I was speaking with a friend the other night about his great
grandfather. His great grandfather was born in 1875. He lived until
1965. Can you imagine the
technology that this man saw come online?
Let me name a few: the typewriter, the electric dental drill, the
telephone, the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb, the hearing aid,
the electric fan, the dishwasher, the escalator, the airplane, the
Model T automobile, the air conditioner, the defibrillator, the atomic
bomb, the electric guitar, the nuclear submarine, nylon, the polio
vaccine, and the laser. He died right when the first minicomputer was
coming to fruition.
All of that in the span of his lifetime. Which
leads me to the topic of this article. Technology has completely
changed the way we live. And technological advances have accelerated at
unbelievable speeds. Technology is converging in ways no one could
have foreseen. I want to highlight some of the most interesting
technologies out there. These are technologies that will change the
world, for good and bad.
Nano Technology
Probably the most
interesting and frightening of the emerging technologies is nano
technology. Nano technology is a cross disciplinary field that deals
with building and synthesizing materials at scales of 100nm or less.
Nano technology usually works in one of two ways. It either pulls
smaller parts together to build or it breaks bigger parts down. The
parts are then used to form smaller, new materials. But why is nano
technology so important?
Nano technology is important because it
will have massive effects across every area of life. As I write this,
researchers are working on a nano particle to target cancer cells in
lungs. In 2004, Rice University tested gold nano particle cancer
treatment. In this treatment, these 150 nanometer gold particles were
injected into the blood stream of cancerous mice. Gold particles at
this size pass into tumors, but not healthy tissue. The researchers
then passed infrared through the mice. The tumorous cells absorbed the
infrared, heated up, and were destroyed. They are also working on
quantum dots that allow doctors to easily identify multiple diseases
quickly and accurately. But the uses don't stop there. Nanotechnology
will drive down the scale of electronics. This will lead incredibly
small devices. The applications are limitless. And you can bet that
the military will be clamoring for nano technology.
The military is
looking to have numerous nanotechnologies online by the year 2015. Such
advances include performance enhancing nanotechnology that aids bodily
functions. These will include response times, oxygen use, and
heightened senses. But nanotechnology can also be used for
reconnaissance and combat. Nanobots could scout areas without being
seen. They could also enter into enemies for espionage. They could
kill targets from within the host's body. The possibilities are
frightening.
Alternative Energy & Fuels
When gas prices
skyrocketed this past year, many people suddenly took an interest in
alternative energy and fuels. And because demand rose, companies
suddenly found themselves forced to take interest. Most of the common
arguments for alternative energy and fuels center around issues of
pollution, cost, dependence, and jobs.
What most people don't
realize is that alternative energy and fuels always have environmental
effects. This can be in the form of heat generation, air pollutants,
waste by-products, land usage, extraction, etc. Instead, we have to
talk about pros and cons around each type of energy and fuel. There is
no silver bullet. Costs, dependence, and jobs also vary depending on
the energy type.
There are a host of alternative energies being
tested. Wind powered energy plants are already in place in many parts
of the world. Solar energy production has taken huge steps forward with
the help of nano technology. One such company is Nanosolar. Nanosolar
is producing solar cells that are 100 times thinner than conventional
cells. Not only are the cells cheaper to produce, but they also convert
the solar energy much more efficiently. Ocean thermal energy
conversion (OTEC) uses the temperature differences in the ocean layers
to produce energy. And OTEC can utilize this colder water (36 degree F
cooler) in other things like on shore agriculture and refrigeration.
And the list goes on.
Massive interest was generated in
alternative fuels this past year when gas prices hit record levels. New
developments in battery technology could help. One such development is
Millennium Cell's hydrogen battery technology. This technology differs
greatly from traditional rechargeable batteries in that it's instantly
rechargeable. It also has a much great efficiency for energy
conversion, so it is much smaller and lighter. There is also greater
reuse efficiency since you don't need to replace the entire battery.
You only need to replace the energy module. Developments are continuing
in biodiesel, electric, hydrogen, methanol, etc. I think there could
be some serious future synergy between nano technology and alternative
energy.
"Bionetics"
This is my name for the incorporation of
technology into the body. The dermal display is a great indication of
things to come. Though I have yet to find a working demo version of
this concept, I have no doubt that it will become a reality. The
display would be driven by millions of nanobots. These nanobots would
display light when touched. This would print a display onto your hand,
or wherever the nanobot display would be housed. And this is where it
gets really interesting. The display nanobots would be connected to
millions of other fixed and mobile nanobots throughout the patient's
body. This would give instant readings on hundreds of vital statistics.
Again, nanotechnology plays a strong role here.
The bionics
revolution is already underway. There have been four major cases of
robotic limbs recently, the latest being a woman. The robotic limbs
take advantage of the functional nerve endings in the limb stump. These
nerve endings are used to actuate the robotic limb and to provide
feedback to the brain. More money is being poured into robotic limbs
every year.
"
Functional bionetics" are implants that enhance our
lives. And you may be surprised to know that people are actively doing
this as I write. People are inserting tiny electronics in their bodies
that will unlock their front doors and their cars. The same technology
is being used to unlock computers. But it doesn't stop there. There is
talk of implanting devices that will carry health information. You
could be carted into a hospital totally unconscious and they would be
able to access all of your past medical history. Most of this is done
through RFID technology.
"
Bionetic networks" will be networks of
connected bionetic devices. This would allow people to share sensation,
feelings, and communication. If this sounds completely fictional, I
invite you to consider the work of Kevin Warwick, Professor of
Cybernetics at the University of Reading, England. He has implanted an
extra-sensory device that interfaces with one put in his wife. They
were implanted in their arms. The first experiments are aimed at
exchanging sensory inputs, like pain. The hope is to extend that to
other, more complicated neurological processes like thoughts and
emotion. Obviously, that would drastically change relationships and
indeed the world. Forget about your teens text messaging, maybe they
will be brain linking in the future. Now that's really scary!
What
will we be able to say came online in our lifetimes? I'm sure we could
already list a lot of important technologies. But keep your eyes out
for these emerging technologies. They are set to change the rules of
our world. These technologies will upset economies, change military
tactics, empower people, and be used to control others. Keep an eye on
them.
Paul McGillivary has been a technologist for 15 years. In that
time, Paul has experienced thousands of technology problems, challenges,
and products. He brings this experience to bear in the articles that
he presents.
What
did you do today? Did you talk on the telephone? Did you ride in a car
or on a bus? Did you use a computer or turn on a light? If you did any
of these things, you used technology.
