The World in 2050: Future Technologies

We are in the 2020s and we are witnessing the rapid development of technology. The rapid development of technology can radically solve many of our problems. Mankind entered the new century with new toys. In addition, this century is pregnant with technological developments such as artificial intelligence, which may be dangerous for human beings. Is artificial intelligence a threat to mankind or a very powerful weapon? We will see the answer to this by experience.

While living in such a historical period, we started to see the effects of rapid developments in technology in our lives. With mobile applications, we can order food in a few minutes, call a taxi, and make video calls at low prices. Our lives and behaviors began to change.

Let’s take a look at the technological developments in the video I was inspired by while creating this article;

1- AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

Undoubtedly, the automotive sector is one of the sectors in which people have invested the most for many years. Although they have fallen behind in the ranking of the world’s most powerful brands, it is possible to see 3-4 automobile brands among the 20 most powerful brands in the world as of now.

We have started to use technology in the automobile industry and we aim to remove the negative aspects of automobiles. The sensors placed on the vehicles can collect and process many instantaneous data about the road condition. Self-learning cars using machine learning algorithms have reached the point where they can travel almost flawlessly. Driverless vehicles have started to enter our lives.

But what if all self-driving vehicles are communicating with each other?

This technological development, known as V2V (Vehicle to vehicle communication) and which MIT is still working on, will provide us with gains in many areas from eliminating traffic jams to ending traffic accidents.

Of course, we are witnessing and will be witnessing many technological developments in the process of transitioning to a completely driverless and communicating system. Some of those;

• We will be able to produce vehicles in any design with 3D Printing
• We will sit in smart driver’s seats that measure our body values ​​and warn us when there is any health problem.
• With the development of night vision cameras, we will be able to make safer night trips
• We will start using vehicles that can produce their own energy with solar panels

When talking about all these transformations, it is impossible not to mention electric vehicles. Electric Vehicles was one of the biggest steps in this revolution and electric vehicles are now available for purchase. With the falling costs in the coming years, more people will prefer electric vehicles. One of the biggest reasons for this is energy use and climate change.

Mankind is aware of the serious damage to the earth with existing cars, and studies were underway to find a solution to this. Existing vehicles running on oil and gas fuels are now about to go to the dusty shelves of history. With Tesla’s rapid dominance of the electric vehicle market, Germany, which is the leading country of the automotive industry, accelerated its work in this field.

The main things that delay the introduction of electric vehicles into our lives are the problems of electricity storage and the scarcity of charging stations. Powerful brands such as Tesla, BMW, Mercedes and Toyota working on electric cars have accelerated their attempts to solve these two problems. Especially with Tesla Gigafactory, it has taken a few steps ahead in lithium battery technology and high-capacity battery production. Besides;

Angela Merkel stated that she wants to see 1 million charging points in her country by 2030.

As a result, it seems that cars in the future will be electric, driverless and communicating with each other. We are rapidly moving towards a fast, efficient and accident-free transportation network.

2- DRONES

The future is in the skies.

M.KEMAL ATATURK

When we look at the history of drones or flying objects, we always observe this: To dominate. Drones are one of the products of technological developments that states have developed in order to be effective on other states.

At this point, we are talking about flying objects that have started to be effective not only in the military field but also in many areas of our lives. Drones are used in video shooting and in the entertainment industry. In addition, new drones are being made to deliver packages and these processes are being tested by large e-commerce companies such as Amazon.

Drone technology, which can revolutionize the field of logistics, may enter our lives very soon. Our current problem is not that we do not have this technology, but the costs calculated by logistics companies and the investment processes they will make in this field. In the near future, it will become more convenient when all cargo and logistics processes are carried out with drones.

Yes, drones can be programmed to be controlled remotely.
What if we integrate artificial intelligence into drones?

Let’s imagine drones that can decide on their own, learn by themselves and communicate with each other! We don’t need to imagine, in fact, they started to come into our lives. You can watch the drones, which are currently communicating with each other and programmed to perform certain tasks, in the video below.

