Breakthrough Technologies & Futurology

[nudge]

MIT Technology Review just released their annual list of the breakthrough technologies for 2020. It's a good read, thought it might also be a decent idea for a general thread. 

https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/technologies/2020/?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=email&utm_content=2.26&utm_campaign=site_visitor.unpaid.engagement

@Mel81x @Bluewolf @Eco @CaaC (John)

[Eco]

Damn....#1 will make me unemployeed. 

[Eco]

#1 is interesting, and something I'll talk with my buddies about. Obviously that kind of system is decades away from being able to handle large areas, but still an interesting concept. If the Netherlands were able to get this type of system expanded over the whole country, they could discuss closing off their internet and making it virtually impossible for outside threats to infiltrate their system. So many thoughts..

Nice to see Quantum Computing on there as well, which is something that I can't read enough about. 

[CaaC (John)]

Will have a read after, watching a movie.

[Mel81x]

Our of all of the ones listed the ones that interest me the most in no particular order are

1. Differential Privacy - I don't know how you can take a set and not render the data values used in building data from a demographics standpoint untraceable to source but I'd love to see this happen. Adding security to data sets isn't old but what they are talking about is actually creating a useful data-set with no links back to records that come from outside the set list helping data hacking to identify individuals. 
2. Unhackable Internet - I'd love to see this in my life and maybe we'll see some form of it within the next five years. The only important thing to do when this happens is to restrict quantum computing technology to levels for the general public so that the same tools we used to build this internet arent available to anyone to reuse.
3. Hyper-Personalized Medicine + Tiny AI - This combination is very fascinating because now you could use the two to build drug finding patterns that will outweigh researchers trying to find a cure when a machine can actually collect and use the data to find a cure. Think IoT may have laid the path here but this would certainly benefit medicine as a whole.

The others are nice too but I don't really care for Digital Money as I think we're about a decade away from financial institutions globally accepting it as we've other socio-economic factors around money that need to be sorted first before countries adopt it willingly.

[Bluewolf]

Put me down for the Anti Aging drugs for starters.... Just think, slowing down the likes of Cancer, Heart Disease and that other one, can't remember what it was now... 

Does make you wonder though with all the potential for good and also the unknown potential side effects of Hyper Personalised Medicine and AI Discovered Molecules and what that might do to your body... The same way they accidently discovered Viagra while conducting trials for something else.. the side effects could be positive or have other negatives.. 

[CaaC (John)]

Unhackable internet

I wonder if that is possible, I can just imagine it happening at first but mankind over the years has always seemed to make the impossible, possible. 

[Mel81x]

On 27/02/2020 at 13:11, Bluewolf said:

Put me down for the Anti Aging drugs for starters.... Just think, slowing down the likes of Cancer, Heart Disease and that other one, can't remember what it was now... 

Does make you wonder though with all the potential for good and also the unknown potential side effects of Hyper Personalised Medicine and AI Discovered Molecules and what that might do to your body... The same way they accidently discovered Viagra while conducting trials for something else.. the side effects could be positive or have other negatives.. 

I don't know well Anti-Aging works without some kind of side-effect to people who haven't really gone through some kind of conditioning before taking them. Sure, they'll tell you its the next big thing and probably say its safe too but in the end there is going to be some side-effect to it all. 

I think we're going to see some massive changes in the way medication is dealt with in the next 10 years. This outbreak is going to change how finding cures based on population scanning will become critical to disease control and I think in the midst of all of that they'll find better ways to be less intrusive and more constructive in medication dispersal as well. If you think about pills and how they work the efficiency ratio would be generally poor versus fast-targeted nano-tech which could isolate diseases faster. I know it all sounds like science-fiction but we're far closer to that being the kind of reality we'll be getting over the counter than we think.

[nudge]

Pretty interesting read.

https://www.sciencefocus.com/future-technology/new-technology-trends-2020s/

[nudge]

Scientists have developed a prototype design of a plasma jet thruster which can generate thrusting pressures on the same magnitude a commercial jet engine can, using only air and electricity. 

https://interestingengineering.com/this-electric-jet-engine-could-lead-to-carbon-neutral-air-travel

[Mel81x]

2 hours ago, nudge said:

Scientists have developed a prototype design of a plasma jet thruster which can generate thrusting pressures on the same magnitude a commercial jet engine can, using only air and electricity. 

https://interestingengineering.com/this-electric-jet-engine-could-lead-to-carbon-neutral-air-travel

I like that and with technologies to create energy on a recycle function this could be a big leap forward in air travel.

[nudge]

6 hours ago, Mel81x said:

I like that and with technologies to create energy on a recycle function this could be a big leap forward in air travel.

The same old problem of the energy density of the storage still applies though: with current technology, the weight of the batteries would be too high for it to be feasible as a means of propulsion for flight. But I agree, the concept is really interesting and maybe it could be feasible for short-haul flights in the near future.

