Californians could enjoy space power by 2016

Harnessing energy here on Planet Earth sure is a pain. So why not harness it up in space and then beam it down here for our everyday uses? That's what California is hoping to do in 7 short years.

How would it work? Well, gigantic solar panels would be shot into orbit, where they'd be sitting there collecting energy from the sun without the stupid atmosphere getting in the way. It would then beam said energy down to Earth using RF transmissions, where it would be converted into usable energy. Sounds great! Now we'll see if it actually happens.

Californians could enjoy space power by 2016

Harnessing energy here on Planet Earth sure is a pain. So why not harness it up in space and then beam it down here for our everyday uses? That's what California is hoping to do in 7 short years.

How would it work? Well, gigantic solar panels would be shot into orbit, where they'd be sitting there collecting energy from the sun without the stupid atmosphere getting in the way. It would then beam said energy down to Earth using RF transmissions, where it would be converted into usable energy. Sounds great! Now we'll see if it actually happens.

First lunar greenhouses planned for 2012

Believe it or not, but we may have our first gardens on the surface of the moon as soon as 2012. As part of Google's Lunar X Prize, Paragon Space Development Corporation and Odyssey Moon have developed pressurized greenhouses designed to grow a plant from a seed on the surface of the moon.

Obviously, figuring out how to grow plant life on the moon is the first step towards sending people to live on it and other planets. Once they figure this step out, they'll be able to produce food and oxygen, two things sorely lacking on the moon's surface. Then I'll finally be able to live there, at long last.

First lunar greenhouses planned for 2012

Believe it or not, but we may have our first gardens on the surface of the moon as soon as 2012. As part of Google's Lunar X Prize, Paragon Space Development Corporation and Odyssey Moon have developed pressurized greenhouses designed to grow a plant from a seed on the surface of the moon.

Obviously, figuring out how to grow plant life on the moon is the first step towards sending people to live on it and other planets. Once they figure this step out, they'll be able to produce food and oxygen, two things sorely lacking on the moon's surface. Then I'll finally be able to live there, at long last.

Japanese lab creates self-propelling chemical material for future Terminators

If you were hoping that our future robot masters would be of the readily identifiable Transformers breed, or at least of the fetching Summer Glau variety, you may be in for a disappointment. A group of Japanese roboticists, led by Shingo Maeda at the Shuji Hashimoto applied physics laboratory at Waseda University, have created a chemical gel capable of independent motion, similar to that of a caterpillar.

Using a process that combines polymers, the material not only moves on its own, but also can change colors and can be used to perform calculations. According to the scientists involved in the project the morphable material could even one day be used as components of a future robot, thus making the notion of the incredibly scary Terminator T-1000 a real possibility. You can check out video of the terrifying "baby steps" of this new material here.

Japanese lab creates self-propelling chemical material for future Terminators

If you were hoping that our future robot masters would be of the readily identifiable Transformers breed, or at least of the fetching Summer Glau variety, you may be in for a disappointment. A group of Japanese roboticists, led by Shingo Maeda at the Shuji Hashimoto applied physics laboratory at Waseda University, have created a chemical gel capable of independent motion, similar to that of a caterpillar.

Using a process that combines polymers, the material not only moves on its own, but also can change colors and can be used to perform calculations. According to the scientists involved in the project the morphable material could even one day be used as components of a future robot, thus making the notion of the incredibly scary Terminator T-1000 a real possibility. You can check out video of the terrifying "baby steps" of this new material here.

4 Star Trek technologies that are almost here (and 3 that are really far off)

Want a piece of those incredible technologies from Star Trek? You've already got it. Those automatically opening doors existed when the first Star Trek episode aired 43 years ago. Cellphones (think Motorola StarTAC), and smartphones blow away the capabilities of the communicators of Kirk, Picard, Janeway and Archer. Bluetooth earpieces make Lieutenant Uhura's look primitive by a parsec and a half, and today's speech recognition could easily hold its own against the Enterprise computer's.

Still, Kirk and co. have plenty of stuff that we can only dream about at this point. When you start talking about traveling many times the speed of light, holographic simulations that are indistinguishable from reality, replicating food inside an everyday appliance, and beaming quintillions of atoms from one place to another… those are a ways off.

