Timeline of the future in forecasts
Encyclopedia
This timeline of the future in forecasts is a list of credible forecast
s of near-future
events and developments in all areas of science, technology, society and the environment.
Forecasting
informs the planning and policy making processes within all governments and commercial organisations. Forecasts may be either qualitative extrapolations from a current state or quantitative output from model
s or simulation
s based on historical data and trends.
Forecasts are published by:
In addition, leading experts in a particular field develop and publish their own individual forecasts, and notable thinkers called futurists formulate independent visions of the future.
Forecasting is obviously not an exact science, and different experts may legitimately forecast different dates for the same event, because they use different models or assumptions. This page is organised by topic, allowing different forecasts of the same event to be compared side by side. Although the forecasts in this article are produced by professionals, no judgement is made as to their accuracy.
, MGM movie producer, asserted in 1927 that “Novelty is always welcome, but talking pictures are just a fad.” Thus, making forecasts of the future has a historic basis in which many of the predictions by even experts have proven inaccurate.
Forecasting
Forecasting is the process of making statements about events whose actual outcomes have not yet been observed. A commonplace example might be estimation for some variable of interest at some specified future date. Prediction is a similar, but more general term...
s of near-future
Future
The future is the indefinite time period after the present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the nature of the reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently exists and will exist is temporary and will come...
events and developments in all areas of science, technology, society and the environment.
Forecasting
Forecasting
Forecasting is the process of making statements about events whose actual outcomes have not yet been observed. A commonplace example might be estimation for some variable of interest at some specified future date. Prediction is a similar, but more general term...
informs the planning and policy making processes within all governments and commercial organisations. Forecasts may be either qualitative extrapolations from a current state or quantitative output from model
Scientific modelling
Scientific modelling is the process of generating abstract, conceptual, graphical and/or mathematical models. Science offers a growing collection of methods, techniques and theory about all kinds of specialized scientific modelling...
s or simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
s based on historical data and trends.
Forecasts are published by:
- research and statistics departments within governments and leading commercial companies in a given field.
- NGOs, think tankThink tankA think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
s and international organizations. - professional organizations and their associations and governing bodies.
- academic bodies.
In addition, leading experts in a particular field develop and publish their own individual forecasts, and notable thinkers called futurists formulate independent visions of the future.
Forecasting is obviously not an exact science, and different experts may legitimately forecast different dates for the same event, because they use different models or assumptions. This page is organised by topic, allowing different forecasts of the same event to be compared side by side. Although the forecasts in this article are produced by professionals, no judgement is made as to their accuracy.
History
As far back as the nineteenth century, scholars and scientists made predictions about the future. Lord Kelvin, "One Heck of a Prognosticator, president of the Royal Society in the 1890s, and disbeliever in virtually every scientific discovery," claimed that “Radio has no future,” “I have not the smallest molecule of faith in aerial navigation other than ballooning,” and “X-rays will prove to be a hoax;” Orville Wright, in 1908 claimed that “No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris;” and Irving ThalbergIrving Thalberg
Irving Grant Thalberg was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. He was called "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and his extraordinary ability to select the right scripts, choose the right actors, gather the best production staff and make very profitable films.-Life and...
, MGM movie producer, asserted in 1927 that “Novelty is always welcome, but talking pictures are just a fad.” Thus, making forecasts of the future has a historic basis in which many of the predictions by even experts have proven inaccurate.
Artificial intelligence and robotics
- RobotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s capable of manual labour tasks--- 2015–2020 – Every South Korean household will have a robot and many European, The Ministry of Information and Communication (South Korea), 2007
- 2018 – Robots will routinely carry out surgery, South Korea government 2007
- 2022 – Intelligent robots that sense their environment, make decisions, and learn are used in 30% of households and organizations – TechCast
- 2026 – Development of a robotic hand that is able to perform certain complex tasks with a level of precision, autonomy and dexterity that is similar to that of a human hand, Professor Mohamed Abderrahim of the EU funded HANDLE Research Project
- 2030 – Robots capable of performing at human level at most manual jobs Marshall BrainMarshall BrainMarshall David Brain is an American author, public speaker, and entrepreneur. A former college instructor and computer programmer, Brain is the founder of HowStuffWorks.-Background:Marshall Brain was born in Santa Monica, California...
- 2034 – Robots (home automationHome automationHome automation is the residential extension of "building automation". It is automation of the home, housework or household activity. Home automation may include centralized control of lighting, HVAC , appliances, and other systems, to provide improved convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and...
systems) performing most household tasks, Helen GreinerHelen GreinerHelen Greiner is the co-founder of iRobot and currently CEO of CyPhyWorks.-Career:Helen Greiner holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in computer science, both from MIT...
