Beam Yourself Around the World with Telebeamer
News of the Future 12/09/2011 09:54
September 12, 2035 - Are you kidding? Is it possible to beam myself? No, of course not, but you can now make a 3-D projection of yourself anywhere in the world. The first product for real teleimmersion has been released, the Telebeamer.It consists of four 2-meter pillars, to set up so they form a square of about 4 square meters. Anything within the box (preferably you) is scanned in three dimensions, and can easily be projected in another box with the same setup. The great thing is that you can have someone else projected in the same box where you are, at the same time as you are projected in that person's box. In that way you can truly communicate with each other from different parts of the world.
In the pillars there are 3-D scanners as well as 3-D projectors. They are wireless connected to your computer where you have specific software that connects with the person that you would like, that have the same software and 3-D box as you. With the microphone and speakers that goes with the installation you can easily talk to the other person when he or she is projected in front of you.
In the future the manufacturer intends to provide a three-party connection, so people from three Telebeamers can meet. They are also developing game versions where you for instance can play table tennis together with a projected ping-pong ball. Even though an installation is a bit bulky they hope that a shuttle can bring a Telebeamer to Starbright Hotel on the moon, so the guests there can get a visit from home.
Even if it sounds cool, don't expect that this will be the Christmas present of the year. First you need two of them to have someone to communicate with, and secondly, they cost US$ 12,900 each, so they are mainly for businesses.
Argument: Even though videophone has not been interesting enough for the mass market so far, there is a great interest in interacting in people elsewhere. The developing in 3-D scanning and 3-D projection makes the Telebeamer possible, and by year 2035 Internet will be so fast that it can handle a well projected, well updated, 3-D experience.
Questions: Will a product like the Telebeamer be interesting for the home market? Will there be other ways to interact with each other from distant locations in the future?
Abuja Welcomes the World to the 37th Olympics
News of the Future 11/09/2011 13:46
September 11, 2040 - There are only a couple of days left to the grand opening of the 37th Olympic Games in Abuja in Nigeria this Friday. It is the second time Africa is hosting the Olympics, and the organizers feel confident that it will be the best games ever.
The opening is promised to present "the richness and flavors that Nigeria and Africa have to offer". The big happening during the opening will be the 16 meters high 3-D projected Nigerian dancers that will swing across the field, accompanied by thousands human ones. They also promise a couple of special surprises for the opening party.
As any major sports event this has also been preceded by the questions of doping and the way to fight it, but we can only hope that these games will be as clean as possible. No more sports have been added for these Olympics, so the newest ones are still climbing and windsurfing.
The closing of the games will be on September 30, the day before Nigeria celebrates 80 years as an independent nation.
Argument: Africa is still the only continent (except Antarctica) that hasn't hosted the Olympic Games but will most likely do so for the first time around year 2024 or 2028. The African countries that have the best chances in getting the Olympics are South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco and Kenya. If the first African Olympics become a success there will most likely follow another one on the continent soon after.
Questions: The most countries that have hosted the summer Olympics have already been established tourist destinations for people from Europe and the US. Will the Olympics in the African countries inspire to a wave of tourists? In what other way will hosting of major sports event, like the World Cup in Soccer year 2010 to be held in South Africa, affect Africa?
Abuja Welcomes the World to the 37th Olympics
News of the Future 11/09/2011 13:46
September 11, 2040 - There are only a couple of days left to the grand opening of the 37th Olympic Games in Abuja in Nigeria this Friday. It is the second time Africa is hosting the Olympics, and the organizers feel confident that it will be the best games ever.
The opening is promised to present "the richness and flavors that Nigeria and Africa have to offer". The big happening during the opening will be the 16 meters high 3-D projected Nigerian dancers that will swing across the field, accompanied by thousands human ones. They also promise a couple of special surprises for the opening party.
As any major sports event this has also been preceded by the questions of doping and the way to fight it, but we can only hope that these games will be as clean as possible. No more sports have been added for these Olympics, so the newest ones are still climbing and windsurfing.
The closing of the games will be on September 30, the day before Nigeria celebrates 80 years as an independent nation.
