Technical novelties. Technological Innovations Smart Grill GoSun Solar Cooker
Every year, many scientific discoveries are made in the world that can qualitatively change the lives of people on the planet. Today, technology has a social responsibility - batteries that can power entire villages, artificial intelligence, the Internet of things.
All these ideas were already known, but only in 2017 did they reach the level of maturity at which their impact on our lives becomes noticeable.
Ultra-capacious batteries
The world has long been ready to abandon oil products in favor of electricity. The last frontier of this technological war is reliable and high-capacity batteries that can store a sufficient amount of charge. Recent research in this area allows us to hope that in a few years batteries using sodium, aluminum and zinc will be able to provide people with cheap and affordable energy. This will affect not only electric vehicles - the cheaper the technology of accumulating electricity, the higher the standard of living of third world countries will be. And this means affordable education, cheaper food and many other things that humanists can only dream of.
Nanosensors and the Internet of nanothings
The Internet of Things is a global network of devices equipped with embedded technologies for interacting with each other or with the external environment. Technology is able to radically change the idea of the role of a person in the world, due to its exclusion from the part of actions and operations. Nanosensors and medical nanotechnologies will help accelerate the penetration of the Internet of things, which will have a huge impact on the future of medicine, architecture, agriculture and drug production.
Blockchain
The blockchain system is an electronic chain with several participants, which cannot be broken or faked from the outside. This means the absolute security of money transfers and more - the blockchain can serve well in all areas of life that require accuracy and security. It can be voting, data protection and any financial transactions. The economic and social potential of blockchain technology is able to radically change world markets and abandon the usual currency.
2D materials
GRAPHENE Two-dimensional materials (2D-materials), the thickness of which is only one atom, have been actively studied in recent years. The most famous and studied representative is graphene. But besides it, there are other two-dimensional materials, such as: silicene, germanene and others. They can be used in a variety of technologies, from water and air filtration to new generations of batteries.
Self-driving cars
Self-driving cars are not yet legal in most parts of the world, but their potential for reducing pollution, boosting the economy, and improving the quality of life for the elderly and other sections of society is enormous. Therefore, the largest automakers in the world are now actively working on autonomous technologies that make it possible to turn the driver into a passenger.
medical chips
The Internet of Things is also transforming medicine. Miniature sensors installed on vital organs of a person allow remote health diagnostics, compilation of statistics and forgetting about queues in the hospital.
Solar Cells
This new photovoltaic material offers three improvements over classic silicon solar cells: it's easier to make, it can be used almost anywhere, and it generates energy more efficiently.
Open ecosystem of artificial intelligence
Digital assistants, neural networks and chatbots will soon take on a wide range of tasks that previously belonged to humans. Even now, artificial intelligence, with proper settings, is able to maintain a completely meaningful dialogue with a person. In 10-20 years, artificial intelligence will become much closer to the average inhabitant of the Earth - it will track finances, advise on medicine and work as a dispatcher in production.
optogenetics
The use of light and color to record the activity of neurons in the brain has been around for years, but this year scientists have made a breakthrough. This means that optogenetics will soon become another method of combating disorders and diseases of the brain.
metabolic engineering systems
Advances in synthetic biology, systems biology and evolutionary engineering are gradually blurring the boundaries between the living and non-living world. The creation of durable materials, fuels and renewable energy sources is the goal of this branch of science, designed to reduce the cost of technology thanks to natural resources.
Technologies
The world is improving every day, inventing and discovering something new, and without these achievements, we would not have come so far.
Scientists, researchers, developers and designers from all over the world are trying to implement something that will simplify our lives and make it more interesting.
Here are some technologies future that take our lives to a completely different level.
New technologies of the future
1. Biorefrigerators
A Russian designer has come up with a concept for a refrigerator called "Bio Robot Refrigerator" that cools food with biopolymer gel. It has no shelves, no compartments, no doors - you just stick your food into the gel.
The idea was proposed by Yuri Dmitriev for the competition Electrolux Design Lab. The refrigerator uses only 8 percent of the house's energy for the control panel and does not need any energy for the actual cooling.
The fridge biopolymer gel uses light generated at cold temperatures to preserve food. The gel itself is odorless and non-sticky, and the refrigerator can be wall or ceiling mounted.
2. Ultra-fast 5G internet from solar-powered drones
Google is working on solar-paneled drones that distribute super-fast internet in a project called Project Skybender. In theory Drones will provide Internet services 40 times faster than in 4G networks, allowing you to transfer gigabytes of data per second.
The project involves the use of millimeter waves to provide the service, as the existing spectrum for mobile communications is too full.
