Imagining how future tech may transform life on earth, a world akin to that of The Jetsons comes to mind. A utopian world wherein we live in smart homes, ride self-driving and flying cars, eat meals cooked by smart kitchens, wear terrible looking futuristic clothing, and share our feelings with sentient robots ready to do our bidding. But alas, its 2019 and we are not quite there yet even if technological advancement has made it so that we appear to be well on our way to achieve that utopian lifestyle. Previous depictions of futuristic technology in movies have not been highly accurate, but now perhaps we can make more precise predictions about what our future tech may look like.

Computer Implants

The future of computer technology is about how close to our skin it may be or rather how inconspicuous it may become. With the advent of personal computers, previously, we had computers in our rooms. Later, when the mobility of these devices increased, we began carrying them in our hands, whether it was a laptop or a smartphone. Even Voice services such as Cox phone became mobile through the introduction of apps that allow you to use your home phone service from anywhere. In the future, we might as well have computer implants woven into layers of our skin, controlled by our brain and gestures alone, while the brain of computers will shrink to zero-size, with some models predicted to be powered by just one atom in a decade or two.

Gazillions of Sensors

With the onset of the Internet of Things (IoT), the demand for sensors has increased. It is projected to become 1 trillion in 2022. From our clothes to toilets to streets, we will have sensors connected to the internet. By 2050, we will have all our electronics connected to the cloud via the internet.

Flying and Self-driving Cars

One of the technologies that companies are most trying to perfect is the capability of the cars to self-drive and fly. Our roads are already filled to the brim, its high time we have flying cars like the Jetsons. Uber is set to perform the first tests of its Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) taxi in 2020, and endeavors to make it commercially available by 2023. Among dozens of companies, we have AeroMobil and SureFly, developing their prototypes too. While 40+ companies including Tesla, Mercedes, and General Motors are developing self-driving cars. Therefore, flying and self-driving cars are set to be the thing soon.

Robots and Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Robots are already employed for blue-collar work, although in a limited capacity, soon they will be performing more functions and tasks, eventually white-collar jobs too. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and improvement in robot dexterity, humans will be spared from performing mindless and repetitive tasks. Robots will be able to assemble our gadgets, cook our meals, and assist the medical staff in surgery, etc. People will even have the option to choose a personality for their robots; that personality could be of their favorite character or a loved one.

Touring to Moons and Planets

Like the Jetsons, we may not be able to easily afford space travel anytime soon. After all, their was a utopian society, and ours a real one. But companies like Virgin Galactic and Blue Origins are offering sub-orbital space flights, not quite into space, yet really close; while SpaceX and Boeing will begin launching their own astronauts into space, making it more and more accessible. In September, SpaceX unveiled its Starship that will take humans into space. It is set for an unmanned test flight next month. Therefore, the day when these Starships will be much more powerful and sophisticated and space tourism would be affordable to the masses may just be in store for us.

Social Networking with Virtual Reality

By 2023, the Virtual Reality Market will be over $160 billion. With VR gear becoming easier and flexible to use, it may as well impact how we network in the digital world. FacebookSpaces and AltSpaceVR are continuously trying to develop communities similar to that of Second Life, a virtual reality world. Though social networking via VR is still in its nascent stage, with the improvement and inexpensive availability of VR hardware, we’re set to revolutionize how we network.

Revolutionary Medical Treatments

While previously, medical practitioners had a standard solution for a particular disease impacting dozens of patients, with AI aiding the diagnostic process, personalized medical treatment is already here; it tailors the medical treatment to an individual's unique molecular and genetic make-up, increasing the likelihood for safe and successful treatment of the patient. Albeit, these are still early stages, we may see personalized treatments available to masses in the future.

What is more? Massachusetts General Hospital is developing a small, pill-like device that can be swallowed and upon ingestion diagnose and capture detailed images of the inside of the body. Another breakthrough in medicine is underway too; we have custom cancer vaccines in testing, if all goes well, just like the plague, cancer will not be as scary anymore.

There are so many exciting technological innovations that were just a couple of decades ago the stuff of fantasies, but today is the reality and will in another decade or two be commercialized: 3D printing for food, Blockchain, solar panel tech, faster trains, and robot soldiers and butlers. A technological world similar to that of Jetsons is in the making, though less utopic, and more realistic and inclusive

 

 

Author's Bio: 

Sean Williamson lives in New York City and calls himself the 'tech-bro', given his special interest in everything that's digital. Besides writing for major technological sites in the spare time, he likes to stay on top of the latest developments, especially in the field of smartphone tech. His dream to create an app that solves if not all, at least some of the major problems faced by people at large. He works as a writer in a company.