If a coin introduces a completely new technology that enables a different function and is sustainable in the long term, does it have the potential to be a worthwhile investment?
It totally depends on what they are introducing and whether they are actually going to follow their promises or not. A good team behind the project is one of the fundamental things to be noticed since the team is the pillar of a project that won't let it fall and will keep it going the way it should. So, before you go ahead and start evaluating other things, you should first check if the project has a good team with a good track record and a history of successful ventures.
After that, you should check their whitepaper and see if their promises are actually realistic and if they can fulfill them without any issues or if they have written a bunch of crap that is only to fool the investors and they can never actually achieve what they are promising they would, that will pretty much give you an idea about the project and its potential.