Let’s face it: we live in the future. Ridiculously powerful computers that fit in your pocket? Check. Star Trek-style communicators? Check. Flying cars? Check.

The continuing increase in computer processing power (as per Moore’s Law) is helping propel greater and greater scientific and technological advances, many of which are projected to be available to consumers by 2020. So, let’s take a look at the top 10 pieces of tech the near future will hold (thanks, Jordan Lejuwaan!):

10. Nanotechnology in Clothing

Engineers are working on ways to make clothing out of nanofibers. This will not only make clothes much more comfortable and durable, but will allow for the creation of completely waterproof clothes. Not only that, but a group of scientists is working to create fiber-based nanogenerators, which will generate electrical energy in your clothes from a variety of sources, such as movement, ultrasonic waves, and blood flow(!). Imagine being able to power your smartphone by moving around!

 

 

9. Robotics

Opinions vary among the geek community as to whether robots are awesome (think Rosie from the Jetsons) or terrible (think The Terminator. Or The Matrix). But clearly there are scientists who fall into the “robots are awesome” category, because they keep on improving them. Like this robot that can walk:

 

Or this robot that is teaching itself human facial expressions (can you say Uncanny Valley?)

 

 

In case it wasn’t clear, I’m in the “Intelligent Robots are Terrible” camp. Beware the robot apocalypse!

 

8. Getting Famous

This isn’t a technology of it’s own, but thanks to the Internet, and the popularity of blogging, ad networks (like Google’s AdSense) and video sites like YouTube, you no longer need to find millions of dollars in investment capital to get your work, ideas or business known around the world. Thanks to YouTube, for instance, even little kids can make thousands of dollars by advertising on videos where they show off their talents, like this guy here:

Almost anyone can start a website and create and market their business for a little (or no!) money and some hard work. The Internet has definitely leveled the playing field in business and, to quote Jordan Lejuwaan “…is the perfect tool for capitalism, entrepreneurship, and dreaming.”

7. Being Healthy

An American company has developed a commercial 3-D printer with a difference – it prints organs.

That’s right: this device will make medical transplants (a regrettably necessary procedure with the major disadvantage of requiring the organ to come from someone else) a thing of the past by building organs cell by cell, one layer at a time. Sample cells are taken from the customer, and then the machine uses them to build the new organ on a “scaffold”. Apparently they will be ready to print veins and arteries (for bypass surgery) in the next five years or so, with more complex organs like hearts or livers in 10.

And of course there’s nanotechnology – robots so small they can actually alter our genetic coding. Combine that with a greater understanding of which genes cause which illnesses, and many medical issues (from diabetes to aging) may soon be a thing of the past.

6. Generating Energy

While photovoltaic (solar) power is currently inefficient (especially compared to fossil fuels), new developments will soon mean that solar is not only the way of the future, but the accepted standard in power generation. According to noted futurist Ray Kurzweil, “the cost per watt of solar energy is coming down rapidly and the total amount of solar energy is growing exponentially. It has in fact been doubling every two years for the past 20 years and is now only eight doublings away from meeting all of the world’s energy needs.” Justin Hall-Tipping is the CEO of Nanoholdings and in his TedTalk discusses some of his team’s recent advances in nanoscale energy technologies, including a transparent film that can be stuck most anywhere (your roof, your windows, your cellphone, etc.) and will generate solar power much more efficiently than today’s solar cells. As he says in the video: “The power plant of tomorrow…is no power plant.”

5. Interacting

Augmented Reality is being touted as the younger, more useful brother of Virtual Reality – using a portable electronic device (like, say, your iPhone) to see information about a building, place, person or product just by pointing it’s camera at them (check out the Urbanspoon app for a neat example – just use the “Scope” feature in the “Nearby” section of the app). Kurzweil posits that one day, advances in cybertechnology will allow us to directly access the Internet through our brain, and will be able to have information about the people, places and items around us pop directly up into our visual field.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Getting Around

Hybrid cars are becoming more popular. Tesla is manufacturing luxury electric cars. Virgin Atlantic will use green fuels for their jets. However you cut it, oil and gas are on their way out, and alternate fuel sources are on their way in. Cool.

3. Computing

Let’s take a look at the progress of computers in the last 40 years:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? Seriously, though, if you’re not familiar with it, I suggest you pop over to Wikipedia and take a look on the post about Moore’s Law. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Now, apparently, Moore himself said that his rule will no longer apply round about 2020, when it will no longer be possible to cram any more transistors onto microchips (thanks, Laws of Physics. Geez.) Does this mean our forward progress is going to slow to an Industrial Revolution level crawl once again?

Jim Tully at Gartner says no. The Chief of Research for semiconductors at the leading IT research and development company says the next step is to assemble chips molecule-by-molecule thanks to (you guessed it) nanotechnolgy. And apparently companies like Intel are researching ways to control your computer not with a mouse and keyboard, but with your mind.

2. Architecture

Architects and builders are definitely getting into the “Green” thing, finding new methods of designing and building structures that save energy (or generate it), reduce buildings carbon footprints and generally making them more livable – all of which are both excellent and commendable. A particularly interesting example is being built in Dubai – a revolving building with wind turbines between each independently-spinning floor, which will not only power the building but several surrounding buildings too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. Prosthetics

Did you know that “cyborg” is a synonym for “awesome”? Here’s proof: this newly-developed bionic hand allows those who have lost fingers (or entire hands) to pick up and handle delicate items…AND it’s controlled by the brain…AND it doesn’t require surgery…AND it comes with plastic, simulated skin!

So there you go – the future isn’t that far away, and it looks pretty cool.