From underwater habitats to 'space taxis,' the UK is staking its claim to be an innovation hub

CNN

11-04-2025

By Jacopo Prisco and Woojin Lee, CNN
Published April 11, 2025
As the birthplace of many world-changing ideas, the UK has a long history of innovation. It kickstarted the Industrial Revolution and fostered generations of talented inventors whose ideas shaped the modern world — the steam engine, the bicycle, the light bulb, concrete, the jet engine, lithium batteries and the World Wide Web, to name just a few. The carbon-filament light bulb was invented independently by English inventor Joseph Wilson Swan in 1878, and the following year by Thomas Edison in the US. SSPL/Getty Images Frank Whittle (right), an English aviator and engineer, patented the jet engine in 1930 and first tested it on the ground in 1937. SSPL/Getty Images
However, in more recent times, the UK has faced stiff competition in technological innovation. China, Japan, South Korea, Germany and France all file more patents, as does the US, with Silicon Valley in California the center of the world's tech startup ecosystem.
The country has also had to deal with Brexit and its impact on the flow of talent and investment.
Despite the well-documented challenges of Brexit and the economic and geopolitical upheaval of the past decade, the UK continues to be a center for excellence in education, with some of the world's most revered universities. It also ranks 5th in the Global Innovation Index 2024, and third after the US and China in the Global Vibrancy Tool 2024, which looks at countries leading in AI. As the UK aims to build on its rich heritage in tech innovation, we look at how some of the key inventions of the past connect to present research that has the potential to transform the future. An artist's impression of an underwater habitat being developed by DEEP, which is performing tests in a flooded quarry near Bristol. DEEP ZeroAvia is developing hydrogen-powered aircraft engines, shown in this rendering, that aim to cut a flight's climate impact by 95%. ZeroAvia The first submarine design, envisioned by William Bourne.Humankind has long been fascinated by exploring the depths of the ocean. The earliest design for a submarine dates back to 1578, when British mathematician and writer William Bourne imagined an 'enclosed boat' with a wooden frame and leather covers that could take people underwater. The first functional submarine was built by Dutch inventor Cornelis Drebbel while at the service of King James I of England.He did not build it, but his design might have inspired Dutch inventor Cornelis Drebbel, who was at the service of King James I of England when he created the first functional submarine, in 1620. His 'diving boat' traveled under the Thames in London, from Westminster to Greenwich, at a depth of up to 15 feet (4.5 meters). The world's first steam-powered submarine, the Resurgam, in 1879. It was designed by British inventor George William Garrett and lost at sea during early tests. Garrett/HenryAn artist's impression of DEEP's Vanguard habitat. DEEP
The habitat can be adapted into different shapes and could be used by scientists for ocean exploration or teams recovering shipwrecks. DEEP is also working on a smaller habitat, called Vanguard, which would allow three people to remain underwater for a week. The ultimate goal is to create an oceanic equivalent of the International Space Station, with the aim to 'make humans aquatic.'
Among his many achievements, English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton revolutionized the way we look at the cosmos. In 1668, he built the world's first reflecting telescope, which had the distinction of using a curved mirror. Isaac Newton built the world's first reflecting telescope in 1668. Jimmy Sime/Central Press/Among his many achievements, English physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton revolutionized the way we look at the cosmos. In 1668, he built the world's first reflecting telescope, which had the distinction of using a curved mirror. The Royal Greenwich Observatory was founded in 1675 by King Charles II. Until it closed in 1998, it was the oldest scientific research institution in Britain and made significant early contributions to astronomy.Until that time, telescopes had used lenses, which produced false colors as light dispersed through them, in the same way as when light passes through a prism. But light simply bounces off a mirror, maintaining observational accuracy. This type of telescope was also cheaper to build and scale up, marking a crucial development in the field of optics. The Skylark L guided single-stage rocket. Skyrora
It has test-launched its 11.65 meter-tall (38-foot) suborbital rocket, Skylark L, from Iceland, and the company is also developing its main rocket, the multi-stage Skylark XL, which is roughly twice as long. Ecosene is a green kerosene made from plastic waste. Skyrora
Skyrora has also developed Ecosene, a greener kerosene that can be used as rocket fuel and is made from plastic waste, including packaging that is difficult to recycle because it contains mixed materials. The company says Ecosene production reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 70% compared to regular kerosene. Christopher Cockerell (center) with a model of his hovercraft, which he patented in 1955. Hood/Daily Mirror/Mirrorpix/Getty Images
