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These 15 Groundbreaking Technologies will Blow your mind

The pace of technological advancements in our modern world is relentless, with new innovations emerging almost daily.

These developments have the potential to transform the way we live, take care of our health, and tackle climate change.

However, amidst the constant news stream about futuristic technologies and gadgets, it can be easy to overlook the incredible progress.

There are countless groundbreaking technologies on the horizon, from AI-generated poetry and images to 3D-printed eyes, lab-grown food, holograms, and brain-reading robots.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, and we have curated a list of the most exciting technologies that are set to shape our future.

Let’s Dive in!

Artificial Neurons on Silicon Chips

Artificial neurons on silicon chips are a revolutionary development that could transform medical implants for treating conditions such as heart failure and Alzheimer’s. Researchers at the University of Bath have successfully attached artificial neurons to silicon chips, mimicking the electrical properties of neurons in our nervous system. This breakthrough has been possible due to their ability to open the “black box” of neurons and examine their workings in minute detail. What’s more, the artificial neurons require only 140 nanowatts of power, which is one billionth the power requirement of a microprocessor. This could significantly reduce the power consumption of medical implants.

Vehicle Batteries that Charge in 10 Minutes

Fast charging of electric vehicles is essential to their widespread adoption, but it can cause lithium-ion batteries to degrade quickly. Researchers at Penn State University have found that if the batteries can be heated to 60°C for just 10 minutes and then rapidly cooled, lithium spikes would not form, and heat damage could be avoided. They have designed a self-heating battery using a thin nickel foil that heats up in less than 30 seconds to warm the inside of the battery. The rapid cooling required after charging would be achieved using the car’s cooling system. Their study published in the journal Joule showed that they could fully charge an electric vehicle in just 10 minutes, making fast charging feasible without damaging the battery.

3-D Printed Eye Tissue

The National Eye Institute in the US has used stem cells and 3D bioprinting to produce retinal tissue that can help scientists better understand and develop treatments for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that affects vision. By printing stem cells into a gel and allowing them to grow over several weeks, the researchers created tissue similar to the outer blood-retina barrier where AMD starts. They are studying the progression of AMD using the tissue and experimenting with adding more cell types to model the human eye.

Sweat-powered supercapacitor for Smartwatches

Engineers at the University of Glasgow have developed a new type of flexible supercapacitor that can store energy by replacing the electrolytes found in conventional batteries with sweat.

The device works by coating polyester cellulose cloth in a thin layer of a polymer that acts as the supercapacitor’s electrode. The cloth absorbs sweat from the wearer, and the positive and negative ions in the sweat interact with the polymer’s surface, generating energy. The supercapacitor is robust enough to survive the flexes and bends of use and can be fully charged with as little as 20 microlitres of fluid

Energy-storing “smart bricks”

Scientists at Washington University in St Louis have found a way to turn red bricks into “smart bricks” that can store energy like a battery. The researchers coated brick samples with a conducting coating, Pedot, which seeped through the porous structure of the fired bricks, converting them into energy-storing electrodes.

The iron oxide, which is the red pigment in the bricks, helped with the process. Although the research is still in the proof-of-concept stage, the scientists claim that walls made of these bricks “could store a substantial amount of energy” and be recharged hundreds of thousands of times within an hour.

Green Funerals

As people increasingly prioritize sustainable living due to the climate crisis, they are starting to consider eco-friendly options even for dying. However, death is often associated with high carbon emissions, leaving a significant environmental impact. For instance, cremation releases around 400kg of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. To address this issue, some innovative approaches are emerging. For example, in Washington State, USA, there is a company called Recompose that uses natural decomposition to turn bodies into soil, which can then be used in gardening. Another approach involves using fungi to decompose the body. Coeio, a start-up, designed a “mushroom suit” that helps to neutralize toxins and accelerate decomposition. Other eco-friendly methods, such as alkaline hydrolysis, are waiting for greater social acceptance, but they are legal in some US states and emit fewer emissions than traditional methods.

Lab-Made Dairy Items

Lab-grown dairy products are gaining attention from biotech companies globally, with research focusing on creating lab-made versions of milk, cheese, ice cream, and eggs. As the dairy industry is not eco-friendly and contributes to 4% of the world’s carbon emissions, there is a growing demand for a sustainable and environmentally-friendly option. The process of creating lab-made milk is not as complex as creating meat, with most researchers using fermentation to produce milk proteins. Currently, some lab-made milk products are already in the US market, with companies such as Perfect Day working on replicating the taste and nutritional benefits of regular cow’s milk. Ongoing research includes creating lab-made mozzarella and other types of cheese and ice cream.

Natural Language Processing

Natural language processing is a rising trend that has taken over the internet. Although you may have encountered it in Google’s autocomplete feature or your smartphone’s predictive text, its capabilities extend far beyond these basic functions.

OpenAI is a leading artificial intelligence company that initially made waves with its image-generating program, Dall-E 2. Now, it has developed a chatbot called ChatGPT, which can create original poems, explain intricate concepts with ease, and hold full-length conversations like a human.