However, these waves have a shorter range than a 4G mobile signal. Google is working on this problem, and if all technical problems can be solved, the Internet of unprecedented speed may soon appear.
3. 5D disks for eternal storage of terabytes of data
Researchers have created a 5D disc that records data in 5 dimensions that lasts for billions of years. He can store 360 terabytes of data and withstand temperatures up to 1000 degrees.
The files on the disk are made up of three layers of nanodots. The five dimensions of the disk refer to the size and orientation of the dots, and their position within the three dimensions. As light passes through the disk, the dots change the polarization of the light, which is read by the microscope and polarizer.
The Southampton team that develops the disc has been able to get the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Newton's Optics, Magna Carta and the Bible onto the disc. In a few years, such a disk will no longer be an experiment, but will become the norm for data storage.
4. Injection of oxygen particles
Scientists at the Boston Children's Hospital have developed microparticles filled with oxygen that can be injected into the bloodstream allowing you to live even if you can't breathe.
Microparticles consist of a single layer of lipid capsules that surround a small oxygen bubble. The 2-4 micrometer capsules are suspended in a fluid that controls their size, as larger bubbles can be dangerous.
When injected, the capsules collide with red blood cells and transfer oxygen. Thanks to this method, it was possible to introduce 70 percent of oxygen into the blood.
5. Underwater transport tunnels
Norway plans to build the world's first underwater floating bridges at a depth of 30 meters under water using large pipes wide enough for two lanes.
Given the difficulty of moving around the area, Norway decided to work on the creation of underwater bridges. The $25 billion project is expected to be completed in 2035.
There are other factors to be considered, such as the influence of wind, waves and strong currents on the bridge.
6. Bioluminescent trees
The development team decided to create bioluminescent trees using an enzyme found in some jellyfish and fireflies.
Such trees will be able to illuminate the streets and help passers-by see better at night. A small version of the project has already been developed in the form of a plant that glows in the dark. The next step will be the trees that light up the streets.
7. Roll-up TVs
LG developed a prototype TV that can be rolled up like a roll of paper.
The TV uses polymer-based LED technology to reduce the thickness of the screen.
Apart from LG, other major electronics manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony And Mitsubishi are working on making screens more flexible and portable.
Technology development in the future
8. Bionic lens for lightRhuman vision
Canadian doctor is going to conduct clinical trials "bionic lenses" that improve 100% vision by 3 times with an 8-minute painless operation.
The new lens will be available as early as 2017, improving the natural lens of the eye. During the operation, a syringe inserts a saline lens into the eye, and after 10 seconds, the folded lens straightens and positions itself over the natural lens, completely correcting vision.
9. Spray clothes
Spanish designer Manel Torres invented the world's first spray-on clothing. You can spray on any part of the body and then take it off, wash it off and wear it again.
The spray is made from special fibers mixed with polymers that give the fabric elasticity and durability. This technology will allow designers to create unique garments with original designs.
10. DNA-derived portraits
Student Heather Dewey-Hagborg creates 3D portraits from DNA found on cigarette butts and chewing gum on the street.
She enters the DNA sequences into a computer program that creates the appearance of a person from a sample. Usually, during this process, a 25-year-old version of a person is issued. The model is then printed into 3D life-size portraits.
11. Shopping in virtual reality
One of these shops was opened at a railway station in South Korea, where you can place an order by photographing the barcode and your purchases will be delivered to your home.
Chain of stores home plus installed six screen doors with life-size images of shelves filled with items you would buy in a supermarket. Under each item there is a barcode that can be scanned and sent using the app.
You can place an order at the station on your way to work, and the goods will be delivered to your home in the evening.
12. Self-driving cars
Expected that by 2020 there will be about 10 million unmanned vehicles, which will reduce the number of deaths by 2,500 between 2014 and 2030.
Many car manufacturers have already begun to implement some of the automatic driving features in their cars.
There are also many companies trying to develop technologies for self-driving cars, such as Google, which announced a self-driving car prototype. A fully autonomous vehicle is expected by 2019.
13. City under the dome
Construction underway in Dubai a mall called the "Mall of the World" covered by a retractable dome which controls the climate inside, and supplies air conditioning.
The complex will cover an area of 4.46 km2 and will include a large beauty and health center, a cultural and entertainment area, hotels with 20,000 rooms and much more. It will be the largest mall with a closed theme park.
14. Artificial leaves that convert carbon dioxide and sunlight into fuel
Scientists have developed new solar cells that convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into fuel using the sun.
