We know that behind the scenes, science is constantly evolving, although most of us have no idea how far it has advanced in the last few years. Many technologies that were once considered “futuristic” and existed only in the realm of science fiction are now reality – from invisibility cloaks to mind-controlled prosthetics and advanced autonomous weapons.
10. Realistic holograms
Holograms have long been used in the form of holographic paper, a printing technique that uses light waves to create a three-dimensional image. They are most often used as an anti-counterfeiting measure for things like banknotes, tickets, ID cards, and product tags, among others.
However, holograms have recently taken on a much more advanced form thanks to innovations in areas like augmented and virtual reality. Technologies like MIT’s Tensor Holography can now use artificial intelligence and machine learning to create truly lifelike holograms, which in turn can be interacted with in a variety of ways to make them more immersive.
Once hologram technology is fully realized, it could be used for a variety of purposes. Imagine being able to conduct a fully holographic conference call with participants located in completely different locations around the world. It could also be used to monitor remote objects in dangerous locations, such as offshore drilling rigs, significantly reducing the risks associated with the work.
9. Nanorobots
Nanobots, also called nanorobots or nanomachines, have been a staple of science fiction for as long as we can remember. Capable of performing complex tasks at the cellular or molecular level, these microscopic machines have been imagined as tiny doctor’s assistants, self-replicating repair machines, and deadly weapons. In real life, however, until recently, nanobot technology has always been something that belongs to the distant future.
Over the past few years, many teams working in the field around the world have made significant advances in various applications. In 2018, researchers in Hong Kong successfully developed bots that could work at the cellular level to destroy tumors. These were essentially reprogrammed strands of DNA loaded with chemotherapy drugs specifically designed to seek out and destroy tumors that could one day become cancer.
In January 2020, another team of researchers at Tufts University took things a step further and developed the first-ever living nanorobots. Created from stem cells taken from frogs, these tiny machines, also called xenobots, can move, heal themselves, and even assemble together to create new bots on their own.
8. Deadly autonomous robots
Lethal autonomous robots are a general term for weapons that can operate without human intervention. Using technologies like artificial intelligence and advanced remote sensors, these weapons of the future could be programmed to make targeting decisions entirely on their own, bypassing the need for soldiers on the ground entirely.
Unfortunately, weapons with autonomous capabilities have already begun to appear on battlefields around the world. Both Russia and Ukraine have deployed autonomous weapons in their ongoing wars, and a UN report claims that Turkey used its Kargu-2 autonomous drones to hunt down Libyan soldiers during the Libyan civil war. Almost every major military power is now working on its own lethal autonomous weapons, despite strong opposition from human rights groups and academics seeking to curb the technology.
7. Thought-controlled prosthetics
Prosthetics that can be instinctively controlled by the brain have only been the stuff of science fiction, although some breakthroughs in recent years could make them a reality sooner than we think.
Ongoing research at the University of Michigan is responsible for many of these breakthroughs. In 2020, researchers at the university developed a method for amplifying weak signals from amputated nerves to control a robotic arm in real time, with intuitive finger-level control of the prosthetic. The approach involves tiny muscle grafts, machine learning algorithms, and electrodes implanted in areas of the brain that control movement and process the sense of touch of the natural limb. Building on this research, another team at the same university developed what’s called a regenerative peripheral nerve interface (RPNI) — a small muscle grafted onto the end of a severed nerve.
6. Invisibility cloak
Real invisibility cloaks have been used in all sorts of fictional settings, perhaps because they provide a simple mechanic to move the story along in a certain direction. If they were invented, many types of weapons systems would be obsolete, especially those that rely on visual confirmation.
In 2019, Canadian military camouflage company Hyperstealth Biotechnology unveiled its own concept, a material they called Quantum Stealth. Unlike other early invisibility cloak prototypes used so far, this material bends light around itself to make an object appear invisible to the naked eye, and it even works with infrared and ultraviolet imagers. It’s primarily intended for military use, as the material can be used as a camouflage measure for combat equipment, making it nearly impossible to target from the air.
5. Reading dreams
Reading dreams is not something you think scientists can do, at least not in the way most of us imagine. Of course, you are wrong, as there have already been some major breakthroughs in this area. Today, it is possible not only to see and hear – with reasonable accuracy – the content of other people’s dreams, but also to change them to a specific theme.
In a breakthrough study from Japan published in the journal Science , they revealed a method for using MRI scans to display images of a subject's sleep with 60% accuracy. In another study, conducted by researchers at MIT, scientists developed a device called Dormio that can broadcast specific sound signals just before you fall asleep and change the content of your dreams.
4. See through walls
The Xaver 1000 is a handheld scanner developed by Camero-Tech, a military technology firm based in Israel. It is actually an imaging device that uses artificial intelligence and sophisticated image processing techniques, such as its proprietary “Sense-Through-The-Wall” technology, to detect people and animals behind obstacles such as walls.
The scanner works in a variety of situations, especially in hostage situations that require careful mapping of the scene before any action by law enforcement. The device also has many military applications, as it is extremely useful in confined spaces such as urban areas and densely populated areas. It can also prove useful in saving lives during natural disasters or other calamities.
3. Self-healing material
Self-healing materials are another major innovation that will revolutionize prosthetics, although that is not their only application. As the name suggests, researchers have made many breakthroughs in this area in the last few years, and we may be very close to developing a truly self-healing material that can mimic organic materials like skin.
In 2008, researchers at PSL University in France developed a synthetic form of rubber that can maintain and restore its properties even after being repeatedly broken. Building on this concept, chemical engineers at Stanford University have developed a polymer that can regenerate even after being completely cut off with a scalpel, while still maintaining 98% its original properties. The best part is that it can be treated over and over again, something that has never been done in a lab before.
2. Mind reading technology
Reading dreams is one thing, but what about reading the active, waking brain? Mind-reading technology could find military applications, such as mind control, or even be used by large corporations for targeted advertising. On the other hand, the ability to read minds has many potential medical applications, especially in cases where the patient is unable to communicate due to injury or illness.
Surprisingly, this is not that far in the future, as we already have many technologies that can, to some extent, digitally reproduce the inside of your head. In an article published in Nature magazine In 2022, researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands developed a method for converting brain waves into photographs. They took fMRI scans of subjects and fed the results to an AI algorithm, which was then able to reproduce it on a screen almost identically .
1. Reverse aging
Aging is a problem that has plagued humanity for quite some time. Most people would agree that it is an unnecessary function that causes problems and eventually death, although even our best scientists and doctors have been unable to find a cure for it for centuries.
We don’t have the technology to do this for humans at the moment, although it is possible for rats. In a 13-year study led by Dr. David Sinclair, a professor at the Center for the Biological Study of Aging at Harvard Medical School, researchers were able to reverse or speed up the aging process in mice. In his research, Sinclair discovered that aging occurs due to the loss of critical information in the genetic makeup of our cells, not just the damage that accumulates over the years.
His team demonstrated this in their experiments, where they successfully restored the epigenetic information stored in cells to either return mice to an earlier, younger state - with restored vision and younger muscles - or prematurely accelerate their aging process.
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