No aspect of our lives goes untouched by technology. Whether at home or work, or in between, technology is part of your life and that part continues to grow. Taking a peek at the technology of the near future shows us a world that is even more interconnected than the one we have now.
Integration of newer technologies into our society will continue to follow the same formula as it has for hundreds, if not thousands of years. New technology will be unveiled to great acclaim but will fall far short of what its creators promised, innovators will find ways to use that specific technology not originally envisioned and then the tech will become widespread and relatively common. Or, that same technology will fall by the wayside as it becomes supplanted by something better.
Innovations and new developments are already on the horizon. Some of these include:
* Nanotechnology. Making technological breakthroughs smaller and smaller is not a new field, but the limits of how small something can be made are expanding. Driven by breakthroughs in health and defense, the applications that are being created to use tiny devices is breathtaking. Scientists and doctors are using nano tech to understand and attempt to cure cancer and other diseases. Researchers in the electronic sector are using nanotechnology to make computers, tablets and other electronic devices more capable and more compact. Not surprisingly, many of the breakthroughs in nanotechnology are coming from the military. Creating better weapon systems, smaller and more capable to give modern soldiers the ability to fight and survive in hostile environments and under extreme conditions is a major thrust for military researchers, although the uses of nanotechnology in surveillance and other covert uses should not be ignored.
* Informational technology. The internet was only the beginning. The first small steps in a world-wide inter connectivity that will bring our societies and cultures closer together. From its first steps as a tool to share information with friends and coworkers who were physically separated, to its current uses, the internet is still in its childhood. Not only are the capabilities of what can be done online expanding, the way we access the online world is changing rapidly. No longer limited to clunky dial up connections our current mode of accessing the internet is evolving quickly. It is easy to imagine a point where we will have to make an effort not to be connected.
* Energy technology. Adopting widespread green technologies will not come from government edicts, it will come when affordable alternatives to our current dependence on fossil fuels and outmoded energy sources are developed by industry and business. Making these changes palatable to everyone is one of the major challenges of this new century.
Although there will be resistance to changing technologies, there always is, innovations and developments in all areas of technology will be the legacy that the people of the 21st century leave to their heirs.