Bicycle chains have seen competition from beltdrives but keep on turning. It isn’t likely we’ll get off the chain gang anytime soon, but possibly the biggest annoying part of the chain might be slowly fading away. That is the greasy, dirty mess than most bike chains become almost immediately.
KMC has introduced a line of chains that feature a coating technology that is eco friendly. It can still fight off rust but feature a whole lot less of the nasty stuff.