23 incredible new technologies you’ll see by 2021

23 incredible new technologies you’ll see by 2021

I am sure many of you, like me, have contemplated on what the near future holds with regards to new technology and the Internet. If we look at how technology has progressed over the past 20 years or so and we note the massive spike in consumer technology in the past 5 years or so.. then the next 10-20 years look very interesting indeed.

The paralyzed will walk. But, perhaps not in the way that you’d imagine. Using a machine-brain interface, researchers are making it possible for otherwise paralyzed humans to control neuroprostheses–essentially mechanical limbs that respond to human thought–allowing them to walk and regain bodily control. The same systems are also being developed for the military, which one can only assume means this project won’t flounder due to a lack of funding.

A 1 Terabyte SD Memory Card probably seems like an impossibly unnecessary technological investment. Many computers still don’t come with that much memory, much less SD memory cards that fit in your digital camera. Yet thanks to Moore’s Law we can expect that the 1TB SD card will become commonplace in 2014, and increasingly necessary given the much larger swaths of data and information that we’re constantly exchanging every day (thanks to technologies like memristors and our increasing ever-connectedness). The only disruptive factor here could be the rise of cloud-computing, but as data and transfer speeds continue to rise, it’s inevitable that we’ll need a physical place to store our digital stuff.

The first around-the-world flight by a solar-powered plane will be accomplished by now, bringing truly clean energy to air transportation for the first time. Consumer models are still far down the road, but you don’t need to let your imagination wander too far to figure out that this is definitely a game-changer. Consider this: it took humans quite a few milennia to figure out how to fly; and only a fraction of that time to do it with solar power.

The world’s first zero-carbon, sustainable city in the form of Masdar City will be initially completed just outside of Abu Dhabi. The city will derive power solely from solar and other renewable resources, offer homes to more than 50,000 people.

Personal 3D Printing is currently reserved for those with extremely large bank accounts or equally large understandings about 3D printing; but by 2015, printing in three dimensions (essentially personal manufacturing) will become a common practice in the household and in schools. Current affordable solutions include do-it-yourself kits like Makerbot, but in four years it should look more like a compact version of the uPrint. Eventually, this technology could lead to technologies such as nanofabricators and matter replicators–but not for at least a few decades.

Light Peak technology, a method of super-high-data-transfer, will enable more than 100 Gigabytes per second–and eventually whole terabytes per second–within everyday consumer electronics. This enables the copying of entire hard drives in a matter of seconds, although by this time the standard hard drive is probably well over 2TB.

Insect-sized robot spies aren’t far off from becoming a reality, with the military currently hard at work to bring Mission Impossible-sized tech to the espionage playground. Secret weapon: immune to bug spray.

Nuclear Fusion: Energy from a fusion reactor has always seemed just out of reach. It’s essentially the process of producing infinite energy from a tiny amount of resources, but it requires a machine that can contain a reaction that occurs at over 125,000,000 degrees. However, right now in southern France, the fusion reactor of the future is being built to power up by 2019, with estimates of full-scale fusion power available by 2030.

Crash-proof cars have been promised by Volvo, to be made possible by using radar, sonar, and driver alert systems. Considering automobile crashes kill over 30,000 people in the U.S. per year, this is definitely a welcome technology.

There are more future technology forecasts available at the link here. Crazy, crazy stuff indeed! I remember when I was a child I used to dream of a handheld device which could hold all my music, which I could connect and share things with my friends through, which I could do all my school work on, something that was touchscreen etc etc..

Who knew this was going to come in the shape of a phone?.. not only that but a phone for less than £100.. I could only dream when I was a child! Now kids grow up with online gaming in their living rooms.

The next 10 years will be an era of unprecedented connectivity; this much we know. It will build upon the social networks, both real and virtual, that we’ve all played a role in constructing, bringing ideas together that would have otherwise remained distant, unknown strangers. Without twitter and a steady drip of mainstream media, would we have ever so strongly felt the presence of the Arab Spring? What laughs, gasps, or loves, however fleeting, would have been lost if not for Chatroulette? Keeping in mind that as our connections grow wider and more intimate, so too will the frequency of our connectedness, and as such, your own understanding of just what kinds of relationships are possible will be stretched and revolutionized as much as any piece of hardware.

