9: Emerging and Future Technologies

Technological advancement is forwarding at breakneck speed and we seem to be having countless emerging technologies given scientists’ thirst for betterment. Each and every emerging technology holds tremendous promise for uplifting the collective quality of life. Some are under way while others may take years for their current imagination to take its mould. More often than not, these technologies tend to bring about hot debates with regards to its social, economic and political implications but taken together however, these technologies can not only sharply improve the world in which we live, they can also alter us humans, thereby forever moulding and improving our quality of life.

Below is an envisioned future by Microsoft which encompasses the issue on augmented reality, holographs, electronic papers etc. Very interesting to watch and it's good to look forward to such a future.



Below is an article that clearly sums up the future technologies
http://www.naturalnews.com/SpecialReports/EmergingTechnologies.pdf


Today's focus was on nanotechnology, touch-screen technology, electronic papers, biometrics, gaming and SMART cards.

Nanotechnology is defined as the engineer of functional systems on a molecular scale and can be used to create materials or devices with a vast array of applications such as in medicine, electronics, biomaterial and energy production. Here, reading 2 was provided to give a clearer understanding of the works of nanotechnology and some potential concerns that were brought up in the course of this development. One of which was the fact that it could widen digital divide because of the increasing amount of patents applied for privatisation of nanotechnology ownership, thereby denying the poorer nations access to this technology that could potentially benefit them in many areas.

Having said that, there are many benefits to yield from development of nanotechnology. Under the technical excellence award 2009, from reading 3, many important and innovative technological achievements were recognized. One of which that caught my attention was the one on TOUCHTECH CAPCITIVE GLOVES that incorporated the use of nanoscience and technology. The people behind this captured the fact that there are limitations to capacitive touch screen technology, one of which is that when people put on gloves, the touch screens became less responsive. This discovery led to the birth of the TOUCHTECH CAPACITIVE GLOVES that is made of fabric with nanoparticles so that when one puts on these gloves, he can still operate the touch screens effectively. This is just one of the few prospects of nanotechnology, many of which are still in the making.

Speaking of which Shuna gave us an insight on touch-technology being the highly sought after component in many equipment today. The usage of electronic papers, biometrics, smart cards was also introduced and this whole host of technological improvements seem to be a confluence of the 4 smarts which prof mentioned- smart PEOPLE, IDEAS, MONEY, ALLIANCE AND PARTNERSHIP.

Take for example, the transition from the initial touch screen technology (that could only recognize single bodily contact with the screen), to the current multi-touch technology. With the smart idea of developing the multi-touch technology such that the screen can simultaneously register three or more distinct position of input touch, University of Toronto's Input Research Group went on with rounds and rounds of experiments and testing to finally create the first human-input multi-touch system. But it was only with the increasing popularity that APPLE's iPhone gained, that gradually commercialised the multi-touch technology, since APPLE was the first to introduce multi-touch technology to a mobile device because they saw its potential in attracting consumers and reaping huge profits. With the 4 SMARTS, new technologies are born and consistently upheld/improved on.

“In terms of the development and application of new and emerging technologies, we are limited only by our imagination- and, all too often, the lack thereof”. I do agree with this but I'd think that this was applicable only in the past, when we were less tech-savvy,when technology wasn't as much a important part of our lives and when we were more conservative and less receptive to seemingly unrealistic yet ideal goals.

But with the rise in the Western powers over the years, conservative thinking has gone to be a thing of the past. People embrace change; bold and new ideas are highly lauded. This has effectively led to the current improvements in technology and thus does not seem to justify the above statement because it has progressed to the extent where the imaginations are so wild and unpredictable. Just like the above video of our future envisioned by Microsoft, we could well be headed for an entirely technology based world. Where we wake in the morning and read the news on holographic projections on the mirror, where we can choose products via the augmented reality and where the connection between us and the virtual world is so close it goes unnoticeable.

As long as there is the existence of that envision, there are bound to be people who welcome it and seek to work towards such a future. We are no longer limited by our imaginations, but instead our imagination now promises to bring us through the wildest, most exciting and much anticipated future ahead.

Today's lesson was an eye-opener because it exposed me to a whole range of exotic projections towards the near future. Especially the insights of the presentation and the relevant videos that were screened. I'd rate it a 9/10! :)