, Chairman of iRobotIRobotiRobot Corporation is an American advanced technology company founded in 1990 and incorporated in Delaware in 2000, the iRobot Corporation designs robots such as an autonomous home vacuum cleaner , the Scooba that scrubs and cleans hard floors, and military and police robots, such as the PackBot...
, 2004
- Military robotMilitary robotMilitary robots are autonomous robots or remote-controlled devices designed for military applications.Such systems are currently being researched by a number of militaries.-History:...
s- 2015 – One third of US fighting strength will be composed of robots – US Department of Defense, 2006
- 2035 – First completely autonomous robot soldiers in operation – US Department of Defense, 2006
- Developments related to robotics from the Japan NISTEP 2030 report:
- 2013–2014 – agricultural robotAgricultural robotAn agricultural robot or agribot is a robot deployed for agricultural purposes.-Examples:* "Ag Ant", an inexpensive foot-long bot that works cooperatively.* The Oracle Robot * The Shear Magic Robot * Fruit Picking Robot * LSU's AgBot...
s (AgRobots) - 2013–2017 – Robots that care for the elderly
- 2017 – medical robots performing low-invasive surgery
- 2017–2019 – Household robots with full use
- 2019–2021 – Nanorobots
- 2021–2022 – TranshumanismTranshumanismTranshumanism, often abbreviated as H+ or h+, is an international intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human...
- 2013–2014 – agricultural robot
- Artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
- 2019 – $1,000 computer will match the processing power of the human brain – Ray Kurzweil
- 2020 – Artificial Intelligence reaches human levels – Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
2001 prediction - 2045 – The Singularity (creation of the first ultraintelligent machine) occurs – Ray Kurzweil
- 2050 – Computer costing a few hundred pounds will have the capacity of the human mind – Hans MoravecHans MoravecHans Moravec is an adjunct faculty member at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. He is known for his work on robotics, artificial intelligence, and writings on the impact of technology. Moravec also is a futurist with many of his publications and predictions focusing on...
- 2055 – $1,000 computer will match the processing power of all human brains on Earth – Ray Kurzweil
Biology and medicine
- Visual prosthetics
- 2011 – Digital devices with implantable parts (Joseph Reger, Fujitsu-Siemens Technology Director, 2007,)
- Regenerative medicineRegenerative medicineRegenerative medicine is the "process of replacing or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore orestablish normal function". This field holds the promise of regenerating damaged tissues and organs in the body by replacing damaged tissue and/or by stimulating the body's own repair...
- Widespread use for most tissues and organs – 2020 (Federal Initiative for Regenerative Medicine)
- 2014–2024 – (International Association of Biomedical Gerontology, 2004) – comprehensive functional rejuvenationRejuvenationRejuvenation may refer to:*Rejuvenation , reversing the aging process*Rejuvenation , when the base level that a river is flowing down to is lowered*Rejuvenation , 1974*Rejuvenation , 2009...
of middle-aged miceMouseA mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
- CloningCloningCloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
of dinosaurDinosaurDinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s- 2023 – Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
- 2023 – Arthur C. Clarke
- Reverse engineeringReverse engineeringReverse engineering is the process of discovering the technological principles of a device, object, or system through analysis of its structure, function, and operation...
of human brainHuman brainThe human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times larger than the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size. Estimates for the number of neurons in the human brain range from 80 to 120 billion...
- 2025 – Ray Kurzweil, 2005
Communications
- All communications are IPInternet ProtocolThe Internet Protocol is the principal communications protocol used for relaying datagrams across an internetwork using the Internet Protocol Suite...
-based- 2014 – Paul MockapetrisPaul MockapetrisDr. Paul V. Mockapetris is the inventor of the Domain Name System.In 1983, he proposed a Domain Name System architecture in RFCs 882 and 883 while at the Information Sciences Institute of the University of Southern California....
, inventor of the DNS system, 2004
- 2014 – Paul Mockapetris
Computing
- 10 petaFLOPS supercomputer (the amount required to simulate the human brain according to Kurzweil)
- 2012 – RikenRIKENis a large natural sciences research institute in Japan. Founded in 1917, it now has approximately 3000 scientists on seven campuses across Japan, the main one in Wako, just outside Tokyo...
- 2012 – Riken
- 1 zettaFLOPSFLOPSIn computing, FLOPS is a measure of a computer's performance, especially in fields of scientific calculations that make heavy use of floating-point calculations, similar to the older, simpler, instructions per second...
supercomputer- 2032 – University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre DameThe University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
- 2032 – University of Notre Dame
- User interfaceUser interfaceThe user interface, in the industrial design field of human–machine interaction, is the space where interaction between humans and machines occurs. The goal of interaction between a human and a machine at the user interface is effective operation and control of the machine, and feedback from the...