Argument: Africa is still the only continent (except Antarctica) that hasn't hosted the Olympic Games but will most likely do so for the first time around year 2024 or 2028. The African countries that have the best chances in getting the Olympics are South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco and Kenya. If the first African Olympics become a success there will most likely follow another one on the continent soon after.
Questions: The most countries that have hosted the summer Olympics have already been established tourist destinations for people from Europe and the US. Will the Olympics in the African countries inspire to a wave of tourists? In what other way will hosting of major sports event, like the World Cup in Soccer year 2010 to be held in South Africa, affect Africa?
Can Paralyzed Walk in the Future?
News of the Future 05/09/2011 09:06
September 5, 2035 - More than 20,000 quadriplegics around the world have now got a BCI, a Brain Computer Interface. It gives them the ability to control their environment, from driving their own electric wheelchairs outside their house, to make their own dinner.
The BCI consists of an internal sensor to detect brain cell activity and external processors that convert these brain signals into a computer-mediated output under the person's own control. The sensor is implanted on the surface of the area of the brain responsible for movement, the motor cortex, and is then wireless connected to a computer. The first successful implanted BMI was BrainGate for more than 30 years ago, which then gave the patient the ability to move a cursor on a screen and play a simple computer game.
BCI is mainly for people with severe motor impairments from spinal cord injury, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or other motor neuron diseases
Steve Nelson from Hoboken, New Jersey has had his BCI for 3 years: "It definitely changed my life, after being completely stuck in my chair for several years after the accident. We have connected everything in my apartment to the software that I control with my mind. I can even go out of my apartment, take the elevator down and go for a tour downtown, without anyone assisting me. With the robotic hand at my chair I can open the freezer, take out the food I want, and cook it myself." However, how well this work of course differs from individual to individual and some criticism has been heard that the BCI is given to people who could not benefit from it for different reasons.
The developing of the BCI software and the experience from the increasing number of users now gives hope that legs and arms can be activated by thought only. Tests are currently made on people with BCI and if the result is positive a solution can be on the market in the near future.
Even though improvements have been made towards cloning of human organs scientists agree that there are still some years left for them to successfully help a person with spinal cord damage to walk again.
Argument: Tests with the BrainGate Neural Interface System have been successful, proving the possibility for a quadriplegic to move a cursor on a screen by thought only.
Questions: In what other ways can quadriplegics control their environment with their mind? When will it be possible to help a person with spinal cord damage to walk again?
Can Paralyzed Walk in the Future?
News of the Future 05/09/2011 09:06
September 5, 2035 - More than 20,000 quadriplegics around the world have now got a BCI, a Brain Computer Interface. It gives them the ability to control their environment, from driving their own electric wheelchairs outside their house, to make their own dinner.
The BCI consists of an internal sensor to detect brain cell activity and external processors that convert these brain signals into a computer-mediated output under the person's own control. The sensor is implanted on the surface of the area of the brain responsible for movement, the motor cortex, and is then wireless connected to a computer. The first successful implanted BMI was BrainGate for more than 30 years ago, which then gave the patient the ability to move a cursor on a screen and play a simple computer game.
BCI is mainly for people with severe motor impairments from spinal cord injury, ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or other motor neuron diseases
Steve Nelson from Hoboken, New Jersey has had his BCI for 3 years: "It definitely changed my life, after being completely stuck in my chair for several years after the accident. We have connected everything in my apartment to the software that I control with my mind. I can even go out of my apartment, take the elevator down and go for a tour downtown, without anyone assisting me. With the robotic hand at my chair I can open the freezer, take out the food I want, and cook it myself." However, how well this work of course differs from individual to individual and some criticism has been heard that the BCI is given to people who could not benefit from it for different reasons.
The developing of the BCI software and the experience from the increasing number of users now gives hope that legs and arms can be activated by thought only. Tests are currently made on people with BCI and if the result is positive a solution can be on the market in the near future.
Even though improvements have been made towards cloning of human organs scientists agree that there are still some years left for them to successfully help a person with spinal cord damage to walk again.
Argument: Tests with the BrainGate Neural Interface System have been successful, proving the possibility for a quadriplegic to move a cursor on a screen by thought only.
