If Our Future Is Digital, How Will It Change the World?

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• PARTNER CONTENT
 
• AUTHOR: DAN ABELOW.DAN ABELOW

By 2050 there will be 9 billion people to feed, clothe, transport, employ and educate. We’re committed to a growth-driven world economy that must inflate for centuries, supplying limitless consumption to everyone. With new tech, could we add a digital world that helps everyone succeed and prosper while working together? Could we become a successful world where greatness is normal?

Technology has the power to do many things, and changing the world is one of them.

We're privileged to be living in a time where science and technology can assist us, make our lives easier and rethink the ways we go about our daily lives.

The technology we're already exposed and accustomed to has paved the way for us to innovate further, and this list of current and future technologies certainly have the potential to change our lives even more.

Here's our list of technologies that will "probably" change our lives forever over the coming decade and beyond:

life in the future tech that will change the way we live image 4

Space Tourism:

We can fly to virtually any country in the world without any trouble, but what if we could all one day see the earth from space? Companies such as Virgin Galactic, SpaceX and even Amazon's Blue Origin, want to make it a reality one day, and give us a (very expensive) seat aboard a spaceship to take us into orbit. Passengers on Amazon's New Shepard space shuttle will be taken 100km above sea level, before parachuting back to earth.

Colonisation of other planets:

We've been wreaking havoc on Earth for a long time and the planet can only put up with mankind's destructive nature for so long.

If we don't destroy it, we'll one day outgrow it. Plans are in the works to colonise other planets and Mars will no doubt be the first port of call. With leaps forward in technology, this vision of the future is quickly becoming science-fact, rather than science-fiction. 

Robots in space and in the workplace:

NASA is already sending robots of different shapes and sizes into space. As technology progresses, this makes sense. Robots don't need to worry about oxygen to breathe or food to eat and they can be packed full of sensors to send data back to Earth. 

The same applies in the workplace. Robots can take on the more difficult, dangerous and dull jobs to save mankind the trouble and risk. They can also theoretically operate more quickly, efficiently and with fewer mistakes too. 

Electric/self-driving cars:

Electric cars are nothing new; they've been on our roads for some time now and they're only getting better.

Car batteries are lasting longer, the charging station infrastructure is growing and self-driving technology is being heavily invested in meaning it's coming sooner than you probably think. Tesla already has a complex Autopilot mode that can take over some driving controls, but one day car manufacturers hope to let us go completely hands-free.

Robot butlers:

Chores, chores, chores. Boring and unfortunately necessary. But what if robots could help save you the misery? We already have the beginnings with robot vacuum cleaners and smart home appliances. Larger, more useful robots are springing up too.

We could easily be living in a future packed full of useful robots helping around the home as butlers, chefs or general dogsbodies. 

Li-Fi:

Li-Fi has been experimented with for the last few years and has some interesting potential for uber-fast data transfer speeds. Li-Fi uses light to transmit data rather than Wi-Fi's radio waves. This technology is theoretically capable of transmitting data at much higher speeds and is also less prone to interference. 

Because the visible light spectrum is around 10,000 times larger than the radio spectrum, there's a lot more potential for bandwidth. It's also thought that if Li-Fi does manage to take off it will be considerably cheaper than Wi-Fi. 

Smart mirrors that check your health:

A quick glance in the mirror each morning gives you a visual cue on how you're feeling and looking to the outside world.

Now imagine a future where smart mirrors could scan you and tell you about potential health problems, vitamin deficiencies or warnings signs of underlying issues. Pre-emptive information about these symptoms might help you prepare.

Flying cars:

When there's no space left on the roads, it's not unreasonable to think we might take to the skies. There are already plenty of interesting flying car designs that show this future is a realistic possibility. 

Roads over rivers:

Space is finite and running out quickly - especially in crowded urban spaces. This concept shows a future where roads and living spaces have moved out over the waters. When self-driving vehicles do all the work and are fast enough, journeys across the oceans this way might not be unrealistic either.