The Future of Technology – Six remarkable advances in technology will change the world forever

There are many technologies and ideas throughout the world which are exciting in their potential but whose effects are mainly pipedreams that we never get to see in the flesh. However, in the world of tech there is currently a wave of industries that have real potential to change our world forever and they are likely to be realized within the next decade. These industries are inextricably linked and serve to augment the capabilities of each other, meaning that the rate of change is likely to snowball. From artificial intelligence, through to the space industry the rate of technological advancements in the last few years has been dramatic and this report examines and speculates on what is coming in the next decade and what their implications might be.

Key Questions Answered

– What major technology advances are coming soon and how will they affect businesses, society and learning?

– Who are the big players that are chasing this technology and what do they seek to gain from it?

– What could be the positive and negative outcomes of some of these technologies?

– Are some of these technologies worth having? Or might they be a waste of investment?

Scope

– These technologies on their own are likely to be revolutionary once we have them, but the most change will come when they are functioning together. For instance, a world where an advanced AI is able to use a quantum computer to conduct its research is n

Reasons to buy

- Examines six major technology areas where fundamental breakthroughs are only a few years away and what effect they might have on our world.

- Looks at artificial intelligence, who the major players are and what they want to achieve.

- Examines how drive

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Executive summary 2

Artificial Intelligence: revolutionizing industries across the world 2

Driverless vehicles: technology will change global transport forever 2

Quantum computing: using the bizarre tiny world of the quantum to solve humanity's biggest problems 2

Industry

4.0: billed as the fourth industrial revolution, factories are changing 2

Brain Implants: using advanced neurology to repair or enhance our brains 3

Cleaning up space: a new industry is born commercializing space 3

Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing industries across the world 10

AI is potentially useful for a wide range of industries 10

Investment in AI has been significant over recent years 10

Machine learning has received the most investment over recent years due to Big Data increasingly becoming a huge focal point for businesses 11

Machine learning is apparent in an array of industries 12

The healthcare industry is in transformation thanks to AI developments 12

AI aims to save costs but instead will increase them for businesses 14

Although costs are associated with AI maintenance, soon AI will be doing the handling 15

Unemployment is a fear of the future, not so much right now 16

Teachers fear not as robots target other jobs instead 16

Driverless vehicle technology will change global transport forever 17

Long considered to be averse to change, shipping is about to transform 17

Technology is advancing towards full autonomy for large vessels but work still needs to be done 18

Developing the regulation for autonomous shipping will take time and likely fail to keep pace with technological development 18

Driverless cars face a steep development curve to become mainstream 19

Mapping and regulating problems hold back progress on autonomous cars 20

Technology needs to be refined for everyday purposes before driverless cars can become mainstream 20

Autonomous trucks are changing how mining is done today; transport must wait for development 21

Autonomous trucks for the road are being frustrated by lack of enthusiasm from multiple parties 22

Application for autonomy extends beyond freight into everyday menial jobs 22

Major aircraft manufacturers are moving ahead with autonomous planes 23

Boeing to test pilotless aircraft in 2018 as technology nears required level of sophistication 23

Airbus self-flying taxi is the transformative application of autonomous technology in personal transport 23

Quantum computing: using the bizarre tiny world of the quantum to solve humanty's biggest problems 25

Classical computers are limited to strict physical laws 25

Physics of the quantum world is very difficult to understand let alone tame 26

Qubits are the fundamental “bit” of information that quantum computers use 26

Quantum entanglement allows qubits to be “spookily” aware of each other no matter how far apart 27

Quantum decoherence is the main technical difficulty that is trying to be overcome 27

Quantum outclasses classical by many orders of magnitude 27

Quantum computing is getting ready to truly take off but there are some difficult barriers to overcome 28

Optimization and cryptography are the main draws of Quantum ability, applicable to many industries 28

Optimization is one of the key uses for a quantum computer 28

Predicting future problems using needle in a haystack searching 29

The quantum world provides advanced encryption possibilities 29

Using quantum combined with AI technology is where the future is headed 29

Companies involved are wide ranging and big investments have been made 29

DWave computer has been criticized as not Quantum which is a setback 30

IBM has commercial versions being readied approaching 20 qubits 31

China manages to achieve the longest ever sending of entanglement 31

Industry

4.0: Billed as the fourth industrial revolution, factories are changing 33

Autonomous technology forecast to achieve large gains in efficiency 33

Embracing industry

4.0, Audi introduces the automotive factory of the future at Ingolstadt 34

Advancement in high-tech material production driven by industry

4.0 improves production, reducing costs 35

Production line of the future sees workforce and technology working together closely 36