While many attempts have been made to convert carbon dioxide into something useful, this is the first time an actual method has been developed. Unlike other technologies that require precious metals such as silver, this method uses a tungsten-based material that is 20 times cheaper and 1,000 times faster.
These solar cells use carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to produce syngas, a mixture of hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide that can be burned directly or converted into hydrocarbon fuels.
Technologies of the near future
15. Plasma force field that protects cars from accidents and collisions
Boeing has patented a method to create a plasma field by rapidly heating the air to quickly absorb shock waves.
The force field can be generated using lasers or microwave radiation. The plasma created is air heated to a higher temperature than the surrounding air, with a different density and composition. The company believes that it will be able to reflect and absorb the energy generated by the explosion, protecting those inside the field.
If the technology can be brought to life, it will be a revolutionary development in the military field.
16. Floating cities
Floating ecopolis called Lilypad, was proposed by architect Vincent Callebaut for future climate refugees as a long-term solution to rising sea levels. The city can accommodate 50,000 people using renewable energy sources.
Google Glass is a smart glasses from the search giant. They became available in mid-2014. The only reason why this technology has not yet become popular is the price. If you want to buy smart glasses from Google, you will have to spend $1,500.
But do not discount smart glasses. Once cell phones, too, not everyone could afford. Titans like Microsoft and Sony are working on their devices. This means that in the near future you will be able to watch videos with cats during your morning run.
Automation is one of the main tasks that modern technologies solve. While most processes are automated these days, there are some that we have to do manually. For example, add information to the contact list on the phone. You probably won't have to do it yourself soon.
RelateIQ is already working on a technology that will create a contact based on information about your current contact list, mailbox, messages. In the end, all you need to do is give the name of the person. All information will appear on your phone.
3. Wearable electronics
Smart glasses and watches are devices that connect us to the outside world. But there are also technologies that connect us with our body. They are developed by large scientific institutions, corporations and small companies. We are talking about headphones that measure heart rate, lenses that monitor blood sugar levels, and with NFC technology.
As soon as developers can make such gadgets available, the market will be filled with various implants that will read important information in real time and display it on the same smart glasses.
4. Smart home
This technology has already become a reality. Refrigerators let you know which foods are running low, and you can control your oven with your smartphone.
In the future, the oven will learn to reheat food while you drive home, and the refrigerator will order food by itself. During this time, you can focus on more important things.
5. Virtual reality
Oculus Rift, HTC Vive and PlayStation VR are a whole new gaming experience. Of course, science fiction writers have been flirting with the topic for a long time, but who thought about it seriously?
Game publishers and developers are spending multi-million dollar budgets to bring us new VR experiences. VR devices have room to grow: they are bulky and wired, but a start has been made. Soon we will be able to go anywhere in the world without leaving home.
6. Holographic images
Remember the holographic interfaces in Star Wars and Minority Report? Now this technology no longer seems like something fantastic.
The scope of holographic projections is limited not only to games and media. Imagine contact lenses that project an image onto the retina of the eye. People with vision problems will be able to see better without surgery.
7. Neural interface
A similarity of a neural interface has existed for a long time and has been successfully used in medicine. Quadriplegics - people with complete paralysis of the body - talk using a neural interface using a computer.
Of course, the technology is far from perfect. However, with the development of neurotechnologies, a paralyzed person will be able to return to society and live a full life.
Food delivery with one-stop service The globalization of the Internet has reached incredible proportions. You can get access to the Web almost anywhere in the world, and if Elon Musk's large-scale project is successful, the Internet will be available everywhere.
It's no surprise that services like Uber are popping up. This is a taxi that you can call in almost any country using a mobile application. Recently, Uber has also become involved in food delivery. Soon there will be even more universal services.
9. Digital distribution
The world is rapidly changing. Some 15 years ago, we could not have imagined that we would no longer have to store stacks of music, movies and games at home. Steam and online cinemas have replaced our trip to the store. Instead of a new album from your favorite band, it's easier to buy a subscription to a music service at the same price and get access to the entire discography.
Of course, digital distribution has not reached its peak, and many continue to use physical media, but there are fewer and fewer of these people.
10. Robots
Robotics has come a long way in the last 10 years. Of course, more than a dozen years will pass before the appearance of terminators, but machines capable of shouldering heavy and monotonous work on their titanium shoulders will appear in the near future. For example, thanks to Boston Dynamics.
Solar panels - an environmentally friendly source of renewable energy Almost certainly in the next 30 years we will completely switch from fossil energy sources to renewable ones. Oil and gas will eventually run out, but solar and wind power won't. In addition, solar panels are much more environmentally friendly.
