Each of us has already thought about what the world will look like in a few years. Will they start implanting us with microchips? Will robots operate on us? What will the future be like without cash? Interesting technological trends and innovations that possibly await us in the future have been presented in the Experience Science Center Aurelium in Bratislava. Let's have a look at them together.
A world without cash?
Contactless payments are becoming more and more popular in the world. According to Richard Labaš from Flowy, the volume of online purchases will increase in the coming years.
"Since people in this sector usually buy the same things regularly, we can prepare their shopping lists for them automatically, and then they just confirm them and make the payment by card. They don't have to do anything else. The groceries will be delivered directly to their home,"
says Labaš.
At the same time, he believes that in the future we will no longer go to shops to buy things, but we will only go there to look at the new items and talk about them.
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Artificial Intelligence
Michal Valko, a machine learning expert at DeepMind, talks about artificial intelligence as a tool that will move humanity further. Combined with general cognitive abilities, artificial intelligence will be able to find solutions to problems for which it has not been programmed, or which it has never encountered.
"I have a strong vision. One day it will be possible to have a shower at home, in which various sensors and lasers will measure your temperature and other vital signs once you stand in it. It will even be able to perform an MRI scan, and after you get out, it will alert you to what's wrong with your body,"
said Martin Herman, the CEO of a health-tech startup Powerful Medical.
It follows that AI will gradually transcend the boundaries of human intelligence. It will become the most intelligent form of life on Earth. It will be a crucial point that will change the history of mankind. Its greatest potential will be in various medical fields.
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Umělá inteligenceSource: Freepik.com
Intense virtual reality
Scientist and psychologist Martin Polák has brought the concept of virtual reality exposure therapy to Slovakia. He talks about perceptual broadening. These days, when we connect to virtual reality, we only engage our sight and hearing. Latest developments in neuroscience attempt to include smell and touch in this experience as well.
Smart building solutions
Josef Šachta from the Czech company Sharry introduced a concept according to which companies will prefer to have more branches in one city instead of large centres, but they will not be located in one building. His company supplies smart solutions to the most modern office buildings in the world. They can also be found in one of the tallest skyscrapers in the United States.
Although the future cannot be predicted one hundred percent, based on scientific research, futurologists offer many visions of future development. Many of those visions suggest what may be ahead of us in a few years.
A world that is controlled by computers
Famous Google futurologist Ray Kurzweil talks about the end of the era of pilots and drivers. Airplanes and cars will no longer need human staff. Instead, they will be fully computer-controlled. Technology will advance. The intelligence of commonly available computers will surpass human intelligence. In the years 2045 - 2099, according to Kurzweil, the world will turn into one huge computer. In 2050, there will be flying cars powered by biofuels or solar energy.
Robotic sex
Futurologist Ian Pearson believes that by 2050, humans will prefer robots to their own species when it comes to sex. Sexual intercourse between robots and humans will outweigh sex between humans. The era of "digisexuals" will begin. Digisexual is a term for a person who is attracted to robots, probably because they can be controlled, do not have their own opinion, don't argue and it is very easy to build a relationship with them. According to scientists, a sex robot will have certain advantages over a sexual partner made of flesh and bones: there is no risk of pregnancy or STD, and you do not have to worry about rejection. Your new partner will have steel joints, a PVC skeleton, and silicone muscles. American scientists warn of the psychological threat to the morality of individuals and society. There is a risk that people will lose the ability to establish a real relationship with the opposite sex.
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Dospívající robotSource: Freepik.com
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Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology (a field of applied science that uses atomic-scale technology) will come to the fore. "New human bodies" are expected to be based on nanotechnology.
"Nanobots will be used to take care of our entire immune system. Our immune system is amazing, but it was still in development thousands of years ago when conditions were completely different,"
predicts Ray Kurzweil.
At the same time, he believes that nanobots will function as white blood cells, which are used today to destroy cancer cells. All we have to do is program them to attack all pathogens.
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NanotechnologieSource: Freepik.com
Around 2030-2040, we will be able to transmit ideas telepathically, via wireless networks. We will be able to change memories. With the help of nanotechnology, the sensory abilities of the brain, including memory, will be increased.
Experts claim that nanotechnology applied under our skin will also enable the repair of damaged parts of our biological body, for example, it will restore lost teeth or heal scar tissue. The electronic muscular system will provide superhuman strength.
Brain-controlled devices
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Robot versus člověkSource: Freepik.com
The TV remote will no longer be in fashion. Since we are expected to turn into androids, all control technologies will be hidden under our skin. Academics talk about wireless communication between the human body and electrical equipment. With a single thought, we will be able to turn on the lights, TV, or start an electric car. Small subcutaneous implants will be responsible for that along with our brain, thanks to the connection to a computer the size of a grain of rice. Scientists believe that if we can safely implant these miniature computers in our heads, we will be able to gain immediate access to a vast amount of information from the Internet.
Animal language
Futurologist Ian Pearson has a theory that technological advancement will enable people to communicate with animals in the years to come. Thoughts will be exchanged thanks to miniature implants placed directly in our brains. With their help, you will find out that your pet wants to go for a walk before it starts scratching at your door.
Virtual schools
According to Web Earth 2050, most students will study from home instead of attending lecture rooms and classes. Special virtual classes will be created. Children and teachers will attend them from home in the form of holograms. If a pupil decides to skip school and their hologram is inactive, parents will be sent a message that their child has left the virtual classroom.
Our thoughts will be backed-up.
Our thoughts and experience will be uploaded to remote data storage systems. If consciousness could be backed up in this way, then, according to Pearson, we would probably never die. We may lose the biological body, but our consciousness will remain stored on the hard disk or in the Internet cloud on the Internet forever. If we connect consciousness with an artificial body like in the Terminator movie, we are back in the world, complete with our stored memories.
A future without work?
Some jobs will be completely replaced by robotization and automation in the future. These trends are set to continue. Companies will benefit from this because they will save money and won't have to pay for human labour. According to Professor Christian Schweiger of Durham University in the UK, robots do not take sick leave, are not late for work, and are less likely to make mistakes. Employers do not have to pay levies for them and there is no risk of a strike.
Experts predict that jobs in cybernetics, genetics, ecology, and medicine will be in demand in the future. And which positions will disappear? According to some experts, due to the boom of autonomous vehicles, drivers will have to look for a new job. Self-service kiosks could replace the tasks of waiters, vendors, or production workers. Computer scientists Moshe Vardi from Rice University and Bart Selman from Cornell University state that prostitution will cease to exist, and the oldest profession will be replaced by specialized sex robots.
