The future is approaching, and it will arrive sooner than you think. These coming technologies will alter how we live, care for our bodies, and help us avoid a climate calamity.
In today’s society, technology advances at an alarmingly quick rate. It may often feel as though new technology and breakthroughs are introduced every day that will permanently alter our futures. Nevertheless, in the midst of constant announcements about big future technology advances and interesting devices, it’s easy to lose sight of the incredible ways the world is evolving.
There are artificial intelligence algorithms that can write poetry from scratch and create visuals from nothing more than a verbal stimulus. 3D-printed eyeballs, new holograms, lab-grown food, and brain-reading robots are all on the horizon.
All of this only touches the surface of what is available, therefore we’ve compiled a list of the most fascinating future technologies.
Necrobotics
Sometimes new future technology might bring incredible advancement with the potential to change the future… while also being quite frightening.
This is one way to define the concept of necrobotics, which, as the name implies, entails transforming dead objects into robots. While this seems like a terrible horror film scenario, it is a technology being researched at Rice University.
A team of researchers transformed a dead spider into a robot-like gripper capable of picking up other things. They take a spider and inject it with air to do this. Spiders employ hydraulics to drive their form of blood (haemolymph) into their limbs, causing them to stretch.
This notion is still in its early phases, but it might pave the way for a future in which deceased animals are utilised to further research… it all feels very Einsteinian!
Sand batteries
Some of the most effective technologies for our future are basic and easy to implement.
One of these innovations came from some Finnish engineers who discovered a technique to transform sand into a massive battery.
100 tonnes of sand were loaded into a 4 x 7 metre steel container by these engineers. This sand was then heated with wind and sun energy.
This heat can subsequently be transferred by a local energy provider to warm buildings in the surrounding region. Energy may be stored in this manner for extended periods of time.
All of this is accomplished through a process known as resistive heating. This is the process by which a substance is heated due to the friction of electrical currents.
Sand and any other non-super conductor are warmed by the electricity passing through them generated heat than can be used for energy.
Intelligent exo-skeletons
Exo-skeletons have been around for a long time, both in popular science fiction and in actual life. But, as time has passed, technology has gotten increasingly remarkable.
Most significantly, in recent years, we have seen technology become increasingly accessible to the young. The Atlas 2030 is the most sophisticated mobile medical exo-skeleton created exclusively for children, according to the company.
While not yet commercially accessible, this technology has the potential to help children in the future by providing a paediatric lower-body medical exo-skeleton. This might aid with the walking of children with severe neuromuscular illnesses, cerebral palsy, or spina bifida.
Catapulting satellites into space
Who would have guessed that a homemade catapult was the greatest technique to launch satellites into space? Admittedly, it’s a lot smarter than a catapult, but the technology is comparable.
SpinLaunch is a test device for launching satellites and other objects into space. It accomplishes this by utilising kinetic energy rather than the typical method of employing chemical fuel present in classic rockets. This technique could spin payloads at 8,000km/h and 10,000G before propelling them into space through a massive launch tube.
Of course, modest rocket engines will still be necessary to propel payloads into orbit, but SpinLaunch claims that this technique saves 70% on fuel and infrastructure.
The company has signed an agreement with NASA and is now testing the system.
AI image-generation
As artificial intelligence continues to execute occupations as effectively as humans, a new industry has emerged: the realm of art. Researchers at the startup OpenAI have developed software that can generate graphics with only written suggestions.
Enter ‘a dog wearing a cowboy hat singing in the rain’ and you’ll receive a slew of wholly unique photos that meet the bill. You may even choose the style of art that will be returned in response to your request. Nevertheless, the technology isn’t flawless and still has flaws, such as when we provided it bad design prompts for cartoon characters.
Dall-E technology is currently in its second version, and the team behind it intends to continue refining it. In the future, we may see this technology utilised to produce art exhibits, for businesses to receive rapid, creative images, or, of course, to revolutionise the way memes are created on the internet.
Midjourney is another piece of technology that makes gothic wonders with a simple word input. We certainly are living in the future.
Brain reading robots
Brain reading technology is no longer a science fiction theme, and its use has advanced dramatically in recent years. Researchers at the Swiss Federal University of Technology Lausanne have tested one of the most fascinating and practical applications we’ve seen thus far (EPFL).
These researchers have created a way for tetraplegic patients (those who can’t move their upper or lower body) to interact with the world using a machine-learning algorithm, a robot arm, and a brain-computer interface.
During testing, the robot arm would do simple tasks such as manoeuvring around an obstruction. The system would then use an EEG cap to analyse brain signals and automatically detect whether the arm had made a wrong action, such as moving too near to the obstacle or travelling too quickly.
The system may then adjust to the individual’s tastes and brain signals over time. In the future, this might lead to brain-controlled wheelchairs or assistive equipment for tetraplegic patients.
Internet for everyone
We can’t seem to live without it (how else would you read sciencefocus.com? ), yet only around half of the world’s population is online. There are several reasons for this, including economic and societal factors, but for some, the internet is just inaccessible due to a lack of connectivity.
Google is gradually attempting to fix the problem by using helium balloons to beam internet to inaccessible locations, while Facebook has abandoned ambitions to do the same using drones, allowing startups like Hiber to steal a march. They’ve chosen a different route, launching their own network of shoebox-sized microsatellites into low Earth orbit, which wake up a modem connected to your computer or gadget as it flies by and transfers your data.
Its satellites orbit the Earth 16 times per day and are already utilised by organisations such as The British Antarctic Survey to deliver internet connection to the most remote parts of our world.
Direct air capture
Trees, via the process of photosynthesis, have remained one of the most effective ways to lower CO2 levels in the atmosphere. But, new technologies might accomplish the same function as trees, absorbing more carbon dioxide while taking up less area.
Direct Air Capture is the name given to this technique (DAC). It entails extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and either storing it in deep geological caverns beneath the earth or combining it with hydrogen to make synthetic fuels.
While this technology has immense potential, it is currently fraught with problems. Direct air capture facilities are presently operational, although the existing types demand a significant amount of energy to operate. If energy levels can be decreased in the future, DAC might be one of the most important technical achievements for the environment’s future.
3D printed bones
3D printing is an industry that promises everything from inexpensive house building to affordable robust armour, but one of the most intriguing applications of the technology is the construction of 3D printed bones.
Ossiform specialises on medical 3D printing, making patient-specific replacements of various bones out of tricalcium phosphate, a substance with characteristics comparable to human bones.
It’s really simple to use these 3D printed bones. An MRI may be performed at a hospital and then uploaded to Ossiform, which creates a 3D model of the patient-specific implant that is required. The surgeon approves the design, and once produced, it may be utilised in surgery.
The use of tricalcium phosphate allows the body to remodel the implants into vascularised bone, which makes these 3D printed bones unique. That is, they will allow for the full restoration of function that the bone being replaced had. To promote the greatest possible integration, the implants have a porous structure with big holes and channels for cells to connect to and reconstruct bone.