- 2013 – Voice control replace keyboard/mouse interface for 30% of routine tasks – TechCast
- Video game graphicsVideo game graphicsA variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions such as the processing power of central or graphics...
- 2019-2024 - Photo-realism in video games - Epic GamesEpic GamesEpic Games, Inc., also known as Epic and formerly Epic MegaGames, is an American video game development company based in Cary, North Carolina. Its most recent success has been the Gears of War series of games, although it is also known for its Unreal Engine technology. It is the parent company of...
' Founder, Technical Director, and CEO Tim SweeneyTim SweeneyTim Sweeney may refer to:*Tim Sweeney , game developer and founder of Epic Games*Tim Sweeney , American ice hockey player...
- 2019-2024 - Photo-realism in video games - Epic Games
Culture and leisure
- Virtual realityVirtual realityVirtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
- 2025 – Full immersion virtual realityVirtual realityVirtual reality , also known as virtuality, is a term that applies to computer-simulated environments that can simulate physical presence in places in the real world, as well as in imaginary worlds...
using direct input to the brainHuman brainThe human brain has the same general structure as the brains of other mammals, but is over three times larger than the brain of a typical mammal with an equivalent body size. Estimates for the number of neurons in the human brain range from 80 to 120 billion...
becomes available – Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,... - 2030 – Virtual reality allows any type of interaction with anyone, regardless of physical proximity – Ray Kurzweil
- 2025 – Full immersion virtual reality
- SportSportA Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
- 2050 – A team of fully autonomous humanoid robots can win against the human world soccer champion team – RoboCupRoboCupRoboCup is an international robotics competition founded in 1997. The aim is to develop autonomous soccer robots with the intention of promoting research and education in the field of artificial intelligence...
, 1997
- 2050 – A team of fully autonomous humanoid robots can win against the human world soccer champion team – RoboCup
Demographics
- World populationWorld populationThe world population is the total number of living humans on the planet Earth. As of today, it is estimated to be billion by the United States Census Bureau...
exceeds 7 billion- 2013 – U.S. Census Bureau
- 2013 – United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
- World population exceeds 8 billion
- 2026 – U.S. Census Bureau
- 2028 – United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
- World population exceeds 9 billion
- 2043 – U.S. Census Bureau
- 2054 – United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
- 21st century, then not growing further – Walter GreilingWalter GreilingWalter Greiling was a German chemist and futurologist. He sometimes used the pseudonym Walt Grey.- Life :...
- World population exceeds 10 billion
- 2183 – United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
- 2183 – United Nations
- Other demographic milestones
- 2020 – World average life expectancy of new-born child exceeds 70 years – World Resources InstituteWorld Resources InstituteThe World Resources Institute is an environmental think tank founded in 1982 based in Washington, D.C. in the United States.WRI is an independent, non-partisan and nonprofit organization with a staff of more than 100 scientists, economists, policy experts, business analysts, statistical analysts,...
- 2030 – Number of people aged 65 or older exceeds 1 billion – Ray HammondRay Hammond-Non-fiction:*Forward 100 *Digital Business: Surviving and Thriving In An On-Line World *The Modern Frankenstein - Fiction Becomes Fact *The Musician and the Micro -External links:*...
- 2030 – New-born child in developed country has life expectancy of 130 years – Ray HammondRay Hammond-Non-fiction:*Forward 100 *Digital Business: Surviving and Thriving In An On-Line World *The Modern Frankenstein - Fiction Becomes Fact *The Musician and the Micro -External links:*...
- 2045 – World average life expectancy of new-born child exceeds 75 years – World Resources InstituteWorld Resources InstituteThe World Resources Institute is an environmental think tank founded in 1982 based in Washington, D.C. in the United States.WRI is an independent, non-partisan and nonprofit organization with a staff of more than 100 scientists, economists, policy experts, business analysts, statistical analysts,...
- 2020 – World average life expectancy of new-born child exceeds 70 years – World Resources Institute
Energy
- Peak oilPeak oilPeak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, projected reserves and the combined production rate of a field...
– global oil production peaks- 2011 – Colin Campbell, Oil Depletion Analysis Centre
- 2013 – French government report
- Other energy milestones
- 2020 – U.S. carbon emission market exceeds $1 trillion – New Carbon Finance
- 2023 – Alternatives to carbon-based fuels provide 30% of all energy used worldwide – TechCast
- 2040 - Space-based solar power will be commercially viable.
