Top Ten Innovative Companies [SLIDESHOW]

In its role as an intelligence provider for some of the world's most exciting emerging technology companies, Lux Research has unique insight into the innovations that are driving the future.

In its quarterly profile of 380 of these companies spread across 16 different emerging technology domains in the first quarter of 2013, it has identified 10 companies that are best poised to impact "global megatrends like sustainable energy and infrastructure, sustain health and wellness, and materials revolutions," the company said in a release.

These top companies – most still under the radar of the mainstream market – make up a diverse group of innovators, ranging from companies pursuing new developments to existing products such as smart lighting and nano-enhanced steel, to true black swans of 3-D printed meat and engineered leather.

To put these companies in perspective, Lux provides each with a "Lux Take" that ranges from "strong caution" to "strong positive," to provide a bottom-line assessment of its prospect, with a "wait and see" rating for companies that still face too much uncertainty for the definitive call.