Have you ever wonder what would our world look like in the future? After five decades? Ten decades?

Welcome to the 21st century where everything just keeps upgrading and changing rapidly. The latest gadget you just bought recently eventually won't be considered the latest in just after a couple of months. This is true most especially with smartphones and laptops. I bought a phone last December 2014 and it was among their latest units. Then turned the first quarter of the year 2015, the company announced a new model on their smartphone list to be released soon. I went back to the local shop last December 2015, just a year after I bought my phone, but this time I am buying a phone like mine for my mother. Surprisingly, and little did I know that my phone model had been long discontinued. They're now extinct in short.(Lol.)

(image source: wallpaperhd.pk)

You see how fast technology evolves? If you do not cope with the changes, you'll get left behind for sure because as we all know, technology is now completely inseparable in our lives. It's been like etched to our minds or an instinct perhaps that it should go hand in hand with our daily lives like how dependent we are to oxygen and food in order to survive. For example, the internet, computer and smartphone; it's a complicated and wide thing to talk about but I believe these three were the inventions that had shaken everyone and sent our world to an enormous metamorphosis.

Imagine how easy it is now to communicate to a person who is thousands of miles away from you; how easy it is now to let people around the world know your thoughts and share their sentiments with you; how easy it is now for ordinary people to walk their way to stardom and be a global sensation through social media; how easy it is now to advertise and sell your products; how easy it is now to earn some extra bucks doing online activities just like by submitting original contents online in Bitlanders.(Hehe! Long live Bitlanders!) Truly, these powerful tools had opened us to the digital era but may we always be reminded of a quote from the movie Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility." Use it wisely and only for good purposes.

Well, technology doesn't only revolve around those three things I've mentioned above. New and innovative things are everywhere with their specific purposes and specialties. Like those maid robots that can actually help tidy and maintain the cleanliness of your home. The cool flying drones that lets you capture and record aerial shots. The 4D cinemas and the thing they call projection mapping which greatly leveled up the game in the entertainment world. The infrared keyboard that lets you type on a leveled surface. The conductive ink pen that lets you draw your own circuit. These are just a little to the many inventions and innovations made everyday.

Now, I came up to eight of some cool, interesting and which I think are futuristic inventions man has made. Enjoy!

Eight Futuristic Things To Look Out For!

▪ Transparent Television

(image source: pcforum.hu)
Spot where the television is.

A television that is what? Transparent? Invisible? Before we start, can you figure out which among those glass panels on the photo above is the television? We're not playing games, seriously, a television is really somewhere there!

I know this isn't new for those who are well updated of the new things but then just this year, the Japanese company Panasonic introduced a one of a kind television that will change the design of televisions in the future. The transparent television! It looks like a normal glass that shields your cabinet when turned off then turns into a television screen when switched on. Wow!

The transparent television is made from OLED(Organic Light-Emitting Diode) screen instead of LED(Light-Emitting Diode.) The OLED was used because it gives the option of the screen to turn transparent. Isn't this such a magnificent creation? You can save a big space at your home and is surely very practical for those who live in homes with limited to little space. The television can also recognize hand gestures as you can see on this video where a man was searching on a playlist of songs by swiping his hands in the air in front of the television.

Isn't this cool? You can ask your visitors to sit in front of the glass cabinet to watch television and they will surely give you a funny face. But I'm sure their reactions once they first see this transparent television do its magic is a lot funnier. Now you can return the funny face to them. (Haha! Enough with my strange imagination!) I know you're all excited but then I wanted to say that it will take a while for it to be commercially available. They are probably still perfecting it so that they can give the people the best experience they deserve. And you might also be wondering about the price? Well, that's a question I also wanted to know. Surely, it won't come cheap.

▪ 3D Printing

(image source: Mustips.com)
Print foods? Why not! But warning, it's not edible!

This is really not a very fresh news and had actually been making noise since last year maybe? But hey! 3D printing or three-dimensional printing is one of the most awesome inventions ever created. Well, at least for me. Though I am sure you would agree as well!

Printing usually just means those flat surfaced canvass such as papers going in the printer machine. And that's it! Now, we're talking about 3D! That means it has a shape! Through a software that can aide you design and through a 3D printer, your imagination is the limit! You can create and print whatever things you want. I have seen a 3D option on the Adobe Photoshop CC software which I believe is for designing objects for 3D printing. There is also a 3D scanner to produce a 3D model or design from a real life object.

