Shis issue: (¥ A technological ice age And more! Futurology 101 » A comprehensive guide to the next half century Alex Stanton Staff Writer Tecnology as we know it today, considered a luxury by most in the 1990s, is an integral part of most people’s lives in the developed world. Smartphones, GPS, and the like have become deeply rooted in our daily lives. This, in particular, goes for the latest generation to reach adulthood—a demographic commonly referred to as the millennials. Being a millennial and with conscious memory of the late ‘gos, I find the staggeringly fast rate at which science and technology have been be mind-boggling, frightening as hell, and incredibly humbling—all at once. Like most of you, I don’t particularly miss the days before all these advancements; that’s why we've got the future, and never has it been as visible to us as it is now. Countless experts, referred to as futurologists, have used the wonders of science to give us a glimpse decades into the future. Here are some of the technological advancements : and innovations that we can : expect to witness this year and : in the foreseeable future. : By the end of the year : Engineered and tested back : in 2013, the world’s first self- : regulating artificial heart, : created by French professor : Alain Carpentier, is currently : going through closed clinical : trials and is expected to go on : sale in Europe by the end of this : year for about $250,000. Japanese beverage maker : Otsuka is expected to make the : very first advertisement on the : surface of the moon with a giant : : can of Pocari Sweat filled with =: : drink powder and handwritten : children’s dreams. developing in the past decade to : You can also expect : electric cars to begin picking : up traction in the automobile : industry: by the end of : 2015, electric car ownership : worldwide is estimated to : reach one million people. This : obviously isn’t very much when : you consider how populated : the world is, but if compared : to 2010—when the number of : electric cars on the road was : just about 2.5 per cent of this : number—you may begin to be : convinced that environmentally : (¥ Curbing student suicide in South Korea : friendly cars are here to stay. : By 2030 : What has become arguably : one of the biggest news pieces : of the millennium so faristhe : : possibility of human settlement : : on Mars. A non-profit : : organization in the Netherlands : : called Mars One is expected : tosend 24 people to the red : planet—the objective of the trip : : being to colonize and take up : permanent residence on Mars. : Lift off is expected to take place : : in April of 2024 (though recent : reports have the mission being : delayed). In what will become yet : another milestone in the battle : against cancer, Hodgkin's : Lymphoma is expected to reach : : a five-year survival rateofioo — : : per cent in the entire developed : : world. As of 2015, that statistic : sits at 85 per cent in North : America. For all the Netflix binge watchers and Call of Duty : players out there, you'll be : happy to know that your ultra- : high-definition television will : be compatible with resolutions : of up to 4320p; what’s more, : they’re also expected to be readily available in holographic Have an idea? Contact: Chitwan Khosla, Features Editor M features@theotherpress.ca www.theotherpress.ca : models. Video games will be : designed to take advantage of : the exponentially advancing : picture quality and will have : photo-realistic graphics. By the close of this decade, nearly the entire : planet—even the remotest of areas—will have access to fast, : wireless, broadband Internet. : This number is expected to reach 5-billion people (a : massive chunk of the world’s : population) in 2025. : By 2050 : The lines separating “Artificial” : and “Intelligence” of “Artificial : Intelligence” become : increasingly blurred as robotic : assistants become emotionally intelligent and technologically : impressive. Predicted to become commonly owned by : people of the developed world : by mid-2030’s, robots will : serve as avatars fora highly : advanced technology and/ : or as your personal servants, : doing basically whatever tasks : you would want them to do : like writing emails, cleaning, : bathing the dog, and much : more. On the other side of that : spectrum, keep an eye out Image from Huffpost.com : for Terminator-like robots on : the battlefields. Futurologist : George Dvorsky states that : “despite calls to halt the : development of machine : soldiers that identify and : kill without human input, : military leaders will not : hesitate to use a robot when : a human life can be spared”; : this, according to Dvorsky, : will lead to robot soldiers that : would be superior to humans in : every way and, quite likely, an : arms race between the world’s : superpowers. On a happier : note, Dvorsky predicts that : geneticists will come up with : an anti-aging agent that isn’t a : complete scam, and lab-grown : organs will be widely available : for those in need. If you're around my age, : you came of age right around : the end of the 2oth century; : you might have used your : childhood imagination to : compare what you knew about : the time passed to what you : thought about the time to : come. Many find themselves : wondering if they’ve finally : reached the future that : captured their imaginations as : kids. Is the future here? I say so. : But it’s only just the beginning.