Or are they? Are today's intrepid scientists getting close to creating a real-world transporter or holodeck? For some techs, yes. For others, not in Chekov's wildest dreams. Keep reading, and we'll sort out the Star Trek techs we might be seeing soon (maybe within some of our lifetimes) from those that are so far out, we'd advise you not to hold your breath waiting for them.

Coming Soon:

1. Holodeck

What is it?
Reality is perfectly simulated down to the slightest and tiniest detail. Individuals can be simulated, and experiences such as cliff diving or sailing aboard a pirate ship can be convincingly portrayed, even to the point where they are undetectable.

Is it feasible?
Today's 3-D graphics are almost photorealistic, and it won't be long before processors are powerful enough to display such imagery in real time. The ability for people to run, jump and interact with various objects in a confined space is farther off, but brain research is making sufficient progress so that physical simulators might not even be necessary to achieve these effects — it might soon be possible to electronically stimulate the human brain, creating convincing simulations with little physical effort.

Similar real-world technology
British researchers hope to have a special helmet built within the next three to five years with attachments for the nose, ears, and mouth that reproduce sights, sounds and tastes. This bulky and awkward helmet isn't hyperrealistic like the Star Trek holodeck, but it's a start.

---

2. Tricorder
What is it?
This sophisticated voice-activated multipurpose sensing device detects elements, chemicals and life forms, records data on audio and video, and sends its findings back to the ship or processes data within the handheld unit for immediate analysis. Medical tricorders specialize in monitoring life signs.

Is it feasible?
If processing power improves and miniaturization continues apace, the computing power of a device this size could carry out a tremendous number of tasks at the same time. Sniffers used to detect concentrations of toxic chemicals in the air could evolve into sophisticated sensing devices. Recording huge volumes of video and audio, and searching among that data and analyzing interrelationships is already possible, and even more so as computer power increases.

Similar real-world technology
The LOCAD-PTS (Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development Portable Test System) is a handheld device that detects bacteria and fungi on the International Space Station, but it takes a while to analyze its samples.

---

3. Universal Translator

What is it?
Here's a device that can translate any language into standard English, even if it's communicated by a non-biological lifeform. In early Star Trek episodes, translators weren't perfect, but by the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), the technology was compact enough to be built into communicator pins.

Is it feasible?
To build a device that can recognize speech in any of the world's languages, and then translate those words into any of the other world's languages is certainly feasible today. The problem is getting such a device small enough to fit into a communicator pin. That's going to take some serious effort. The ability to translate languages not in a translator's databases would require some sort of telepathy, and whether that is feasible is a more a matter of faith than science.

Similar real-world technology
The Voxtec Phraselator P2 is now on duty with the U.S. military in Iraq, Afghanistan and Southeast Asia, translating phrases spoken in one of 50 languages into another language and back. It can utter and understand 15,000 commonly used phrases.

---

4. Geordi La Forge's VISOR

What is it?
Geordi La Forge from Star Trek TNG has been blind from birth, but his VISOR (Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement) gives him more than just eyesight. Using the bolted-on eyewear, he sees the electromagnetic spectrum, and it's connected directly into his brain. This lets him sense vital signs such as heart rate and temperature, and in some episodes even detects lies and emotions. It must be an astonishing device, because Geordi turned down normal human vision a few times in favor of that VISOR.

Is it feasible?
By electrically stimulating the optic neurons of the retina, it's possible to restore vision, creating a relatively low-quality image with no visor required.

Similar real-world technology
Scientists in 2000 successfully created an artificial silicon retina, and in a 2002 test of a similar system, wearers could tell the difference between three common objects — a plate, cup and a knife. Implanted behind the retina, the sensor contains 3,500 microscopic solar cells that convert light into electrical pulses.

---

Don't Hold Your Breath:

---

1. Transporter

What is it?
Living human bodies, as well as inanimate objects, are molecularly dematerialized, transmitted to their destination up to 40,000 kilometers away, and then rematerialized in two to three seconds.

Is it feasible?
This would take spectacular computing power, far beyond anything possible today. One intriguing estimate of what it would take to teleport a 150-pound human involves calculating the amount of processing power necessary, and that quickly gets into unimaginably high numbers, consisting of ones followed by dozens of zeros just to count the person's atoms. Each atom would need to be scanned and recorded. One imaginative commenter estimated it would take a year to record the necessary data to transport a human. Another calculated 22 million years. And then there's the reconstituting of that person's body on the other side. That would be one long trip.

