Previewing Five Technological Advancements
Predicting how technology will interact with our lives in the next twenty or thirty years is a significant challenge.
If a person were to imagine themselves in the year 2000, and think about how the world is different in 2021, they would not be able to predict most of the technology we now take for granted.
There are a few areas where technological advancements are already occurring, and are expected to continue at a breathtaking speed.
Whether you enjoy playing online live game tournaments or wish for a better shopping experience in the future, technology will change your life for the better in the coming decades.
Below are five eagerly anticipated technological advancements of the next few decades.
1. Virtual Reality and the Brain
Even though wearing a virtual reality headset and immersing yourself in a digital world is already very fascinating, VR is set to change significantly in the next few decades.
Researchers and VR experts are already working on a way to create a virtual reality experience that will be almost impossible to distinguish from reality. This will be achievable by linking VR technology directly to our brains, which should bypass the need for a heavy and cumbersome gadget such as a VR headset.
Since our brains process information and sensory experiences all the time, processing VR is no different. Scientists have an incredible understanding of how the brain works when you are performing various tasks or taking in different information. Applying this knowledge to virtual reality may hold the key to futuristic VR experiences.
Technology such as this may be a long way away in practice, but the virtual reality space is experiencing a lot of change in a short space of time. Being able to directly connect VR to our brains in twenty or thirty years is not as far-fetched as some may imagine.
2. Solar Power From Space
Solar energy is all the rage among anyone who cares about the future of the Earth. People are beginning to understand that our use of fossil fuels and other pollutants is not sustainable, as the planet around us is reacting poorly to the way we live at present.
Harnessing the power of the sun is one way to eliminate the need for traditional electricity. The problem is that storing solar energy is a lot more difficult than taking in energy from the sun and processing that into the energy appliances use in real-time.
The problem is that people still need regular electricity at night or on cloudy days. A futuristic project may solve that problem, as scientists and researchers are working on methods to harness solar energy in space, and then transmitting this energy to receiving stations on our planet.
Being able to leverage the power of the sun from space, would eliminate any issues pertaining to solar power being unusable at night or on days when the sun is not shining.
3. Lab-Made Meat and Dairy
Studies show that meat and dairy are amongst the largest producers of greenhouse gases, in terms of food production. That is why researchers are hard at work on ways to recreate meat and dairy in a laboratory.
Lab-created meat is very close to going public, and shoppers can expect to see these products on shelves in the coming years. Lab-grown dairy, however, has a little way to go.
Biotech companies, with support from biotechnology consulting firms, are working hard on lab-made dairy, which would mean that a person can buy milk, cheese, yogurt, and similar products which came from a lab, not a living cow.
This method would not only make dairy cheaper to produce in the long term but would mean products with a far lower carbon footprint. Those who enjoy consuming dairy would not have to alter their dietary habits but would feel good about not contributing to climate change.
4. Artificial Eyes
Scientists are on the cusp of creating artificial eyes that could allow a blind person to see. In the past year, surgeons in Israel implanted an artificial cornea into a patient. The man, who is in his 70s, was able to see and read within seconds of doctors removing his bandages.
These implants are incredibly complex, as the human body is very particular about what it accepts as part of its mechanism. Surgeons use a method that naturally fuses the implant into human tissue, which helps with its acceptance by the body and brain.
There is a long way to go before these implants will become mainstream and affordable, but they are a game-changer for those who may deal with blindness from childhood or due to an incident later in life. People who are unable to see would have the whole world opened up for them through artificial eyes.
5. Flying Taxis
When children in the 1990s would watch cartoons, they may have seen shows where futuristic humans roamed around in flying cars whenever they wanted to get from one place to another. This type of future may be here sooner than we think.
Companies at the forefront of car technology are working on taxis and other vehicles that can fly at various altitudes. The concept is not without its drawbacks, as the fear of accidents in the air is very real, but experts do believe that flying vehicles would drastically reduce the problem of traffic in urban areas around the world.
Marvel at a Changing World
There is a famous English expression that originates from a Chinese proverb, which states “may you live in interesting times.” Those who are growing up, enjoying their adult years, or approaching retirement have a lot to enjoy in the world around them.
Thanks to technology, our lives are markedly different from how people lived fifty or a hundred years ago. We have even more reasons to be excited, as technology is advancing at a breathtaking speed, especially in specific sectors.
The above five technological advancements which we can expect in the next few decades are sure to change the world for the better.