FUTURE INVENTIONS

Tongue Drive System to Operate Computers

 Scientists developed a new revolutionary system to help individuals with disabilities to control wheelchairs, computers and other devices simply by using their tongue.

 

Engineers at the Georgia Institute of Technology say that a newtechnology called Tongue Drive system will be helpful to individuals with serious disabilities, such as those with severe spinal cord injuries and will allow them to lead more active and independent lives.

Individuals using a tongue-based system should only be able to move their tongue, which is especially important if a person has paralyzed limbs. A tiny magnet, only a size of a grain of rice, is attached to an individual's tongue using implantation, piercing or adhesive. This technology allows a disabled person to use tongue when moving a computer mouse or a powered wheelchair.

 

 Scientists chose the tongue to control the system because unlike the feet and the hands, which are connected by brain through spinal cord, the tongue and the brain has a direct connection through cranial nerve. In case when a person has a severe spinal cord injure or other damage, the tongue will remain mobile to activate the system. "Tongue movements are also fast, accurate and do not require much thinking, concentration or effort." said Maysam Ghovanloo, an assistant professor in the Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

 

The motions of the magnet attached to the tongue are spotted by a number of magnetic field sensors installed on a headset worn outside or an orthodontic brace inside the mouth. The signals coming from the sensors are wirelessly sent to a portable computer that placed on a wheelchair or attached to an individual's clothing.

 

The Tongue system is developed to recognize a wide array of tongue movements and to apply specific movements to certain commands, taking into account user's oral anatomy, abilities and lifestyle."The ability to train our system with as many commands as an individual can comfortably remember is a significant advantage over the common sip-n-puff device that acts as a simple switch controlled by sucking or blowing through a straw," said Ghovanloo.

  The Tongue Drive system is touch-free, wireless and non-invasive technology that needs no surgery for its operation.
During the trials of the system, six able-bodied participants were trained to use tongue commands to control the computer mouse. The individuals repeated several motions left, right, up and down, single- and double-click to perform computer mouse tasks.

The results of the trials showed 100 percent of commands were accurate with the response time less than one second, which equals to an information transfer rate of approximately 150 bits per minute.
Scientists also plan to test the ability of the system to operate by people with severe disabilities. The next step of the research is to develop software to connect the Tongue Drive system to great number of devices such as text generators, speech synthesizers and readers. Also the researchers plan to upgrade the system by introducing the standby mode to allow the individual to eat, sleep or talk, while prolonging the battery life.

Top 10 Latest Invention of July 2010

1.Software that Superimposes Historical and Contemporary Photos

Now users can superimpose a historic picture on a contemporary image of the same scene.
However, in order to obtain a more accurate image the photo should be taken from the same spot, using the same zoom level. Such possibility comes from new software developed for digital cameras.
The new technology was developed by Fredo Durand and Soonmin Bae at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, who teamed up with Aseem Agarwala of Adobe Systems in San Jose, California. They came up with a technique entitled visual homing.
It is worth mentioning that visual homing is a method used in robotics, where it sends a robot to a precise location.
The new software runs on a laptop that is connected to a digital camera. Their program compares the image from the camera to a preloaded historical scene and offers instructions on how to better adjust the camera's position and zoom in order to obtain the most accurate match, reports NewScientist.
Although the laptop is now used to run the software, in the near future the developers hope to make the program run right on the camera.

2.Latest Invention: Life Microscope Concept from Hitachi

The latest invention from Hitachi - Life Microscope Concept - was displayed in Tokyo and marked the company's 100th birthday.
Although its form reminds a pedometer, the main difference lies in the fact that this concept has been also used in a number of real prototype timepieces.
Thus, when the user wears the device on their wrist, it records every single movement that is made.
After the information is gathered, it is transmitted to a software program developed exclusively for the Life Microscope, informsGizmoWatch.
Besides showing the user's walking and resting time, the device also differentiates between activities. This allows the user to differentiate between his or her sleeping time, sitting on chair time and playing video game time.

3.Latest Invention: Transparent Glass Able to Generate Electricity

 

 Due to a number of important breakthroughs in the field of science and technology made it possible for New Energy Technologies to come up with its latest invention - the world's first glass window that can produce electricity.
The company was able to develop a glass window able to generate power using the world's smallest working organic solar cells.
It is worth mentioning that these organic solar cells were created byDr. Xiaomei Jiang at the University of South Florida, reportsGreenDiary.
In contrast to the conventional solar systems, the solar cells developed by New Energy Technologies can produce power from both natural and artificial sources of light. These solar cells show a 10 times better performance than the solar and thin-film technologies used today.

