The world is improving every day, inventing and discovering something new, and without these achievements we would not have progressed that far.
Scientists, researchers, developers and designers from all over the world are trying to implement what will make our life easier and more interesting.
Here are some of the technologies of the future that are taking our lives to a whole new level.
New technologies of the future
1. Biocoolers
A Russian designer has come up with a concept for a refrigerator called the Bio Robot Refrigerator, which chills food using a biopolymer gel. It has no shelves, compartments and doors - you just stick food into the gel.
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The idea was proposed by Yuri Dmitriev for the Electrolux Design Lab competition. The refrigerator uses only 8 percent of the home's energy for the control panel and does not need any energy to actually cool.
Refrigerator biopolymer gel uses light generated at a cold temperature to preserve food. The gel itself is odorless and non-sticky, and the refrigerator can be wall or ceiling mounted.
2. Super-fast 5G Internet from drones with solar panels
Google is working on solar-powered drones that serve up ultra-fast internet in a project called Project Skybender. In theory, drones will provide Internet services 40 times faster than 4G networks, allowing them to transfer gigabytes of data per second.
The project envisages the use of millimeter waves to provide the service, since the existing spectrum for the transmission of mobile communications is too full.
However, these waves have a shorter range than the 4G mobile signal. Google is working on this problem, and if all the technical problems can be solved, the Internet of unprecedented speed may soon appear.
3.5D drives for eternal storage of terabytes of data
Researchers have created a 5D disc that records data in 5 dimensions that persist for billions of years. It can store 360 terabytes of data and withstand temperatures up to 1000 degrees.
The files on the disk are made of three layers of nanodots. The five dimensions of the disc refer to the size and orientation of the points, and their position within the three dimensions. When light passes through the disc, the dots change the polarization of the light, which is read by the microscope and polarizer.
The Southampton team that is developing the disc was able to burn the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Newton's Optics, Magna Carta and the Bible to the disc. In a few years, such a disk will no longer be an experiment, but will become the norm for data storage.
4. Oxygen particle injection
Scientists at Boston Children's Hospital have developed oxygen-infused microparticles that can be injected into the bloodstream, allowing you to live even when you can't breathe.
Microparticles are composed of a single layer of lipid capsules that surround a small oxygen bubble. Capsules 2-4 micrometers in size are suspended in a liquid that controls their size, as larger bubbles can be dangerous.
When injected, the capsules impinge on red blood cells and transfer oxygen. Thanks to this method, 70 percent of the oxygen was introduced 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 difficulties of moving around the terrain, Norway decided to work on the creation of underwater bridges. The project, which has already spent $ 25 billion, is expected to be completed in 2035.
There are other factors to consider, such as the effects 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.
These trees will be able to illuminate the streets and help passersby see better at night. A small version of the project has already been developed in the form of a plant glowing in the dark. The next step will be the trees that illuminate the streets.
7. Roll-up TVs
LG has developed a prototype TV that can be rolled up like a roll of paper.
The TV uses polymer-based LED technology to reduce screen thickness.
Apart from LG, other major electronics manufacturers such as Samsung, Sony and Mitsubishi are working to make screens more flexible and portable.
Future technology advances
8. Bionic lens for superhuman vision
The Canadian doctor is going to conduct clinical tests of "bionic lenses", which improve 100% vision by 3 times with an 8-minute painless operation.
The new lens will be available by 2017, enhancing the natural lens of the eye. During the operation, a syringe inserts a lens with saline into the eye, and after 10 seconds, the folded lens is straightened and positioned over the natural lens, completely correcting vision.
9. Spray clothes
Spanish designer Manel Torres invented the world's first spray garment. You can apply the spray to any part of the body and then remove it, rinse it off and wear it again.
The spray is made from special fibers mixed with polymers that give the fabrics elasticity and durability. This technology will allow designers to create unique garments with original designs.
10. Portraits derived from DNA
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 a human image from a sample. Usually in this process a 25-year-old version of the person is handed out. The model is then printed in full size 3D portraits.
11. Shopping in virtual reality
One such store has opened at a train station in South Korea, where you can place an order by photographing a barcode and your purchases will be delivered home.
