From Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, to Biotechnology, Space, and Transportation, there are some incredible advances in store for us. Technology has advanced at record speed in our lifetimes. We’ve gone from processors taking up entire rooms to fitting on our fingertips. VCRs went from the next greatest innovation to obsolete before we learned how to program the clock.
We just recently learned of the end of the Opportunity Rover, our friendly robot who faithfully reported for 14 years longer than was expected and sang Happy Birthday to itself every year. The internet went crazy over the loss of this robot, almost mourning our friend. The fact a human programmer thought to give this robot the ability to celebrate itself shows that there is something ingrained in us that appreciates what these Robots do for us and attempts to humanize them. While space travel isn’t yet commonplace, for a few wealthy adventurers it isn’t just a pipe dream anymore.
Of course, there’s a down side to all of this advancement. Cyber-attacks by way of infrastructure attacks to electrical grids or water systems are growing. This leads to a highly increased need for cyber-security, and some fear of these very breakthroughs we rely on to go about our everyday commerce and communication needs.
If all of this innovation has you a little spooked, you can create an avatar to act as your surrogate and live your online and tech life for you. That’s right, avatars aren’t just for video games anymore. Avatars and robots are taking on increasingly more roles as human replacements, specifically in the medial field. Living your life with a surrogate is likely to become more and more common as scientific development continues beyond enabling those with paralysis to move limbs.
Real science merging with technology is our future, and we will see more advancements and innovations within our lifetimes than past generations.
In the meantime, I’ll keep wishing for the day Alexa can fold my laundry put my dishes away.