 

Future Inventions

Future inventions will both make life easier and save energy. Let's start first with the future inventions that will make life easier.

One of the future inventions that is progressing is the use of robotic surgery. Having robots do routine surgery such as remove moles plus mold and implant caps on teeth will be nothing. One of the future inventions that will be considered disruptive technology is robots doing major surgery.

Robots in the surgical rooms will be equipped with compact X-rays, MRI machines, lasers, scalpels and other equipment. They will be able to draw blood, collect urine, and analyze the data against huge medical databases. They will make diagnoses and conduct treatment much more quickly than is humanly possible.

In the not so distant future there will be a comparison website for pharmaceutical prices that is real, robust, fair and democratic. With this future invention you'll be able to compare prescribed drug prices locally instead of driving to each individual pharmacy and doing comparison shopping this inefficient and ineffective way.

The "addiction pill" will be developed as one of the most important of the future inventions of our time. People who suffer from a wide variety of addictions from substance abuse to Internet addictions to relationship addictions will be treated with pills that either excite or inhibit parts of the brain responsible for both feelings and behavior.

Another of the future inventions that will be high on the coolness factor is 3D printers. Already, scientists are using inkjet printers to lay down solar cells for energy and microscopic cells for medical research. This is happening now. In the not too distant future, however, the 3D printer invention will enable viewers to change different angles of the paper and see other sides to objects. Magazines may be the first to employ this followed by home printers.

GPS shoes, clothing, glasses, TV remote, cell phones (even when turned off) will all be future inventions that will make life easier and they will all be networked. If you don't know where your child is you can look up their GPS cloths on laptop, desktop or cell phone. If you don't know where your glasses are or where the TV remote is you can do the same.

And if you can no longer see your future gadgets then you may receive an artificial eye or two implanted by robotic surgery. No longer will you need to wait for a donor to expire, but artificial eyes will be available at your own pharmacy (by prescription of course).

A future invention whose time has come is the development of a world currency. Sure, the Euro is a good start, but either expanding this or developing a new currency that can be used anywhere will help consumers travel and buy anywhere they like with ease.

On other pages on this site I've already talked about the future invention of facial recognition home security software. Cameras outside the house and inside the house can record, detect and recognize friend from foe.

It will be able to run people's faces against a database of criminals as well as give a history of that person and even pull up their different social media accounts, work history and even more personal history. If you think this is farfetched check out Google Goggles and you'll a glimpse of this technology in action.

Space tourism is one of those future inventions that is almost here. In fact, in a way it is here as several so-called tourists have made it to the International Space Station. What will happen though in the next couple of years is that tours to low earth orbit (LEO) will be conducted routinely and economically like rides in Disneyland or upon a cruise ship.

One of the future inventions that scientists are working on now that could be revolutionary is wireless electric car recharging on roads. Right now the technology is there for buses to run automated routes wirelessly with transmitters in the road every several feet. Also, there have been prototypes built embedding solar panels in the highways and byways to create energy.

But this energy and automated navigation could also be applied to electric cars as well. Wireless recharging for home devices is already happening. And not too far ahead this will be on the roadways for electric cars as well. This will not only make life easier but will also be done in a green and energy saving manner.

Now, to continue on with this thread about future inventions that will save energy, let's talk about some competing technology of hydrogen cars. Hydrogen car zero emission prototypes are here right now. And most of them are either hybrid or plug-in hybrids as well. The advantage of a plug-in hybrid hydrogen fuel cell car is range and refueling time. This technology could compete with wireless recharging of electric cars.

Inventions for the near future will include smart energy savers for home electronics. Right now, peripheral devices plugged into home electric sockets continue to suck down energy even when not in use. In fact, Bill Nye the Science Guy has said on CNN that 8-percent of all household electric usage is due to this kind of peripheral usage.

In the future some young inventor will come up with a way to save this power, by shutting down these peripherals and the power to them either through smart home technology or a combination that includes technology inside the peripheral itself.

There has been much talk about an Internet neural network, which of course will be one of the wildest future inventions in regard to communications. And part of this will be the worldwide smart neural network power grid, based upon green energy, which will allocate resources where they are need to each continent.

Some of this will be done through cables, fiber optics and power lines but advancing past that will be the use of lasers, lasers in satellites, ultrasonic transmissions and wireless electricity.

People have been seeking and working on free energy sources for hundreds of years. In one of the most astounding groundbreaking and disruptive technologies we will get it.

Free energy from electromagnetic motors will free us from our dependence upon foreign oil and the national power companies.

