Unveiled, the third annual "IBM Next Five in Five" is a list of
innovations that have the potential to change the way people work, live
and play over the next five years:
- Energy saving solar technology will be built into asphalt, paint and windows
- You will have a crystal ball for your health
- You will talk to the Web . . . and the Web will talk back
- You will have your own digital shopping assistants
- Forgetting will become a distant memory
The Next Five in Five is based on market and societal trends expected
to transform our lives, as well as emerging technologies from
IBM’s Labs around the world that can make these innovations
possible.
In the next five years, technology innovations will change our lives in the following ways: Energy saving solar technology will be built into asphalt, paint and windows
Ever wonder how much energy could be created by having solar technology
embedded in our sidewalks, driveways, siding, paint, rooftops, and
windows? In the next five years, solar energy will be an affordable
option for you and your neighbors. Until now, the materials and the
process of producing solar cells to convert into solar energy have been
too costly for widespread adoption. But now this is changing with the
creation of “thin-film” solar cells, a new type of
cost-efficient solar cell that can be 100 times thinner than
silicon-wafer cells and produced at a lower cost. These new thin-film
solar cells can be “printed” and arranged on a flexible
backing, suitable for not only the tops, but also the sides of
buildings, tinted windows, cell phones, notebook computers, cars, and
even clothing.
You will have a crystal ball for your healthWhat if you could foresee your health destiny and use that knowledge to
modify your lifestyle? Even though we are told that things like French
fries, potato chips, cheese and wine aren’t good for us, what if
you could find out specifically that you are someone who could consume
more of those vices without having negative impact on your health? In
the next five years, your doctor will be able to provide you with a
genetic map that tells you what health risks you are likely to face in
your lifetime and the specific things you can do to prevent them, based
on your specific DNA – all for less than $200. Ever since
scientists discovered how to map the entire human genome, it has opened
new doors in helping to unlock the secrets our genes hold to predicting
health traits and conditions we may be predisposed to. Doctors can use
this information to recommend lifestyle changes and treatments.
Pharmaceutical companies will also be able to engineer new, more
effective medications that are targeted for each of us as individual
patients. Genetic mapping will radically transform healthcare over the
next five years and allow you to take better care of yourself.
You will talk to the Web . . . and the Web will talk back“Going” to the web will change dramatically in the next
five years. In the future, you will be able to surf the Internet,
hands-free, by using your voice – therefore eliminating the need
for visuals or keypads. New technology will change how people create,
build and interact with information and e-commerce websites –
using speech instead of text. We know this can happen because the
technology is available, but we also know it can happen because it
must. In places like India, where the spoken word is more prominent
than the written word in education, government and culture,
“talking” to the Web is leapfrogging all other interfaces,
and the mobile phone is outpacing the PC. In the future, through the
use of “VoiceSites,” people without access to a personal
computer and Internet, or who are unable to read or write, will be able
to take advantage of all the benefits and conveniences the Web has to
offer. And by the web becoming more accessible by using voice, it will
become easier to use for everyone. Imagine being within a phone
call’s reach from the ability to post, scan and respond to
e-mails and instant messages – without typing. You will be able
to sort through the Web verbally to find what you are looking for and
have the information read back to you – as if you are having a
conversation with the Web.
You will have your own digital shopping assistantsEver find yourself in a fitting room with all the wrong sizes and no
salesperson in sight? And what about affirmation from friends that the
outfit you’ve chosen truly does look good on you? In the next
five years, shoppers will increasingly rely on themselves - and the
opinions of each other - to make purchasing decisions rather than wait
for help from in-store sales associates. A combination of new
technology and the next wave of mobile devices will give the in-store
shopping experience a significant boost. Fitting rooms soon will be
outfitted with digital shopping assistants - touch screen and voice
activated kiosks that will allow you to choose clothing items and
accessories to complement, or replace, what you already selected. Once
you make your selections, a sales associate is notified and will gather
the items and bring them directly to you. You’ll also be able to
snap photos of yourself in different combinations and email or SMS them
to your friends and family for the thumbs up…or the thumbs down.
Shoppers can access product ratings and reviews from fellow consumers
and will even be able to download money-saving coupons and instantly
apply them to their purchases.
Forgetting will become a distant memoryInformation overload keeping you up at night? Forget about it. In the
next five years, it will become much easier to remember what to buy at
the grocery store, which errands need to be run, who you spoke with at
a conference, where and when you agreed to meet a friend, or what
product you saw advertised at the airport. That's because such details
of everyday life will be recorded, stored, analyzed, and provided at
the appropriate time and place by both portable and stationary smart
appliances. To help make this possible, microphones and video cameras
will record conversations and activities. The information collected
will be automatically stored and analyzed on a personal computer.
People can then be prompted to "remember" what discussions they had,
for example, with their daughter or doctor by telephone. Based on such
conversations, smart phones equipped with global-positioning technology
might also remind them to pick up groceries or prescriptions if they
pass a particular store at a particular time. It's not hard to imagine
that TVs, remote controls, or even coffee table tops, can one day be
the familiar mediums through which we tap into our digitally-stored
information.
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