Environment
- Arctic shrinkageArctic shrinkageOngoing changes in the climate of the Arctic include rising temperatures, loss of sea ice, and melting of the Greenland ice sheet. Projections of sea ice loss suggest that the Arctic ocean will likely be free of summer sea ice sometime between 2060 and 2080, while another estimate puts this date at...
– Arctic ice-free in summer- 2013 – Professor Wieslaw Maslowski, U. S. Naval Postgraduate SchoolNaval Postgraduate SchoolThe Naval Postgraduate School is an accredited research university operated by the United States Navy. Located in Monterey, California, it grants master's degrees, Engineer's degrees and doctoral degrees...
- 2040 – National Center for Atmospheric ResearchNational Center for Atmospheric ResearchThe National Center for Atmospheric Research has multiple facilities, including the I. M. Pei-designed Mesa Laboratory headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. NCAR is managed by the nonprofit University Corporation for Atmospheric Research and sponsored by the National Science Foundation...
- 2013 – Professor Wieslaw Maslowski, U. S. Naval Postgraduate School
- Arctic shrinkageArctic shrinkageOngoing changes in the climate of the Arctic include rising temperatures, loss of sea ice, and melting of the Greenland ice sheet. Projections of sea ice loss suggest that the Arctic ocean will likely be free of summer sea ice sometime between 2060 and 2080, while another estimate puts this date at...
– arctic ice-free all year- 2020 – Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Center
- Other environmental milestones
- 2098 – Coral cover on Great Barrier ReefGreat Barrier ReefThe Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
drops below 10% – Dr Eric Wolanski, James Cook University
- 2098 – Coral cover on Great Barrier Reef
Nanotechnology
- Nanomachines in commercial use
- 2019 – Nanotechnology is used in 30% of commercial products – TechCast
- 2020 – Nanomachines in soldierSoldierA soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
armor controlled by an on-board computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
can change the properties of fabricTextileA textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
from flexible to bullet-proof, treat wounds and filter out chemical and biological weapons, nanomuscle fibers can provide an exoskeletonExoskeletonAn exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...
. US ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
, estimates from The Vision 2020 Future Warrior project, 2004
- Universal replicatorMolecular assemblerA molecular assembler, as defined by K. Eric Drexler, is a "proposed device able to guide chemical reactions by positioning reactive molecules with atomic precision". Some biological molecules such as ribosomes fit this definition. This is because they receive instructions from messenger RNA and...
is developed- 2040 – Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
- 2040 – Arthur C. Clarke
Politics and economics
- International Politics
- 2012-onward - The United States of America lose the superpowerSuperpowerA superpower is a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests...
status - Peter Dale ScottPeter Dale ScottPeter Dale Scott is a Canadian born, former English professor at the University of California, Berkeley, a former diplomat and a poet....
and Emmanuel ToddEmmanuel ToddEmmanuel Todd is a French historian, anthropologist, demographer, sociologist and political scientist at the National Institute of Demographic Studies , in Paris...
- After the Empire: The Breakdown of the American OrderAfter the Empire: The Breakdown of the American OrderAfter the Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order is a 2001 book by Emmanuel Todd... - 2012-onward - The United States of America come defeated in the New Great Game thus marking a "New New World Order" - Idriss Aberkane
- 2012-onward - The United States of America default on its sovereign debtGovernment debtGovernment debt is money owed by a central government. In the US, "government debt" may also refer to the debt of a municipal or local government...
marking a major financial collapse and a steep rise in the GlocalisationGlocalisationGlocalisation is a portmanteau word of globalization and localization. By definition, the term “glocal” refers to the individual, group, division, unit, organisation, and community which is willing and able to “think globally and act locally.”-A variety of usages:*Individuals, households and...
of daily social interactions due to the increased cost of basic commodities - Gerald CelenteGerald CelenteGerald Celente is an American trend forecaster, publisher of the Trends Journal, business consultant and author who makes predictions about the global financial markets and other events of historical importance. Celente has described himself as a "political atheist" and "citizen of the world"... - 2020 - The American Empire disintegrates in a manner reminiscent to that of post 1989 USSR - Johan GaltungJohan GaltungJohan Galtung is a Norwegian sociologist and the principal founder of the discipline of peace and conflict studies. He founded the Peace Research Institute Oslo in 1959, serving as its Director until 1970, and established the Journal of Peace Research in 1964...
in a October 2009 interview for Russia TodayRussia TodayRussia Today may refer to:* Russia Today, an English language 24-hour television news channel from Russia. It was launched in 2005 and is not related to an online news service of the similar name operated by EIN News...
