Emerging Technologies
Three Emerging Technologies that Will Change the World
I was speaking with a friend the other night about his great grandfather. His great grandfather was born in 1875. He lived until 1965. Can you imagine the technology that this man saw come online? Let me name a few: the typewriter, the electric dental drill, the telephone, the phonograph, the incandescent light bulb, the hearing aid, the electric fan, the dishwasher, the escalator, the airplane, the Model T automobile, the air conditioner, the defibrillator, the atomic bomb, the electric guitar, the nuclear submarine, nylon, the polio vaccine, and the laser. He died right when the first minicomputer was coming to fruition. All of that in the span of his lifetime. Which leads me to the topic of this article. Technology has completely changed the way we live. And technological advances have accelerated at unbelievable speeds. Technology is converging in ways no one could have foreseen. I want to highlight some of the most interesting technologies out there. These are technologies that will change the world, for good and bad.
Nano Technology
Probably the most interesting and frightening of the emerging technologies is nano technology. Nano technology is a cross disciplinary field that deals with building and synthesizing materials at scales of 100nm or less. Nano technology usually works in one of two ways. It either pulls smaller parts together to build or it breaks bigger parts down. The parts are then used to form smaller, new materials. But why is nano technology so important?
Nano technology is important because it will have massive effects across every area of life. As I write this, researchers are working on a nano particle to target cancer cells in lungs. In 2004, Rice University tested gold nano particle cancer treatment. In this treatment, these 150 nanometer gold particles were injected into the blood stream of cancerous mice. Gold particles at this size pass into tumors, but not healthy tissue. The researchers then passed infrared through the mice. The tumorous cells absorbed the infrared, heated up, and were destroyed. They are also working on quantum dots that allow doctors to easily identify multiple diseases quickly and accurately. But the uses don’t stop there. Nanotechnology will drive down the scale of electronics. This will lead incredibly small devices. The applications are limitless. And you can bet that the military will be clamoring for nano technology. The military is looking to have numerous nanotechnologies online by the year 2015. Such advances include performance enhancing nanotechnology that aids bodily functions. These will include response times, oxygen use, and heightened senses. But nanotechnology can also be used for reconnaissance and combat. Nanobots could scout areas without being seen. They could also enter into enemies for espionage. They could kill targets from within the host’s body. The possibilities are frightening.
Alternative Energy & Fuels
When gas prices skyrocketed this past year, many people suddenly took an interest in alternative energy and fuels. And because demand rose, companies suddenly found themselves forced to take interest. Most of the common arguments for alternative energy and fuels center around issues of pollution, cost, dependence, and jobs.
What most people don’t realize is that alternative energy and fuels always have environmental effects. This can be in the form of heat generation, air pollutants, waste by-products, land usage, extraction, etc. Instead, we have to talk about pros and cons around each type of energy and fuel. There is no silver bullet. Costs, dependence, and jobs also vary depending on the energy type.
There are a host of alternative energies being tested. Wind powered energy plants are already in place in many parts of the world. Solar energy production has taken huge steps forward with the help of nano technology. One such company is Nanosolar. Nanosolar is producing solar cells that are 100 times thinner than conventional cells. Not only are the cells cheaper to produce, but they also convert the solar energy much more efficiently. Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) uses the temperature differences in the ocean layers to produce energy. And OTEC can utilize this colder water (36 degree F cooler) in other things like on shore agriculture and refrigeration. And the list goes on.
Massive interest was generated in alternative fuels this past year when gas prices hit record levels. New developments in battery technology could help. One such development is Millennium Cell’s hydrogen battery technology. This technology differs greatly from traditional rechargeable batteries in that it’s instantly rechargeable. It also has a much great efficiency for energy conversion, so it is much smaller and lighter. There is also greater reuse efficiency since you don’t need to replace the entire battery. You only need to replace the energy module. Developments are continuing in biodiesel, electric, hydrogen, methanol, etc. I think there could be some serious future synergy between nano technology and alternative energy.
“Bionetics”
This is my name for the incorporation of technology into the body. The dermal display is a great indication of things to come. Though I have yet to find a working demo version of this concept, I have no doubt that it will become a reality. The display would be driven by millions of nanobots. These nanobots would display light when touched. This would print a display onto your hand, or wherever the nanobot display would be housed. And this is where it gets really interesting. The display nanobots would be connected to millions of other fixed and mobile nanobots throughout the patient’s body. This would give instant readings on hundreds of vital statistics. Again, nanotechnology plays a strong role here.
The bionics revolution is already underway. There have been four major cases of robotic limbs recently, the latest being a woman. The robotic limbs take advantage of the functional nerve endings in the limb stump. These nerve endings are used to actuate the robotic limb and to provide feedback to the brain. More money is being poured into robotic limbs every year.
“Functional bionetics” are implants that enhance our lives. And you may be surprised to know that people are actively doing this as I write. People are inserting tiny electronics in their bodies that will unlock their front doors and their cars. The same technology is being used to unlock computers. But it doesn’t stop there. There is talk of implanting devices that will carry health information. You could be carted into a hospital totally unconscious and they would be able to access all of your past medical history. Most of this is done through RFID technology.
