Our earth, our future: Scientific changes till 2050

According to Ian Pearson, a futurist having an accuracy record of 85% the world will see changes of many kinds some of which are:-

1.We could start seeing delivery drones making deliveries in the next two years.

2.A hyperloop could take us in between cities in just six years. We are close to see a hyperloop, a high speed propulsion system. Pearson says he expects to see a short-range hyperloop that will transport people between two cities in five to six years time.

3.Machines could start thinking like humans as early as 2025. According to him it’s very feasible that computers could gain consciousness by 2025.

4.Space trips designed to send people to Mars could start taking place in 2030.

5.Prosthetics could get so advanced in the next 10 years they could give people new skills. People are using advanced prosthetics from now itself. A 25 year old biological scientist has a prosthetic arm with a personal drone and built-in flashlight. According to Pearson prosthetics will continue to be so advanced where people are totally comfortable with the technology merging with the body. For eg, people could choose to get cybernetic implants in their legs to make them stronger.

6.Clothing could give people superhuman skills in the coming ten years. An example of it is the exoskeleton suit. It makes heavy lifting easier. He could see some more advanced clothing ideas like leggings to make it easier to walk and run.

7.Virtual reality could replace textbooks during the next decade. Google’s Expedition App already lets students take trips in virtual reality to places like the Great Barrier Reef.

8.The smartphone will become obsolete or useless by 2025. Pearson says by 2025 smartphones will start losing value because of advancements in augmented reality.

9.Self-driving vehicles could be a common sight in the coming next ten years. Pearson describes a ride-sharing system where people could order ‘cheap steel boxes’ that could drive people around. There are so many automakers and tech companies working on self-driving cars that we will soon see some.

10.3D-printing could be used to construct more houses in 20 years. Architects all around the globe have been racing to build the world’s first 3-D printed house. The ability to 3D print cheaper houses will be a big asset as cities become more crowded eventually.

11.People could start using robots to do the work around their house and give companionship from the start in 2030. Companionship is one of the primary goals for future robots.

12.We could live in a Matrix-like virtual world by 2045. Pearson said advances in nanotechnology will make it possible to plug our brains into computers and live in a simulated world. It will be like a Neural lace which is a wireless brain-computer that would add a digital layer of intelligence to our brain. It’s a concept of nanotechnologists are working on.

13.People could become Cyborgs by 2045. If we can link people’s brains to computers by 2045 then we can use similar technology to turn people into part-machine and part-human.

14.People could control their home settings by the use of Artificial Intelligence by 2040. This concept is already being seen with products like Amazon’s Echo which lets users control the lights in the homes and have an access to other information. By the end of 2040 AI will be built into buildings themselves so that one can talk to the building and ask for adjustments in temperature or lighting.

15.Super tall buildings can function like mini-cities in the next 25 years. More of the cities will opt for high-rise buildings with floors equipped for gyms, residential space and office work to make space for the influx of people coming to cities.

16.We may rely completely on renewable energy by the year 2050. We won’t need to use fossil fuels to power things on the ground like houses and cars by 2050 but it will still be needed for some purposes. The underwater cabling will allow countries to use solar power from places like the Sahara Desert to power the entire country. The ability to draw solar energy from areas having more access to the sun will increase our dependence and reliance on solar power in time. He also said that nuclear fusion will power homes by 2045.We won’t need fossil fuels on the ground after 2050.

17.Space tourism may become popular and feasible but only for the wealthiest.