Homeplus has installed six door-screens with life-size images of shelves with goods that you would buy in a supermarket. Each item has a barcode underneath 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. Unmanned vehicles
About 10 million self-driving cars are expected to be available by 2020, reducing deaths by 2,500 between 2014 and 2030.
Many car manufacturers have already started to implement some automatic driving functions in their vehicles.
There are also many companies trying to develop technologies for self-driving cars, such as Google, which announced a prototype self-driving car. A fully autonomous vehicle is expected by 2019.
13. The city under the dome
In Dubai, construction is underway for a shopping center called the "Mall of the World", covered with a retractable dome that controls the indoor climate and provides air conditioning.
The complex will occupy an area of 4.46 km2 and will include a large beauty and health center, a cultural and entertainment area, hotels with 20 thousand rooms and much more. It will be the largest shopping center with an indoor 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.
Although there have been many attempts to convert carbon dioxide into something useful, a real method has been developed for the first time. 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 directly burned 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 air to quickly absorb shock waves.
The force field can be generated using lasers or microwave radiation. The created plasma is air heated to a higher temperature than the surrounding air, with a different density and composition. The company believes it will be able to reflect and absorb the energy generated by the explosion, protecting those inside the field.
If the technology can be implemented, it will be a revolutionary development in the military field.
16. Floating cities
The floating ecopolis, called Lilypad, was proposed by architect Vincent Callebaut for future climate refugees as a lasting solution to sea level rise. The city can accommodate 50,000 people using renewable energy sources.
The floating structure consists of three "petals" and three mountains that surround an artificial lagoon in the center, collecting and purifying water.
It uses energy from the wind, the Sun, tidal forces and other alternative energy sources, and even collects rainwater.
17.3D printing organs for transplant operations
Scientists are working on a technology for printing viable organs that can be used as donor organs during operations.
3D printing technology has already undergone big changes. It uses cartridges filled with a suspension of living cells and an intelligent gel that gives structure and creates biological tissue. When unsealed, the gel is cooled and washed out, leaving only the cells.
Scientists are working to solve the complexities of creating organs that could mimic the function of normally grown organs in the human body. Once these difficulties are overcome, people no longer have to worry about waiting for donors.
18. Bionic insects
Scientists are developing bionic insect repellents that can be controlled and sent to hard-to-reach places to find people who have been victims of earthquakes and other natural disasters.
For example, the antennae of cockroaches are attached to small radios attached to their backs. Insects use antennae the way blind people use a cane to grope for what is in front of them.
Researchers control the movements of insects by sending small electrical impulses to the antennae and directing them.
19. You will be able to record your dreams
Scientists have been able to transform YouTube videos by scanning the visual centers of the brain of the person watching them. In the future, technology will be advanced enough to record dreams.
The brains of the three team members involved in the project were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging as they watched YouTube videos. The researchers then interpreted the data using a mathematical model that served as a kind of dictionary for the brain. The dictionary later recreated what the participants saw by scanning random clips and matching those that matched the brain activation.
Although the result was not as clear-cut, scientists hope to improve the technology in the future.
20. Search for extraterrestrial life in space
China is completing construction of the world's largest radio telescope, FAST, with a reflector covering an area of 30 football fields, consisting of 4450 panels for observing extraterrestrial life.
Experts are assembling a giant telescope in the Guizhou province of China, which surpasses the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico with a diameter of 300 meters. The Chinese telescope has a diameter of 500 meters and a perimeter of 1.6 kilometers, and it takes 40 minutes to get around it.
According to the researchers, such a telescope will improve our ability to observe space.
Bonus: Life up to 1000 years
Cambridge gerontologist Aubrey de Gray believes that if technology continues to advance at the same rate, it is possible that there is already a person who will live to 1000 years.
The researcher is working on a therapy that will kill cells that have lost their ability to divide, allowing healthy cells to multiply and repair themselves. The therapy will allow 60-year-olds to stay that way for another 30 years until they turn 90. The process will be repeated until 120 or 150 years, and so on.
According to Mr. Gray, this method can become viable within 6-8 years. So it is quite possible that in the future a person will nevertheless find the elixir of eternal youth.
Translation: Filipenko L. V.