Similar real-world technology
So far, scientists tinkering with quantum mechanics have been able to transport one molecule a few feet, so maybe transporting a human is not impossible. Given the growth of computational power, the ability to crunch such enormous numbers may occur faster than anyone could anticipate. Consider this: robotic spacecraft with accurate enough sensors to allow telepresence.

---

2. Replicator

What is it?
This miraculous machine can create and recycle just about anything. It has the remarkable ability to rearrange subatomic particles into molecules, and then build inanimate objects, foods, or just about anything except a living organism or dilithium crystals.

Is it feasible?
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are bored out of their skulls with refrigeration-free space food and would give just about anything to be able to bark out "Tea, Earl Grey, extra hot" and get themselves a hot cuppa anytime — or better yet, a juicy steak. But similar problems arise with a replicator that you'd run into with a transporter: creating objects from scratch. We're going to have to wait until we've mastered turning matter into energy and back again — several centuries, at least — for something like this.

Similar real-world technology
NASA is looking into creating a compact cooking machine that will contain basic ingredients that could be used to assemble a variety of recipes.

---

3. Warp drive
Gigantic starships can travel many times faster than the speed of light, somehow propelled by an artificial bubble of space-time surrounding the ship.

Is it feasible?
If so, no one has quite figured out how this would be done. Imaginations run wild, but Einstein's Theory of Relativity posits that traveling beyond the speed of light is impossible, and light speed's a whole lot slower than Warp 9.9. Eric Davis, a Senior Research Physicist at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin (and the CEO of Warp Drive Metrics) thinks traveling through a wormhole would be more likely than warp drive: "In comparing the intricacies of traversable wormhole physics with warp-drive physics, I discovered in the published research literature that the warp-drive concept suffers far more serious technical issues compared with traversable wormholes even though both FTL (faster-than-light) concepts are beyond our present ability to implement in practice."

Similar real-world technology
There's nothing even remotely similar to warp drive yet. Unless Dr. Zefram Cochrane is working on such technology in secret as you read this, none is forthcoming

4 Star Trek technologies that are almost here (and 3 that are really far off)

Want a piece of those incredible technologies from Star Trek? You've already got it. Those automatically opening doors existed when the first Star Trek episode aired 43 years ago. Cellphones (think Motorola StarTAC), and smartphones blow away the capabilities of the communicators of Kirk, Picard, Janeway and Archer. Bluetooth earpieces make Lieutenant Uhura's look primitive by a parsec and a half, and today's speech recognition could easily hold its own against the Enterprise computer's.

Still, Kirk and co. have plenty of stuff that we can only dream about at this point. When you start talking about traveling many times the speed of light, holographic simulations that are indistinguishable from reality, replicating food inside an everyday appliance, and beaming quintillions of atoms from one place to another… those are a ways off.

Or are they? Are today's intrepid scientists getting close to creating a real-world transporter or holodeck? For some techs, yes. For others, not in Chekov's wildest dreams. Keep reading, and we'll sort out the Star Trek techs we might be seeing soon (maybe within some of our lifetimes) from those that are so far out, we'd advise you not to hold your breath waiting for them.

Coming Soon:

1. Holodeck

What is it?
Reality is perfectly simulated down to the slightest and tiniest detail. Individuals can be simulated, and experiences such as cliff diving or sailing aboard a pirate ship can be convincingly portrayed, even to the point where they are undetectable.

Is it feasible?
Today's 3-D graphics are almost photorealistic, and it won't be long before processors are powerful enough to display such imagery in real time. The ability for people to run, jump and interact with various objects in a confined space is farther off, but brain research is making sufficient progress so that physical simulators might not even be necessary to achieve these effects — it might soon be possible to electronically stimulate the human brain, creating convincing simulations with little physical effort.

Similar real-world technology
British researchers hope to have a special helmet built within the next three to five years with attachments for the nose, ears, and mouth that reproduce sights, sounds and tastes. This bulky and awkward helmet isn't hyperrealistic like the Star Trek holodeck, but it's a start.

---

2. Tricorder
What is it?
This sophisticated voice-activated multipurpose sensing device detects elements, chemicals and life forms, records data on audio and video, and sends its findings back to the ship or processes data within the handheld unit for immediate analysis. Medical tricorders specialize in monitoring life signs.