Israel has already tested a road that will charge an electric car while driving. Apple this year patented a technology that will allow you to charge your smartphone over Wi-Fi. If the engineers can't create enough capacious batteries, then they will have to make sure that they do not discharge at all.
Constantly growing volumes of Internet traffic set the pace for the development of mobile networks. Messengers, video calls, 4K video and streaming services require new data transfer technologies, so the emergence of 5G Internet is inevitable in the near future.
14. Artificial intelligence
Creating a full-fledged - only a matter of time. This will be a turning point in the development of human civilization, after which the world will change forever.
In fact, artificial intelligence no longer seems to be something out of reach, especially with the rapid pace of development of neural networks. Machine learning has already reached a high level and is capable of many things, including writing scripts, books and songs.
Of course, the programs do not work as well as we would like, but the neural network is a great example that we are moving in the right direction.
15. Graphene
In 2004, the first graphene sheet was released. Since then, scientists have been trying to find a way to mass-produce the material.
Graphene is a versatile material with exceptional properties. It can be used in almost all areas of our life. High-speed data transfer, water filters, and even an unbreakable smartphone case - all this is graphene. When the production of this material is put on stream, another industrial revolution awaits us.
Last update: 12/27/2018
Artificial intelligence, voice control and virtual reality - this is the year when science fiction is slowly becoming reality. Have you heard such a law that it is human nature to overestimate the impact of technology in the short term and underestimate it in the long term? We will try to bring ready-made working things that will penetrate into our lives. New technologies in 2017 cover advanced machine learning and the development of artificial intelligence, the interpenetration of the physical and digital worlds.
The goal of many technologists is to easily introduce technical innovations into everyday life that you did not even think you would need, but now you cannot live without them. Some products have almost reached the point of perfection. The mobile phone, for example, will be redesigned, but there are no significant improvements expected in the foreseeable future. So what's next?
The new wave of technological progress is so futuristic that it looks like a wild figurative fantasy. Expected this year are computers that can talk, robots that can learn, and virtual reality experiences that are incredibly immersive. Here MR PORTER predicts (very closely) the future and highlights the most important trends and cutting-edge technologies that will literally change your world in the coming months.
Talking computer
Headphones for sound engineering your world
We've all heard of wearable technology and devices. A new product category in 2017 is "audible" technology, which will play music, transmit phone calls, monitor health indicators such as heart rate and blood pressure, and so on. These audible headphones from Doppler Labs in San Francisco are expected to launch in March for £250 called Here One. Basically, it's a pair of independent Bluetooth headphones. But it also lets you control the sound from the real world around you. So you can use them to tune the built-in microphones to the person sitting in front of you while turning down a crying baby across the restaurant; turn down the noise of an engine in flight, or the squeal of an underground train.
Fully immersive virtual reality
HTC Vive
Social media for adults
Vero
Social media applications are at the center of the over-sharing that is taking over the lives of teenagers - sometimes leaving their parents bewildered. But now there are social applications for adults. Vero is one of the most impressive and subtle inventions as it allows you to have more control over your news and choose who sees what. Thus, there is less danger in handing out too much information. You can discuss things like music, movies and restaurant recommendations with specific groups that might be really interested in them. Less social media, more social life.
smart robot
Ubtech Robotics Alpha 1S
One day robots will take over the world. For now, they're just taking over your living room. UBTech Robotics Alpha 1S until he brings you a cup of tea and does the laundry, but with 16 motors, his movements are quite realistic. It's a smart tech invention with some seriously impressive moves: this robot can breakdance, train, or just keep kids busy for hours. This all makes it worth £400. The little guy comes with software so you can teach him to do more tricks.
The suitcase that won't get lost
Raden A28 Check
The best technology is the one that solves the real problem. Losing luggage is a long-term concern for those who fly regularly. A28 Check from a New York startup Raden is a beautifully built suitcase that you can track with an app on your smartphone. So you will always know where he is, even when he is where he should be. It weighs itself, so you never have to suffer the shame of repacking at check-in to avoid unnecessary baggage fees. And it can charge your phone up to four times. The app will also help with other travel-related issues such as time-of-flight updates. The usefulness of the invention has been proven.
Aircraft with fixed wings
Parrot Disco FPV
Aircraft are increasingly being used for everything from filming to shooting in the treetops and, for the most part, they are all derivatives of the helicopter - helicopters with four, six or eight blades. With fixed wings, an unmanned aircraft looks more traditional. French company Parrot launched its first unmanned jet aircraft Disco for £1150. It is much faster than its bladed opponents, flying at speeds up to 50 miles per hour. It also comes with Parrot Cockpit Glasses, a headset that records HD video so you can effectively be a pilot on board and feel like you're flying. This is extraordinary technology for those who were brought up on model airplanes with rubber bands for the engine.
