Tomorrow’s Tech Treepowered by Astra

Mining & Resources · Recorded milestone

Neodymium magnets

Recorded year1984

Rare-earth magnets from Sumitomo and GM later power EV motors and wind turbines.

Explore this milestone on the interactive map

Built on

Froth flotationRecorded · 1905enables

Led to

Pedal-assist e-bikeRecorded · 1993enables
Mass-market hybrid carRecorded · 1997enables
Consumer dronesRecorded · 2010enables
New human sensesRecorded · 2017enables
Permanent artificial heartForecast · ~2030enables
Rare-earth-free super magnetsForecast · ~2045enables

Sources & evidence

Additional source

Dataset updated 2026-10-18. This individual record has not been separately re-reviewed.