Questions: In what other ways can quadriplegics control their environment with their mind? When will it be possible to help a person with spinal cord damage to walk again?
Now You Can Have Your Own Therapist 24/7
News of the Future 01/09/2011 09:12
September 1, 2040 - From today you have your own therapist available 24 hours a day, always there if you need someone to talk to, always in a good mood, and remembers every word you have ever said. This is the first automated therapist, with the best knowledge known to mankind on treatment and rehabilitation. It has been debated for a long time, but with the blessing of major psychological associations, the developing of artificial intelligence, and automated speech (both to recognize to, and from), the government backed free automated therapist has opened her clinic. She has basically got all the knowledge there is about psychotherapy and the human mind, and can guide the patient through the same steps as a professional therapist. Everything the patient says gets calculated in a way to get the proper response, which she of course does as fast as any human.
The system is so advanced that in a blind test that involved 1,400 people no one could tell the difference between the automated therapist and a professional one after a 30 minute session. The therapist is not only prepared to handle basically all kind of questions, but can also tell if a person is lying in the way he talks, and can also ask the person to seek further help if necessary, and in what way.
To get in touch with your personal therapist, you just call the main number where she answers (you can choose if you want to talk to a woman or a man). Your therapist asks you how you are today and the session begins. Everything you say gets recorded so your therapist knows about you next time you call, and can then directly continue where you left off last time. All conversations are also anonymous recorded for the knowledge base of human behavior, for the therapist to develop.
Will this mean that traditional therapists should start looking for new jobs? Probably not. Humans do need humans, especially in times of need. Although the automated therapist has all the knowledge needed and the ability to adjust, she is not in three dimensions for real. In the future she might at least be in two dimensions since they are developing an animated version for a screen appearance.
Argument: Artificial intelligence will develop during year 2020-2030 and by then the computers are at the same level as the human brain. We can then communicate with automated people that understand what we say and can give a proper response. One way to use this could be for people who are in need of talking to someone, either as a friend or to guide in therapy.
Questions: Will it be possible to make a computer understand the human mind as a human does, or even better? What legal aspects would there be for a solution like the automated therapist? In what other way can artificial intelligence be used?
Now You Can Have Your Own Therapist 24/7
News of the Future 01/09/2011 09:12
September 1, 2040 - From today you have your own therapist available 24 hours a day, always there if you need someone to talk to, always in a good mood, and remembers every word you have ever said. This is the first automated therapist, with the best knowledge known to mankind on treatment and rehabilitation. It has been debated for a long time, but with the blessing of major psychological associations, the developing of artificial intelligence, and automated speech (both to recognize to, and from), the government backed free automated therapist has opened her clinic. She has basically got all the knowledge there is about psychotherapy and the human mind, and can guide the patient through the same steps as a professional therapist. Everything the patient says gets calculated in a way to get the proper response, which she of course does as fast as any human.
The system is so advanced that in a blind test that involved 1,400 people no one could tell the difference between the automated therapist and a professional one after a 30 minute session. The therapist is not only prepared to handle basically all kind of questions, but can also tell if a person is lying in the way he talks, and can also ask the person to seek further help if necessary, and in what way.
To get in touch with your personal therapist, you just call the main number where she answers (you can choose if you want to talk to a woman or a man). Your therapist asks you how you are today and the session begins. Everything you say gets recorded so your therapist knows about you next time you call, and can then directly continue where you left off last time. All conversations are also anonymous recorded for the knowledge base of human behavior, for the therapist to develop.
Will this mean that traditional therapists should start looking for new jobs? Probably not. Humans do need humans, especially in times of need. Although the automated therapist has all the knowledge needed and the ability to adjust, she is not in three dimensions for real. In the future she might at least be in two dimensions since they are developing an animated version for a screen appearance.
Argument: Artificial intelligence will develop during year 2020-2030 and by then the computers are at the same level as the human brain. We can then communicate with automated people that understand what we say and can give a proper response. One way to use this could be for people who are in need of talking to someone, either as a friend or to guide in therapy.
Questions: Will it be possible to make a computer understand the human mind as a human does, or even better? What legal aspects would there be for a solution like the automated therapist? In what other way can artificial intelligence be used?