[Mel81x]

4 hours ago, nudge said:

The same old problem of the energy density of the storage still applies though: with current technology, the weight of the batteries would be too high for it to be feasible as a means of propulsion for flight. But I agree, the concept is really interesting and maybe it could be feasible for short-haul flights in the near future.

Great point about battery density. I suppose the real applications could come from inter-city travel first to stop the use of buses (unless those move to electricity first) as it would cut down commute time and allow people to move between cities considerably faster. The other place I can see this being extremely useful is moving across harsher terrains for goods and people transport too because even if the vehicle is a bit heavier the distance offsets that until the time comes where the weight becomes a non-factor which I think will also come with more usage of the technology.

[nudge]

7 hours ago, Mel81x said:

Great point about battery density. I suppose the real applications could come from inter-city travel first to stop the use of buses (unless those move to electricity first) as it would cut down commute time and allow people to move between cities considerably faster. The other place I can see this being extremely useful is moving across harsher terrains for goods and people transport too because even if the vehicle is a bit heavier the distance offsets that until the time comes where the weight becomes a non-factor which I think will also come with more usage of the technology.

Absolutely, current limitations doesn't mean that the technology won't be feasible for a widespread use later on. That's the beauty of science and technology, every new discovery has the potential to lead to a myriad of other new breakthroughs. I'm more in the hydrogen camp myself, but it has its own disadvantages too.

[CaaC (John)]

Floating farms, brain wave passwords, and coffee-powered cars are just some of the incredible inventions and innovations that will shape our future

Future technology: 22 ideas about to change our world

[nudge]

8 minutes ago, CaaC (John) said:

Floating farms, brain wave passwords, and coffee-powered cars are just some of the incredible inventions and innovations that will shape our future

Future technology: 22 ideas about to change our world

Moved it here to the futurology thread will read the article later after F1... 

[CaaC (John)]

12 minutes ago, nudge said:

Moved it here to the futurology thread will read the article later after F1... 

Cheers was not too sure where to post it. 

[nudge]

So did anyone watch Musk's Neuralink demo presentation last night? It had a serious vibe of Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf

[Mel81x]

On 29/08/2020 at 18:13, nudge said:

So did anyone watch Musk's Neuralink demo presentation last night? It had a serious vibe of Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf

His presentations are getting weirder by the minute aren't they? I mean I know its futuristic and you need some kind of "narrative" pitch but yeah it was weird. The tech concept is kinda cool though.

[nudge]

4 minutes ago, Mel81x said:

His presentations are getting weirder by the minute aren't they? I mean I know its futuristic and you need some kind of "narrative" pitch but yeah it was weird. The tech concept is kinda cool though.

I'm very interested in the technology from the neuroscience point of view, as the potential it has for restoring brain and motor functions in people with chronic neurological problems could be life-changing in the truest sense of the word... My mother suffers from MS and while at this point the technology is nowhere near to being able to help people with her condition, I imagine in the future it could be developed further and used to recreate neural connections damaged by the disease and optimize the transmission of electrical signals from the brain, improving the patient's condition dramatically.

From a broader and more philosopical point of view, I think this might turn out to be the first small step into ushering the era of transhumanism. What I found curious about the presentation in particular was the part about the prospects of being able to "save and replay memories", that's some proper sci-fi ala Westworld stuff. 

[Mel81x]

12 hours ago, nudge said:

I'm very interested in the technology from the neuroscience point of view, as the potential it has for restoring brain and motor functions in people with chronic neurological problems could be life-changing in the truest sense of the word... My mother suffers from MS and while at this point the technology is nowhere near to being able to help people with her condition, I imagine in the future it could be developed further and used to recreate neural connections damaged by the disease and optimize the transmission of electrical signals from the brain, improving the patient's condition dramatically.

From a broader and more philosopical point of view, I think this might turn out to be the first small step into ushering the era of transhumanism. What I found curious about the presentation in particular was the part about the prospects of being able to "save and replay memories", that's some proper sci-fi ala Westworld stuff. 

Sorry to hear about your mother. I'd imagine the off-shoots from this technology will first go towards medical improvements for exactly what you're talking about but the other side of it imo will be in science-fiction mode for years/decades to come. We're nowhere close to real-time processing speed/power on the technologies that would have to support the idea even if we can read stills from electrical impulses. I think its going to take some serious kind of processing power to make this happen and that is definitely not something you'll see in the commercial space for some time yet. 

I'd be very interested to see what the Neurology community has to say about this tech development from Musk and how they can use the basics to further any work they are doing. I'd imagine some of the tech has shored itself up from there anyways.

[nudge]

6 hours ago, Mel81x said:

Sorry to hear about your mother. I'd imagine the off-shoots from this technology will first go towards medical improvements for exactly what you're talking about but the other side of it imo will be in science-fiction mode for years/decades to come. We're nowhere close to real-time processing speed/power on the technologies that would have to support the idea even if we can read stills from electrical impulses. I think its going to take some serious kind of processing power to make this happen and that is definitely not something you'll see in the commercial space for some time yet. 

