Augmented Reality, household robots or vacations in space?
The top seven inventions that will soon be making life easier
The future is racing toward us. There are more than 3 million scientists in universities and companies all over the world working on groundbreaking innovations. But which inventions are realistic, and which are a long way from becoming reality?
In Germany alone, well over 500,000 people work in research and development. That’s 100,000 more people than just 10 years ago. From space travel and biotech to IT and nanotechnology, they are constantly working on new materials, processes and products.
There are several million scientists worldwide. Even China has caught up with the rest of the world. The People’s Republic will outstrip Japan and the United States by 2011 in the number of patent applications.
A glimpse at the drawing-board of the future
The innovative power of the human race continues unabated. It seems to be accelerating more and more, bringing forth increasingly astonishing innovations. We would like to present you with the most promising candidates for the distinction of “Life-Changing Invention” in a Top Seven list. Some ideas are still in their infancy – but if there were only 104 years between Jules Verne and Neil Armstrong, who knows what will be possible in 10 or 20 years?
1. Augmented Reality (AR) – The 4th Dimension
Smartphones let you see reality in a completely new way. For example, point the camera of your iPhone or Android at the night sky, and the display screen will present the names of the stars and constellations captured by the lens. This is just a small taste of the innumerable ways AR will make our lifes easier in the coming years. A “second reality” will overlay the “real” world with visual input via a tablet computer, 3D glasses or even bionic contact lenses (developed in 2008 at the University of Washington), supplying us with extra information in the fields of medicine (operations) or the maintenance of machines and equipment, for example. It might even be possible to have a kind of “X-ray vision”. This is to say nothing of applications for talking on the phone, working on a PC, driving, advertising and much more. We are entering the fourth dimension.
2. The flying car – The joke’s over. Here comes the real thing
The fastest and simplest way to get from point A to point B is to fly. That’s why it’s such an old dream – flying into the air just as easily as we get into a car today. Absurd? Completely unthinkable? In the summer of 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States gave manufacturer Terrafugia approval to begin series production for a flying car, the “Transition”. The chic “Transition” drives on the street with folded-in wings and front wheel drive; when it takes off into the air, the wings fold out and a 100 hp engine and a rear propeller keep it in flight. Range: 460 miles. Price: €160,000. Units per year: 20. Over the rainbow …
3. Astronaut for a day – Space. The final frontier
Extravagant entrepreneur Richard Branson (of Virgin Airlines, inter alia) has invested 400 million dollars in the development of his “spaceship for everyone”. As a result, one of the most complicated technologies will finally get a lot simpler. If all goes according to plan, the “Enterprise” will begin transporting six paying passengers at a time up to 55 miles into space within the next two or three years. There, the astronauts will experience a few minutes of weightlessness and space travel before coasting back down to Earth in the manner of the space shuttle.
4. The organic computer – DNA makes everything clear
The organization of all living beings relies on the coding of just four bases in the DNA molecule. Deoxyribonucleic acid is perfectly designed for data storage: 6 grams of DNA have a theoretical storage capacity of 3072 exabytes, which is more than one trillion gigabytes. And then there’s the theoretically achievable speed: 1 million tera operations per second (current supercomputers accomplish just one tera operation per second). For now, achieving it still poses technical problems. Scientists are working out hybrid solutions with electronic assemblies that connect the DNA technology upstream. But, with Jules Verne in mind: it’s all just a matter of time.
5. The 3D camera – even that will soon be quite easy
One of the largest Japanese camera manufacturers (and inventor of the digital camera) already presented the first “real” 3D camera in 2009. The 10-megapixel camera has two lenses, which are about as far apart as human eyes. That means each photo is shot from two slightly different angles. The camera software combines these two images to create the illusion of depth on the display screen. You don’t need 3D glasses to see it; the three-dimensional effect is nearly perfect. Our children and grandchildren will laugh at us when we show them our old 2D photos.
6. Carbon nanotubes – It’s what the future is made of
Carbon nanotubes (CNT) – a catchword that puts a twinkle in the eyes of scientists and inventors. Microscopic, tube-shaped structures. Molecular nanotubes of pure carbon. It’s the stuff of science fiction. And yet: it’s quite real. Scientists have already produced tubes with a diameter of 0.4 nanometers and with lengths of almost 20 cm. What’s so special about that? Due to its exceptional properties, CNT is the foundation for numerous groundbreaking advances in a number of fields. For example, as diodes in semiconductor technology, in heat sinks for computer circuits, or as the lightest and most durable material that can currently be conceived. CNT is even the best hope for scientists who dream of building a space elevator but need a “thread” light enough for the task. In any case, nanotubes will soon make for spectacular innovations in several fields.
7. The synthetic cell – evolution in the laboratory
While working on the Human Genome Project, Craig Venter, the famous pioneer of human genome description, was already wondering if it would be possible to engineer a completely synthetic bacterium. After 15 years, he finally succeeded in this unbelievable, Frankenstein-like feat. He used laboratory equipment to construct the genome of a bacterium that truly lived, as though it had been created by nature. "It came to life, divided and reproduced like any other bacterium", said Venter. He is aiming for industrial applications. He wants to create new forms of artificial biofuels and simplify the production of vaccines. Venter has the ‘flu in his sights – someday soon, maybe we can get rid of our handkerchiefs.