Is it feasible?
If processing power improves and miniaturization continues apace, the computing power of a device this size could carry out a tremendous number of tasks at the same time. Sniffers used to detect concentrations of toxic chemicals in the air could evolve into sophisticated sensing devices. Recording huge volumes of video and audio, and searching among that data and analyzing interrelationships is already possible, and even more so as computer power increases.

Similar real-world technology
The LOCAD-PTS (Lab-On-a-Chip Application Development Portable Test System) is a handheld device that detects bacteria and fungi on the International Space Station, but it takes a while to analyze its samples.

---

3. Universal Translator

What is it?
Here's a device that can translate any language into standard English, even if it's communicated by a non-biological lifeform. In early Star Trek episodes, translators weren't perfect, but by the time of Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), the technology was compact enough to be built into communicator pins.

Is it feasible?
To build a device that can recognize speech in any of the world's languages, and then translate those words into any of the other world's languages is certainly feasible today. The problem is getting such a device small enough to fit into a communicator pin. That's going to take some serious effort. The ability to translate languages not in a translator's databases would require some sort of telepathy, and whether that is feasible is a more a matter of faith than science.

Similar real-world technology
The Voxtec Phraselator P2 is now on duty with the U.S. military in Iraq, Afghanistan and Southeast Asia, translating phrases spoken in one of 50 languages into another language and back. It can utter and understand 15,000 commonly used phrases.

---

4. Geordi La Forge's VISOR

What is it?
Geordi La Forge from Star Trek TNG has been blind from birth, but his VISOR (Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement) gives him more than just eyesight. Using the bolted-on eyewear, he sees the electromagnetic spectrum, and it's connected directly into his brain. This lets him sense vital signs such as heart rate and temperature, and in some episodes even detects lies and emotions. It must be an astonishing device, because Geordi turned down normal human vision a few times in favor of that VISOR.

Is it feasible?
By electrically stimulating the optic neurons of the retina, it's possible to restore vision, creating a relatively low-quality image with no visor required.

Similar real-world technology
Scientists in 2000 successfully created an artificial silicon retina, and in a 2002 test of a similar system, wearers could tell the difference between three common objects — a plate, cup and a knife. Implanted behind the retina, the sensor contains 3,500 microscopic solar cells that convert light into electrical pulses.

---

Don't Hold Your Breath:

---

1. Transporter

What is it?
Living human bodies, as well as inanimate objects, are molecularly dematerialized, transmitted to their destination up to 40,000 kilometers away, and then rematerialized in two to three seconds.

Is it feasible?
This would take spectacular computing power, far beyond anything possible today. One intriguing estimate of what it would take to teleport a 150-pound human involves calculating the amount of processing power necessary, and that quickly gets into unimaginably high numbers, consisting of ones followed by dozens of zeros just to count the person's atoms. Each atom would need to be scanned and recorded. One imaginative commenter estimated it would take a year to record the necessary data to transport a human. Another calculated 22 million years. And then there's the reconstituting of that person's body on the other side. That would be one long trip.

Similar real-world technology
So far, scientists tinkering with quantum mechanics have been able to transport one molecule a few feet, so maybe transporting a human is not impossible. Given the growth of computational power, the ability to crunch such enormous numbers may occur faster than anyone could anticipate. Consider this: robotic spacecraft with accurate enough sensors to allow telepresence.

---

2. Replicator

What is it?
This miraculous machine can create and recycle just about anything. It has the remarkable ability to rearrange subatomic particles into molecules, and then build inanimate objects, foods, or just about anything except a living organism or dilithium crystals.

Is it feasible?
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station are bored out of their skulls with refrigeration-free space food and would give just about anything to be able to bark out "Tea, Earl Grey, extra hot" and get themselves a hot cuppa anytime — or better yet, a juicy steak. But similar problems arise with a replicator that you'd run into with a transporter: creating objects from scratch. We're going to have to wait until we've mastered turning matter into energy and back again — several centuries, at least — for something like this.

Similar real-world technology
NASA is looking into creating a compact cooking machine that will contain basic ingredients that could be used to assemble a variety of recipes.

---

3. Warp drive
Gigantic starships can travel many times faster than the speed of light, somehow propelled by an artificial bubble of space-time surrounding the ship.

