1. In 2 years, unlimited free data storage for 90% of humans
It’s believed that unlimited storage for all your files will (or could) be given to you free of charge, very soon, meaning you’ll never need to delete anything ever again due to lack of space. Companies will be able to do this as the cost of hard drive gigabytes falls precipitately.
2. By 2021, Robotic pharmacists to be in America
Robots have already replaced manual workers in the manufacturing industry, and that’s just the start. For better or worse, it won’t be long before you’ll be getting your medicine from a robot – I just wonder if they’ll be able to read the doctor’s note!
3. By 2022, 1 trillion sensors to be online
Sensors are getting so cheap, and computers so powerful that soon there’ll be hardly any reason for any electronic device (or otherwise) not to be wired to the internet. This’ll mean that we’ll be able to perceive our environment digitally as well as or perhaps even better than we can physically.
4. By 2022, 10% of us will wear clothes hooked up to the web
Already we have people that own watches and rings with connections to the internet, and there’s no sign that the fad will stop there. In just a few years your outfit (or the outfit of some rich guy on TV) will be connected to the World Wide Web. It might seem like there’s no point to this, but perhaps the reason will come afterward.
5. By 2022, 3D-printed cars to be made
One automotive company, Local Motors, is set to steal ahead of its rivals by producing a full-sized 3D car using printers after Audi showed they could make a miniature one recently. It might sound strange now, but perhaps, if it brings prices down, you’ll be driving one in a few years.
6. By 2025, implantable mobile phones to be available to buy
The thinking here is that a mobile phone will soon be able to keep check on your health and vital signs, which it will do better by being permanently implanted within you. What’s more, such devices will perhaps reach a stage that they can interpret our thoughts and transmit them to other users. This could all be coming in the next few years.
7. By 2023, Big-data technologies to replace government censuses
All nations still use traditional censuses to record demographics and information about us, helping them plan ahead for school, housing and hospital building, and things of this kind. Yet Canada has lately started to use more digital methods. Soon, censuses will be a thing of the past, and governments will formally request digital data from us.
8. By 2023, 10% of reading glasses to be wired to the web
Technological experts and futurists believe that soon, eyeglasses will be hooked up to the internet to give direct access to apps which we can control hands-free. Google Glass has already set sail on this journey and has even started experimenting with contact lenses that operate eye-tracking technology.
9. By 2023, 80% of humans will have a ‘digital presence’
Many people already spend half of their day ‘in’ the internet, and futurists believe this activity is only going to increase, with people existing as much online as they do off. This will, of course, help connect people that are physically thousands of miles apart in such a way that they hardly feel anything separating them.
10. By 2023, 90% of humans to have a pocket-sized supercomputer
PC computers are becoming less and less important as people prefer to use their phones to connect to the internet and perform a dizzying array of functions. This now encompasses 50% of the world, and the coverage is growing rapidly as prices diminish and computer power increases.
11. By 2024, internet access to be considered a human right
Big tech giants like Facebook and Google are pioneering attempts to spread internet access to remote places via drones, satellites, and balloons. Soon, the idea of being without the internet will so shock people that they will demand to never be without it again. It will become politically necessary for nations to promise permanent everlasting online access as if it were a human right.
12. By 2024, 3D-printed livers to be transplanted
The hope is that 3D printing, after the success of constructing artificial bones, will move to bioprinting of organs, like livers. This possibility is incredible! Just imagine having access to an unlimited supply of synthetic body parts! It may be that the human life-span is set to double!
13. By 2024, half our internet traffic will be from appliances and devices
Almost all the internet traffic we generate today comes from our computers and phones. Yet soon, since all our domestic appliances and devices will also be hooked up, only half of our internet use will come through the phone and computer.
14. By 2025, 5% of consumer products to be 3D printed
The cost of 3D printers and the tasks they can perform is expected to rapidly change in the next few years. This will enable small start-ups to manufacture their own creations at home on demand, making production much easier than it currently is. Things will be produced and disseminated faster than ever before.
15. By 2026, 30% of business audits to be performed by AI
Though once we believed that only blue-collar jobs were at risk thanks to AI, that was only the start. By 2025 30% of all corporate audits will be executed by AI, leaving fewer jobs at the top table for highly qualified white-collar graduates. This is how much the world is set to change.
16. By 2027, more car-shared journeys than private
Current projections of the share-industry suggest that it’s about to explode. Today, for example, many young people use car-sharing services like Uber, Lyft, and Zipcar, forcing auto manufacturers to start reconsidering their own business plans. If the share industry starts to dominate, we can expect most journeys in the future to be shared with strangers, rather than either public transport or individual private trips in our own cars.
17. By 2026, Driverless cars to account for 10% of all cars in the US
Driverless cars have generated a lot of interest since they promise to increase safety and cut down on harmful emissions. That’s why big techno companies and automakers like Toyota are already making prototype cars that drive themselves. It will probably be by 2026 that 1 in 10 of us will own one of these incredible gadgets.
18. By 2026, cities without traffic lights
Smart cities are set to become prototypes for the urban centers where most of us are to live. These will have traffic lights, sidewalks, and streets all wired up to the internet. All infrastructure will be maintained online. The first one will probably have a population of 50,000 by 2026.
19. By 2027, 10% GDP to be stored with blockchain technology
Currently, the digital Bitcoin currency in blockchain technology accounts for 0.025% of global GDP, yet this is expected to rise to 10% by 2027. Soon, then, lots of the world’s wealth will be digitally stored on computers, as we sadly wave goodbye to old hard currencies.
Images and source: izismile.com
