Using Brain Waves to Surf the Web and Travel the Globe in Just 4 Hours… These are the unique scientific and technological ideas promising to become a reality in the future.
Scientific technology is constantly evolving with the goal of making human activities easier and faster. A series of inventive ideas have emerged, promising to bring us the most amazing advancements that we may witness by 2020.
Below are some of the most astonishing inventions that will surely leave you in awe of their wonders.
1. An Airplane that Can Travel Anywhere in the World in Just 4 Hours
The UK’s Reaction Engines space agency is researching an airplane capable of carrying 300 passengers around the world in just 4 hours. This aircraft will also be able to fly into space.
Chief engineer Alan Bond explained that air entering the new engine system, named Sabre, will be cooled from over 1,000 degrees Celsius in just 0.01 seconds, equivalent to a cooling rate of 400 megawatts.
This means that the engine system will operate at significantly higher power than current engines. According to Reaction Engines, the Sabre engine will be used for two upcoming aircraft models: LAPCAT A2—a commercial airplane capable of transporting passengers from Brussels to Sydney in just 2 hours—and SKYLON, a reusable unmanned aircraft aimed at reducing space travel costs.
2. Thought-Controlled Prosthetic Arm
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has developed a prosthetic arm that serves as a powerful aid for veterans who have lost their limbs.
This artificial arm moves like a real one and can perform various tasks, such as playing the piano, holding a cup, or helping the user drink coffee.
Thanks to sensors that transmit signals to the brain, the wearer of this prosthetic arm can activate each finger independently and control the arm through a range of emotions, sensing everything they hold.
There are several methods to control this artificial arm. Some patients undergo surgery to implant sensors into the shoulder, chest muscles, and remaining arm to control the prosthetic.
Others do not require surgical methods and can still grasp small objects like a button. Designers hope this arm will have skin that resembles real skin, even featuring fingerprints and being waterproof.
3. Interacting with the Environment Using… Eyes
No longer will we need the internet or smartphones… in the near future, a significant change will occur in how we interact with our surroundings. Consequently, you will be able to look at a building or a location and receive information about it simply by using your eyes.
4. “Super” 3D Bioprinter
Australian researchers have recently created a “printer” that can be used to produce supporting organs to timely replace an organ in the body during surgery.
This device can nourish blood vessels, and although it is still in the testing phase, inventors claim that the blood vessels “printed” from this device could be used in coronary bypass surgery within at least the next 5 years, while more complex organs like the heart, liver, or bones may take up to 10 years.
5. “Human-like” Robots
The 21st century has witnessed remarkable advances in the research and manufacturing of robots. Although we are not yet using robots in our homes or constructing buildings, this field has made significant progress.
Recently, experts from the University of California, San Diego created a robot named Einstein that resembles a human to an extraordinary degree. It can smile and display expressions just like a real person.
Similarly, Boston Dynamics has developed a bipedal robot named Petman that can maintain balance and move as swiftly as a real person.
This humanoid robot is designed to test chemical protective suits. Petman simulates human physiological conditions while wearing the suit by controlling temperature, humidity, and sweat output, all to provide the most realistic testing conditions.
6. Clothes That Generate Electricity
Nanotechnology researchers are exploring clothing that enhances wearer comfort. According to Professor Ashwini Agarwal from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi: “Fabric and fiber are one-dimensional materials. Thanks to nanotechnology, we can reduce costs and increase durability.”
“In addition to creating multi-functional nanofibers, this technology also alters the surface color of fabrics and enhances the garment’s appearance. This way, textile products become more visually appealing and attract customers.”
Nanofibers are also being utilized to generate energy from body movements. An “energy” outfit could potentially power small electronic devices. This would be highly beneficial for soldiers, climbers, or individuals participating in other physical activities.
7. Users Surfing the Web with Brain Waves
By applying nanotechnology to create compact, energy-efficient chips, experts hope to develop highly efficient computing systems that are ultra “small.”
Intel researchers also predict that by 2020, you won’t need a keyboard or mouse to control your computer. Instead, users will employ brain electrical signals to open documents or browse the web.
8. Buildings that Can Rotate
Dubai is constructing a building with incredibly beautiful and practical applications. The building will have 59 floors that can rotate independently, allowing residents to continuously change their views of the outside scenery. The floors will rotate at approximately 6 meters per minute, and the movement will be practically imperceptible.
The building’s exterior will also change into complex designs as all the floors rotate together. Wind turbines placed between each floor will generate energy to supply the building and even neighboring structures in the area.
9. Technology to Record Dreams
Recent innovators have proposed the Scanner Cinema experience program, allowing people to watch a movie in various ways. Viewers will wear a set of bio-sensors that can read electrical signals from the brain.
This headset will subsequently modify the images that a viewer perceives according to their subconscious. In this way, narrative segments can be formed and controlled by the viewer’s level of concentration.
The project leader stated: “Audiences can express their emotions into the film they are watching. The aim of this project is to help people see and hear their dreams. In the next 10 to 15 years, this research could enable us to record our entire dreams.”
