Before we begin, consider these facts. Humans or Homo sapiens evolved on planet Earth some 200,000 years ago. Civilization is a phenomenon that came about 6000 years ago. And the Industrial Revolution started only in the late 18th century. Looking at this larger picture, one begins to grasp the sheer pace at which technological innovation has changed the human experience.
Today, technology is evolving at an unprecedented rate. And for better or for worse, it’s changing our lives. Which is why we think it is important to take stock of the future of technology every once in a while. So let’s take a look at some futuristic projects that are happening around the world.
Flying on land
SpaceX (think Elon Musk) has designed the Hyperloop system which would make trains travel at up to 760mph through a vacuum tube, propelled by compressed air and induction motors. It is with this mission that the organization announced the Hyperloop Pod Competition in 2015 to support the development of functional prototypes and encourage innovation by challenging student teams to design and build the best high-speed Pod. The competition is judged basis maximum speed with successful deceleration (i.e. without crashing), and self-propulsion. And if it all goes to plan, we could soon find ourselves sitting train that can travel at the same speed as a commercial jet airliner!
Fabric for electricity
What if you could generate power from your T-shirt? Needless to say, you would never again find yourself out of phone battery. That is exactly what will happen if the Chinese and US researchers who claim to have invented a super thin fabric that generates electricity from sunlight and movement are to be believed. The fabric is said to be a foldable power source that can be used on-the-go and can also monitor health indicators like heartbeat, body temperature and even a person’s geographical position. Sounds like smart clothing to us.
From video to virtual reality
Bringing the future for video production alive, Vibe is an organization that specializes in volumetric video i.e. holograms. Now they creating new virtual spaces in which activities like sports entertainment or even business meetings can be conducted. The platform is called Vibehub, and will provide are photo-realistic holograms of artists, educators, and public figures. Social interactions will also be made possible with the use of this technology, which means that Vibehub users will be able to interact with each other’s holograms. And just like Youtube, it will also allow users to monetize the VR content they create.
AI as finance advisor
A Forbes article recently mentioned a startup called Kensho that plans to change the way investment decisions are made by using AI or artificial intelligence. The magazine called this project “finances of the future”. Created as a financial analytics tool based on machine learning, it can predict how global events can influence businesses and markets. This effectively means that big losses triggered by unpredicted market fluctuations could become a thing of the past.
A new kind of art
Google Street View is something we have all heard about. But you may not know that a woman named Jacqui Kenny turned photographer by using the application. What makes her story interesting is that she suffers from agoraphobia – an anxiety disorder that causes one to fear unknown places. So she started going through remote places on Google Street View as her escape. And soon she started finding frames that made her want take photographs. She is currently showing in her first solo gallery show, The Agoraphobic Traveller, in Manhattan. Her success definitely sounds like a precursor to many more artforms evolving with access to technology.
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We are sure there are several more tech-projects that are so futuristic they will sound like science fiction. If you know of any, do share them with us.
