I’m a firm believer in the advancement of technology that is used responsibly and ethically. While pigheaded skepticism is a big obstacle for the advancement of technology; with this new decade, one has to wonder what the 2020s will bring. With that being said, here are some technologies that may soon be available within a decade or a few more decades.
1.) Lab grown genitalia: For several years scientists have been researching ways to create lab grown genitalia. In 2014 breakthroughs were made and lab grown penises showed promise. In 2016, the US military started funding research into a new technology that grows testicles in a lab. This technology is meant to help wounded soldiers who’ve lost function to their genitals. So far they’ve managed to grow a testicle but it was almost microscopic in size. The idea is to take dna from the individual and create a fully functioning replacement of the individual’s reproductive system, so the guy can regain access to sexual activity and reproduction.
2.) Bionic senses: The concept of helping the deaf hear and the blind see is a very old concept that only recently has shown progress via special glasses that can help partially blind people see slightly better, while the hearing impaired can hear better with cochlear implants. The futuristic idea is to create bionic eyes that connect to the brain and thus allow the blind to see as clear as day. While research is also being invested into creating bionic hearing for the deaf to hear clearly.
3.) Regenerative limbs and cybernetics: The ultimate goal is to create better ways to help the maimed(injured vets, victims of accidents etc) regain full access to their limbs. Currently prosthetics are what allow the maimed to move about but prosthetics are too cumbersome even the most advanced prosthetics are cumbersome. Which is why research is being invested into ways of regrowing lost limbs and also creating cybernetics, one has to wonder if these two researches will eventually compete against each other for supremacy. In the long run, I think the technology to regrow limbs will triumph since most people would rather have their own lost limb(s) back than look like a machine. Currently there’s a special type of prosthetic being developed that grows with the person wearing it.
4.) Cures for life threatening ailments(aids, als, Alzheimer’s, cancer etc) Medical research has come so far in the sense that many ailments that were once life threatening are merely nuisances nowadays. But there are still certain life threatening ailments such as als, Alzheimer’s and cancer that continue to plague humanity as a result of there being no definite cure. While cancer treatment(conventional and unorthodox) has greatly advanced to the point that survival rates going up, there’s still a long way to go before we develop a treatment option with a 100% chance success rate. Alzheimer’s also continues to plague humanity although new research has shown that aerobics and certain diets can help prevent it. Unfortunately Alz still has no noticeable breakthroughs except for ways of slowing it down.
5.) Earthquake prediction technology: Science has actually made a few breakthroughs by creating devices that can sense earthquakes a few seconds before they occurr to send out early warnings. While a few seconds may seem laughable, during an earthquake every second counts. For many people even 1 second can be the difference maker during an earthquake. Many nations that are frequently ravished by earthquakes like Japan already have access to “Earthquake Early warning” systems. In fact the EEW is credited with saving many Japanese lives during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. The goal of research into this technology is to create a device that predict Earthquakes in advance to minimize as many casualties as possible.
6.) Spider silk: Spider silk is already used for clothes but it isn’t mainstream and is highly expensive. Spider silk is considered to be a highly durable fabric that has higher tensile strength than steel. The goal is to be able to create synthetic spider silk for general use such as construction, electronics and fashion.
7.) Matrix style video game virtual reality: It’s no secret that virtual reality is rapidly developing in the video game community. Many video games are already ported into virtual reality capable gaming consoles, one has to wonder how far this technology will go, will it eventually reach the capabilities of “ready player one” and eventually the “matrix”. It can be scary if the wrong people acquire such technology like in the “evil within”. But if it is used for purely benign reasons such as therapy, it can definitely do wonders for the video game community.
8.)Cultured meat: The concept of cultured meat has been successful so far. Certain types of cultured meat already exist but they haven’t made it to the market yet. But within the next 10 years, cultured meat may soon become a mainstream although the only concerns are whether or not this type of meat is safe.