Truly, the biggest changes we’ll face will not come in the form of any visible technology; the changes that matter most, as they always have, will occur in those places we know best but can never quite see: our own hearts and minds.

Brilliant ending to a brilliant article!
Source

the 3d printing is a game changer, printable circuits and such... its coming...

Im waiting for the Manufactures and Companies to see the implications and stomp it out...

Hopefully there are far to many home brew to stop it, its like the internet they shouldn't of let it start.

reply to post by TechUnique


Hot fusion has been 20 years away for the last 40 years... That alone makes this list suspect. Hell if someone put some money behind eric lerner and his focus fusion it could be 2 years away right now.

What about cold fusion? It's real and getting results right now.

To clarify when I mention cold fusion I am referencing Robert Godes and his Brillouin Energy not the blundering blustering fool Rossi who's only real purpose seems to be to sour people on the idea of cold fusion right before it takes off big.

Originally posted by roguetechie
reply to post by TechUnique

 

Hot fusion has been 20 years away for the last 40 years... That alone makes this list suspect. Hell if someone put some money behind eric lerner and his focus fusion it could be 2 years away right now.

What about cold fusion? It's real and getting results right now.

Makes this.. WHOLE list suspect?

reply to post by benrl


I have a 3D printer.

Have had it for a few years. It's pretty amazing. I mostly use it for small parts for things that need repairing and miniatures for D&D.

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by benrl

 

I have a 3D printer.

Have had it for a few years. It's pretty amazing. I mostly use it for small parts for things that need repairing and miniatures for D&D.

Thats awesome!!
How much did it cost you? What do you need to run it?
Can you give me some more examples of what it can be used for?

You have just totally tantalized my curiosity TTTP!

reply to post by TechUnique


I built it myself

Open source tech available online in various forms.

reprap.org...

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
reply to post by TechUnique

 

I built it myself

Open source tech available online in various forms.

reprap.org...

Oh.. my..... god.
I may have to 3D print myself a mop for the mess I just made in my trousers.

RepRap takes the form of a free desktop 3D printer capable of printing plastic objects. Since many parts of RepRap are made from plastic and RepRap prints those parts, RepRap self-replicates by making a kit of itself - a kit that anyone can assemble given time and materials. It also means that - if you've got a RepRap - you can print lots of useful stuff, and you can print another RepRap for a friend...

Did I slip into a coma and wake up in 2021?!

reply to post by tothetenthpower

I have a 3D printer. Have had it for a few years. It's pretty amazing. I mostly use it for small parts for things that need repairing and miniatures for D&D.

Thats cool, Im dying to buy one, its going to be my next computer upgrade if you can call it that.

I was looking into one on kick starter, I can only imagine the endless uses of that thing.

The miniatures thing is super cool, I used to model towns and castles for war hammer in Auto Cad in HS, always wanted a way to print what I made.

reply to post by benrl


3d printing is a game changer, but it isn't a threat to modern manufacturing. It's probably the salvation of American industry.

3d printing will simply displace a lot of mundane industrial tasks. You could print quality spoons, forks, and little whatchyamadiddles. Manufacturing will pick up on the 3d printing and combine it with the 'hard' industry for reduced costs and for better versatility.

You won't be able to print your next-gen computer. You might be able to print yourself a custom case for it - but you'll still want heat sinks made to a standard that will be difficult for a 3d printer to produce - silicon lithography (or some of the more crazy semiconductor technologies on the fringes of our current understanding of quantum mechanics) will still require machines that far exceed the capabilities of a home or even commercial 3d printer.

Any advantage 3d printing gives an individual - it gives larger manufacturers.

One of the more exciting things is what could be done with 'cloud factories.' You have a 3d printer at home. You may use it once or twice a week, unless you're an enthusiast or it is required for your profession. If you would make parts for me, I will pay you to cover materials, electricity, and shipping charges with added profit for you. What do you say?