Is it feasible?
If so, no one has quite figured out how this would be done. Imaginations run wild, but Einstein's Theory of Relativity posits that traveling beyond the speed of light is impossible, and light speed's a whole lot slower than Warp 9.9. Eric Davis, a Senior Research Physicist at the Institute for Advanced Studies at Austin (and the CEO of Warp Drive Metrics) thinks traveling through a wormhole would be more likely than warp drive: "In comparing the intricacies of traversable wormhole physics with warp-drive physics, I discovered in the published research literature that the warp-drive concept suffers far more serious technical issues compared with traversable wormholes even though both FTL (faster-than-light) concepts are beyond our present ability to implement in practice."

Similar real-world technology
There's nothing even remotely similar to warp drive yet. Unless Dr. Zefram Cochrane is working on such technology in secret as you read this, none is forthcoming

Seed Bombs: First stirrings of the Genesis Device?

While not as sophisticated as Star Trek's Genesis Device that creates lush paradise-like planets using one miraculous projectile, Seed Bomb has a similar mission. This design concept aims to drop these beneficial guided missiles — each loaded with multiple warheads of artificial soil and seeds — onto areas that have been foolishly raped by deforestation.

Each self-contained capsule is made of biodegradable plastic, and it melts away when wet, allowing the seedling within to flourish. Although it's not creating a heaven on earth at a subatomic level, it's a great start. Drop a few dozen planeloads of these babies, and it's goodbye desertification! Take a closer look at how this is supposed to work:

Seed Bombs: First stirrings of the Genesis Device?

While not as sophisticated as Star Trek's Genesis Device that creates lush paradise-like planets using one miraculous projectile, Seed Bomb has a similar mission. This design concept aims to drop these beneficial guided missiles — each loaded with multiple warheads of artificial soil and seeds — onto areas that have been foolishly raped by deforestation.

Each self-contained capsule is made of biodegradable plastic, and it melts away when wet, allowing the seedling within to flourish. Although it's not creating a heaven on earth at a subatomic level, it's a great start. Drop a few dozen planeloads of these babies, and it's goodbye desertification! Take a closer look at how this is supposed to work:

Intel flaunts its latest Core i7, world's fastest desktop chip

Time marches on. PC processors get faster. But this one is unusually quick, especially when overclocking. The cool-running 3.3GHz Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition is a $1000 quad-core chip currently aimed at gamers who can afford to spend $8000 on a PC, but don't let that discourage you. This will be an average processor a couple of years from now.

It starts getting geek-gasmically astonishing when you hear tales of the guys at Hot Hardware Review overclocking this sucker, revving it up beyond 4.1 GHz. They reported the chip wasn't even breathing hard at that much-higher speed, and only noticed a "small voltage bump" when the chip reached its 50°C maximum temperature. And that was with a normal heatsink, no fancy liquid cooling required.

Intel flaunts its latest Core i7, world's fastest desktop chip

Time marches on. PC processors get faster. But this one is unusually quick, especially when overclocking. The cool-running 3.3GHz Intel Core i7-975 Extreme Edition is a $1000 quad-core chip currently aimed at gamers who can afford to spend $8000 on a PC, but don't let that discourage you. This will be an average processor a couple of years from now.

It starts getting geek-gasmically astonishing when you hear tales of the guys at Hot Hardware Review overclocking this sucker, revving it up beyond 4.1 GHz. They reported the chip wasn't even breathing hard at that much-higher speed, and only noticed a "small voltage bump" when the chip reached its 50°C maximum temperature. And that was with a normal heatsink, no fancy liquid cooling required.

German scientists create eyeglass display that responds to eye movement

Displays incorporated into eyeglasses — or even contact lenses — have been popular fare of spy fiction from Mission: Impossible to Torchwood. It's wicked cool to see messages like "THAT IS THE TARGET -- ELIMINATE HIM" scroll by your field of view, but the glasses are almost always one-way, with the wearer just a passive observer of incoming data. Now researchers in Germany are about to do one better than science fiction, creating an eyeglass display that a user can control with simple eye movements.

How does it work? Hit the jump for more.

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute managed to pack a CMOS sensor and a tiny OLED projector into a single 19 x 17-millimeter chip that can be mounted on an eyeglass frame. The projector displays images directly onto the wearer's retina, creating the illusion of a high-contrast image floating about a three feet away. The sensor tracks eye movement, with the display responding accordingly. Want to go to the next page of a document? Flick your eyes the left. Close the document? Hold your eye closed for longer than a blink. Zoom out? Open really wide.