Well, just an example, LiSA had two 3D printed figure of herself just this year. The medium size measuring 20 centimeters costs ¥55,000 while the large size measuring 30 centimeters costs a whopping ¥130,000. People in Japan were allowed to view the figure up close and I'm not sure on whose hands those figures ended up with. Maybe LiSA bought it herself? Or maybe a rich die-hard fan purchased it in a heartbeat!(Lol)

▪ Portable Robotic Printer

(image source: ippinka.com)
A printer you can bring anywhere!

Yes, another printer! This time we're talking about portability. Imagine a printer you can bring anywhere with you—very light and without those long messy cables. Impossible? Possible!

Introducing, the Portable Robotic Printer or Pocket Printer by ZUtALabs! This handy printer with a diameter of 10.2 centimeters and a weight of 350 grams can print 1 to 1.2 pages in a minute and can print around 60 pages in an hour. It can print to a wide variety of paper sizes but is currently limited to printing on papers. The little printer is powered by a battery which can last for an hour and can be charged through a micro USB. For now, it can only print in black ink where a cartridge of it can print around a hundred pages. Once consumed, you have to order another cartridge from the company itself. The cartridge thing seems to be an issue for me and pretty sure for other people as well. If they can make their cartridges more accessible for people to buy and have the printer print in colors then I am certain this product will be a superstar.

Anyway, despite lacking the ability to print in colors, I still think this is the perfect printer for people who are always on the go and needs to print some documents while away from home. This also good for students who are running late for class and still needs to get their assignments or reports printed.

The Portable Robotic Printer is available for pre-order on their website and is expected to be released on the first quarter of 2017. It has a special order price of $299 with one ink cartridge costing $19.90 and a shipping fee of $15.

▪ Virtual Reality Headset

(image source: glassappsource.com)
Cool gaming device!

I am sure everyone knows about this cool game gadget since it has been the talk of the town and everyone's really raving for it. The Virtual Reality Headset is a device worn on the head and lets you experience a gaming like no other. One may feel like being a part of the intangible world as you will have to move your physical body in order to navigate the game on the screen on your headset. The very first brand to introduce this is the Oculus back in 2012. Today, tons of brands have sprouted in the market with a slight difference in design like the Google Cardboard which lets the user make use of his smartphone as the screen to view your game. Very convenient and cool! But there are some people who were complaining of experiencing motion sickness.(I'll probably be among these complainants. Lol!) I am also concerned on the effect of this device on our eyes.

In addition, I am very sure that people who have seen the anime Sword Art Online which was released last 2012 went crazy when they found out about the Virtual Reality Headset. Well, I am one of those who were delighted because it felt like it came too soon. The ideas of the headsets in real life and on the anime were almost the same although the Virtual Reality Headset in Sword Art Online which they call NerveGear(looking more similar to a helmet) is way more advanced because it puts the player's body to an unconscious state leaving only the player's mind conscious. The player then goes inside the game with the feeling of being physically present.

The concept of Virtual Reality Headset is just beginning and pretty sure in the coming years, the NerveGear concept from the anime I have mentioned above will be made possible and it will certainly be super fun.

▪ Hologram

(image source: youlalight.com)
A fogscreen hologram by Youlalight.

Are you familiar with hologram? If not, I hope the photo above has already given you a hint about it.

Hologram is an image projected by light to produce a three-dimensional image or a flat image like the one on the photo above. Although, most images formed into holograms has a shape just like a real 3D object which means it can be viewed on any angles. The image can also float in the air! Well, that's my own definition. Hologram has a bit complicated explanation which my simple brain cannot fathom so you may want to check this link for a much detailed discussion.

We usually see holograms on sci-fi movies and television shows but with our advanced technology today, hologram is no longer something we could just see on fictional shows because they are now here and absolutely real! Although still not near perfect, the improvement over the years is impressive. It won't be long before hologram takes over the screens.

(video source: 4everdrum via Youtube)
Hatsune Miku's hologram concert.

Holograms today are used for displays, advertising, presentations, and on concerts. One proof of hologram's awesomeness is the Hatsune Miku concert in Japan. Hatsune Miku is a cute virtual singer or what they call "Vocaloid", and is very popular in her homeland Japan and some other countries. So how does she perform on her concerts? Yes, through hologram! You can watch a clip of her concert on the video above just in case you are curious. You may probably think watching a hologram all throughout the concert is boring but it's actually not. It's refreshing and amazing, and I guess we should all prepare ourselves for hologram concerts might be a thing in the future.

