"Magical future" promises radical changes to how we view life

By Dick Pelletier

     Since the dawn of humanity and the advent of civilized life, humans have depended on technology to carry them into the future. Now, from genetics to artificial intelligence to nanotechnology, science is on the brink of extraordinary mega-revolutions that will soon change how we view human life.

     In the pre-industrial age, raw materials were locally grown, chopped, or quarried, then produced by local craftsmen, and consumed by local villagers. The Industrial Revolution and the creation of the assembly line changed all that. Consumer goods could now be mass produced and distributed worldwide. Today, a global civilization tied together by trade is rising, which economists believe will one day turn Earth into a "global village."

     Today’s information technologies enable businesses to produce goods and services more efficiently. With the Internet, ideas are shared instantly worldwide allowing employees to work away from the office. This is producing a series of development stages that futurists believe will revolutionize our commerce world.

     The first stage of this revolution was the formation of international corporations that outsource production to where it is cheapest, such as clothes designed in the U.S. and stitched together in Mexico. The second stage was the creation of multinational firms that distribute design teams across the globe to wherever the talent lies.

     The third stage focuses on design and manufacture; for example, electronic firms now buy all the parts from different companies and just add packaging to the finished product. The fourth stage, expected to advance rapidly in the next decade, allows three-dimensional objects to be emailed and printed on any inkjet-based printer. This enables consumers to build products themselves, without labor costs.

     The fifth stage expected by 2030 or before, includes countertop nano-replicators that enable consumers to create food, clothing, and essentials by converting raw atoms from dirt, air, or seawater into finished products.

     Technologies are changing from reliance on physical efforts to a growing role for the mind. Forward-thinkers predict that we will incorporate wireless technology into thought processing by the 2030s. We will augment our 100 trillion slow inter-neuronal connections with high-speed virtual links via nanorobotics. This will allow us to boost pattern-recognition, memories, and thinking capacity, interface directly with computers; and communicate with each other by only using our thoughts.

     Although thought communication technologies are already underway, today, thoughts interface with machines at only 15 words-per-minute, half the speed the average person writes by hand, but by 2012, experts predict this will increase to 170 words-per-minute. Imagine issuing commands to a computer faster than you can even speak them. Further imagine that by the 2030s, many experts predict "thought talking” will become the preferred method of communication.

     21st century science and technologies promise a "magical future" that could generate unprecedented wealth for everyone on Earth and provide all people with the freedom to choose how they wish to define themselves and relate to each other. These forward technologies will change forever our view of life.

     Please note: This article represents a milestone in the Futuretalk column. This is our 200th published piece, and I would like to thank everyone for your interest in science and technologies presented in a forward view.

This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.