Technological advancements are taking place at much higher speed than expected. There is a regular strive between companies to come up with better technologies to make human life easier. The impact of these is much awaited. There is a whole lot of speculations about how human life would change in 5, 10 or 50 years to come. So many ideas and plans are being presented that it is hardly possible to draw a clear picture. Let us have a look at some of the most intriguing inventions that will change the way of life in the years to come.
1. A Cashless World
It is more or less true even with the present situation where mobile payment gateways are becoming widely popular in the United States and many other countries. Initially these could only be used for online payments, but currently, any retail store around the corner will accept payment through the payment gateway. You can even pay back your friends or even the house rent to the homeowner through this gateway. For those who do not know about payment gateways, they use mobile banking to access net banking services.
These have predicted that the world about 20 to 25 years from now, will have the physical currencies preserved in museums for the future generation to know how it looked like, more like enclosing dinosaur skeletons in glass boxes.
There may be some issues with this prediction as according to a survey conducted, the US lags behind Europe and Canada in using cashless payments. The older generation will find it difficult to accept this mode. Also, people are sometimes concerned about security as there are increased cases of security breaches happening over the internet.
2. Drones Delivering Pizzas
Drones have become very common nowadays and are being used for varied purposes like in defense and video coverage. Google and Amazon are already into test modes for using drones for delivery purposes. People are overlooking to the day when drones will deliver pizza. Government regulations have confirmed that Google and Amazon have applied to test drones for delivery purposes. There is also rumors that the U. S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be publishing rules and regulations for drones very soon. This new rule by FAA will probably slow down the impact of drones as pizza delivery machines.
According to the new rule, each drone should have one assigned pilot, and the drone should always be within the line of sight of the pilot. It is the case in the United States, while Chinese as always is a step ahead. They are already running test runs for delivering mail packages using the drones.
But the question remains that will the drones be able to provide fresh piping hot pizza even during the mid-winter storms or the likeliness of being 'hijacked' by an eagle.
3. Doctors Consult in Virtual Reality
The reach of virtual reality has been engulfing every field. Recently, VR has been used in training doctors for surgery. On a survey, people had expressed interest in being able to be consulted by a physician through virtual reality. The truth is that there is still a whole lot of online consultations and VR patient consultation would not seem to be a far-off dream with such advancements taking place. Many people across the globe rely on video conferencing, mobile apps and online discussions to see the doctor. There are also hospitals that are testing the use of telemedicine robots that will make it easier for physicians to check patients remotely.
The challenge in VR-based doctor consultation will require more advanced arrangements of camera and headsets not only at the physician's side but also the patient end. There is also concerns over physical examination as a doctor will have to feel the body parts to conduct a diagnosis. Probably a combination of virtual reality with a telemedicine doctor could be the solution to making VR consultation a reality in years to come.
4. Driverless Cars
Driverless cars would be a great concept, and there are several hints to prove that this might become a reality in about 20 years. It is a great hope set by the people as it is much more convenient, fewer ego issues of people on the roads, minor roadblocks and increased safety on the roads is the prospective benefits of such driverless cars.
Google has made some breakthrough achievements in the testing stage creating newer prototypes of vehicles that can operate on its own. There are also several other companies like, Apple, Baidu, General Motors and also start-ups like Elon Musk's Tesla, who are conducting extensive research on this technological advancement. Ridesharing services are also looking up to such robotic cars to deliver better service to customers.
Due to the test vehicles that may release soon, the US law will soon issue federal guidelines to oversee the self-driven cars.
Even though this is a real advancement to know that rules will be set down for the self-driven cars, there are several other factors to be considered before it is made commercial. The price tag that will come with such advanced technology will be much beyond imagination. Commercialization and competition will determine the cost, and this will decide how well the masses will adopt it. The trust factor will be a primary concern as people will have to sit back and relax when a machine is entirely in control of your car and your life. A small missed operation can probably cost your life.
The range of things that is expected to happen in the future is of different kinds and the outcome expected is from fancy to useful and some even horrifying. There has been a recent concern raised over Artificial Intelligence taking over human jobs in the years to come which will leave humans jobless. Every advancement has its pros and cons, and it is in the hands of the manufacturers to make it such that it benefits the human without destroying human life and integrity.
No comments:
Post a Comment