Former IETF president Roy Amara said years ago: "We tend to overestimate the impact of a technology in the short run and underestimate it in the long run". It is true. Let's see, what will happen:
Computer Science
- A universal language translator will become commercially available.
- Handwriting recognition will approach 99% accuracy.
- Computer speech recognition of unstructured human speech will approach 99% accuracy.
- We will use parallel programming in mainstream applications.
Telecommunications
- Terabit optical networks will be common.
- 3-D TV will be adopted in homes.
- Interactive computer graphics will be lifelike.
- Gigabit Internet access will be available in homes.
- Software-defined radio will be integrated into consumer electronics.
- Global videoconferencing will become routine.
Electronis
- Nonvolatile data storage will eclipse magnetic media.
- Nanotube-based integrated circuits will be commercialized.
- Desktop printable electronics will become routine.
- 5-nanometer processors will become commercially viable.
- Organic light-emitting diodes will be the dominant display.
- The semiconductor industry will hit the "Moore's Law" wall.
Sensors and Robotics
- "Smart dust" devices will be widely deployed in sensor networks.
- Radio-frequency identification will be commonly integrated in consumer electronics.
- Household robotics will be widely adopted.
- Printed bar codes will be replaced by smart-tag technologies such as RFID.
- Sensor networks that scavenge power will be widely used.
Physics
- A "Theory of Everything" unifying the forces of nature will be widely accepted.
- Cold fusion will be demonstrated.
- The origin and nature of dark matter will be well understood.
Space and Earth Sciences
- Earth-like planets will be discovered.
- We will have accurate models of the impact of solar weather on Earth's climate.
- Living organisms will be discovered on other planets.
- Terrestrial weather forecasting will be accurate to the hour.
- Microelectromechanical systems will be widely applied to medicine.
- Humans will understand signals from extraterrestrial civilizations.
- Scientists will predict earthquakes with enough lead time to evacuate affected areas.
Materials and Nano-Technology
- Room-temperature superconductors will be commercially available.
- LEDs will replace incandescent lightbulbs for home lighting.
- Nanoelectromechanical systems will go commercial.
- Molecular self-assembly will be used to build integrated circuits.
- Robust design tools for fabrication at the nanoscale will become available.
- Microscale robotics will become viable.
- It will be commercially viable to manufacture nanostructured materials to exact specifications without machining.
Energy
- Fuel cells will be widely used to power cars.
- Fuel cells will be widely used in mobile devices.
- Fuel cells will be widely used as a source of household electricity in developing nations.
Biology
- Implantable brain-machine interfaces will be widely adopted.
- Scientists will have accurate computational models of the human senses.
- Rapid DNA sequencing will become affordable.