Before we finally get to this free energy source, however, we will have to go down the path of solar, wind, geothermal, smart grids, electrified highways and other sources of almost free energy. The final missing piece will be the future inventions that will lead to free energy through electromagnetic fields including large and small motors.

Of course, these future inventions are only predictions. Even Nostradamus gets it wrong on occasion. But, if you think these are wild, wacky and never will happen, then you need to check on what engineers and scientists are working on right now. In fact, they are working on all of these future inventions right now. In a few years time, will see how the progress goes.

Future Car

Decades from now will the next big future car be powered by hydrogen, electricity, biofuels or even nuclear energy? Many people want to know the future of the future car.

Perhaps the flying future car will be perfected in our lifetimes. But, let's take future cars one by one to see which is more likely to grace our highways and roadways a few years ahead.

Hydrogen fuel cell cars are here now and all the major automaker at least have one prototype on the roads. The Honda FCX Clarity and Chevy Equinox FCV are future cars that are here now being loaned or leased to multiple consumers.

The only current problem holding hydrogen cars back is the lack of adequate refueling infrastructure. At this point in time, it looks like Germany and Japan will be leading the charge in building this hydrogen refueling infrastructure within their countries.

The electric car is also a vehicle that is here now and has been for a while. Like the hydrogen car (which is also an electric vehicle), the electric car also lacks a viable recharging infrastructure.

Couple this with a short range before recharging and hours of recharge times and the electric car isn't quite ready for prime time (although Tesla, Fisker, Phoenix Motors and a few others will tell you differently).

Biofuel cars are also here and have been for a while. Ever hear of someone running their diesel car or truck on veggie oil? Yes, that is a biofuel. Gas stations in the Midwest have been selling gasohol (10-percent ethanol and 90-percent gasoline) for many years.

Most of the major automakers have some form of flex fuel vehicle that has been rolled out to the public. Many Brazilian cars run on 20 to 25-percent ethanol blends.

But, then what about nuclear-powered cars? In 1958 the Ford Nucleon concept car was introduced to the public.

The Nucleon was supposed to have been powered by a small nuclear reactor in the back, but a prototype was never built.

There have been many people working on nuclear powered cars or plasma powered cars but none has been successful yet. But, just give it another 20 or so years and you could be driving one to your future home.

Then what about future flying cars? The Moller flying car (Moller Skycar - pictured below top) has been in development for a while. It runs on diesel or biodiesel but it isn't ready for primetime just yet.

The Terrafugia Transition flying car (pictured bottom) has actually made a documented flight but it is classified by the FAA as a light aircraft and is much more of this than it is a car.

A couple of other notable attempts at flying cars were the Waterman Aerobile and the Taylor Aerocar.

So, what future car holds the most merit? It's hard to tell at this point. Each future car has it's own strengths and weaknesses that must be overcome by innovation and political will. With enough time the future car of tomorrow will be the standard automobile of today.

Future City

Many people are wondering what the future city will look like. If I were to look into my crystal ball, what I would see is that future cities will be clean, green and full of optimism and hope.

The city of the future will be cleaner and greener because of solar and hydrogen energy. Elevated hydrogen trains (Hyrail) will be powered by solar energy that electrolyzes water for fuel cells. This electricity will power MagLev Hyrail trains.

Also running through future cities will be, at ground level, hydrogen fuel cell trains (or Hydrail). While Hyrail will most typically be passenger trains, hauling people around the future cities, Hydrail will be using the power of hydrogen fuel cells to haul cargo inside and outside of town.

The future cities of America and elsewhere will also be heavily equipped with solar panels. There will be photovoltaic panels on the rooftops on almost every building and the windows of each building will double as solar panels as well.

And, of course what would a future city be without a future car for every driver? These future cars will run on hydrogen, electricity, biofuels and even air. There may even be a few future flying carsthat sail above traffic during rush hour. Thing Jetson or Flux Capacitor, then think again. Prototypes are here now.

In the cities of the future, every building will have smart technology. The smart technology will distribute and conserve energy through the building where it is needed most. Also, many buildings using solar energy will produce more electricity than they consume. They will be tied into the smart grid, selling power back and the smart grid will redistribute the energy in sections of the state and country where it is needed most.

The future city will also be inhabited with huge balloons filled with algae the produce hydrogen. This hydrogen will then either be run through stationary fuel cells to provide energy or be used as fuel for cars.

City life in the future will be a bit different than it is today. Future phones and laptops will have merged into small hybrids with WiFi everywhere and VoIP the standard for carrying voice and video data.

Life in the future city will have people even more plugged in than they are today. Virtual conferencing using virtual reality will be standard.

