9 Future Technologies That Will Radically Alter the World
by Bryan Nelson
We don’t have to look back too far to understand the power that
technology has had in shaping our world. Within a generation we’ve seen space
stations built, computing speeds quicken exponentially, and the internet boom.
In fact, technological advances now happen so rapidly that our current way of
life may seem hopelessly outdated within another decade.
In that spirit, it can be a fascinating exercise to look
ahead. What cutting edge technologies being developed today will be commonplace
tomorrow? In what ways will these technologies radically alter our world?
Here’s our look at 9 future technologies that may soon
make our present reality unrecognizable:
Atmospheric Energy
Most of the energy we produce today comes from finite
resources – namely, fossil fuels. But as those resources become exhausted – and
as the environmental consequences of exhausting them become an increasing
concern – developing new, renewable sources of energy will be paramount. Of
course, industries such as wind, solar, and biofuel are already booming; but
those are just the tip of the iceberg.
One burgeoning renewable source that has the power
to revolutionize the production of electricity is atmospheric
energy. There is always free electricity in the air and clouds all around
us. This is most evident in a thunderstorm or during the polar auroras, such as
the Northern Lights. Capturing and controlling this electricity can be a
challenge, but if we could tap directly into the Earth’s own electrical field –
to quite literally pluck electricity from the air – the potential for the
technology to contribute to our energy mix is great.
One company working to make the development of atmospheric
energy viable is SEFE,
Inc.. They already have 4 patents approved, 3 pending, and 19 more on the
way. You can view a corporate
video showcasing SEFE’s mission here.
(Editor’s Note: SEFE, Inc. is a major sponsor of
Revmodo.com)
Photo Credit: Paul Fleet/Shutterstock
Nanotechnology
Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make the biggest
impacts. That’s certainly the case with nanotechnology,
which is essentially the manipulation of materials on the atomic and molecular
levels.
The many applications of nanotech are almost too many to count.
Nanoelectronics have the potential to revolutionize computing, not only by
making computing speeds faster, but by making electronic devices smaller.
Machines the size of cells may one day navigate through our bodies like artificial
immune systems. Nano devices may one day be able to manipulate our genetic
code– or perhaps even merge with it. Nanotechnology will allow us to invent new
materials with a vast range of applications– everything from better-flying golf
balls to more effective sunscreens.
As of 2008, over 800 nanotech products had
already been made publicly available, and new products were hitting the
market at a pace of 3-4 a week.
Photo Credit: Max Braun/Flickr
Augmented Reality
A lot of hubbub was made over the recent
release of Google Glasses, but even if the invention might seem silly now,
the technology behind it– augmented reality–has the potential to radically
alter our world and how we interact with it.
You’ve heard of virtual reality, which is a computer
simulated environment. Augmented
reality, on the other hand, is a fusion of computer-generated sensory input
with the real world. Rather than create a simulated world, augmented reality
has the power to actually enhance our perception of the real world.
The technology also has the potential to make it possible
to control information in the world, and in real time, much like you can
currently control information using a touchscreen device. Basically, augmented
reality brings us one step closer to fusing our technology with reality, such
that technology and reality may one day be pragmatically indistinguishable.
Check out this eerie
sci-fi short film showcasing what this technology may soon become.
Solar Fuel
As said already, the development of renewable energy will
be paramount as we move into the future. Technologies like wind, solar and
hydro already present excellent ways of producing renewable electricity, but
what about producing fuel? Biofuels have been useful for this purpose, but many
biofuels also have the negative impact of competing for agricultural space with
our food supply.
But what if we could somehow convert solar energy directly
into a liquid fuel? That’s the idea behind the
development of solar fuel – a fuel
that can be produced with technology that mimics how plants produce energy
through photosynthesis. A solar fuel would also revolutionize how renewable
energy is stored. Essentially, it would allow us to keep the sun’s energy in
liquid form.
One company working to make this vision possible is Joule. Their technology is capable of
creating a fuel using only sunlight, carbon dioxide and non-potable water as
inputs. They also believe they will soon be able to produce this fuel at a
price competitive with gasoline.
Engineered Stem Cells
Few technologies have the power to transform medicine more
than the engineering of stem cells. Not only have stem cells been genetically
programmed to attack
diseases like HIV or cancer, but stem cells are now being used to generate
living tissue.
The ultimate goal of such a technology would be for regrowing
replacement organs. Once perfected, it may be possible to extend human life
indefinitely. Imagine if each of your organs
could simply be replaced, like a car part, any time it began to
malfunction.