How can this technology serve mankind? Many scenarios can be written in a bad way, but let’s take a look at the bright side and see how it can help us:

• They Can Help With Search and Rescue Operations
• They Can Help You at the Observation Point of Environmental and Natural Events
• They Can Take Part in Agricultural Activities
• They Can Take an Active Role in Forest Fires
• They Can Help Scientists at the Data Collection Point
• They Can Help With Weather and Hurricane Forecasts
• They can work effectively in the field of construction and construction.

3- FAST TRAINS

The train adventure of mankind, which started with 25 tons of materials and 70 people in 1804, has developed a lot until today. It seems that the railways, which have a great share in the development of human beings until now, will maintain their place strongly in the future, even if they undergo transformation.

In these days when we have reached speeds of 500 km and above from 80 km per hour, serious investments are made in this field. In order to ensure that goods and services reach all parts of the world in the shortest possible time, cooperation is made between states in the field of roads and transportation technologies.

Trains developed with Magnetic Levitation technology (Maglev) have reached the 603km/h limit in trial runs. Studies and investments in high-speed train technologies of Japan, Germany, South Korea and China continue. These trains, which have low maintenance costs, are expected to start operations in 2027.

What would you think if I told you that there is a technology that can reach 1200 km per hour faster than today’s planes?

Yes, American entrepreneur, founder of Spacex and CEO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk’s Hyperloop project managed to reach 1200 km per hour in test drives. The disadvantages of this technology seem to be many at the moment, but I think that after a few years the problems will be solved and the technology will be improved.

The means of transportation not only brought us together, but also contributed to the formation of many sectors and the growth of the economy. Strong collaborations between societies contributed to the emergence of new inventions.

This is a process that has been tested in human history, faster communication and transportation networks must be established in order to develop faster. I think the development of these technologies should be viewed in this way.

I am sharing a useful video for those who want to learn more about Hyperloop technology. A beautifully crafted video where you can find a lot of data from how it started to advantages and disadvantages.

4- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Artificial intelligence is one of the developments that mankind has made great efforts to develop and discussed the most about whether the results will be good or bad. In order to have a good grasp of artificial intelligence, we need to understand Machine learning algorithms. With the concept of Deep Learning, one of the sub-categories of machine learning, we have enabled computers to learn something.

Machine learning principle; It has radically changed our understanding of programming. We were trying to set up an architecture by using (if-else) commands in classical programming. There was a need for an architectural structure that was thought through and designed against all the situations that could be encountered in the program. Machine learning algorithms have changed our understanding of classical programming. We started to build systems and software that learn on their own and faster than we can imagine.

Did you know that we lag behind in the areas where we compete with artificial intelligence?

The winners of games such as chess and go, who have been considered the most intelligent people on earth for many years, are no longer as famous as they used to be. AlphaZero, developed by the Google team, became the best player in the world after only 4 hours of learning. AlphaZero, which has a machine learning algorithm, won the matches with Stockfish, one of the most successful programs developed in this field.

Learning algorithms are preparing to rewrite the rules in many fields, not just in the gaming industry.

In machine learning, the entire architecture is not built from the ground up, and effective results can be achieved without writing thousands or even millions of lines of code. We need to feed the algorithm with datasets to get good results. The more data we can feed, the better the system develops and after a certain stage it may not need any data set to train.

The biggest obstacle in crossing this incredible threshold was the scarcity of data we collected. Today we have enough data to solve some problems, but there are areas where we need more data to solve bigger problems. This is where the concept of Big Data, which you come across a lot, comes into existence. I am sharing the image below so that you can better understand the concepts of artificial intelligence, machine learning and deep learning.

What have we achieved so far using Machine Learning Algorithms? Let’s give examples of these:

• Virtual Personal Assistant (Apple Siri, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa)
• Traffic Forecasts (Google Maps, Yandex Maps, Apple Maps)
• Face Recognition Systems
• The introduction of Driverless Vehicles into our lives with image processing
• Voice recognition operations (conversion of voice to text)
• Extracting spam mails, detecting malware and protecting the system
• Helping Search Engines produce better results
• Product recommendation systems that we may encounter on e-commerce sites (Ex: Amazon)
• Systems that recommend movies, music, books, etc. (Ex: Netflix, Spotify)
• In the pre-detection of cancer (with image processing techniques)
• Sentiment Analysis (Analysis of psychological states of individuals or masses)
• Being able to make Future Forecasts (Sales, stock, weather, human behavior, etc.)