Update from 12/28/2017. And yet, from the height of the past year, we can conclude that there were no innovative technologies. There was a smooth improvement of existing machines and programs. Plus, the main focus was on personal items, one might even say entertainment and hedonism. All the same, they promise more large-scale changes. But in fact, it would be wrong to condemn the lack of innovation. Major innovations are always revolutionary and rarely happen. Therefore, it is better to be expressed in terms of innovation and improvement.
The scientific achievements of today are the basis for changing the world we are accustomed to tomorrow. Something will change the world in the near future, something in the long run. We looked at current trends and imagined how they will change the world in the future. Unless, of course, they change. At the same time, we tried to assess the likelihood that the considered trends will become massive and change the world during our lifetime. ()
Energy from the air
Probability: 85%
Soon our houses will "get smarter". And for this to happen, they must be filled with numerous devices that will make our lives easier. Motion sensors, temperature sensors, air pollution sensors, various photo and video cameras and much more. They all need food. But it’s expensive to lead wires to them or change batteries constantly. Several groups of researchers are working at once to ensure that various gadgets can receive energy, as they say, from the air.
The space around us is filled with radio waves, such as Wi-Fi radio signals. Scientists from the University of Washington have taken a standard Wi-Fi router, made small changes to it, and now it can be used as a power source for remote devices. At the same time, it can still perform its main function, the alteration did not affect the quality of communication. Scientists managed to power a small camera and a temperature sensor with electricity. Moreover, none of these devices had its own rechargeable battery; instead, a supercapacitor is used to store the charge. This technology is called Power over Wi-Fi. Moreover, this technology can be used both for smart home devices and low-power gadgets, such as fitness bracelets.
But Freevolt technology, developed by Drayson Technologies, allows the use of radio wave energy of various ranges. The device created by the company selects energy from radio waves of several radio frequencies at once. The device is based on a multiband antenna and a rectifier, which is designed to convert AC to DC. The company demonstrated the technology by using it in the portable CleanSpace air pollution sensor. The device evaluates the environmental situation around the user and sends information to his smartphone.
As the power consumption of various devices decreases, when they require a minimum amount of electricity to perform their tasks, the popularity of wireless power transmission will grow. Technology will bring us closer to the mass distribution of the Internet of Things and smart homes. Even if you don’t live in a truly “smart” home, you will have a couple of gadgets that charge through the air in a couple of years for sure. Unless, of course, your home has the necessary sources of radio waves, such as a Wi-Fi router. Perhaps only radiophobia can stop the development of technology, or rather, make it unpopular among users.
Neural networks are everywhere
Probability: 95%
What was previously beyond the power of ordinary computers will become possible thanks to artificial neural networks. They, unlike von Neumann architecture computers, can be trained. Yes, they are capable of self-learning. Computers based on neural network technologies can be used where it is difficult to describe in a programming language what is required of the machine. Therefore, they will displace the machines and people familiar to us from many areas of activity. At the same time, thanks to them, we will have opportunities that were not there before.
©Carsten Koall/AFP/Getty Images
Wherever we communicate with a "smart" machine, neural networks will be present. Voice assistants and smart search. Assistant robots in stores, interactive services and self-driving cars. Behind each "smart" piece of iron will be exactly the technology of artificial neural networks.
CRISPR/Cas9 is changing genetic engineering. We beat cancer and HIV
Probability: 95%
Genetic engineering should change the world around us and ourselves. This is obvious and hardly anyone will argue. The only question is when this will happen. Genome modification technologies have always been complex and expensive. But a new CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technique looks set to change that soon.
In the UK this year, the first approval was granted for the use of this technology to edit the genome of human embryos. So far, for research purposes only. Embryos after the experiment must be destroyed. Experiments on the genetic modification of human embryos using CRISPR/Cas9 technology have recently taken place in China. And this is just the beginning.
©defathyness.com
What happened? Everything is simple. Molecular biologists have found nature's genome editing mechanism and are learning how to use it. The mechanism is simple and effective. Nature endowed them with bacteria and archaea, which fight with it against the viruses attacking them. Scientists also want to use it to edit the genome of animals, plants and, of course, humans. CRISPR is a kind of archive, an immunological memory that stores DNA fragments of a virus that has ever attacked a bacterium or its ancestors. Cas9 is a tool, a kind of natural machine for detecting virus fragments in bacterial DNA, a copy of which is in the archive. Having found the desired fragment, he cuts it, thereby protecting the cell from infection. After that, the cell repair system replaces the damaged areas.
