When looking at present technology and how it's involved in the last 20 years or so, we get an indication get an indication of where we'll be a year or so by now. As to where we'll be a decade from now you wouldn't believe! This is guaranteed to your mind!
2013
1) Ultrabooks – Without doubt, the the couple of years have been about the tablet and to a lesser extent , the Laptop. The Ultrabook isn't new and boasts 1.5 kilo weight, lightning fast response times due to Solid state and flash drives (no moving parts means fast response times and even faster startups). So what's changing next year? Simple Weight , thickness and Price. It's going to weigh less than a kilo, be under 1 inch thick and cost under $1.000. Which brings a logical question in my mind. Why buy a tablet with limited hard drive, RAM and upgrade capabilities when you can get an Ultrabook, cheaper?
Prediction: Tablet manufacturers that up to now have been unrivaled, will see their sales plummet and will be forced to start the ''Tablet vs. Ultrabook war'' by dropping it's prices considerably. Some folks will who recently bought tablets will really be kicking themselves.
2) The Disabled will walk!: It won't be in the way you imagine it will be though. By utilizing a Brain-exoskeleton interface, the disabled will be able to neuro-transmit instructions to bio-mechanical limbs. Thought to movement abilities will finally be possible for the paralyzed.
And here's the scoop on another secret! The same system is also being developed for the ''soldier of the 21st century'' who will be able to carry a half ton load of military and communications equipment on his back with very little effort. This means that the exoskeleton project generally wont't flunk due to lack of funding.
3) Electronic newspaper: Currently, e-paper is in essence just e-ink on a tablet-like display like Kindle. What it lacks is flexibility of paper due to the rigidity of batteries. Rumor has it that there's a flexible battery rolling off the R&D research table and onto the production line. Full color will be the obvious next step and in a few years, everyone will have a magazine thin device that will be loaded (wirelessly of course) with the days latest news. Note: The pic on the left is a prototype e-newspaper from a Seiko-Epson research JV.
Prediction : Pricey at first, but as the prices drop due to mass production and competition, newspapers in it's current form will be fully replaced by the e-newspaper. That's excellent news for the forests!
4) 4G will become the new standard in mobile communication networks: rumor has it that Verizon and the EU generally intend to do away with 3G Networks as it's becoming old-school and replacing it completely with 4G by 2013. What this basically means is home level Broadband -download capabilities and speeds to wireless devices on a 4G network . It's highly unlikely, regular devices on 3G or pre 3G will become obsolete, but subscribers with 4G plans will have the definite edge from Worldwide WiFi capabilities directly on their devices.
Just to give you an idea of this machine's precision. A human eye , on a clear night can observe several thousand stars. Gaia, on the same night can observe a few million and by the end of it's mission will observe a few billion. And that's only 1% of all the stars in the Milky Way. Moreover , it will be able to observe far beyond our own galaxy to the edges of our observable universe.
2014
6) 1 Terabyte SD Memory Cards: It may seem like a ridiculous investment as most computers presently don't even have that much memory, i very much doubt it can even fit into your digital camera. We may say this now, but according to Moore's law , we can expect the 1TB SD card to become quite commonplace due to the fact we'll need it to handle the plethora of data and information our more data hungry devices will have to consume by that time. The rise of cloud computing of course could damper this, but we'll still no doubt need a physical place to store our digital pics and data.
7)The first manned flight of a solar powered plane around the world: Should be accomplished by that time and will without doubt be the first step to completely clean energy to air transportation. While full passenger flights with Solar energy may be very far down the road , it would be wise to consider that from Icarus to the Wright brothers, it took man millennia to accomplish manned flight and only a fraction of that for man to achieve solar flight. Checking in to ''Green-Tech'' Airlines may be sooner than you think.
8) The planet's most advanced polar icebreaker: The details of this ship is classified, but rumor has it that's it's nuclear and isbeing developed within the framework of the EU's scientific development objectives and is scheduled to break water in 2014.Because Global temperatures are continuously on the rise for decades now , a new understanding into the polar regions is essential to the monitoring of the Polar regions – and this icebreaker will most certainly be ideal for the job.
9) Personal DNA sequencing with $100: A company called BioNanomatrix claims that they could make this possible by 2014. The company's head , Han Cao claims this is possible by the invention and patent of the nanofluidic chip. What does this mean: That being able to sequence your individual genome on a cheap, accessible to all cost, your doctor can detecte a tumor without the need of a painful biopsy , determine a prognosis and then prescribe a treatment for less than what it costs an X-Ray today. Inspecting a cancer's DNA , a more specific and accurate treatment can be applied.