If anyone should be worried about that technology - it would be the developing countries (China, India, etc) who still utilize cheap industrial labor as their economic backbone.

Ultimately - the technology will end up being a good thing. It just has different implications to different societies with different economic trends. The developing nations are going to have to bootstrap themselves using those machines - while developed nations would be reclaiming their displaced manufacturing base.

I'm a bit skeptical about the fusion claim, though. I'm sure we'll make some advancements, but I think the real "game changer" for fusion hasn't been developed yet. I think Dense Plasma Focus holds the most promise - but represents the vacuum tube of fusion. I'm more partial to a form of crystalline fusion that would offer much greater conversion rates while being able to replace a AA battery. But that's still something of a mythological process.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


I was at a comic book convention and saw a 3D printer.
The potential of the device is amazing.

www.makerbot.com...

I saw the base model at the show and i was blown away by what the guy at the booth made.
all the plastic for his quad rotor copter.
parts for his rc car.
warhammer figures.

It's crazy.

reply to post by benrl


I literally cost me like..400$ for all the parts.

Took like a week to build ( cause I only had a few hours a night to do it) and if you build the really awesome ones, you can self replicate most of the parts for your second one.

Actually at the link above ,they'll make you parts, the plastic ones probably for free ( or pay shipping) and then you buy the metal pieces and voila.

~Tenth

reply to post by Aim64C


in an ideal world where companies are okay with lose intellectual property rights that allow for offsite construction and use of their designs... than yes your vision could happen.

What will happen is a long series of "copy right" battles over people copying product designs with their printers, basic things that have simple pattens on.

Look what happens when one phone manufacture steals a "concept", the world we live in is the result of a greedy litigious system.

We will not see the effect the easy 3d printing has on the overall economy and manufactures for some time, and after many legal battles.

reply to post by tothetenthpower

I literally cost me like..400$ for all the parts. Took like a week to build ( cause I only had a few hours a night to do it) and if you build the really awesome ones, you can self replicate most of the parts for your second one. Actually at the link above ,they'll make you parts, the plastic ones probably for free ( or pay shipping) and then you buy the metal pieces and voila. ~Tenth

Thats ridiculously cool, and major nerd cred for doing it.

Im a techie guy, built all my own computers, even I take a moment at building my own PC peripherals from scratch, lol, but the opensource stuff I've seen have not looked to overwhelming.

reply to post by benrl


Hell NO my friend.

If you build computers and know about sockets and sauder and all that stuff, you'll be FINE.

It was probably one of the easiest things I put together, the instructions are idiot proof. I highly suggest contacting one of those people from the reprap project if you want one. They were all kinds of helpfull for me.

ETA: THe Darwin & Mendel are probably the easiest to assemble. I'm looking into the PrintBot at some point this year.

~Tenth

reply to post by tothetenthpower


I have been looking at the rerap for a bit now...Thanks for the feed back....I have always built all my own comps....so It should be no problem....will let you know how i get on with it....might film the process.?

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Ive wondered whats the "resolution" on these machines, thats the primary reason ive waited for a purpose built manufactured one.

Tolerances and such ?

I mean how noticeable of a difference in the finished product vs say something that was injection molded?

Maybe post some hi-rez close ups of your Dnd miniatures for some nerd-porn?

reply to post by benrl


I currently have everything I've printed involved in a D&D game lol

But here's a friend of mine's close ups.

3dhomemade.blogspot.ca...

There's certainly finish to be done, sanding, paint, some finish coats of clear etc..

So it's not nearly as good as something you'd get from Game Workshop that's for sure, the tech isn't quite there yet and it would be hella expensive to get the micro-electronics for something like that to be, let's say 20nm scaling.

Oh btw, he has a much better version that I do

It's getting there though.

VERY exciting stuff!!!



S&F!!!!

I"m just saying hot fusion research is not something I"d have included on the list. Or if I had I'd have listed Eric Lerner's focus fusion operation or the NIF facility's efforts not a big tokamak that probably won't work.