Now let's imagine that this system can be offered any DNA fragment for search and destruction, for example, a DNA fragment of the human immunodeficiency virus. Scientists from Temple University have already conducted such an experiment on rats and mice. As a result, the target HIV fragment was cut from DNA in every tissue of a living organism. And in China, researchers have succeeded in suppressing growth and launching a program to self-destruct cancer cells. The experiment was also carried out on mice. But human trials are just around the corner. In July, Chinese molecular biologists have already received permission to conduct experiments with volunteers.
Unlike other technologies, CRISPR/Cas9 makes it possible to edit the genome of both embryos and living adults.
It is possible to cure a sick person, or it is possible to prevent the transmission of negative hereditary information to descendants. The better we study the human genome, the more opportunities we will have to fix and improve it. And this is the way to design children. The so-called "designer children" will not only be deprived of hereditary diseases, but will also receive "bonuses" inherent from birth and necessary in life in the form of intellectual and athletic abilities, beauty and health.
Quantum communication and a secure future
Probability: 95%
Quantum communication and quantum computers are perhaps two technologies that are united by the word "quantum" and are in the spotlight. But if the widespread use of quantum computers is still far away, then quantum communications are a matter of the very near future. China has just launched its first experimental quantum communications satellite, and experts are already predicting that the quantum communications market could reach $7.5 billion in the next 5 years. What does this technology mean for us? A Chinese satellite is capable of transmitting untraceable keys from orbit to Earth. Putting more of these satellites into orbit will create a global quantum communications network by 2030, says Jian-Wei Pan, chief scientist of the QUESS project.
The widespread adoption of quantum communication lines means that the future will be at least partly what we expect it to be. Unmanned vehicles will drive on the roads, drones will soar in the sky, and, for example, the money in our bank accounts will remain completely safe. Is there anything that can stop this? Yes, vulnerabilities in information transmission channels. Thanks to quantum communication technologies, or rather, quantum cryptography as part of it, information can be transmitted securely. And this means that neither a hacker, eager to realize his abilities, nor a terrorist will be able to take advantage of the vulnerability of information channels. Now a self-driving car moving at a speed of 120 km / h, and a drone hovering overhead, and a bank server can be hacked. And the consequences of this will be sad. Just imagine yourself in an unmanned vehicle, controlled by a hacker. Quantum physics allows you to create secure communication lines and protect yourself from attacks by intruders. And that means making the future safer.
The widespread use of blockchain technology
Probability: 65%
The head of Sberbank German Gref believes that in the near future this technology "will turn all industries without exception, from agriculture to banks, and, unfortunately, government agencies too." Sberbank and Qiwi payment system are promoting blockchain in our country. Abroad, the R3 consortium, which develops blockchain technology, has brought together leading banks and financial companies. Its goal is to develop open source blockchain technology for banking structures.
To a simple reader, the technology may be familiar in connection with the popular Bitcoin cryptocurrency and the peer-to-peer payment system of the same name. Numerous miners around the world mine bitcoins and satoshis using their computers. But in fact, cryptocurrency mining is nothing more than checking transactions, that is, performing the computational operations necessary to maintain the system. For this, the miners receive their "extracted" cryptocurrency. And after bitcoin, many other cryptocurrencies appeared.
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Today, state structures and leading financial institutions are interested in technology. And blockchain doesn’t just mean cryptocurrencies. Experts suggest dividing the areas of technology application into three groups: directly digital currencies, use within the framework of e-government and in the field of smart contracts and open assets.
Blockchain technology itself (from the English "blok" - a chain and "chain" - a chain) is a distributed database that consists of blocks of information. Each such block contains records of transactions made by system participants. The blocks themselves are stored on the computers of the participants in the system. This makes hacking and modifying the database an extremely difficult task.
Blockchain will allow banks to get rid of many costs that accompany money transactions and increase their speed. In addition, it is an alternative to the SWIFT interbank transfer system.
At the same time, the blockchain allows you to abandon the regulator, which, as a rule, is the state. It is the power departments that are especially categorically opposed to the technology. After all, cryptocurrency, which is not controlled by state financial regulators, can be used by criminal and terrorist organizations to carry out shady transactions. There are already examples of this. That is why there was a proposal to divide the scope of the technology and separate cryptocurrencies from it separately. But the blockchain can be used not only to store information about transactions with digital currencies, but also, for example, to record real estate transactions. Is society ready for information about their property to be stored not in a centralized state registry, but in a distributed database on computers of many users?