Future robots will have taken over the many tasks. The Honda ASIMO robot will be in a Tech Museum right downtown. Other kinds of robots will inhabit the future home.

People will only travel for vacation as the need to travel for business will be eliminated with the virtual business world. And for people who do want to go on vacation will do so either on supersonic jets or Maglev bullet trains.

The typical future city will also be filled with people using jetpacks instead of driving their own vehicles or in addition to their vehicles. Fuel grade hydrogen peroxide will power these jetpacks that only emit water vapor and will be able to travel for miles before refueling.

This vision of what the future cities will look like is all based upon emerging technology that is available now. This emerging technology of course has to be refined, downsized in many cases and of production quality. Look for nanotechnology to have taken over in many fields.

The future city will be a bright, hopeful place filled with green energy, interconnectivity and applied virtual reality.

Future Computer

Future computer technology trends suggest that mankind has not even begun to tap into computational power and networking. In a few years, cloud computing will be so Old School. The PC will be what the mainframe is today. And, Web 5.0 will have finally kicked in.

Not too many years down the road people will drive their future car inside their future city and then go back to their future home and tell their future robots what needs to be done. In the near future, wireless technology and nanotechnology will have taken over the world.

Nano neural networks will be the standard. Our brains will be connected directly to this vast future computer technology that has been miniaturized, broadened and made to be more powerful. Sound like science fiction?

Right now in medical settings several quadriplegics have been fitted with microelectrodes in the motor cortex of their brains.

Just by thinking, they can move robotic arms. Microelectrodes placed in different parts of the brain allow people with muscular dystrophy and other disorders to move cursors and type keys rather adeptly on a computer.

No longer are these experiments done with rats, monkeys or the episode of "House" where a patient move a cursor for "yes" or "no" by thinking about it. There is so much future computer technology that most people don't know about that is happening right now, right under our noses.

And, so what does this bode for 5, 10, or 20 years from now? Trends in future computer technology dictate that microchips, processors, hard drives and all computer components will get smaller.

WiFi, MiFi and other Fi's Foes and Fums will take over the marketplace and become common. Just by thinking we will be able to connect with networks most likely aided by small electronic devices that we keep on us at all times.

But a step beyond this will be the elimination of these small electronic cell phone, palm pilot, laptop, DS, GPS, facial recognition devices that have been rolled into one. Networks will be so widespread that there will be no need to carry small handheld devices.

Just by thinking about logons, passwords, text, photos, music and whatever our heads hold we'll be able to navigate, communicate socially from miles away, Tweet just by thinking and do work on the run.

Future computer technology will allow people who have lost the use of their limbs to use robotics as well as tap into these same networks empowering disabled people like never before. 

Some level of Cyborg technology will develop (that will be both morally positive and morally questionable).

Future computer technology will help solve many medical problems such as dyslexia and ADHD by reinterpreting sensory data and modulating brain activity. A whole host of other medical illnesses and conditions will be cured or managed by future software controlling dosages of medicine such as those with diabetes now experience, but the scope of the conditions healed or managed will be much more vast.

Future computer software will know when to stimulate neurons, how much, and will communicate with nanorobots that perform microscopic surgery or deliver medicine to very small, specific areas of the body.

The future of computer technology is a very bright one indeed. The current trends tell us this, as well as the research and development that is happening at lightning pace. The children today will have a whole new technological world waiting for them tomorrow. And tomorrow isn't that far away. 

Future Energy

It's no secret that the Earth is running out of fossil fuels and that some argue we have already passed peak oil. The major oil companies want to extract every last drop of oil inside the planet because that is their business model. The same is true for coal companies and natural gas companies as well.

But, the future energy model for mankind will be different from dependency upon fossil fuels with other 

energy sources leading the way. Alternative energy in the future will become mainstreamed with oil, coal and natural gas fading off into the sunset.

Two of the largest suppliers of energy outside of the Earth's atmosphere will be major players in the future energy supplies for mankind. Energy from the sun is almost limitless during the daytime and the moon has a significant gravitational energy that influences the tides.

So, looking into the future a bit, solar energy, wind energy (really a part of solar) and wave energy from large bodies of water will play a significant role. Right now, as human beings we don't do nearly enough to capture, contain and store the energy resources that surround us constantly.

Forget about the typical renewable energy sources for a moment of wind, solar, geothermal, hydro and bio-energy. Let's talk instead about some of the most powerful forces of nature of which only a miniscule percentage is being captured.

Future energy development will be focused on capturing the forces of Mother Nature such as hurricane winds and storm surges, tornado energy, lightning strikes, the jet stream, volcanic energy, earthquakes, floods, wildfires and even avalanches and landslides.