2015
10) The planet's first carbon free city opens it doors: The first phase of Masdar City just outside Abu Dhabi will be completed and will open it's doors to it's first 50.000 inhabitants. The city will harness power from solar and other renewable sources and utilize it's waste carbon neutrally . Behold the ''World's first Carbon Free City''.
11) 3D Printing : This is a technology we've been hearing a great deal about but as yet still a luxury enjoyed by large companies with understanding of 3D printing and by those with fat bank accounts. By 2015 however, 3D printers will be both price accessible, user friendly and common. You will in future be able to make your own components therefore be able to make your own gadget and machinery.
Prediction: The motto ''3D Printing kills Manufacturing'' will bring a whole new dimension when factories that make parts for assembly will start to close down because people will be able to ''print'' their own components and machines. Theoretically, you would be able to print your own car.
2016
12)Space tourism will hit the Public: Well, more or less so. If you have a cool $20-$30 Million to spare , you can, even now blast off and visit the ISS, or if you're a bit less poor and can only fork out a couple of hundred thousand dollar , you can take a Sub-Orbital flight with Virgin Atlantic. Competition is mounting up however and companies like Galactic Suite,Space island and Orbital could price battle it out for a market share of an increasing number of consumers that by that time could blast off on a luxury Hotel for packages ranging between $8.00 to a million or so for week long stays in orbiting hotel suites.
13)The sunscreen pill will hit the scene: With the ever increasing danger of Solar UV Damage , protecting your skin and eyes will be the first order of business. Presently certain companies are attempting to reverse Engineer the way coral reefs shield themselves from the sun to unlock the secret of the first sun screen pill.
14)The Rebirth of the woolly mammoth: Of course, the Woolly mammoth is extinct, but there is an institute in Japan called the Riken Center for Developmental Biology that is attempting to DNA re-engineer the woolly mammoth. If they pull it off, expect to see round the block lines at the Zoo.
2017
15) Wound Sealing Laser Pens: This will become part of any First-Aid kits. If you're stabbed by criminal elements nowadays, chances are that you will bleed to death before you can go to a Hospital for them to save you. In 2017, No worries ! Just take out your wound sealing laser pen which will cauterize your wound and stop the bleeding just enough for you to go to a trauma center for them to patch you up.
2018
16)Light Peak technology: This technology is around in it's infancy but by 2017, Data transfer speeds utilizing this technology will be dazzling. Data transfer speeds of 100 and plus Gigabytes per second will be possible with everyday consumer electronics. In today's terms, a 2TB Hard drive can be completely copied in a matter of seconds.
17) Insect-sized robot spies: Some tech experts argue that on a military grade level, these minuscule machines are already around and at the disposal of various Intelligence Agencies. By 2018 however , it could be scaled down to the size of a fly.
2019
18)There will be Web 3.0: – What will this new Web Protocol look like and Is it already here? Well, difficult to tell really. But if we had to make an assumption on Net evolution, we could say that Web 1.0 was based only Hyperlinks, Web 2.0 based on link sharing person to person interaction on social media. Web 3.0 is a combination. Socially outsourced information , refined by highly refined algorithms , otherwise known as Semantec Web. It's here one would argue, but far from its full potential.
19)Fusion Reactor Energy: This has always been just out of our grasp, but what it is it? It's in essence the process of producing energy from a minute amount of resources (from antimatter some would argue), but to do this, you would require a machine that can contain a reaction that occurs at a mind boggling over 125,000,000 degrees. Right now, the fusion reactor in Southern France is a small step and estimates say full scale fusion power will be available by this 2030.
2020
20)Crash-proof cars: It's been promised by Volvo and will probably become a reality in a few years from now . This will be possible by using radar, sonar and advances driver alert systems. With over 30.000 deaths every year from car accidents in the US alone, this will most certainly be a most welcome technology.
2021
What can we expect to see in 2021. Who knows? 10 years ago, did you expect tyranical regimes to be brutal regimes to be toppled (even bloodlessly sometimes) with the help of 140 character messaging sytems, the word 'friend' would become a verb or 'poke' without a skewer would get a new meaning. I would think not!
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