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Imagine that, with the push of a button, it is possible to build a whole house in a matter of hours with a 3D printing system?
And what do you think about being connected to the Internet while traveling by plane?
This year new technological advances have been developed and others that already existed have been perfected.
At the same time, the positive and negative use of advances in science give way to social phenomena of impact and, as expected, these processes impose a group of concepts with which you will have to familiarize yourself, if you want to understand the modern world.
In this list we present some of the most relevant: they are, above all, a measure of how advances in science and technology impact on people’s daily lives.
1. Autonomous architecture
The robots that print entire buildings – like this technology developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) – promise to revolutionize the construction industry, so that it depends much less on human work.
The era of “printed buildings” does not seem so far away, since there are already machines capable of building walls in layers in just a few hours, and are even capable of digging and welding.
The design and planning for most of the buildings are already digitally produced today, although masonry still requires manual labor, which makes the constructions take longer.
That is why a group of MIT robotists is working to find a solution that could transform the construction industry.
These scientists created a Digital Construction Platform capable of excavating and printing a structure in a matter of hours.
Powered by solar panels and batteries, the printing machine has a robotic arm mounted on the back of a driverless truck.
A nozzle sprays layers of material to build walls, while a mill handles intricate details and leaves holes through which the machine can enter and exit.
A prototype managed to build a roofless structure that was 14.7 meters wide and 3.7 meters high. It took 13 and a half hours.
Although the material used in this case was insulating foam, you could also fill the machine with concrete and even steel.
2. Aircraft li-fi
Most people who travel by plane have to put their devices in “airplane mode” during the flight.
But a new technology based on light could allow people to remain connected to the internet even during takeoff and landing.
The LED bulbs located on the top of the aircraft, which turn off and on millions of times per second, so fast that they are not detectable by the human eye, can send data 100 times faster than traditional Wi-Fi.
Airbus, a company that defines itself as a pioneer in the aerospace industry, has been working on the installation of this li-fi technology in its aircraft, since it avoids interference with electronic equipment that has led to restrictions in the wireless connection to Internet, while offering improved security.
The term li-fi is a mixture of the word light (light in English) and wifi (wireless connection).
For now, accessing li-fi requires a special dongle that connects to laptops.
However, this feature appears in the code of Apple’s latest iOS operating system, which suggests that the technology could be integrated into different devices in the future.
3. “Brainjacking” or brain hacking
Medical implants with wireless functionality are becoming more common. They can be programmed, controlled and recharged without the need for surgery or cables.
But although they are more convenient, these wireless medical devices are also much more vulnerable to piracy.
Former US Vice President Dick Cheney, for example, had the wireless function of his pacemaker turned off, in case foreign powers wanted to use it to kill him.
Cybersecurity experts have warned that hacking medical devices could take an even more disturbing turn as patients begin to receive implants in their brains.
Known as Deep Brain Stimulation, these devices activate or deactivate electrical pulses in brain neurons.
They are currently used to treat conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, and are being tested in patients suffering from Tourettes syndrome, as well as chronic pain, depression, anorexia, mood disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Researchers at the University of Oxford warn that the wireless programming used to control these brain implants could be hijacked by hackers to induce pain, tremors or even alter the behavior of people.
4. “Platooning” or road trains
Autonomous trucks, one of the technologies that technology companies seek to deploy on highways and routes Autonomous trucks, one of the technologies that technology companies seek to deploy on highways and routes Credit: Uber
Maybe you’ve already seen these semi-autonomous trucks on the street.
Its particularity lies in the sensors with which they are equipped, which allow a group of vehicles to travel in a synchronized way along a highway (which gives the impression of observing a train with their respective wagons), guided by a main truck . The latter is the only one that is driven by a human.
Semi-automatic trucks help to save fuel by 10% and reduce congestion, since being driven only by a main driver, the possibility of unnecessary braking or acceleration is less.
It is considered that the so-called road trains emit less carbon dioxide and minimize the probability of accidents.
5. mHealth or Mobile Health
That your doctor is updated on your health condition will be easier and faster. That your doctor is updated on your health condition will be easier and faster
Widely used popular devices such as FitBits and Apple clocks collect large amounts of data about your well-being and physical activity.
But in the future they will have a greater use than simply helping you get fit.
The information that these devices record can also begin to report more and more useful information to the records that doctors have of their patients.
This is known as mobile health.
Smart watches and sports wristbands facilitate the collection of data for medical purposes Smart watches and sports wristbands facilitate the collection of data for medical purposes
Trips to your doctor will no longer require vague descriptions of those symptoms that mysteriously disappeared within 24 hours of booking your appointment, because your doctor will soon be able to access your data from portable devices, which will help diagnose and improve control. of diseases.
The main advantage proposed by mHealth is its level of accessibility, since the development of a mobile application has relatively low costs.
Through these tools it will be easy for a device to measure, for example, oxygen saturation in blood, with the same precision and with much lower investments than other specific devices.
6. Qi or wireless charger
Some automakers also plan to include these wireless chargers as a new feature in their new cars Some automakers also plan to include these wireless chargers as a new feature in their new cars
Although wireless chargers have been around for years in electric toothbrushes, the number of devices capable of recharging their batteries without wires will increase this year.
Apple will launch its long-awaited AirPower wireless charger, which can be used with its latest iPhone and watch models.
Like many other manufacturers, including Samsung, Apple has adopted the Qi wireless charging standard, which uses an electromagnetic field to induce a current in a coil in the receiver’s battery.
Automakers such as BMW, Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen have said they will include wireless chargers in their new cars.
McDonald’s, for example, will install Qi wireless charging stations in 1,000 locations throughout the United Kingdom in 2018.
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