What's really remarkable about this technology is how compact it is (compare it with this Gaze Detector from a couple of years ago). Battery power might be an issue, but there's no reason you couldn't design a power pack that fits compactly in the frame. And putting sensors in for both eyes would be a must — there would be so many more "commands" a wearer could make than with just one. In any case, we can't wait for the day when we can slip on our phone/glasses and make a call without lifting a finger or saying one word.

German scientists create eyeglass display that responds to eye movement

Displays incorporated into eyeglasses — or even contact lenses — have been popular fare of spy fiction from Mission: Impossible to Torchwood. It's wicked cool to see messages like "THAT IS THE TARGET -- ELIMINATE HIM" scroll by your field of view, but the glasses are almost always one-way, with the wearer just a passive observer of incoming data. Now researchers in Germany are about to do one better than science fiction, creating an eyeglass display that a user can control with simple eye movements.

How does it work? Hit the jump for more.

Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute managed to pack a CMOS sensor and a tiny OLED projector into a single 19 x 17-millimeter chip that can be mounted on an eyeglass frame. The projector displays images directly onto the wearer's retina, creating the illusion of a high-contrast image floating about a three feet away. The sensor tracks eye movement, with the display responding accordingly. Want to go to the next page of a document? Flick your eyes the left. Close the document? Hold your eye closed for longer than a blink. Zoom out? Open really wide.

What's really remarkable about this technology is how compact it is (compare it with this Gaze Detector from a couple of years ago). Battery power might be an issue, but there's no reason you couldn't design a power pack that fits compactly in the frame. And putting sensors in for both eyes would be a must — there would be so many more "commands" a wearer could make than with just one. In any case, we can't wait for the day when we can slip on our phone/glasses and make a call without lifting a finger or saying one word.

Technology and Gadget Predictions for 2050!

We fast forward, 42 years into the future, a bleak vision for some of us when remembering the first “super-computer” as people shrieked and fled in terror, almost convinced that the “super-computer” will dominate human life. But let’s face it, it was the size of a small house and answered algebraic equation’s in minutes, just like the calculator can in seconds.

However, we have pondered and paced the garden thinking of what possible catastrophes can be applauded in 42 years? This is what we came up with:

The Flying Car

Since Moller released its “SkyCar M400X,” in 2003, it has failed to succeed. But this has only opened the door to new technology! Currently, there exists various patented, “Flying Cars”, but, again have failed to “take off” (No pun intended). But on a serious note - we have unearthed and have estimated that by 2050 no current car will be drivable! Now this might be because of the “Carbon Emissions,” law, which might rule out every gas powered vehicle. So move over gas, and welcome “Electric” power. Okay its hardly new, but we have listed an electric car that will give the Dodge Spider a run for its money!

Stop drooling…It’s called the Mazda Kaan, (yes it’s a Mazda) and it is “electric,” but do you want to know the best bit? It can drive up to mega top speeds of 250mph and it is soon appearing in the E1 - the Formula One of electric cars. In case you were wondering what those orange rims are…yep…you’ve guessed it - they’re wheels! So innovation in the making, it won’t be long until this thing will be able to fly.

Holograms

“Introducing, the new (2050) iPhone, with integrated, hologram, voice call.” Can you imagine this by 2050, or perhaps sooner? For many of us who watched the “Obama/McCain,” US election on CNN, we might of noticed a hologram of a female reporter. However, this used a few cameras on a 360 degree axis, and one very large “green screen,” to create the illusion. Nevertheless, it has created some media in the process, and now questions remain…when will we see, and use holograms?

George Lucas might be smug as he created the same techniques on Star Wars!

Teleportation

Ever heard of Quantum Teleportation? Now this is in progress at present and consists of transporting one entity to another geographical location. This may seem impossible but scientific research has found this is quite conceivable indeed.

Okay, all you need to get started is a “Transporter!” This could be anything, from a mobile handset to a complete array of electronic plates and a lot of Duracell batteries. However, silly as it might sound it has surpassed notion and is soon to be in development. So let’s all hope in 2050 teleportation could be made public! On the failier of the big “Red Phone Box.” Blue phone boxes might take their place, in the form of a Dardis.

Eco-Villages

Houses are already failing to meet the needs to be energy efficient so all homes will be totally green by 2050.