Taming Hurricane Pedro Gives Hope for the Future
News of the Future 29/08/2011 09:17
August 29, 2040 - Analysts believe that the effort in taming the hurricane Pedro is the main reason for it to still be considered a category four hurricane, before it reached the coast of southern Florida today. This is the first time ever a major hurricane has been affected in a measurable way by humans.
The hurricane fighting fleet of airplanes was alerted five days ago and has since then been spraying the ocean surface around Pedro's eye with a mix based on biodegradable oil to slow down the evaporating that feeds the hurricane. Even though progress have been made calculating the development of a hurricane, it is still difficult to determine the exact effect of the spraying, but analysts believe it is the reason that the wind speed has not increased.
It is hard to tell exactly what kind of damages a category five hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale could do to the southern part of Florida. Estimations show that the difference between a category four and five hurricane could equal 10% of the damages, which if Pedro was in a bad mood, could be about US$ 17 billion. If these estimations are correct, the much debated investment in the hurricane fighting fleet was well worth it.
The taming of Pedro gives good hope for the future since the number of hurricanes has increased during the last 30 years, mainly because of the global warming. Hurricanes need a water temperature of at least 27 degrees Celsius which has become more common during this period.
Argument: According to Ross N. Hoffman, Vice President of Atmospheric and Environmental Research, it is possible to control hurricanes, by coating the ocean surface with a thin film of a biodegradable oil that slows evaporation. The estimated cost is based on the damage that the hurricane Andrew caused in Florida in 1992, in the value of year 2040.
Questions: Are there other ways to control hurricanes? How well will future computer power and software help us in calculating the weather in general and hurricanes in particular?
Taming Hurricane Pedro Gives Hope for the Future
News of the Future 29/08/2011 09:17
August 29, 2040 - Analysts believe that the effort in taming the hurricane Pedro is the main reason for it to still be considered a category four hurricane, before it reached the coast of southern Florida today. This is the first time ever a major hurricane has been affected in a measurable way by humans.
The hurricane fighting fleet of airplanes was alerted five days ago and has since then been spraying the ocean surface around Pedro's eye with a mix based on biodegradable oil to slow down the evaporating that feeds the hurricane. Even though progress have been made calculating the development of a hurricane, it is still difficult to determine the exact effect of the spraying, but analysts believe it is the reason that the wind speed has not increased.
It is hard to tell exactly what kind of damages a category five hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale could do to the southern part of Florida. Estimations show that the difference between a category four and five hurricane could equal 10% of the damages, which if Pedro was in a bad mood, could be about US$ 17 billion. If these estimations are correct, the much debated investment in the hurricane fighting fleet was well worth it.
The taming of Pedro gives good hope for the future since the number of hurricanes has increased during the last 30 years, mainly because of the global warming. Hurricanes need a water temperature of at least 27 degrees Celsius which has become more common during this period.
Argument: According to Ross N. Hoffman, Vice President of Atmospheric and Environmental Research, it is possible to control hurricanes, by coating the ocean surface with a thin film of a biodegradable oil that slows evaporation. The estimated cost is based on the damage that the hurricane Andrew caused in Florida in 1992, in the value of year 2040.
Questions: Are there other ways to control hurricanes? How well will future computer power and software help us in calculating the weather in general and hurricanes in particular?
Hottest Summer Ever in Taiwan
News of the Future 25/08/2011 09:21
August 25, 2035 - This summer is considered as the hottest ever in Taiwan. The temperature will for the first time average over 35 degrees Celsius for more than 60 days during the summer. The heat is causing power shortages due to air conditioners in homes and factories.
Authorities report that a lot of elderly and homeless have died of heat stroke. Another concern is water shortages in several parts of the country to come later on as a result of the heat, and it can seriously affect agriculture where 70-75% of the water is used.
30 years ago the temperature only average over 35 degrees for 40 days, but due to the global warming it will continue to increase during this century.
Argument: According to Professor Liu Chung-ming of National Taiwan University's Global Change Research Center two-thirds of Taiwan's summer will average over 35 degrees Celsius by 2035, due to global warming.
Questions: How can people prepare to cope with heat waves in the future since they will be more common because of the global warming?
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