The hovercraft was invented by English engineer Christopher Cockerell, who thought that a boat could reach record speeds if its entire body could somehow be lifted out of the water. Supposedly starting out with a vacuum cleaner and tin cans, he applied for a patent in 1955 and eventually convinced aerospace company and shipbuilder Saunders-Roe Limited to create a four-ton prototype, which crossed the English Channel for the first time on July 25, 1959. A hovercraft being driven along a flooded street in Redon, western France, in January 2025. Damien Meyer/AFP/Getty Images
In the following decades, hovercraft as heavy as 250 tons and capable of carrying 400 passengers and 50 cars were on scheduled ferry services across the channel. Although they have fallen out of fashion in recent years, they are still being built and used around the world and are, among other things, ideal to explore delicate ecosystems because they don't produce a dangerous wake.
The boats, inspired by racing yachts, are equipped with underwater turbines that create electricity as the vessels are propelled by the wind, and the electricity is then turned into hydrogen gas via an on-board device. The gas is stored and then offloaded at a port, to be used as clean fuel. Initially, Drift's boats, pictured in this rendering, will be crewed, but the goal is to make them autonomous. DRIFT
The boats, inspired by racing yachts, are equipped with underwater turbines that create electricity as the vessels are propelled by the wind, and the electricity is then turned into hydrogen gas via an on-board device. The gas is stored and then offloaded at a port, to be used as clean fuel. Drift has built two small-scale prototypes, first tested in 2022 in the UK's Plymouth harbor. DRIFT
Drift has built two small prototypes, and is now gearing up to create the first commercial-class models, which will be 190 feet (58 meters) long and produce up to 330,000 pounds (150,000 kilograms) of hydrogen gas per year. Initially, they will be prohibitively expensive, at £20 million (about $24 million) each, but the company hopes to reduce costs as it scales up to create a global fleet of power-making boats. The son of a mechanic, Frank Whittle was also a pilot when he patented the jet engine. TopicalEnglish aviator and engineer Frank Whittle patented the jet engine in 1930 and first tested it on the ground in 1937. He was beaten to the skies by German designer Hans Pabst von Ohain, whose design was used in the first jet engine-powered aircraft in 1939. The first jet engine designed by Frank Whittle, which included a secondhand car engine that was used as a starter motor. SSPL/Getty Images
As World War II broke out, Whittle received more support to develop his invention, which made its own maiden flight in 1941. This type of engine does away with propellers and uses a turbine instead, which mixes fuel and hot gas to produce a hot, fast stream at the back — the 'jet.' Although its initial adoption was in the military, the jet engine — more reliable, safer and faster — revolutionized civilian aviation, bringing air travel to the masses. A ZeroAvia test flight using a Dornier 228 aircraft. ZeroAvia
British startup ZeroAvia is at the forefront of this new wave, and is developing hydrogen-powered engines. It has completed over a dozen test flights with a 19-seater Dornier plane, and says it has over 2,000 pre-orders for its hydrogen-electric system. ZeroAvia claims it will reduce a flight's climate impact by 95%, and offer lower maintenance costs to airlines. Initially, its engine will be able to power small regional aircraft with room for up to 20 passengers, but the company hopes to scale up to the commuter plane market over the next few years.
The world's first traffic lights were installed in 1868, outside London's Houses of Parliament. Invented by railway engineer J.P. Knight, they had semaphore arms, much like a railway signal, and gas-lit green and red lights, all operated by a policeman. An illustration of the world's first street crossing lights, which were installed in London. SSPL/Getty Images
The world's first traffic lights were installed in 1868, outside London's Houses of Parliament. Invented by railway engineer J.P. Knight, they had semaphore arms, much like a railway signal, and gas-lit green and red lights, all operated by a policeman. Modern traffic lights, with the added yellow or amber, started appearing in the 1920s, seen here at a junction in London, in 1926.They were successful in directing the heavy horse carriage traffic in the area, but exploded a month after installation, due to a gas leak. However, the effectiveness of the invention was clear, and semaphore lights spread to the US and elsewhere, paving the way for electric traffic lights. Rural UK roads are being used to test new driverless technology. Nissan
A program called evolvAD, funded by the UK Government and led by Japanese carmaker Nissan, is currently underway to test self-driving cars on residential and country roads, where the combination of winding routes and few road markings is a particular challenge for autonomous vehicles. The technology is being tested on Nissan Leafs. Nissan
The trial, conducted using all-electric Nissan Leaf cars, uses not only onboard cameras and sensors, but taps into local CCTV to be able to improve situational awareness. Since July 2023, evolvAD has clocked up 16,000 miles (25,750 kilometers) on UK roads without accidents, and the data gathered will be put to use when Nissan launches its first autonomous mobility service on Japanese roads in 2027.