“Bionetic networks” will be networks of connected bionetic devices. This would allow people to share sensation, feelings, and communication. If this sounds completely fictional, I invite you to consider the work of Kevin Warwick, Professor of Cybernetics at the University of Reading, England. He has implanted an extra-sensory device that interfaces with one put in his wife. They were implanted in their arms. The first experiments are aimed at exchanging sensory inputs, like pain. The hope is to extend that to other, more complicated neurological processes like thoughts and emotion. Obviously, that would drastically change relationships and indeed the world. Forget about your teens text messaging, maybe they will be brain linking in the future. Now that’s really scary!
What will we be able to say came online in our lifetimes? I’m sure we could already list a lot of important technologies. But keep your eyes out for these emerging technologies. They are set to change the rules of our world. These technologies will upset economies, change military tactics, empower people, and be used to control others. Keep an eye on them.
Paul McGillivary has been a technologist for 15 years. In that time, Paul has experienced thousands of technology problems, challenges, and products. He brings this experience to bear in the articles that he presents.
For more great emerging technology information, visit us at Emerging Technology [http://www.gopaultech.com/category/emerging-technology].
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ICT for Aerospace
Role of Information & Communication Technology in Aerospace
As a matter of fact the world around us is controlled and guided by computers. The conventional practices for leading life have become extinct since the computers have spread into every walk of life. Its not just Aerospace, in fact almost every sector is witnessing strong presence of Information and Communication Technology and many new businesses have started sensing the need of Information Technology.
The information systems are developed so complex that they completely eliminate human intervention for various processes. The Aerospace sector has seen a tremendous development in last two decades through continuous improvements in the information systems and by continuous shift towards bringing in computers in every single process involved in operations. This in turn has enabled better control, improved signal transmission, handy manipulation and efficient control systems.
The process and production time for the aircraft manufacturing has been drastically reduced with aid of advanced information systems. The high end software configurations for the design activities and mechanization of manufacturing processes have helped in reducing manufacturing time with less manpower consumption and with increasing accuracy and timeliness.
The designers in the aircraft industries must have the knowledge of integrating aircraft components, loading patterns of components, material used for its parts and so on. The aircraft is as complex in nature as it literally comprises thousands of parts and every single part is important because every part weighs equal importance as the other during real time flight of aircraft. Therefore it’s essential for engineers to carefully design and manufacture its parts. This is the point which favors the dependencies of various processes on Information Technology as Information technology automates some of the regular routines and leads to less time consumption and higher assurance in meeting the quality standards. So when Information Technology gets into the skin of the Aerospace Sector, it’s going to reduce the chances of human errors and inaccuracy by a large extent.
The computers are widely employed for every process and operation in the aircraft industries. The complex algorithms for the systems design are being implemented using computers with in a short span of time.
The implementation of information technology is not only limited to developments of advanced aircraft but also brought a huge cost reduction in the process. This in turn has made the journey affordable for passengers. As the travel charges are slashed because of the cost cutting in development of aircraft, the average number of commuters keeps on growing. Air fares have fallen largely as a result of lowering operating costs through improved information systems.
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Small Scale Wind Turbines – scalable sustainability
Build Min Wind Turbine Generator
Small wind turbines have been useful not only for residential but also for commercial, industrial, and institutional purposes. They augment power supply and lessen the electric bills of home and business owners. Around the world, many companies have begun becoming environment-friendly by choosing this power-generating alternative.
There are two types available in the market – vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) and horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWTs). The vertical one is identified by blades mounted on vertical shafts while the horizontal one is by propeller-like blades. Depending on the availability of the wind, both types can be installed on towers or poles or even on your rooftop.
You might be asking what differences or similarities these two have. Here’s a short but helpful description of each:
Blade shape
VAWTs come with blades of various shapes. There are wind turbines that have blades formed like a bow and there are some with an S-shape. Even more daring, some wind turbine experts shape their blades into a spiral to make battery charging more convenient. The shaft of VAWTs is positioned vertically so the gearing needs not be set on a higher level or at the top of a mast of HAWTS to convert the rotation to a vertical shaft that drives a generator at ground level.
Noise produced
VAWTs can be quieter. Vertical turbines’ noise is only 2 decibels if you stay 2 meters away from the generator. HAWTs, on the other hand, can produce from 35 dB to 50 dB of noise. 35 dB is similar to the one observed in the library. A 50-decibel noise is like an office with many people working together.
Interaction with the wind
As to interaction with the wind, VAWTs are not disturbed by the wind while HAWTs always go where the wind is directed. This makes VAWTs less susceptible to turbulence than HAWTs, a factor why they are used mostly in urban areas.
Power Output
One HAWT produces 1.5 kW of power at 31 mph and a total of 2000 kWh of power delivered annually. Some can produce 5000 kWh per year with an average of wind speed of 12.5 mph.
VAWTs, on the other hand, produce a peak power of 7 kWh and deliver 7000 to 10,000 kWh of power per year.
Before deciding whether to buy a horizontal or vertical wind turbine, it is a must that you know which type of wind turbine will give you your money’s worth. You can either search the net or seek advice from experts on wind turbines.
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