Yes, applications and services that will positively affect our lives have begun to emerge. While all these developments were taking place, disruptive technologies began to radically change many sectors. Data-driven companies, one of the best examples of which is Uber; It has radically changed the field of taxi driving. Companies such as Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon and Alibaba, which invest and pioneer in data and data processing, are assertive about being the indestructible castles of the future.

Artificial Intelligence Will Revolutionize Humanity’s Thousands of Years of Knowledge and Shape Our Future in Ways We Cannot Predict.

Our future depends on how companies and countries will use this data and these technologies. Robots and advanced systems can be established to control, kill and exploit people, as well as to solve the earth’s climate change problems, establish smart cities, and prevent problems arising from the sharing of energy, food and raw materials by human beings.

My wish is that human beings will solve their problems on earth with this vehicle and devote themselves to new adventures towards different planets and habitats.

5- SPACE TRAVEL

The passion that mankind has been after since its existence. The sky, stars and planets have always attracted the attention of mankind throughout history. It has always affected our beliefs, our lifestyles, and our efforts to surpass ourselves. Many scientists, physicists, who followed this passion, came up with new developments that would change the world.

Our sense of curiosity has led us to build airplanes, to build jets that can go out of the atmosphere, to explore and understand other planets, and even to develop advanced spacecraft that will take us there. In recent years, there has been a very important development that will accelerate this process. Spacex company has developed reusable rockets they call Falcon. One of the biggest problems in space travel and space transportation was the production costs of spacecraft. Space programs could be delayed for years with single-use old spacecraft. Elon Musk managed to reverse this with his success in Falcon rockets.

1 Million People Could Be On MARS By 2050

With the development of reusable rockets, Earth-Mars traffic could increase. In this field, not only Elon Musk, but also Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos are in the game with the Blue Origin initiative, Richard Branson, Virgin Galactic, Boeing and Nasa with the new technologies they have developed.

The aim is to reduce the costs of space transportation, to start space tourism, to establish colonies on different planets.

Thousands of people from different disciplines work together so that human beings can go to Mars or live on other planets. Specialized staff in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, psychology, engineering and many other fields collaborate to achieve this goal.

Elon Musk has written his name in history with golden letters because he has been able to gather so many people with him for a certain goal, create the financial resources that can cover all these costs, and show successes that can make other people believe in it.

What have we achieved as a result of our work for space exploration?

• We created new job opportunities, created new fields of study (such as Molecular Biology, Organic Chemistry, Quantum Physics)
• Development of organic farming methods (To obtain efficient agricultural products using less energy)
• To be able to develop clothing based on high temperatures, pressure and radiation. It can be used for search and rescue teams and firefighters.
• The development of technologies such as instant communication and location tracking with the satellites we place in Earth orbit
• Being able to take precautions against meteorite impacts
• Natural Disasters Observable from Space
• Development of Solar Energy Panels
• Use of the developed metal alloys in the health sector
• The development of water purification technology. An important development for all people in the world to have access to clean water.

As a result, human imagination is incredible. It seems that our sense of curiosity and our dreams will give us the experience of being able to see and live on other planets until 2050. We are about to set sail for new horizons with what we have learned and experienced in this field for many years. It is certain that it will be one of the new areas where we will write history.

6- ROBOTIC PROSTHESIS

Imagine that you are not born with certain limbs, or that you have lost one or more of your limbs as a result of an accident. One of the worst things that can happen to a person. It is a terrifying process that cuts people off from their entire social environment and leaves them dependent on others for their daily needs and survival.

Robotic prostheses, for which today’s technologies seek solutions and which have good returns, are ready to solve this problem radically. Basically, we can call it synthetic limbs that interact with the brain nervous system.

