From bionic contact lenses to holographic televisions, the gadgets of the future are making science fiction science fact.
MOBILE PHONES
The smartphone has arguably been the most astonishing technological advance in the past decade, putting real computing power, high-speed internet and high-definition displays in your pocket. However, researchers believe the phone can get smaller still, thanks to pioneering work to create “virtual reality” contact lenses that can superimpose displays on the human eyeball.
Researchers at the University of Washington have already created working prototypes of a bionic lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights. As reported in The Guardian in July 2008, Babak Parviz, a University of Washington assistant professor of electrical engineering, said: “Looking through a completed lens, you would see what the display is generating superimposed on the world outside.”
He believes that the contact lens could allow the mobile to disappear entirely, especially if bluetooth headsets could also be implanted behind the ear. He said: “The display size is one of the main reasons that laptops, cellphones, PDAs, and so on are not smaller today. If we move the display to a contact lens, we can significantly reduce the physical constraints on mobile devices.”
Smartphones are also set for a power boost, particularly as they increasingly take advantage of next-generation high-speed mobile networks to access the internet and other online services.
COMPUTERS
Foldable and stretchable displays are the key to the next generation of laptops. Futurologists envisage a machine that can change size depending on what you want to do – when out and about, it could be rolled or folded up to fit in a bag and, depending on where you are, act as an ultraportable laptop, or a desktop replacement with a display akin to the size of a living room TV. This technology is already being worked on in labs, and firms such as Sony and Philips have had shows with working prototypes.
INTERNET
The advent of high-speed broadband has meant that our information is increasingly stored in “the cloud” – vast servers based all over the world. This is going to grow dramatically and give us instant access to everything from films and TV shows to the latest business information and news – wherever we are, and from any device.
According to research company Forrester (forrester.com), the cloud industry is going to increase in value from about US$41 billion in 2011 to US$240 billion in 2020. This is likely to be a significant contributor to the future of computing, and the explosion will come as today’s teenagers grow up, expecting all their data to be held in the cloud as a matter of course.
TRANSLATION
First envisioned by Douglas Adams in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the idea of a universal translator is finally set to come true in the next decade, thanks largely to work by Google.
Adams’ version took the form of a small sea creature, called a Babel Fish, that the user placed in their ear (the name has since been appropriated by Yahoo’s instant online translation service). Thankfully, the reality is a little more high-tech and relies on internet servers being able to recognise speech instantly and translate it.
In fact, it’s already available, albeit in a very early version called Google Translate, which uses the search engine’s vast network of computer servers to analyse voices in almost real-time to recognise words. Once Google’s servers have done this, the firm uses complex software to translate them, looking for the “best matches” in other languages. The results can then be sent back in text form to the user’s phone.
TELEVISION
The emergence of flatscreen TVs has led to an explosion of innovations, with everything from high-definition to the first wave of 3D. But, as always, there are more advances around the corner, with “super-high definition” TVs far more detailed than current sets already being trialled by broadcasters including the BBC.
As for 3D, you’ll soon be able to dump the glasses. Toshiba already sells spec-free 3D TVs, and dozens of other manufacturers, including Sony, are planning to put them on the market in the coming years, giving you the same 3D experience as current sets.
There’s also an even bigger revolution on the horizon – holographic images that appear to float in front of you. A stalwart of sci-fi movies for decades, they are now beginning to appear in research labs. Sony has even shown off an (admittedly small) prototype at trade shows.
Most experimental models project images into the middle of a room as a “cloud” that can be viewed from every angle without 3D glasses. The prototypes are shaky, but are a real glimpse of the future, with every major manufacturer investigating “holo-TV”. Japanese Broadcaster NHK has invested £2.8 billion in developing them, and says they could go on sale within the next five years – although most experts agree it will be closer to a decade before they become commonplace.
VIDEO-CONFERENCING
If holographic displays are going to revolutionise TV, they are also going to have a huge impact on video-conferencing, really making it feel as though you are in the same room as colleagues. In addition, 3D sound capture is already beginning to appear in high-end systems, making it sound as if you are in the same room as well. Smart sensors such as Microsoft’s Kinect, originally used as a games console add-on, are also allowing live 3D capture of living rooms – making 3D holographic
video-conferencing only a few steps away.
IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT
Connectivity is the key to the future of in-flight entertainment (IFE) – and expect a lot of it. As the devices we carry increase in power and portability, getting them wired up is likely to become more important. With wifi already available on numerous airlines, within a decade you can expect extremely high-speed broadband on all flights, with fully connected entertainment systems giving you access to almost every live and recorded TV show and film around the globe. As well as this, new 4G mobile phone networks should give high-speed data access wherever you are, with carriers even planning to install hotspots on planes.
Airlines’ own IFE systems are also likely to evolve, giving you access to live TV and the internet but also letting you plug in your phone to watch your own recorded shows or home TV channels.
Mark Prigg is science and technology editor at London’s Evening Standard.