Photo Credit: Fotovika/Shutterstock
Wireless Energy Transfer
Wireless devices are pretty ubiquitous today; Is anything
connected by a wire anymore? Well, technically: while we can beam information
around wirelessly, our electrical devices must still, by and large, receive
their power from hardwired connections. But imagine being able to beam energy
from a power source directly into a device without the need for a wire, much
like how your laptop can pick up a wireless internet connection.
The technology for wireless
energy transfer already exists, but it has yet to be perfected. There still
exists a problem of efficiency; too much energy is lost when it is beamed.
As the technology develops, however, we might imagine a
world where nothing needs to be plugged in anymore. Perhaps even more
incredible, the
technology could revolutionize space exploration. Not only could power be
beamed to satellites, space stations, and space ships from Earth, but power
collected in space could be sent back to Earth too.
Space-Based Solar Energy
The vast majority of the energy contained on Earth
originates from the Sun. Our ability to harness that power depends on how
efficiently we can harvest it. Solar technology is becoming ever-better at
capturing the Sun’s energy, but all Earth-based solar collectors are limited
because the atmosphere deflects a great deal of the Sun’s energy.
But what if we could assemble vast arrays of solar panels
in space? Not only could we arrange them to always be pointing at the Sun, but
there would be no atmosphere to get in the way of all that energy. Also, it
wouldn’t require covering any of the Earth’s surface with solar panels. That’s
the idea behind space-based solar.
Of course, the technology is limited by our ability to
assemble and maintain such vast arrays in space. There is also the problem of
energy transfer, which is pending the development of wireless energy transfer
(mentioned on this list already). Nevertheless, it’s possible that such
technology could one day meet all of our energy needs.
Quantum Teleportation
Teleportation isn’t just the stuff of science fiction.
It’s real, and it’s already here. Or at least, quantum teleportation is here:
which is the instantaneous transfer of a quantum state from one location to
another.
The bizarre phenomenon that makes this possible is called entanglement, a
mysterious link known to exist between certain particles even though they are
separated by space.
The key to the technology is controlling this phenomenon.
It’s no easy task, but Chinese researchers recently teleported
a photon’s state nearly 100 kilometers. Once perfected, the technology will
revolutionize computing and communication speeds. Obviously, there’s nothing
faster than instant communication. It’s almost anti-intuitive to imagine.
Artificial Intelligence
The first image you probably conjure up when you think of
artificial intelligence is the Terminator, or maybe HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. It’s true that
the development of artificial
intelligence raises some big philosophical and ethical questions, but
there’s little doubt that the technology is inevitable.
The processing power of computers continues to grow at an
astounding rate. As a result, we’re able to analyze data using increasingly
complex computer models, and solve problems in ever-more ingenious ways.
So far, we’ve yet to create a machine with artificial
consciousness, or self-awareness. But this, too, is likely inevitable. At least
one engineer believes
that artificial consciousness will emerge by 2045.
It’s unlikely that artificial consciousness will emerge
from a computer console, or a disembodied app. Rather, true machine
consciousness will likely come out of the field of robotics. Of course,
this could mean there will finally be a robot maid for every household in
America. Or it’ll mean the invention of the Terminator. I guess we’ll just have
to find out.
From Revmodo @ http://revmodo.com/2012/08/16/9-future-technologies-that-will-radically-alter-the-world/
For more information about free energy systems see http://nexusilluminati.blogspot.com/search/label/free%20energy
Please Help This Unique
Independent Site’s Author Survive
Donate any amount and
receive at least one New Illuminati eBook!
Just press the button -
For
further enlightening information enter a word or phrase into the search box
@ New Illuminati or click on any label/tag at the
bottom of the page @ http://nexusilluminati.blogspot.com
And see
New Illuminati – http://nexusilluminati.blogspot.com
New Illuminati on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/the.new.illuminati
New
Illuminati Youtube Channel - http://www.youtube.com/user/newilluminati/feed
The
Her(m)etic Hermit - http://hermetic.blog.com
The Prince of
Centraxis
- http://centraxis.blogspot.com
(Be Aware! This link leads
to implicate & xplicit concepts & images!)
This site is published under Creative Commons Fair
Use Copyright (unless an individual item is declared otherwise by copyright
holder) – reproduction for non-profit use is permitted & encouraged, if you
give attribution to the work & author - and please include a (preferably
active) link to the original along with this notice. Feel free to make
non-commercial hard (printed) or software copies or mirror sites - you never
know how long something will stay glued to the web – but remember attribution!
If you like what you see, please send a small but heartfelt donation or leave a
comment – and thanks for reading this far…
Live long and prosper!
From the New Illuminati – http://nexusilluminati.blogspot.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Add your perspective to the conscious collective