Movies sometimes have some pretty fantastical devices which we find hard to believe. There's the DeLorean from Back to the Future, the deneuralyzer from Men in Black and of course the holodeck from the Star Trek franchise. But some movies contain nifty gadgets and technology that seem simple enough to build or develop with current technologies. I mean, it's almost 2009 for christsake.
1. Safety Foam from Demolition Man
In the movie Demolition Man, Stallone's character John Spartan gets into a high-speed car accident during an electric car chase through the future streets of San Angeles. Instead of smashing to tiny bits, a foam fills the car and solidifies, saving his life and leaving him totally unscratched. It would seem easy enough to create such a foam (there might be problems with people inhaling it as it expands) so why the heck isn't it in cars yet?
2. Cold Fusion from The Saint
In The Saint, Simon Templar steals notes from a scientist which, when arranged properly, show how to make cold fusion work. While research into cold fusion technologies is progressing, it's kind of surprising there hasn't been a breakthrough yet in the field. You'd think someone could at least prove that it can or can't work by now.
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If you’re interested in how a specific future year may shape up,
the Future Scanner offers a
wealth of information to this end. A quick search through
2015 scans
revealed a plethora of information about the expected state of
cancer treatment, interfaces, artificial intelligence, robotics,
the environment and much more. 
Take a look at the following results for a quick snapshot of
2015:
Health of the General Population: Although it
has been predicted that 75% of Americans
will be overweight by then, what and how
we’re eating might be very different from today. Check out
these winning
designs from the competition “Dining in 2015” as well as the
potential for elegant designer
fruit that could hit grocery stores by 2015. And though the
future of fruit is exciting, the future of food prices may not be
so, according to this
prediction that cereal prices will rise by between 10% and 20% by
2015 due to supplies not matching future demands, according to the
International Food
Policy Research Institute.
The most exciting prediction regarding health in 2015 is the
likelihood that cancer may be well on its way to being cured.
According to this Future
Blogger post by futuretalk “Dr.
Andrew von Eschenbach, then director of the National Cancer
Institute outlined his goal to eliminate suffering and death from
cancer by 2015.”
Gadgets and Gizmos: Lots of exciting
technologies to look forward to in this year. Check out these awesome
laptop prototypes as well as Nokia’s
Nano-phone being developed with the 2015 goal in mind.
(cont.)
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To what extent are we going to let technology run our lives? I can understand wanting the Internet, a cellphone, even a bazillion-inch flat screen TV. But this latest gadget to come on the market, the iPosture, which screams at you whenever you sit in a hunched position, well, it’s just plain silly.
If you thought your parents were nagging you pretty hard at the dinner table, imagine a device that watches your every move (“beep I saw you hide your spinach in the napkin, eat it or no dessert beep“) without the ability to judge when it’s over-stretching its boundaries. Scores of children would grow up hating both the device and their parents, wishing they had received more attention from them, swearing not to raise their kids the same way.
Sure, most people won’t buy these products (at least in the near-future) since it seems so insane and counter-natural, but what about those few who will? For example, parents who think their own parenting techniques are faulty may well wish for a family butler that can help teach their children proper manners. Just imagine if Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes had his own personal assistant, or had been forced to do his homework by an ever-watching guardian…
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Christmas is literally right around the corner. And while it might be too late to get those gifts that the kids and grown-ups are longing for, it doesn’t hurt to think about that dream list. So here it is, ten gadgets that we would have screamed for. Maybe they’re underneath the tree waiting to be opened on Christmas morning or they’re still sitting in-store on the shelf, anyway it’s still fun to think of all the tech gadgets that we hope we’ll receive.
1. Flip Video Mino HD: The holidays wouldn’t be the holidays without capturing memories of the season of giving. Instead of looking back on hazy footage of the kids opening their gifts, why not look back on high definition quality footage?
2. USB Mini Fridge: It’s a long day of sitting at your computer putting together the annual Christmas card. What better way to ease that neck cramp with nice cold can of soda? If the weather too cold for a soda, how bout a nice hot chocolate? With a USB mini fridge, you can keep your drink cold or warm to your specific liking without getting up to get more ice or putting your cup in the microwave.
3. Apple iPhone: We all know that iPod Touch is a tease to the iPhone. Sure, you can get the application that allows you to use the Touch as a phone, but you have to have WiFi and a microphone connected. It’s just not the same.
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By Ami Sampat
What happened?
Ecobee, the makers of the Smart Thermostat announced new sales offices opening in California and New England. The Smart Thermostat allows for the consumer to save time, energy, and money by controlling the thermostat of their home through touch screen programming and a personalized web portal.
Interest in Ecobee’s newest offices is taking off. “Our Regional Sales Managers on both coasts have been very busy due to the company’s phenomenal start,” says Ecobee CEO Stuart Lombard.
Why is this important to the future?
Ecobee’s products symbolize a new wave of the future of appliances where we actively manage our energy appliances. With the Smart Thermostat, consumers have greater awareness and more control of when systems are used, for how long, and at what cost. This type of awareness, knowledge, and control over energy systems is fundamental in making an environmental and energy-centric change.
What to Watch
Keep a look out for appliances to be ‘smarter’ in the near future as companies integrate sensors, microcontrollers, and web-based software to create new levels of control that helps costumers save energy and money. The booming pre-sales of the Smart Thermostat is a positive indicator that people are thinking in the direction of a change.
Researchers at the University of Illinois are working on developing a synthetic polymer which would hopefully self-heal scratches and cracks on items that get constant human and environmental exposure. "Applications range from automotive paints and marine varnishes to the thick, rubbery coatings on patio furniture and park benches." In other words, when someone dings your car door it can be good as new in just a few minutes or hours depending on the weather.
How does it work?
The self healing polymers are made up of two components: a catalyst and a healing agent. These chemicals are stuffed into small spheres about 100 microns in diameter and put onto the surface of an object. When scratched, the small spheres break open and mix, forming a healing agent that repair the surface. In tests with a steel beam where a scratch was delivered by a razor blade, the steel coated with the polymer was found to be fine while the one without rusted.
Self-healing products of course have a vast array of possibilities that are useful. Anything metal rusts, wood gets scratched or chipped, and hard drives can rack up some serious wear and tear if you're not careful. Self-healing coatings on products could extend the life of your goods for years longer than they should have lived. Combined with a superhydrophobic surface, our gadgets will look years from now just as good as the day you bought them.
via EurekAlert!
Image: re-ality (Flickr, CC-Attribution)
