Week 10 (Emerging and Future Technologies)

Brief Summary:
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This week, we looked both into the possible technologies and inventions that might arise in the future and also the possible factors that might be driving their development. A couple of ideas were shared during the lesson. The first being that supply can sometimes generate demand. This is especially true in today's generation where new products which have never been seen before, now dominates a large share of the world market. These products include smart phones and iPads which have taken the world by storm ever since their introduction.
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Another concept introduced was how market-driven research and development could lead to the invention of technologies that greatly benefit humankind. By targeting specific areas that can be improved, these inventions aim to provide solutions to both problems that we face now, and also possible problems we might face in the future.
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The last idea is about the interaction of 4 factors which would make emerging technologies more possible. These factors include smart people, smart ideas, smart money and smart alliances and partnerships. With the possession these 4 factors, there is a greater likelihood for one to develop the technologies of the future.
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Interesting Ideas:
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This has been mentioned in class before and I totally agree that for these future inventions to materialize, people must first have a shift in their world views. In fact, I believe that this has been the trend for us all throughout history. Take for example, when In-Vitro Fertilization was first introduced, many people were against this procedure for moral and religious reasons. However through the course of time, people gradually came to understand how beneficial this technology could, and it has thus been adopted by many states around the world.
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History has showed us that while certain discoveries are able to greatly enrich the human life, the masses will require time to adjust and get acquainted with them. While getting the funds and talents for research may seem like a hard task, getting people to readily accept such new technologies might prove to be even more daunting. People who are used to their current ways of life would find it even harder to adapt to newer technologies. Perhaps, the challenge for future technologies lies in first convincing people to change their negative mindsets with regard to new inventions.
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Key Takeaways:
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Firstly, with the implementation and discovery of new technologies, I do feel that the world is taking greater strides towards sustainability. Not only such, the rate in which the world is moving is getting exponentially faster, making us excited as to what our future entails.
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Secondly, with regard to the presentation about mind control technology, I feel that it might be eventually possible for us to do things just with our thoughts. Such technology would greatly increase our efficiency as we are able to process information faster in our minds. However, we have to be careful that we do not become overly dependent on these technologies.
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Discussion:
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Perhaps we could have looked into certain limitations with regard to technology. Between us and the limitless possibilities of the future, there lies a thin line consisting of issues such as ethics and religion. How do we decide when and what is enough already?
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Ratings:
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I would give the lesson a 8/10. The student presentations were all very engaging and interesting. The different inventions they introduced have been fascinating, and it definitely worthwhile to see if these inventions do materialize in the future.