A normal house in the city, suburb or country, will predominately look the same. It’ll have solar panel roofing, wind turbines in the yard, a “flying car” landing pad and a garage for your teleport.

However, you will have a house robot that will assist you on your daily errands - helping to take out the garbage, prepare the food, beam up the teleport - practically anything. All you have to do is sit back in your eco home without worrying about the sky high electric bills because you have already invested into solar power.

Toilets

Now that were living in the year 2050 why can’t we have a futuristic toilet…well one for it would be insanely boring! There is no point going into the complexities of the matter when when it comes to using the toilet it is more of a functional experience. Well move over practical as the future is set to put some fun into using the good old lav.

Hold! Aim! Fire! yes, that’s right, its the game that you can pee all over. Play games as you pee, with such classics as “bullseye.” Bare in mind, these games consist of skill, accuracy, and “PE-resistance.” If your stuck on a level be sure not to cheat and peak in another guys urinal it might reap bad consequences…do you think it will catch on in the future? Who knows?! I mean, they made Take That popular again so anything is possible!

Robots

Robots might already be here and especially if you have read my review on Gaj-it “Robots taking over the world.” But today a robot’s limits are only to its creator and whatever its master wants. So far, we have acting robots - I know, it won’t make much of a film - we also have robots which can mimic facial expressions. But when, where, and why, will we get to see and use, a robot that can go to the fridge, pull out a Bud so you can sit back and amuse yourself on the latest release of the PlayStation 27.

However, Robots are picking up pace, and seem to grow immensely superior. So expect Robots to be already here by 2050, and themselves, picking their artificial brains, trying to uncover new technology, before 2050?

007?

Now James Bond has gave such a large contribution, that it deserves a category on its own. But where to start as the list of gadgets and gizmo’s is so vast. When we say that the pen is mightier than the sword, we really mean it!

A watch with a laser on it? not Practical, but I’m sure you’ll find it in everyday use. Rings that can shatter bullet proof glass at a twist. A jet pack, for the business man, to get to work on time. Even X-ray glasses for the shop keeper to keep an eye on those youths exiting his shop. Can we see James Bonds’ array of gadgets in 2050, I think yes!

Computers

Comp…What? That’s right, by 2050, computers will no longer be called “computers”, it will have a new name, which would have already served its purpose. We predict that by 2050, computers will evolved enough that they will be monitoring themselves to find a new product, and we will be sitting back, relaxing and waiting until it does. However, Windows will no longer be call “Windows,” instead it will be called, “force field” because let’s face it, we have all this new technology, that we don’t need glass, Upvc windows any more. We can just deactivate a force field, whenever we want to let a little air in.

We predict that, keyboards will be a thing of the past, and we would use “touch screen,” and with many of us with larger roles in IT, will be using Minority Report style gloves to control programmes.

Fountain of Youth

The secret to eternal youth is out folks. Apparently according to boffins, they have found “growth” cells, which all help us age. What they have done is not remove, but reduced its length in order to help us grow old slowly. Now with that being said, I am currently writing a list called “Technology and Gadgets in 2150,” it might just be possible, that we’re all round then.

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Technology and Gadget Predictions for 2050!

We fast forward, 42 years into the future, a bleak vision for some of us when remembering the first “super-computer” as people shrieked and fled in terror, almost convinced that the “super-computer” will dominate human life. But let’s face it, it was the size of a small house and answered algebraic equation’s in minutes, just like the calculator can in seconds.

However, we have pondered and paced the garden thinking of what possible catastrophes can be applauded in 42 years? This is what we came up with:

The Flying Car

Since Moller released its “SkyCar M400X,” in 2003, it has failed to succeed. But this has only opened the door to new technology! Currently, there exists various patented, “Flying Cars”, but, again have failed to “take off” (No pun intended). But on a serious note - we have unearthed and have estimated that by 2050 no current car will be drivable! Now this might be because of the “Carbon Emissions,” law, which might rule out every gas powered vehicle. So move over gas, and welcome “Electric” power. Okay its hardly new, but we have listed an electric car that will give the Dodge Spider a run for its money!

Stop drooling…It’s called the Mazda Kaan, (yes it’s a Mazda) and it is “electric,” but do you want to know the best bit? It can drive up to mega top speeds of 250mph and it is soon appearing in the E1 - the Formula One of electric cars. In case you were wondering what those orange rims are…yep…you’ve guessed it - they’re wheels! So innovation in the making, it won’t be long until this thing will be able to fly.