In the near future, as is the case right now, we will not be able to control Mother Nature and the storms she brings upon us. But, as we build bigger and more robust devices for capturing and storing "storm energy" (which will be at first considered alternative energy), this will help to ease the increased power demands of the Earth's growing population.

For a moment consider the use of ultra-robust wind turbines in hurricane alley that store the wind energy at its peak. The same can be said for off-shore and on-shore wave energy mechanisms that capture and safely store the energy from the most violent storms and storm surges.

Also consider high flying "electricity balloons" that capture inter-cloud lightning strikes during monsoon season. Now to switch gears a moment lets talk about some other future energy sources that are now considered "not for prime time" but have been under development for a while.

Future energy from nuclear fusion, gravity and anti-gravity, magnets and electromagnets, plasma and zero point energy are just a few of the promising technologies of today that will be major players tomorrow.

Of the sources I've just listed, fusion may just be the game changer in future energy development. When the ITER project finally proves that more energy can be created than consumed and done in a safe manner, then this will spawn the commercialism of the Age of Fusion.

Of course the Age of Fusion may also loosely parallel the Age of Traditional Renewable Energy and the Age of Storm Energy Capture. Even though future energy will involve advanced methods of conservation, this will ultimately be a losing battle. Conservation will slow down the need for more energy temporarily only for the so-called dam to burst at one point and with an explosive needs for more energy to support human life on Earth plus our adventures to low earth orbit and beyond.

Future Home

The future home is something that people have talked about for decades. And, because the future home concept tickles our imagination, scientists and engineers have been working hard to develop different systems to make houses "smarter." In the paragraphs below I will outlines some of the technology for future homes that is either in development or already on the market.

Video camera at entrance identifies visitors using facial recognition software. The facial recognition software of the future home will not only identify friends, but strangers as well. And the software in your future home will run the strangers face against a database of criminals and terrorists.

Toilets of the future will not only be heated, void of toilet paper, have a pleasing cleansing of the behind, but will also analyze stool samples for medical problems such as colon cancer and urine samples for teenage drug use or pregnancy issues.

Remote monitoring of the future home is already here, but also on your PDA or other handheld device you'll be able to manually override your future smart home's systems on the fly. Unexpected guests arriving, well, start that air conditioning early or open the door when the video facial recognition software detects their presents.

The future home will run off solar panels, wind turbines or both. Backup batteries may be used or an electrolyzer, compressed hydrogen and a fuel cell may also be used as backup power. Extra hydrogen and electricity will be produced and stored so you can fuel up and recharge your hydrogen fuel cell plug-in hybrid electric car, which is the future car you'll most likely be driving.

The future home will also have smart appliances as well. Ovens, microwaves and refrigerators will be combined and automated so remote cooking will be a possibility so meals are prepared for one's arrival. Think this is science fiction. Check out the TMIO kitchen appliances for a start.

Future homes will also have refrigerators that will download recipes based upon what it is stocked with and what is in your pantry. The recipes will then be forwarded to you. In the home of the future, the refrigerator will also take inventory of all food supplies in the home and alert you when you're running out. The refrig may also be programmed to contact the local supermarket to drop off the needed food supplies.

Future homes will also be very energy efficient. Microsoft, Google and others are now working on applications that tie into the smart grid for individual home so that you will be able to visually see and track which appliances use the most electricity, where heating and cooling is escaping in from one's home and how you can produce more energy with your solar panels or wind turbines.

In the future home there will be a vast neural networking system connecting all appliances, TV's, PC's, video, security and remote handheld or Bluetooth-type devices. There will also be other green systems in place such as saving, purifying and reusing wash water and bath water. Plants and people may receive pure or mineralized drinking water.

Speech recognition will be far superior to Dragon Naturally Speaking or other programs and applied to this network. Besides facial recognition software, your future home may also combine speech recognition software, hand or fingerprint scanning or a combination of these security measures.

In the future home, high definition television and PC will be combined so that one can access the Internet and watch one's favorite programs at the same time.

One will easily be able to chat over social media about a television show that both or multiple parties are watching in real time.

Smart showers will not only be able to recycle water, but will be able to store individual profiles for each member of the family according to preferences and patterns of usage. One member may take long baths while another short showers. Automated soap and shampoo dispensing for male or female will be programmed in. Water temperature and pressure settings can also be individualized.

In the future home, the smart bathroom will also be able to take inventory of such items as toilet paper, shampoo, soap, hand soap, and other toiletries and then automatically either remind or reorder the items as desired.