9.)Superhuman abilities: For those who watched Stan Lee’s super humans, you know that there’s people who can do some extraordinary things. Aside from them, the concept of humans acquiring enhanced attributes like strength, speed, reflexes, intelligence etc may seem like fiction but there has been some research into such technology that can grant humans such abilities. Currently there is some research going into bionic tech that may enhance human strength.
10.)Self repairing fabrics: The concept of fabrics that can repair themselves like how skin can heal over time is currently being worked on and appears to be making swift progress. Imagine clothes that can repair themselves.
11.) Advanced planes: The concept of a rocket plane that can get you from New York to Tokyo in mere minutes is a very old concept, often shown in the real of science fiction but may soon be science fact as there is research being invested into hypersonic planes that can cross continents in around an hour in a half.
12.) paper thin foldable smartphones: Imagine a paper thin foldable smartphone that can fit in your wallet. Some companies are currently dabbling with this concept.
13.)Skin age reversing/halting technology: Nobody wants to get look old. For many years, the idea of finding a way to halt aging has always been dabbled with. From myths like the fountain of youth to creams and surgeries, the idea of reversing or halting skin aging has eluded humanity for so long. We’ve barely found ways to slightly slow down aging. But who knows, maybe within a few decades we’ll perhaps find a way to prevent skin from aging.
14.)Reverse balding: Every guy knows that as they get older there’s a chance they’ll start to look more and more like Mr. Clean. But the good news is that in recent years, new treatments have been developed that allow balding guys to regrow some of their hair in the early stages of balding. One user on this website even posted a take on his experience with such treatment. In a few decades, perhaps balding will know longer be an issue.
15.)insta healing: The ability to heal any type of wound like a video game character heals a wound is slowly but surely making progress as new technology to accelerate healing is being developed.
16.) Water out of thin air: The ability to “make” water of thin air is a type of technology that the world desperately wants and needs as a result of the fear of water running out being a global concern. The good news is that there has actually been progress made in developing such technology and it’s not out of the question. Currently fog catching technology can be used to supply water to areas with scarce water.
17.) Manually fabricate oxygen: The technology to make oxygen already exists believe it or not and some ambitious individuals are planning on using said technology to terraform mars in the future. But to provide fabricated oxygen in a similar way that electricity is provided to the masses is still a few decades away. But we all know that the easiest way to get oxygen is through photo synthesis via trees and plants.
18.)Natural disaster proof buildings: With new architectural designs and technology constantly being produced, there have also been architectural designs meant to resist earthquake or tornado damage. At this pace, the amount of damage, injuries and fatalities caused by earthquakes and tornadoes could be greatly reduced with natural disaster proof building
19.)Safer transportation:Imagine the day car crashes no longer exist or can survive impact without scratches. Imagine airplanes that can survive crashes without blowing up or getting demolished. Imagine airplanes that never crash. Etc. In fact, self driving cars may soon be a common sight, vehicle to vehicle communication may help decrease car crashes and The concept of detachable airplane cabins with parachutes has been proposed.
20.) Anti gravity technology: Anti gravity technology is currently just speculation. Nobody knows if anti gravity technology is possible. But the truth is that there has been research invested in studying the possibility of Anti gravity being possible, particularly by the US military whose been researching it since the 1950s. Should anti gravity turn out to be real, it can potentially be used to create means of destroying wandering black holes that threaten Earth. There are ways of making things levitate but no technology that can temporarily cancel out gravity exists yet.
Honorable mention)Interplanetary travel: While we probably won’t be visiting the Earth clone planets any time soon, some astronauts may soon land on mars within a decade or so. The concept of interplanetary travel isn’t just to show that it’s possible, in the long run it can actually benefit humanity. Imagine astronauts in the distant future discovering new metals and materials on different planets to further improve technology, new energy sources, more resources, new medicinal properties etc. But when interplanetary travel becomes a reality astronauts do need to be careful because you never know who or what is out there.
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