Research in this area is advancing at a rapid pace, opening the door to human self-evolution. The concept of cyborg has already entered our lives and continues to evolve to be integrated with other technologies.

Elon Musk thinks that human beings must become cyborgs to resist artificial intelligence.

I am one of those who think that such a transformation will take place so that we can go deep into space, establish colonies on new planets and survive. What we can do with our biological constraints is limited. One of the ways to overcome this is to become an AI-integrated cyborg. We have already passed the point where it can stop the developments in artificial intelligence, there are theories on how we can turn a power that may be a threat to human beings into a human integrated structure.

One of the worst scenarios; the high costs of integrating such technologies into the human body and the fact that an ultra-rich elite mass may have these technologies in the future. This means the immortality or longevity of an elite mass with technological powers, which means that humanity will have met another dimension of slavery.

Yes, there are a lot of good and bad theories out there. As in all other technologies, human beings seem to shape how this process will be with their own choices.

The Ted talk of Hugh Herr, a professor at MIT who is an expert in this field, may provide you with more insight into the developments.

7- NANO TECHNOLOGY

Nanotechnology is a powerful technology that can be effective in many fields from medical treatment methods, pharmacy, electronics industry to fashion and design. Nanotechnology enables macro-scale changes on the atoms and molecules of materials. With these changes, materials are tried to be transformed into a more robust, durable and efficient form.

Let’s see in which areas nanotechnology is used;

• Filters can be made to improve water purification
• Used in the invention of the pacemaker to prevent heart failure
• The lifespan of fruits and vegetables is extended with nanoparticles that can be added to foods.
• Fabrics that can generate energy from our movements, store solar energy, are resistant to impacts, and record our health status with sensors can be produced.
• Scratch-resistant, infrared-resistant, screen glasses can be produced.
• It increases efficiency in many parts in the automotive sector with nano-particle substances that will reduce friction.
• Nanotechnology is used especially in the production of new generation efficient batteries.

Apart from these, nano technologies, which will provide benefits in many areas from skin care sets to self-wiping paints, from lighter space vehicles to the production of recyclable raw materials, have entered our lives in many areas like all other technologies, and we can say that they will be even more effective in the coming decades.

8- ONLINE EDUCATION

How efficient is today’s education system? How many students worldwide get a good education? How are the qualifications of the teachers in the schools? In today’s world, unfortunately, the number of people who can reach good education is very, very small as a percentage. What will the technological developments in education, which started with online education, look like in the future? What awaits us in the future of education?

I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn

ALBERT EINSTEIN

It seems that the trainings will be held in Virtual reality environments in the future. It is a fact that interactive education increases learning statistics. The topics you want to learn in virtual reality environments will be presented to you interactively. While taking the history lesson, you can enter the environments where wars and important events are reenacted, and you can do your experiments in the laboratory environment with your friends in chemistry lessons. In geography lessons, you can experience many experiences from the earth features of the planet to extraterrestrial journeys. With the touch, taste and smell sensors to be developed, you will be able to make the learning process you experience unforgettable.

Your teacher, who will accompany you throughout your education life, can be the way you desire. Your artificial intelligence-integrated private teachers will prepare suitable study files for you with the data they collect from you, implement a completely special learning program for you, and help increase your learning quality. Considering other technologies have evolved and chips integrated into your body, your training may have peaked with a few updates.

You can watch how useful the training in virtual reality environment can be from the video above. One of the institutions working on this issue and trying to accelerate this experience is Google.

Google has started to produce applications and content on this subject. It wants to be actively present in all schools, integrated with online education platforms. It is developing a huge video library such as Youtube to integrate it into virtual reality education. Currently, different Virtual reality videos are produced in many areas for free. You can watch many videos from engineering, astronomy, chemistry to biology, geography and history with your virtual glasses for free.

As a result, education life has shifted to the online environment, and powerful companies such as Google and Facebook are making serious investments in technological infrastructure in order to have the majority of the cake. Before 2050, it seems that the entire education life will be moved to the online environment.

I am sharing the video that inspired me to create this content.