New robotic technology works alongside people on production lines in car manufacturing 37

New robotic technology is changing how humans interact with the movement of items in logistics 38

Robotic technology of the future will be worn by workers, helping them perform physical tasks 39

Brain Implants: Using Advanced neurology to repair or enhance our brains 41

Assisting brains that need repair is a key aim of neural implants and BCIs 41

Cochlear implants are very common place, non-invasive and can restore senses 42

Deep brain stimulation alleviates the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease 43

Retinal implant technology is allowing the blind to see again through a bionic eye 43

Treatment of spinal injuries to allow patients with paraplegia to move again 44

Microfibers are becoming more advanced and this is opening up new possibilities 44

The next step for BCIs is human enhancement 45

DARPA has been working in this field for a number of years for defense purposes 45

Kernel is looking to find ways to improve human intelligence and cure disease 46

Neuralink is planning to create an AI interface between the brain and computers 46

Even successful programs have shown that side effects can be severe 46

Cleaning up space, A new Industry is born 48

Space exploration is on the up and protecting investments is key 48

Space junk has built up over decades, time for a clean-up 48

Junk that arrived there up to 50 years ago still orbits Earth 48

Entrepreneurs start thinking of ways to clear the junk yard 50

There will be little space for companies to clean up space 53

Points of interest 55

Appendix 56

Definitions 56

Sources 56

Further Reading 57

Ask the analyst 57

About MarketLine 57

Disclaimer 58

List of Tables

List of Tables

Table 1: Venture Capital Investment in firms developing AI technology ($m) in monetary terms 11

Table 2: Simulating a Quantum computer on a classical computer 28

Table 3: Companies investing in and developing quantum technology for their use 30

Table 4: Estimated Unit sales of Co-bots 2012-2015 37

List of Figures

List of Figures

Figure 1: Venture Capital Investment in Firms Developing AI Technology ($m) 11

Figure 2: Top 10 applications in healthcare, according to Accenture. ($b). 13

Figure 3: Investment activity into Healthcare AI ($m) 14

Figure 4: Growth in AI safety spending ($m) 15

Figure 5: Years from 2016 where we can expect to see certain AI technologies replacing human jobs 16

Figure 6: Global marine freight industry value ($bn) 17

Figure 7: YARA Birkeland, autonomous ship 18

Figure 8: Artists impression of autonomous Rolls-Royce ship 19

Figure 9: Baidu Driverless Vehicle Testing 20

Figure 10: Rio Tinto net income ($m) 21

Figure 11: Volvo semi-autonomous truck testing 22

Figure 12: Airbus air taxi 24

Figure 13: Quantum computer 25

Figure 14: Classical versus quantum computer 26

Figure 15: D Wave Quantum computer 2000Q 31

Figure 16: China’s Micius satellite and its experiments 32

Figure 17: BMW Autonomous Robot 33

Figure 18: BMW Group, number of cars sold 2008-2016 (millions) 34

Figure 19: Audi ”˜Ray’ robot artist's impression 35

Figure 20: Baxter robot, Rethink Robotics 36

Figure 21: Number of robots used by Amazon (thousands) 38

Figure 22: Amazon Robot moving goods in warehouse 39

Figure 23: Panasonic exoskeleton 40

Figure 24: Brain implant representation 41

Figure 25: Top six fastest growing medical equipment segments by expected growth CAGR (%), 2013-2020 42

Figure 26: Cochlear implant from Advanced Bionics 43

Figure 27: Argus II retinal implant device 44

Figure 28: New flexible microfibers may provide breakthrough in spinal injuries 45

Figure 29: Public opinion in the USA on biological tech 47

Figure 30: John Glenn, one of the first astronauts to enter space 49

Figure 31: Cataloged Objects in Orbit as of October 2012 50

Figure 32: The prospect of nets being used to capture space junk 51

Figure 33: Astroscale’s ELSA satellites in a demonstration phase in 2016 52

Figure 34: White dots indicate what is meant to be Space Junk orbiting Earth, currently 53

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