Since future homes will have advanced network systems, self-diagnostics will also be a critical feature. If one part of the network or peripherals is malfunctioning or needs repair, the owner will be notified or else and automated repair order will go out. Self-healing of many software problems will occur in the future home as patches or workarounds can be download or remote support enabled.

If you think this future home concept is pie in the sky or science fiction, then think again. Most of the systems outlined here are either in development or already out on the market. Future homes may not be standard yet for the middle class but this isn't as far ahead as many people would think. 

Future Movies

If you've come to this web page looking for movies that will be playing in the near future then you may as well hit the Back button and leave right now. This page is about revolutionary future movies and the technology behind them.

Like other industries the movie making industry of the future will be hammered with disruptive technology. This disruptive technology will forever change the moviegoer's life.

In fact, future movies will be played in smaller, more prevalent decentralized theatres across the country. Large movie theatres will not go away entirely but they will be added to the mix of smaller theatres inside many malls and even convenience stores that are able to hold 1 to 8 people and play the most current movies on demand as well as a huge database of older movies as well.

If you're in a hurry, you can start watching a movie in one of these booths, download them onto your personal iPod, iPad, laptop, cell phone, blackberry or the newest personal electronic device and take them with you. As the future advances even more, these movies can be downloaded into a special section of your brain for storage and you'll have access via total recall to these movies on demand.

Future movies will be virtual experiences as well. In the decentralized versions you'll be able place yourself as an avatar inside the version of the movie you are in. You'll be able to limit the number of other avatars in the particular future movie you are watching.

If you don't like this particular crowd, you can easily jump to the same point of the flick in another future movie and join in with another crowd. Approximately 10 years beyond this there will be participatory future movies where you will not only be able to step into the picture as an avatar but become one of the caste of actors in it and join in the plot with the other directors and actors.

Think of this as a kind of virtual workshop for actors and fans to join together and improvise the movie in the making. This Karaoke approach will appeal to many who don't like to be passive in the movie experience but would rather join it. If you would rather remain passive, then you can do so and watch a different version of the future movie that is non-participatory from the fans. Or you will be able switch between both venues at will.

Of course, future movies will be HD, 3D with full motion and sensory appeal. Both live streaming and immediate playback will be offered.

Future movies will hit large theatres, small personal public theatres, home theatres and personal electronic devices at the same time.

Future movies will also join with social media where you won't need a Hollywood studio to create a wonderful picture. In the future anyone can post their own homemade movie on today's equivalent of Youtube, Facebook or Myspace.

Friends and the public at large will be given permissions to alter these movies, join in, be excluded from or work on them as a large group project. Different versions of these social media movies will go viral as excellence will be achieved through group effort.

The same technology as stated above will be afforded the masses so that Hollywood no longer has a stranglehold on how future movies are made and distributed including the large budgets and advertising campaigns behind them. Think of how the music industry has changed on the Internet in the past few years and you'll get a glimpse of things to come for the future movie industry as well.

Future movies will be more democratic through social media in shared creation and enjoyment of the flicks. Just as Wikipedia has created a more accurate dictionary than Miriam Webster, using the power of the people at large, future movies will be transformed through this same collective conscious engagement and experience.

Future movies of the next generation will far surpass the current generation, not only in technology but in shared experience as well.

Future Robots

Sure, you're familiar with the Honda ASIMO and perhaps even the Toyota humanoid robot, but there are a few future robots operating right now that you may not be familiar with.

For instance do you know about the MAVs, Chembot, Snakebot, Flossie, A-Pod, WR-07, Robotic Chair, EATR and Rex? Perhaps one of the future inventions you don't know about is a robotic surgery machine that has already been created.

And then there is the whole emerging field of nanorobotics that will one day work wonders in the medical field. In fact, some have been created now. But, let's start with what we know about.

MAVs are small flying robots used for military surveillance. Micro-Aerial Vehicles or MAVs can be fixed wing, flapping or rotary style and are not unlike hobby RC aircraft.

The iRobot ChemBot was developed for the military to fit through extremely small openings in complex environments. The Chembot has no wheels and is extremely soft and flexible.

The Snakebot is a snake robot that slithers across the ground developed for use in search and rescue operations. Another use is to put the Snakebot on other planets to collect data during space missions.

Flossie is a vehicle testing robot designed to ride long hours in extreme heat and other inhumane conditions. It was developed to test Castrol oil operating in two and three wheel vehicles.

The Zenta A-Pod (inventor of hexapods) is a 6-legged robot with huge mandibles and can do a number of tricks. Some of the activities it can perform include climbing a rope and pouring a glass of water.

Hemji Soft Japan has created the WR-07 which is a real transformer like in the movies. It can change itself from car to robot and back again.

