The Advance of Technology Technology is booming. Sometimes it makes incredible advances which we as humans can enjoy. Other times the advances concern devices which can kill more of us at one time. That is the unfortunate dark side of technology. Many of us humans think this is great news because it will protect us better from our enemies, but unfortunately our enemies also get breakthroughs in technology so all this creates a never ending arms race. Today I would like to discuss technology which can make things better for us civilians. One of the things which has become obvious because of advances in technology is the fact many people no longer have to go to the job to do their work, they can do it from home in their underwear. While this might seem like a good thing to many of us, it could be detrimental to some people doing this. Why do I say this, you might ask, it seems so much better and saves on traveling expenses, lunches and laundry bills? Some people are more sensitive to social interaction and need it. Not meeting with other humans every once in a while, could affect their mental well-being. This is especially true for those who have any sort of mental illness. Technology has increased in almost every area of our lives. Some of us have seen the changes on our jobs. Once the computer revolution came in, it changed everything. This was not necessarily for the better even though we had been told it would lessen paperwork. No one ever mentioned the fact businesses would want far more data and we might have to fill out multiple forms at doctor’s offices every time we went there. It has actually gotten harder in many places because of the increased desire to drain us of every bit of data. On the other hand, it has made it much easier for people to look up our records which would have taken much longer without computers. Work is going to change for many service workers, there are all sorts of robots in the pipeline which can do the job of a human even better. Take cooking for example. Fast food restaurants are designing robot chefs which can do the job more efficiently and cheaper. In some of these places it would almost be possible for them to run without a human. A couple of American restaurants already have robot servers. One of them is Sergio’s in Miami. His robot takes the food to the table where an employees serves the people and then the robot will take the dirty dishes back to the dishwasher. As time goes by, the server will be eliminated and the robot will probably wash the dishes too. Another area being explored is security guards. There is a thought a robot can do this job. There is a company which has put robot patrols on the street in different states. The robots can see things a human would miss since the robots are equipped with laser scanning, thermal imaging and 360 degree video along with all kinds of sensors. They work 24 hours a day for free. It has been predicted by these industries; robots will replace most of the humans used for these pursuits. Right now, the robots mostly operate on private property, but when society accepts new rules for their deployment, they could be everywhere. People who drive machines of any kind for a living and ultimately all drivers, will be replaced by Artificial Intelligence. It is now possible to purchase ITEC Pro, a system which allows farm machinery to drive without a human. They are not the only ones doing this. Case IH, the second largest farm equipment company behind John Deere is also making AI controlled equipment. This will ease the work burden on the farmer giving him or her more time for other chores. Many farm equipment companies are looking into automating all types of farm vehicles. What is on the horizon for us personally? Direct Beam technology is a method which aims the beam of data going to our cell phones right at the phone. It is said it will allow for better reception and even more data. Scientists are looking into materials to keep our cell phone going longer between charges. The charge times are also being looked into and supercapacitors which charge much faster than a battery are being looked into. A new battery invention from Monash University, uses lithium-sulfur which is not only cheaper to manufacture but promises up to five day charge retention. There is another company which has managed to produce a battery with much more internal surface area which charges very fast. The battery is also said to be able to retain its charge much longer than today’s batteries. One of the places advanced tech is really noticeable is in our homes. Almost anyone can now have a relatively cheap security system based on sensors. Camera doorbells are starting to appear everywhere and have made homes a lot safer. Voice assistants are sprouting like weeds. Many different companies manufacture them with the Echo from Amazon and the Portal from Facebook. We even have new types of portable ovens what shut down with the meat you are cooking reaches the programmed internal temperature. Robot vacuums clean our rugs and robot mops wash our floors. There are even robot dogs to keep us company. Everybody wants to know what technology holds for us in the future beside self-driving cars. There are a lot of predictions, here are some of them. Quantum computing will come into practical use and might even appear in small devices. If you think your cell phone does incredible things now, you will be shocked at what it can do if it becomes a quantum computer. Look for doctors to be able to make more accurate diagnoses using artificial intelligence. This could increase the average life span as AI finds more cures for some of the deadlier diseases. Humans will be augmented by electronic components. We might be able to remember everything we ever see for example and remember every conversation we ever had. We could be given skills we weren’t born with. Look for the internet to change and advance in ways we can’t even imagine now. Almost everything in our future homes will be connected to it and our homes will be miracles of automation. No more taking out the trash, it will take itself out or eliminate it in some sort of chamber in our homes. Look for lasers to play a bigger role and maybe even cook our food. There is a tsunami of technology coming, whether we want it or not.
|