I'd be very interested to see what the Neurology community has to say about this tech development from Musk and how they can use the basics to further any work they are doing. I'd imagine some of the tech has shored itself up from there anyways.

I liked this one write up by a neuroscientist: https://edoardodanna.ch/article/thoughts_on_neuralink_announcement . A balanced write up addressing the existing technology and its current limitations, curbing the enthusiasm without downplaying the actual achievements.

 

[nudge]

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02459-w

China is about to test thorium molten salt reactor. 

[CaaC (John)]

Quote

A beginner’s guide to Feynman diagrams

In this extract from Ten Patterns That Explain The Universe, science writer Brian Clegg explains how Richard Feynman's eponymous diagrams not only illustrate complex particle interactions, but can make calculations easier, too.

 

Quantum physics describes the workings of the Universe at the level of the tiny particles, such as electrons and photons of light, that make it up. Most of our everyday experiences come from the interaction of matter particles with each other and with light, which can be explained by quantum electrodynamics (QED).

This detailed theory would win the Nobel Prize in Physics for Richard Feynman, Julian Schwinger, and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga. Much of their original thinking involved complex mathematics, as it was necessary to deal with a vast number of potential interactions, each with different probabilities.

But Feynman realised that these interactions could be represented by simple diagrams – patterns that define the interplay of light and matter. Not only did they make QED more comprehensible, Feynman diagrams also provided a visual tool for making otherwise impossible calculations practical.

FULL REPORT

 

[CaaC (John)]

Quote

In pictures: X-59 QueSST, the supersonic aircraft that doesn’t go boom

 

Concorde flew from London to New York in three and a half hours. It soared at nearly twice the speed of sound, leaving an almighty sonic boom in its wake. The noise restricted where it could fly, but now NASA hopes it can resurrect faster-than-sound travel, with quiet supersonic flight.

Enter X-59 QueSST (Quiet SuperSonic Technology), developed by NASA and Lockheed Martin. With its uniquely designed shape, the aircraft should allow NASA to break the sound barrier again – but this time, with no more noise than your neighbour slamming a car door.

FULL REPORT & PHOTOS

 

[nudge]

This is cool.

[Khan of TF365]

I would like to see time travel in past or genetic memory like in Assassins Creed becoming real.

[nudge]

On 17/10/2021 at 16:04, Khan of TF365 said:

I would like to see time travel in past or genetic memory like in Assassins Creed becoming real.

Genetic memory is a good one. While seeing actual memories Assassin's Creed style is probably very unlikely, it would be very interesting (and cool) to be able to decode what kind of life experiences are passed from ancestors to offspring. 

You might be interested in epigenetics; it's still a relatively new field related to the above; it basically demonstrates how behavioural and physical traits in multiple generations can be induced by certain life experiences of the ancestors without structural changes to the DNA. Fascinating stuff...

[CaaC (John)]

Quote

Library in a glass chip: laser-writing trick can store vast amounts of data

New data-storage method can pack 500 terabytes onto a CD-sized piece of glass.

Credit: Yuhao Lei and Peter G. Kazansky, University of Southampton

 

An international team of researchers has figured out a laser-writing technique that can store vast amounts of data in glass.

So-called five-dimensional (5D) data storage uses molecule-sized nanostructures created in silica glass to store information, and is 10,000 times denser in storage than a Blu-Ray disc.

“Individuals and organisations are generating ever-larger datasets, creating the desperate need for more efficient forms of data storage with a high capacity, low energy consumption and long lifetime,” says Dr Yuhao Lei, a researcher at the University of Southampton in the UK, and lead author on a paper in Optica describing the technique.

The technique can write at speeds of roughly a million voxels per second, equivalent to recording 230 kilobytes of data per second. This isn’t particularly fast compared to conventional data storage – a test disc created by the researchers took months to write and read five gigabytes. But the silica is more stable, and much denser, than other methods, making it useful for information that has to last.

“While cloud-based systems are designed more for temporary data, we believe that 5D data storage in glass could be useful for longer-term data storage for national archives, museums, libraries or private organisations,” says Lei.

Five-dimensional optical storage is not a new concept, but it’s previously not been fast or dense enough to be a feasible storage method.

Lei and colleagues have improved the technique by using a laser that sends out pulses of light at ultrashort intervals – every femtosecond (10^-15 seconds) or so. This laser was able to create tiny pits in glass, called nanostructures, ranging between 50 and 500 nanometres in size (or less than half the width of a bacterium).

“This new approach improves the data writing speed to a practical level, so we can write tens of gigabytes of data in a reasonable time,” says Lei.

“The highly localised, precision nanostructures enable a higher data capacity because more voxels can be written in a unit volume. In addition, using pulsed light reduces the energy needed for writing.”

The researchers are now determining ways to increase the speed of the writing, and planning to bring the technology outside the lab.

https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/materials/long-term-data-storage-in-glass/

 

 

[Bluewolf]

IBM claims it has made a quantum chip that cannot be simulated by classical computers in major breakthrough (msn.com)