Max Dean invented the Robotic Chair that is a simple enough looking wooden structure like many others we sit upon every day. Designed as a piece of art intended as social comment, the Robotic Chair can break apart, pull its pieces together and erect itself back into the original shape.

EATR (Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot) can feed on biomass, gasoline, diesel and coal and is designed to carry heavy loads. It can transport fuel and weapons to places inaccessible to human beings.

Israel Aircraft Industries developed Rex to also carry heavy loads of up to 400 lbs in military operations. Rex provides logistical support and can operate up to 72 hours straight.

Of course there are an assortment of fighting robots, space robots and many other kinds of robots that have been used for years. Robotic limbs are being developed now. But what does the future hold?

Well, some of the most exciting future robots are the nanobots I had spoken about earlier. These tiny nanorobots will range in size from 0.1-10 micrometers and will be used in both the medical industry and environmental fields. One such "car" using buckyballs for wheels has been developed for regulating environmental temperatures.

Nanobots someday will take over the medical field by performing surgery on cancer cells, polyps and taking samples. Medical nanorobots will also give targeted delivery of drugs to specific regions of the body.

Nanobots are in development now to be used for early diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of many different conditions and diseases. Moving among living cells these future robots will be able to be controlled and monitored by humans and move due to catalytic reactions within the body.

This is just an overview of the future robots to come. Many more are in development but have not been shared with the public yet. These future robots are either of military use or commercial use by companies who have proprietary technology and want to avoid competition. No matter what, though, this is just the beginning of seeing future robots integrated into the world in which we live.

Future Weapons

Right now there are rubber bullets and bean bag projectiles used to stop aggressors plus other less and non-lethal weapons as well. Future weapons, however, will rely more heavily on technology and strategy. Some of the future weapons that are now in development include lasers and laser induced plasmas, optical distractors, active denial technology, focused acoustics and vehicle and vessel stopping.

 

Lasers may be used on the ground or in space such as the U. S. plans for a national defense system. A Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response Rifle (PHASR) has been shown to temporarily blind an opponent. The same goes for the Light Emitting Diode Incapacitator (LEDI) that causes temporary blindness, nausea and vomiting and thus has been called the Puke Ray.

A Laser Induced Plasma Channel (LIPC) is an electroshock weapon that uses lasers fired into the atmosphere that causes blooming of the gases to ionize into plasma forming a channel for electricity.

Optical distractors are not future weapons in and of themselves but aid other weaponry or can be used as a "warning shot" so to speak to aggressors. Optical distractors are lasers that use directional energy to overwhelm an adversary's visual acuity, provide a warning or provide the aggressor an opportunity to clarify their intent of action. The affect is similar to bouncing sunlight off a mirror, but with more focused and precise energy.

Another of the future weapons we will see shortly are advanced active denial technology (ADT) systems. Recently, the military has demonstrated the effectiveness of ADT's to the general public through the major media outlets. ADT's were built primarily for crowd control and work by sending out electromagnetic radiation that causes a sensation of heat. Some ADT's have been used to immobilize vehicles and Raytheon has developed a table top unit to be used by police, security personnel and the military.

Because of the potential for misuse, injury and potential death from the ADT, the future of this future weapon is now uncertain unless drastic changes are made or its purpose changes, such as exclusively using the technology for the immobilization of vehicles.

Focused acoustics are future weapons that are in some degree already here. Focused sonic and ultrasonic sound waves as weaponry have been developed by the military for crowd control and immobilization of the enemy. Sonic and ultrasonic waves can cause nausea, discomfort, disorientation (vibration of eyeballs) and incapacitation, such as eardrums exploding. Another unpleasant device is called the MEDUSA (Mob Excess Deterrent Using Silent Audio) that causes incapacitation.

Future weapons may include infrasonic devices that can pass through concrete walls and steel without interruption to target humans on the other side. Besides the complications listed above for focused acoustics the infrasonic devices can cause severe lung and intestinal problems as well.

The military has expressed that distance vehicle stopping to be one of their main safety concerns. Some of the future weapons being developed to stop vehicles at a significant distance include high output microwaves that disrupt electronic engine components, high energy lasers and advanced ADT systems.

Of course some other future weapons may include the Variable Velocity Weapon System that will let soldiers set their guns to kill, wound or just bruise opponents, depending upon the situation (crowd control versus enemy combat) and non-lethal tetanizing weapons. The non-lethal tetanizing weapon uses a high beam of ultraviolet energy to immobilize aggressors. The target's muscles are stimulated to the point of immobilization and the person falls to the ground.

