Ever since I heard about the Singularity and really started paying attention to some futurists, I’m sure I’ve been highly annoying my friends and coworkers with random comments and speculations about what will (hopefully) be possible or even commonplace within the next ten to twenty years. To make up for that, here’s a roundup of my “I love living in the future” moments from the past six months or so. Note that all of these are in the working prototype stage – these things aren’t theoretical and they aren’t cases of “in five years we’ll have the technology to do X” — these are here and now.
Hands-Free (Or Even Hands-Busy) Computer Interface
(via Make)
Contact-Lens AR Display
(via h+ Magazine and Singularity Hub)
Note that this one isn’t a functioning display yet, but it is a functioning (and safety-tested) LED embedded in a contact lens.
Robot That Walks And Reacts Like A Human
(via Open the Future)
Functional, Feeling Prosthetic Hand
(via Are You Transhuman?)
Easy Access To Space-Borne Research
The radical simplification of systems at play in the NEPTUNE 30 rocket make it possible for IOS to launch a 32-satellite payload for around $250,000 and still make a reasonable profit. The $8,000 price point is, in fact, a confidence builder. We realize that people do not want to risk a $250,000 satellite on an unproven vehicle but $8,000 is a risk most experimenters are willing to take. People must take the leap — take the chance. Where the hell in the world will they ever have a chance to send an experiment to space — and that’s real space — for a price as absurdly low as $8,000? The public has embraced our quest to lower the cost of access to orbit, and the orders are rolling in.
(via h+ Magazine)
Whole New Senses
I am beta testing a new sense. My new sensory organ is a small anklet strap with a LiPo battery and circuit board attached to an electronic compass on the anklet’s side. Inside the strap are eight small buzzers, up against my skin. As I sit here typing, the buzzer on the very left side of my left ankle is gently informing me which way is north. The anklet is called a Northpaw. My new sense is perfect direction.
(via h+ Magazine)
Predictive Prosthetic Legs
These keep up with you even without a neural interface to determine what you are going to do next.
(via Singularity Hub)
Self-Parking Car
(via Singularity Hub)
Searchable Video/Automatic Captioning
This will definitely come in handy once I start recording my life 24/7 for later reference.
(via KurzweilAI.net)
Real-life Augmented Reality
(via Singularity Hub)
There are several more videos at the reference link for that one.
Further Reading
If you are interested in reading more and keeping up to date with these sorts of developments, here is the list of sources I follow regularly:
But what about the flying cars?