As technology accelerates, space
travel is expected to become as prevalent and easy as
people expected it to be by now. In the 1930s, some
people expected humans would have accomplished
intergalactic travel by the year 2006. While that was
not the case, it is expected that by 2035 it will be
possible for astronauts to travel extremely far
distances to visit other planets without aging. If teleportation has not yet been
accomplished at this point, humans will enter into a
state of hibernation for long journeys. The body's
metabolism will be slowed to prevent aging on trips
that last several decades. The astronauts or travelers
will sleep the entire trip while being connected to
drips that will provide them with nutrients and
vitamins necessary to live.
 The Singularity is a phrase that
describes a time at which the simultaneous acceleration
of nanotechnology, robotics and genetics change our
environment beyond the ability of humans to comprehend
or predict. At this point, new realities will prevail
and there will be a new norm. Scientists, including
National Technology Medal winner Ray Kurzweil (author
of "The Singularity is Near") say economic,
social and political structures will completely change
- possibly overnight. Vernor Vinge, a scientist and
teacher, says The Singularity could arrive as instantly
as an earthquake and completely change all terrain as
we know it.
"When greater-than-human
intelligence drives progress," Vinge writes,
"that progress will be much more rapid." This
accelerating loop of self-improving intelligence could
cause a large jump in progress in a very brief period
of time - this is being called a "hard
takeoff" by people interested in this theory of
development. Kurzweil sees a more gradual
acceleration - a "soft takeoff" - one in
which humans work to also extend their intellectual
capacity to keep up with artificially intelligent
entities. Still, he predicts that The Singularity could
come as soon as 2045. The Singularity presents the idea
that biological life may eventually be replaced by
self-engineering, self-replicating intelligences. Some
people posit the extreme, "grey goo"
scenario, in which nanotechnology - not the sleek,
humanoid robots seen in popular films, but a mass of
gunk - displaces humans. Some researchers say that
matter could be engineered to embody vast computational
capacities - that entire planets or stars may be
converted to what is sometimes called
"computronium," a form of matter that is an
intelligence. Planning has already begun for a
carbon nanotube cable to run from one or more floating
ocean platforms to one or more satellites, connecting
Earth to space. Cargo and passengers will be sent up
and down the cable as on a really, really tall
elevator. The orbiting station to which each cable
connects can be used as a launching area for further
space exploration, a space-based observation post and a
facility for accomplishing experiments and
manufacturing efforts that are best completed in zero
gravity. A village on the moon will also be
established. The following are excerpted from
the British Telecom Technology Timeline (information
was compiled f by Ian Neild and Ian Pearson from
worldwide sci-tech reports in 2005): - AI entity sets up higher-level
prize for advanced intelligence
- Learning superseded by
transparent interface to smart computer
- Robots physically and mentally
superior to humans
- Emulation of bio life form
inside the computer using protein emulation
- Living genetically engineered
teddy bear
- Production, storage, and use of
antimatter
- Space factories for commercial
production
- First war without any casualties
from friendly fire
- Robots outnumber soldiers on
battlefield
- Smart bacteria used as military
threat to mankind
- Attacks based on facilitating
natural disasters
- Smart-bacteria weapons
- Gated cities for civilized
people
- Use of solar wind deflectors to
set fire to cities
- Nanotech-based virus
communicable between machines and people, sent over
net
- Asteroid diversion used as
weapon
- Moon base the size of small
village
- Insect-sized robots banned in
gardens due to effects on wildlife
- Robotic delivery for internal
mail
- Robotic exercise
companion
- More robots than people in
developed countries
- Android gladiators
- Genetic modification used to
make organic robots
- i-Robot-style robots with
polymer muscles and strong AI
- Emotion transmission and
conversion (feel love or anger)
- Digital image overlays enhance
relationships
- Global voting is held on some
issues
- Network-based telepathy begins
to take place online
- Language teaching decline due to
machine translation services
- Learning superseded by
transparent interface to smart computers
- 95 percent of people in advanced
nations are computer literate
- VR extensively used in
retirement homes
- Restricted capability home
genetic engineering kits
- Experience recording allows
retention of complete set of sensations
- "Running man"-style
entertainment shows using androids
- Widespread use of sensors in the
countryside
- Artificial precipitation
induction & control
- Global environmental-management
corporations
- Electronic memory
enhancement
- Many new forms of plants and
animals from genetic engineering
- Nanobots in toothpaste attack
plaque
- Fully functioning artificial
eyes
- Electronic brain implants
- Genetic, chemical, and
physiological bases of human behavior
understood
- First Bionic Olympics
- e-babies, genetic
conception
- DNA compression used to create
optimal organisms
- Virus crosses over from machine
to human
- Synthetic immune system
- Artificial peripheral
nerves
- Sims game using real
genetics
View predictions for
other time-spans:
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