Two more future weapons on the horizon are next generation unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) and micro UAVs. Both are used today for surveillance and reconnaissance, but in the future the scope will broaden and especially micro UAVs will be used increasingly inside of large or densely packed cities.

Some of the larger drones today can fire weapons upon the enemy. In the future drones will be able to fire lasers, blasts of electromagnetic radiation and biological weaponry.

Biological future weapons will play an increasing role in military warfare in the coming years. Military leaders have been concerned about biological warfare for decades and it is likely that this will be in the arsenal of weapons in future military use. As a nonlethal weapon, a designer virus will need to be introduced that will have temporary incapacitating effects and will not spread beyond the intended community.

Put aside your Honda ASIMO as robots will also be used as future weapons. And these robots will be armed with future weapons themselves. From smaller devices that you mind find in robot battles or devices that the police bomb squad may use to larger size "war robots" it will all be in play not too many years from now.

Technology Education

Future technology education programs will be mind-blowing compared to what we have today. Technology education in the future will rely heavily on input learning and virtual reality experiential reenactment.

One of the benefits of future technology education is that people will finally be cloned. Of course moral objections will still remain in some countries like the U. S. but other countries will clone human beings for various reasons, like high IQ, pedigree, athletics and other reasons.

It will be clear in the future that cloned human beings do have a soul and the "soul splitting" or "soul fragmentation" theory will take root. This theory will basically say there are a limited number of souls and too many bodies, so when people die and more are reborn, souls split among many different human beings. This is why finding one's "soul mate" or "soul mates" will be increasingly important to people.

Future technology education will rely on wireless input into one's brain. Downloads of a plethora of textual information will be quickly transported via computer into the heads of students. Distance learning will be common. As well photographic memories for humans will be developed by future medical science.

But this "book learning" of the technology education will be no substitute for experiential learning. This is why virtual reality will play such an important role in the future of technology education.

For years, pilots have known the value of a flight simulator in order to practice take-offs, landings and other flying maneuvers. Video games for young people will lead to jobs in flying drones and doing other distance mechanical, robotic and aeronautical jobs.

But, this will be taken a step further in technology education. Students with the fear of public speaking will be able to practice delivering oral papers and calming themselves in front of a virtual setting.

Teachers will practice in front of virtual classrooms. Those doing technical repairs will also practice in a real life virtual simulation. First responders will be put inside virtual practice fields as will soldiers like stepping inside a video game. No longer will Tron or Total Recall be precursor movies that glimpse the future, but relics of the past.

The combination of this downloaded wireless textual information into one's brain and the virtual reality experiential training will be powerful technology educational devices that may be updated often to keep students and employees engaged in the latest happenings in their fields. No more conference calls and Powerpoint presentations.

Paradigm shifts and disruptive technology will be the norm in the future. Neural networks of computers will mean that both humans and non-humans will be learning at a rapid pace never seen before in the history of mankind.

In the virtual worlds I had previously talked of there will be mentors, guides and teachers combining to help students achieve high academic standards in their technology education program. Some of these will be programmed in while others will be human walk-ons into the virtual scenarios.

In technology education a few years from now, learning disabilities will be a thing of the past, partly due to advances in medical science that will prevent many cases through genetic alterations and for those few who are left, virtual and downloadable textual programs specific to each child's development, plus mentors, aids and teachers will not only strengthen the deficits but also develop the technological educational assets the child may already be endowed with.

Technology education many years from now won't be limited by geographical location. Students may learn the latest German, Japanese or Brazilian technical theories with either translations or by quickly learning a new language via the methods already described.

In the future, social media will have taken over and not just for talking to friends but for chatting with other students and colleagues. Most of these chats will take place by stepping into and out of virtual chat rooms. Wireless "brain alerts" will be given so that students know what chats are taking place at all times and choose to join or not to join at will.

Sleep, while still important will be condensed, focused and an intense experience so that both mind and body can consolidate images, thoughts, feelings (and relaxation) of the day and of the past. Future technology education will help psychiatrists and psychotherapists deal with patients who have experienced trauma, past, present or future.

Psychiatrists will already have the full DNA and genome structure of each patient before he or she walks into his virtual office. Prescribing pharmaceuticals will that will be highly targeted will be the norm. As for psychologists, future technology education will allow them to access and assess areas of trauma, resistance and denial quickly and use one of many psychological templates in dealing with emotional issues. The pain of grief, while not eliminated, will be a far shortened process.

This is just a glimpse into the new education technology of the future. Many other advances will be made that will shift the way we think and learn. The world as we know it will be more fluid, more science and technology based, less political and more about helping mankind solve problems of co-existence.