ChatGPT is powered by GPT-3, a software trained on billions of text samples and taught how to construct coherent and logical sentences. It’s a prime example of AI’s potential and what the future holds. ChatGPT has already demonstrated its ability to generate entire websites and books from scratch, as well as crack a few jokes, even though it still hasn’t quite perfected its sense of humor.

3D Printed Bones

The potential of 3D printing technology is immense, with applications ranging from cost-effective housing construction to durable protective gear. However, one of its most exciting uses is in the field of medicine, specifically the creation of 3D printed bones.

Ossiform, a company specializing in medical 3D printing, utilizes tricalcium phosphate to produce customized bone replacements for patients. By mimicking the properties of human bones, these 3D printed bones enable the body to remodel the implants into vascularized bone, allowing for full restoration of the replaced bone’s function.

The process of using these implants is relatively straightforward. After performing an MRI, the hospital sends the results to Ossiform, who then creates a 3D model of the implant needed. Once the surgeon approves the design, the implant is printed and ready for use in surgery.

To promote optimal integration, the implants feature a porous structure with large pores and canals to facilitate cell attachment and bone regeneration. Overall, the development of 3D printed bones has the potential to revolutionize the field of orthopedics and greatly improve patient outcomes.

Brain Reading Robot

Brain reading technology has made significant progress in recent years, with practical applications being developed by researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL). By using a combination of a brain-computer interface, a robot arm and a machine-learning algorithm, tetraplegic patients who have limited to no movement in their upper and lower body can now interact with their environment. For instance, the robot arm can perform basic actions like circumventing obstacles. The EEG cap is used to interpret brain signals, and the algorithm automatically determines whether the arm has made a wrong move, such as moving too fast or too close to the obstacle. Over time, the algorithm adjusts to the patient’s unique preferences and brain signals. This advancement has the potential to lead to wheelchairs and other assistive devices that the brain can control, offering greater freedom and autonomy to tetraplegic patients.

AI Image Creation

The field of art has now been added to the list of industries where artificial intelligence is performing just as well as humans. OpenAI researchers have developed a software called Dall-E that can produce images based on textual descriptions. For instance, if you enter “a dog wearing a cowboy hat singing in the rain,” Dall-E will generate original images that match the given description, and you can even choose the art style.

However, Dall-E is not yet perfect and can have issues, as we discovered when testing it with prompts for designing cartoon characters. Nevertheless, the team behind Dall-E plans to continue developing the technology, and it could potentially be used to create art exhibitions or for companies to obtain quick, original illustrations. Another AI image generator, called Midjourney, can produce gothic masterpieces with a simple text prompt. We are indeed living in a futuristic era.

Xenotransplantation

Despite initial concerns, the insertion of pig hearts into humans has become a rapidly advancing medical procedure known as xenotransplantation. This method, which involves transplanting animal cells, tissues, or organs into humans, has the potential to transform the field of surgery.

Currently, one of the most common procedures involves the insertion of pig hearts into humans, which has been done successfully twice, although one patient survived only a few months, while the second is still being monitored.

Before implantation, gene-editing is required to knock out certain genes from the pig’s heart and add human genes, especially those related to immune acceptance and the prevention of excessive growth of heart tissue.

Although these surgeries are currently risky and success cannot be guaranteed, xenotransplants may become a regular occurrence in the near future, allowing animals to provide hearts or tissues for humans in need.

Intelligent Exo-Skeleton

Exo-skeletons have been a part of science fiction and real life for quite some time. However, as technology advances, exo-skeletons are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

One of the most notable developments in recent years is the availability of this technology for children. The Atlas 2030 is considered to be the most advanced mobile medical exo-skeleton designed specifically for children.

Although it is not yet available commercially, this technology could help children in the future by providing a pediatric lower-body medical exo-skeleton. This could assist children with severe neuromuscular diseases, cerebral palsy, or spina bifida in walking.

Necrobotics

New technologies can offer incredible advancements for the future, but some can also seem quite eerie. One such technology is necrobotics, which involves turning dead creatures into robots.

Although it may sound like a plot from a horror movie, researchers at Rice University have injected air into dead spiders, turning them into robot-like grippers capable of picking up objects. While still in its early stages, this technology could lead to future scientific advancements utilizing deceased animals.

Sand Batteries

Not all new technologies have to be complex to be effective. Finnish engineers have discovered a simple yet highly efficient way of turning sand into a massive battery. By piling 100 tons of sand into a 4 x 7 meter steel container and heating it up using wind and solar energy, the heat generated through resistive heating can be stored and distributed to nearby buildings, providing warmth for extended periods of time. This new method could provide a sustainable energy solution for communities.

So, these 15 new technologies have the potential to revolutionize the way we live, work, and interact with the world around us. From xenotransplantation to sweat-powered watches, the possibilities seem endless.

While some of these technologies may still be in their infancy, their potential to shape the future is immense.

It’s exciting to think about what the future may hold and how these technologies will continue to evolve and shape our world for years to come.

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