While the conventional tokamak, as embodied in JET, is the front-runner in
the magnetic-confinement approach to fusion, other concepts are being devel
oped that might, in the long term, prove more attractive for power generati
on ('concept improvement' research). Also, in the shorter term, these conce
pts might offer a more-rapid and cheaper way of studying ignited or near-ig
nited plasmas. Their advantages, and disadvantages, are described. The stel
larator offers steady-state operation at the cost of coil complexity, new a
dvanced stellarators with overall size comparable to JET are either under c
onstruction or being commissioned in Japan and Germany. 'Spherical-torus' c
onfigurations, of which the most promising is currently the spherical tokam
ak, offer high-pressure containment in a compact device, but the high power
density may mean power-plant technology will be more challenging (e.g. sui
table materials). New spherical tokamaks will soon come into operation in t
he UK, USA and Russia and will test properties in larger higher-current lon
ger-pulse plasmas. Meanwhile, other concepts such as the 'reversed-field pi
nch', magnetic-mirror systems and the dense Z-pinch, have their own advanta
ges, though they are less well developed. The status of the various concept
s are summarized as are their potential fusion applications that include el
ectricity generation, acting as a fusion neutron source, and providing a dr
iver for inertial fusion.