Apart from that, I have also found a video of a hologram of Sasuke's Susanoo , you should check it out! I think they should begin selling anime figures with hologram.(Haha!) Anyway, I consider hologram as one of the coolest inventions ever!

▪ Rollable Television

(image source: technobuffalo.com)
LG's flexible television!

Another television on my list but this time, a rollable television by LG! Just like the transparent television, it is made from OLED which gives the possibility of being bended. Oh the wonders of OLED! The flexible television is as thin as your credit card and looks like a large camera film. You can roll it and probably bring it anywhere with you. Sounds very portable!

The photo above is just a prototype of the product. As of today, they are still working on some improvements to deliver an absolute satisfaction for the people. I wonder how much this television costs? I would love to own one and place it inside the bathroom or at the ceiling when I'm lying on my bed so that I could never miss any of my favorite shows.(Lol!) Aside from bending televisions, I guess we will be able to see bendable phones this 2017 too. It seems like things are going to roll next year! 

▪ Earpiece Translator

(image source: presstv.com)
The earpiece translator by Pilot.

Have you ever experience having difficulties communicating with someone because you don't share the same language? You can't deliver your thoughts properly or say what you really mean. Oh, the pain of language barrier! Foreign languages are indeed difficult to learn and you just can't learn all of it within a day.

However, worry no more! If you are faced with someone who speaks a different language, this earpiece translator called Pilot is the friend you need! It is an earpiece connected on your phone through bluetooth that would translate words for you on a real-time basis. For example, a person speaks to you in French and right that moment you can hear its English translation in your ears. Isn't that cool? Perfect for those who loves to travel to other countries and for the lazy humans who are struggling to learn a new language.

I think the languages available on Pilot are still limited to French, Spanish, Italian and English as of now but I hope someday they could include more languages. I believe with this earpiece, the world will be united more than ever as languages will no longer be a hindrance in expressing what thoughts we really would like to convey.

▪ Flying Boards

(image source: jetpackamerica.com)
The Flyboard by Zapata Racing.

Dreaming of levitating? Flying? Or just being looked up to by people, literally? Wish granted! Soon, people can have their long-time dream of hovering and flying with this Flyboard by Zapata Racing. A person stands over the board while controlling the jet-powered board-like machine as it takes you up floating in the air. Bye hoverboard! Hello Flyboard!(Just kidding!)

I remember playing an online game called Flyff(Fly for Fun) about ten years ago where your character gets to ride on a skateboard-shaped flying board. I honestly first thought of this game when I first saw the Flyboard video. I once thought while playing the game that flying boards would be very futuristic and I might be already singing with the angels in heaven before this thing comes real but I was wrong! Ten years after it's here! It's still not perfect but it has started!

(video source: Flyboard® by ZR via Youtube)
Flyboard test.

Right now, the Flyboard can only fly for a few minutes and is believed to have a maximum speed of 100 miles per hour. I'm not certain of how high this machine can go. But they say, it is impossible for someone to control this machine if you haven't trained yourself on a water Flyboard for at least 100 hours.

In addition, there's this thing called Jetman Dubai which can let a human fly up so high in the sky alongside an airplaine and above tall buildings. This reminds me suddenly of the heart-shaped jetpack backpacks of the girls from the cartoon Totally Spies.

All these flying machine concepts are amazing! I can't wait how these things would go as they are improved and I hope the masses could someday own one of these so they can travel to places in a breeze.

The Future Is Exciting!

(image source: corporatenews.newsroom.toyota.com)
Toyota's exhibit during the Consumer Electronics Show 2016. Uhm..welcome to the future? Hehe!

There you go! Isn't it amazing how intelligent humans are? What we see in games and fictional shows are slowly coming into reality! Now how cool is that? Isn't it so great to be alive at this time? And right this second, a person somewhere in this world is already thinking of creating something that would greatly benefit and change the world.

Technology advancements had drastically changed our lifestyle and are preparing us for something bigger and much grander inventions and innovations in the future, because we know for a fact that things are only just beginning. We are only just on the transitional phase, and when and how long are we going to transcend what we have today remains a question. But there's one thing I'm pretty sure of. It will be sooner than we think because humans and science never stop moving forward. I just wish God would let me live longer to experience the super cool things that has yet to be made!

The things I have listed above are just some that had caught my attention. Which one among these do you like most?

Thanks for reading!

 

✧ Katsanslimites