Holograms

“Introducing, the new (2050) iPhone, with integrated, hologram, voice call.” Can you imagine this by 2050, or perhaps sooner? For many of us who watched the “Obama/McCain,” US election on CNN, we might of noticed a hologram of a female reporter. However, this used a few cameras on a 360 degree axis, and one very large “green screen,” to create the illusion. Nevertheless, it has created some media in the process, and now questions remain…when will we see, and use holograms?

George Lucas might be smug as he created the same techniques on Star Wars!

Teleportation

Ever heard of Quantum Teleportation? Now this is in progress at present and consists of transporting one entity to another geographical location. This may seem impossible but scientific research has found this is quite conceivable indeed.

Okay, all you need to get started is a “Transporter!” This could be anything, from a mobile handset to a complete array of electronic plates and a lot of Duracell batteries. However, silly as it might sound it has surpassed notion and is soon to be in development. So let’s all hope in 2050 teleportation could be made public! On the failier of the big “Red Phone Box.” Blue phone boxes might take their place, in the form of a Dardis.

Eco-Villages

Houses are already failing to meet the needs to be energy efficient so all homes will be totally green by 2050.

A normal house in the city, suburb or country, will predominately look the same. It’ll have solar panel roofing, wind turbines in the yard, a “flying car” landing pad and a garage for your teleport.

However, you will have a house robot that will assist you on your daily errands - helping to take out the garbage, prepare the food, beam up the teleport - practically anything. All you have to do is sit back in your eco home without worrying about the sky high electric bills because you have already invested into solar power.

Toilets

Now that were living in the year 2050 why can’t we have a futuristic toilet…well one for it would be insanely boring! There is no point going into the complexities of the matter when when it comes to using the toilet it is more of a functional experience. Well move over practical as the future is set to put some fun into using the good old lav.

Hold! Aim! Fire! yes, that’s right, its the game that you can pee all over. Play games as you pee, with such classics as “bullseye.” Bare in mind, these games consist of skill, accuracy, and “PE-resistance.” If your stuck on a level be sure not to cheat and peak in another guys urinal it might reap bad consequences…do you think it will catch on in the future? Who knows?! I mean, they made Take That popular again so anything is possible!

Robots

Robots might already be here and especially if you have read my review on Gaj-it “Robots taking over the world.” But today a robot’s limits are only to its creator and whatever its master wants. So far, we have acting robots - I know, it won’t make much of a film - we also have robots which can mimic facial expressions. But when, where, and why, will we get to see and use, a robot that can go to the fridge, pull out a Bud so you can sit back and amuse yourself on the latest release of the PlayStation 27.

However, Robots are picking up pace, and seem to grow immensely superior. So expect Robots to be already here by 2050, and themselves, picking their artificial brains, trying to uncover new technology, before 2050?

007?

Now James Bond has gave such a large contribution, that it deserves a category on its own. But where to start as the list of gadgets and gizmo’s is so vast. When we say that the pen is mightier than the sword, we really mean it!

A watch with a laser on it? not Practical, but I’m sure you’ll find it in everyday use. Rings that can shatter bullet proof glass at a twist. A jet pack, for the business man, to get to work on time. Even X-ray glasses for the shop keeper to keep an eye on those youths exiting his shop. Can we see James Bonds’ array of gadgets in 2050, I think yes!

Computers

Comp…What? That’s right, by 2050, computers will no longer be called “computers”, it will have a new name, which would have already served its purpose. We predict that by 2050, computers will evolved enough that they will be monitoring themselves to find a new product, and we will be sitting back, relaxing and waiting until it does. However, Windows will no longer be call “Windows,” instead it will be called, “force field” because let’s face it, we have all this new technology, that we don’t need glass, Upvc windows any more. We can just deactivate a force field, whenever we want to let a little air in.

We predict that, keyboards will be a thing of the past, and we would use “touch screen,” and with many of us with larger roles in IT, will be using Minority Report style gloves to control programmes.

Fountain of Youth

The secret to eternal youth is out folks. Apparently according to boffins, they have found “growth” cells, which all help us age. What they have done is not remove, but reduced its length in order to help us grow old slowly. Now with that being said, I am currently writing a list called “Technology and Gadgets in 2150,” it might just be possible, that we’re all round then.

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