Tech Bubbles will Balloon

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.