Applications of Molecular Machines
Probability: 85%
This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the design and synthesis of molecular machines. It was received by scientists Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir Fraser Stoddart and Bernard Feringa. And this is not surprising, because fantastic prospects are opening up before us. As in many other cases, scientists peeped the idea of molecular machines from nature. The environment is filled with them. Almost all functionally active proteins are molecular machines, says V.A. N. N. Semenova. In every living cell, there are several thousand of these machines.
Molecular machines are only a few nanometers in size. This means that it is no longer possible to see them with an optical microscope, because they are smaller than the wavelength of visible light. In a world invisible to our eyes, they easily manipulate molecules and single atoms. They drag them from one place to another. They bring the atoms together so that a chemical bond is formed between them, or, conversely, they pull them apart, tear the molecules apart and break the chemical bonds that hold them together.
Now we can learn how to make such machines. Where can they be applied? For starters, it can be targeted delivery of drugs to a diseased organ. Most drugs have side effects precisely because, along with the diseased organ, they also affect healthy ones. Medicines are practically not able to choose. Once in the general circulatory system, they can act on other organs. Molecular machines will make it possible to organize a drug delivery system specifically to a specific organ or tissue.
Molecular machines can act as assemblers of complex molecular structures, and we will get materials with desired properties. Or, on the contrary, disassemble them atom by atom. A good way to recycle, for example, polymers.
The very size of such nanomachines suggests that they are ideal for working in very small objects. For example, in cells. Thousands of their natural machines are already working there. Now it will be possible to send artificial ones there. For what? For example, tweak the genome. After all, the already mentioned Cas9 protein in combination with a guide RNA is a programmable molecular machine for cutting DNA.
Mass introduction of unmanned vehicles
Probability: 95%
Dozens of companies around the world are already developing unmanned vehicles. Moreover, both automotive, such as Volvo, General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota, Audi, BMW and, of course, Tesla, and those that have never produced cars - Google, Baidu, Uber and others.
Even the domestic "KamAZ" is involved. Last year, a prototype of our country's first unmanned vehicle based on a serial truck was created at the plant. Cars, both trucks and cars, are not limited. The unmanned flying taxi was presented by the Chinese company Ehang.
It is believed that an unmanned vehicle will be safer than an unpredictable and imperfect person, who is also prone to neglect the rules of the road. Equipped with all kinds of sensors and sensors (radar, cameras, navigation systems, as well as powerful computers for decision-making), they will be much more perfect than a person. It has been calculated that the ubiquity of self-driving cars will reduce the number of road accidents by 90%, which will save the lives of many people.
If you remove the driver from the car, you can significantly save on wages, which, of course, will be happy with transport companies. And it will also be possible to drive an unmanned vehicle along the route day and night with minimal technical interruptions. All this promises big profits for carriers.
One day there will be more self-driving cars than driver-controlled ones. And after a while, driving a car will be something like horseback riding on the weekends. Very soon, we will trust the autopilot for daily trips to work and home. At some point, a person driving on a high-speed highway in a stream of unmanned vehicles rushing at high speed will become a significant hazard, and many roads will simply be closed to cars driven by a live driver.
The car itself after some time will no longer be an independent transport unit. Cars in the future will be informationally linked. They will exchange useful information with each other and with road infrastructure facilities.
In the future, not only cars will be "smart" but also cities, they will have something to "tell" each other.
In order not to create an emergency, drones will constantly check their movement parameters with neighboring cars. Report slowdowns and turns in time. Choose a route depending on traffic density and weather conditions. On the road, self-driving cars will look more like a school of fish swimming in the same direction in sync. When using a car, a person will use not so much a separate car as an entire transport system, in which an unmanned vehicle is just one of its elements.
At the same time, this is still a matter for the future. And in general, Elon Musk's prediction this summer that most cars will be driverless in three years seems overly optimistic.
Mining resources on asteroids
Probability: 85%
Small in size, Luxembourg, lost between France, Germany and Belgium, is called the Iron Duchy for a reason. For a long time, the leading industries in this country were the extraction of iron ore and the production of steel. Today, iron ore deposits are already depleted. But apparently the little duchy is haunted by its past. This year, the desire to make Luxembourg a hub for companies involved in the exploration and extraction of space resources was announced. Lawyers of the country are already preparing the necessary legislative framework. This means that private companies registered in Luxembourg will have legal protection of their ownership of all the resources they extract from the asteroids.
And if the question moves from the scientific sphere to the legal sphere, then here it already smells of money and prospects. However, as with CRISPR/Cas9. Patent wars have already begun for the right to be considered the discoverers of this technology. Private American companies Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries have already expressed their desire to engage in the extraction of raw materials from asteroids, which expressed their interest in the initiative of Luxembourg.
