In our world technological advances open many opportunities, including investment opportunities and the potential to improve your lifestyle.
That means it’s the most exciting time to be alive as new technology hits the market and finds its way into your hands.
Below I identify (after extensive research) the six key technology trends that are happening right now in the world and which are set to shape our future…
Imagine a world where you’ll always be fit and healthy.
Picture new medical technologies that mean you can regrow and replace failing organs later in life…medical procedures that allow the repair of damage to your body with a simple injection.
In a world of regenerative medicine the potential is for new technologies to eradicate disease and put an end to aging.
Right now there are many different trials based on regenerative medicine from brain cell regeneration to bone fractures and heart failure. These trials are on the verge of solving some of the most puzzling diseases and illnesses.
The potential of regenerative medicine is enormous. It will fight diseases like diabetes, organ failure, muscle and bone injuries, and the effects of ageing. It’s even showing potential to grow fully functioning, transplantable human organs.
That means in the future regenerative medicine could be used to replace a kidney with a tailor made one. Or maybe it could replace a hip. But I’m not talking about titanium replacements. I’m talking about human bone grown specifically for the purpose. In theory you could simply replace all your broken parts and replace them with bones that are just as strong as when you were a teenager.
These medical breakthroughs are happening now. It’s the beginning of a future that has a different attitude and approach to medicine. What might seem crazy today could save your life tomorrow. It’s a revolution in the practice of medicine. (More coming soon.)
Your Future, Would You Use it?
Regenerative medicine holds the key to fixing problems with the body. But Personalised Medicine has the potential for you to never get sick to begin with. Personalised Medicine looks deep into the human body on a Nano-scale.
It’s a personal medical crystal ball.
Your DNA and genome is the blueprint for how you become you. The mind-blowing part is how a single zygote becomes a fully functional complex human being. That process is truly amazing. As your cells multiply and change into different cells, your genome and DNA dictate how it all comes together.
But aside from determining what colour hair you have, your skin type and eye colour, what if your DNA could also tell you what diseases you might be at risk from, or what could make you sick in the future?
If you knew you had a 95% chance of cancer in your life, would you put preventative measures into place now? What if your DNA shows a rare illness is likely to strike you down? But taking action now will change that future. What would you do?
The Personalised Medicine trend is underway. It started when the Human Genome Project completed. And there are some billion dollar companies already now well-established in this space. As technology advances, new companies are getting involved as the demand for DNA and genetic therapies grow.
Understanding your body at the Nano scale might be the best thing you do. If the technology means as humans we are happier and healthier, then who are we to stand in the way?
Personalised Medicine and DNA technology is becoming more affordable and accessible. And to show that I’m walking the walk, I recently got my DNA sampled. I believe the more information I have about my health the more educated I become on how to manage it. (More coming soon.)
Complex Machine Known to Man
The most complex machine on earth is still relatively unknown to scientists and researchers. And if we are able to replicate it, and understand it, it will open a world of opportunity in computing and medicine.
It’s the human brain.
But there’s action underway to map out the brain. That’s thanks in part to two major projects. The first is the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) project led by the U.S. And the second is the Human Brain Project (HBP) led by a number of scientists from across the EU.
Both of these projects are trying to understand the brain and all its complexities. The HBP is the more promising of the two. Its vision is to simulate a complete human brain in a supercomputer.
The outcome will be the most accurate model of the human brain ever produced. In effect this means they can run simulations and tests on this brain to understand how it works and use it to advance technology and science.
With the success of these brain projects the door is ajar for development of new technology. In particular, computing technology. It could even be the beginning of true Artificial Intelligence (AI), a ‘conscious’ computer.
But whether true AI arrives or not, there will be an abundance of companies developing technology based on the discoveries of the brain. The Neurone Revolution is the next major trend that will impact the world. From it there will be new technology, new science, and new industry. And a lot of opportunities. (More coming soon…)
You’re Sick Before You Do…
On average most people carry around about 11 different sensors. Most of these are in your phone or tablet. And with every new generation of devices comes more sensors, more ways to read and process data.
Picture waking up in the morning and stepping into the bathroom. As you look at the mirror it displays your daily body diagnostics.
On display are your temperature, heart rate, and other vital signs. What then happens is the data from the sensors on you process all this information. Algorithms have now determined you’re in the early contagious stage of the flu.
Immediately it decides the best option for you is to stay at home, rest up and not go to work. With that, it sends a legitimate doctors certificate to your HR department notifying them of your illness.
This might sound a little far-fetched but everything mentioned is available tech today. The next few years will be a revolution in the way we monitor and manage our personal wellbeing. With the use of tech and mobile devices we’ll record more data about ourselves than ever in the history of man.
You might have heard of devices like FitBit, Nike Fuel, and Jawbone Up. But more complex health monitoring systems are on the way. And there are companies with these technologies almost ready to launch.
The Quantified Self movement is about collecting your own personal information and data. And the desired outcome is to use that data to better understand yourself and to enhance your everyday life. (More coming soon…)
Solar, wind, thermal and tidal energy. These aren’t new concepts. They’re all potential energy sources that should lead to new energy abundance.
The tech is advancing at a rate of knots as we try to halt our fossil fuel dependence. Over the next 10 to 15 years, there will be opportunities in these alternative energies. I have no doubt about that.
The development of energy tech will never stop. With every new energy discovery we look for other ways to make it better, more efficient and affordable. There is more research being done in alternative energies now than ever before in history.
However it’s hard to go past the potential of the Sun. There’s no doubt that if we harness the full power and efficiency of the Sun we’ll be on the path to completely free and abundant energy.
But what if the real answer isn’t the Sun that sits 150 million kilometres away from us? What if the long term potential for energy is the Sun that we create here on Earth?
There are machines under construction that replicate the might and power of the Sun here on Earth. They create the same levels of heat and atomic reactions that make the Sun so powerful. These machines then use this energy to create more energy. The process is Nuclear Fusion.
And in the next 20 years it could be the best and most abundant source of energy the world has. It’s the one technology in development I believe to be bigger and potentially more world changing than any other technology at the moment. It’s truly revolutionary. (More coming soon…)
Today Mars is what the moon was to the human race in the 1960′s. It’s the next great leap in space. And if you think a Mars expedition would be a government funded project, you’d be wrong.
The most prominent program so far is from a group of Dutch entrepreneurs. They plan to rocket eight humans on a one-way mission to Mars. This typifies the trend in space exploration: the commercialisation of space.
But it’s not just an expedition to Mars that’s got us excited. There is another planned orbit and landing on Mars; a hotel to be built just outside the Earth’s atmosphere; a manned trip to the Moon; the paying public flying into space; and asteroid mining.
By the end of the year, one company will have sent tourists into space. Next year at least one other company will have joined that league. By 2018 one (very rich) man plans to go to Mars – he’ll use current rocket technology from one of the leaders in space technology. And by 2025 the lucky eight will be on their one-way mission to Mars.
With all of these new space exploration opportunities are opening up, companies that build rockets and satellites are getting more business, hence revenue. And the potential for asteroid mining is also starting to look more of a reality than a crazy idea.
The next big mining boom might not even be on this planet.
Space technology and rocket systems are improving at a rapid pace. The exploration of space is only just beginning.
With corporate competition (and dollars) involved, the exploration and commercialisation of space is well underway and only getting bigger in the immediate future. (More coming soon…)
Sam volkering.
Editor, Money Morning
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