fingertips. It takes a long time to translate textbooks into braille. The American Printing House Monarch replaces these books altogether. The device uses electromagnetic pins that rise to display braille or tactile graphics. It has a touch sensor, like an iPad. The Monarch makes texts much more accessible for students who are blind or visually impaired. —By Chris Stokel-Walker