It is believed that almost all the metals used in industry, which we extract from the upper layers of the Earth, are of asteroid origin. Modern deposits were formed as a result of an early meteorite bombardment of our planet. This means that sooner or later we will have to go up into space and take resources from the space pantry.
Space activities associated with the extraction of resources outside the planet will become the same natural phenomenon as communications, navigation and space sensing of the Earth, without which we can no longer imagine our lives. Along with space tourism, mining in space will become a new type of space entrepreneurship.
However, one must understand that space mining will not replace the earth for a long time. And the point here is not only that while the extraction of resources on space objects is unrealistically expensive. Now, for example, we are interested in rare metals in space. They are called rare earth because they are rarely found on our planet. Due to their exceptional properties, they are used in radio electronics, instrument making, mechanical engineering, chemical industry, metallurgy and other industries. It is with them, probably, that it is worth starting the industrial development of asteroids. Demand for rare earth metals will not fall. On the contrary, wide availability will allow them to find more applications. And this can lead to revolutionary changes in all industries where they are used. In particular, this will lead to the emergence of new materials with unique properties.
But other metals may already be useful in space. Where it is not economically feasible to deliver them from Earth. The construction of objects in space will be carried out from materials of space origin. Thus, not only mining, but also metallurgy and processing will be concentrated in outer space. Orbital tourist hotels, factories, scientific stations will be assembled from elements produced in outer space. In addition, space metallurgy has many advantages over the earth. In particular, it makes it possible to obtain alloys of high homogeneity and purity. And if we talk about the colonization of outer space, including Mars, then we definitely cannot do without the development of asteroid resources.
Mars colonization
Probability: 85%
The main ideologist of everything connected with Mars is Elon Musk. Anyway, now.
Of course, one can be critical of what Musk says and does. But the development of the Red Planet as a spare home for our civilization is a necessary task. Our civilization has come a long way, and it would be very sad if any catastrophe or internal conflict destroyed humanity. If the plans of the main dreamer remain unfulfilled, then the idea of exploring Mars will be picked up by others.
In September, Musk already presented to the general public his project for an interplanetary transport system - the Interplanetary Transport System. As conceived by Musk, ITS is designed to deliver the first colonists to the Red Planet. And as a result, the population of the Martian colony in the next century should be one million people. Probably, the technical component of the project will change by this time. We still do not have many technologies that will allow earthlings to create an autonomous, maximally independent colony on Mars. Future Martians will have to extract for themselves the useful resources necessary for the construction of the colony, generate energy, and farm. Only the most high-tech equipment and materials will be delivered from Earth.
At the same time, do not confuse colonization with terraforming. It may take many years to create conditions on the Red Planet that are anything like those we have on Earth. Even Musk estimates that it will take several hundred years. But this is at best
Detection of extraterrestrial civilizations
Chance: 10%
Perhaps not a single scientific discovery will be able to turn our minds around like the discovery of reliable signs of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations. In our culture, and in some ways science, aliens have existed for a long time. We wait for them, we are afraid, we watch films about them and read books. British physicist Stephen Hawking warns that aliens could be dangerous to Earth. But we still hope that this is not the case and send signals into space. We have placed messages to extraterrestrial civilizations developed by Carl Sagan in "Voyagers" and "Pioneers". The SETI project, aimed at searching for extraterrestrial civilizations, has been operating since 1959.
The famous Drake equation is designed to help determine the number of extraterrestrial civilizations in our Galaxy (namely the Galaxy, and not the entire Universe) with which we can establish contact. But most of the parameters in this equation are unknown to us and are determined by scientists based on their assumptions. Frank Drake, based on his assumptions and using the formula he created, also calculated the number of such civilizations. As a result, it turned out that there are only ten such civilizations in our entire Milky Way galaxy with a diameter of about 30 thousand parsecs. But a lot of time has passed since 1961. And the chances of finding traces of extraterrestrial civilizations are not increasing.
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In addition, perhaps we still do not know enough about all the necessary conditions for the emergence of intelligent life forms. For example, if the hypothesis that life and intelligent civilizations can only arise in corotation tori - narrow rings in the "body" of the galaxy turns out to be true, then our chances of finding brothers in mind are reduced many times. The solar system is just in such a galactic "belt of life". Here, the interstellar gas rotates synchronously with the arms of galaxies, that is, there is practically no relative motion of it, which means that shock waves are not formed. This is one of the most peaceful places in our Galaxy. The radius of this narrow ring - a torus in the "body" of the Milky Way - is only 250 parsecs.