- 2012-onward - The United States of America lose the superpower
- World economicWorld economyThe world economy, or global economy, generally refers to the economy, which is based on economies of all of the world's countries, national economies. Also global economy can be seen as the economy of global society and national economies – as economies of local societies, making the global one....
growth- 2015 - BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
becomes the world's fifth largest economy, surpassing FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, UK and ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- Luiz Inácio Lula da SilvaLuiz Inácio Lula da SilvaLuiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as... - 2025 – One billion dollar-millionaires worldwide – James CantonJames CantonJames Canton is a futurist, author, CEO & Chairman of the Institute for Global Futures. He forecasts future global trends in technology, health care, population, science, climate, workforce and security...
, The Extreme Future - 2027 – ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
's GDP exceeds that of United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
– Goldman Sachs, Price Waterhouse Coopers - 2032 – IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's GDP exceeds that of JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
– National Intelligence CouncilNational Intelligence CouncilThe National Intelligence Council is the center for midterm and long-term strategic thinking within the United States Intelligence Community . It was formed in 1979...
- 2015 - Brazil
Transportation
- Hybrid vehicleHybrid vehicleA hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that uses two or more distinct power sources to move the vehicle. The term most commonly refers to hybrid electric vehicles , which combine an internal combustion engine and one or more electric motors.-Power:...
s- 2013 – Hybrid powered cars make up 30% of the new car market – TechCast
- Self-driving carsDriverless carAn autonomous car, also known as robotic or informally as driverless, is an autonomous vehicle capable of fulfilling the human transportation capabilities of a traditional car. As an autonomous vehicle, it is capable of sensing its environment and navigating on its own...
- 2018 - Self-driving cars are commercially available - General MotorsGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
- 2030 – All cars travelling on major roads under control of satellite and roadside control systems – Ray HammondRay Hammond-Non-fiction:*Forward 100 *Digital Business: Surviving and Thriving In An On-Line World *The Modern Frankenstein - Fiction Becomes Fact *The Musician and the Micro -External links:*...
- 2018 - Self-driving cars are commercially available - General Motors
Space
- Asteroid miningAsteroid miningAsteroid mining refers to the possibility of exploiting raw materials from asteroids and planetoids in space, including near-Earth objects. Minerals and volatiles could be mined from an asteroid or spent comet to provide space construction material , to extract water and oxygen to sustain the lives...
- 2024 – Peter DiamandisPeter DiamandisDr. Peter H. Diamandis , of Greek immigrant parents, is considered a key figure in the development of the personal spaceflight industry, having created many space-related businesses or organizations...
, founder of Ansari X PrizeAnsari X PrizeThe Ansari X Prize was a space competition in which the X Prize Foundation offered a US$10,000,000 prize for the first non-government organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks...
, 2004
- 2024 – Peter Diamandis
- HumanHumanHumans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
landing on MarsMarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
- 2020 – MIT's Aeronautics and Astronautics department, 2005
- 2021 – Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
- 2025 – A permanent MarsMarsMars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
colonyColonyIn politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
, 4Frontiers, 2005 - 2030 – TechCast
- Near light speed travelTravelTravel is the movement of people or objects between relatively distant geographical locations. 'Travel' can also include relatively short stays between successive movements.-Etymology:...
- 2095 – Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
- 2095 – Arthur C. Clarke
- Return to the MoonMoonThe Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
- 2015 – Russian plans – Energia Corporation (2006)
- 2020 – NASA plans first return to the Moon and moon colony no later than 2020 (2006)
- 2024 – Chinese plans (2006)
- First moonbase
- 2030 - Russian plans (2011)
- Space elevatorSpace elevatorA space elevator, also known as a geostationary orbital tether or a beanstalk, is a proposed non-rocket spacelaunch structure...
- 2020 – Bradley C. EdwardsBradley C. EdwardsIn space engineering, Bradley C. Edwards is a researcher who is notable for having worked on Space elevators. He received funding from NIAC from 2001 to 2003 to write a paper proposing a way in which one could be built...
(head of Institute for Scientific Research)
- 2020 – Bradley C. Edwards
- Space tourism and private spaceflightPrivate spaceflightPrivate spaceflight is flight above Earth altitude conducted by and paid for by an entity other than a government. In the early decades of the Space Age, the government space agencies of the Soviet Union and United States pioneered space technology augmented by collaboration with affiliated design...
- 2011 – Space flights become available to the public – Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. ClarkeSir Arthur Charles Clarke, CBE, FRAS was a British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist, famous for his short stories and novels, among them 2001: A Space Odyssey, and as a host and commentator in the British television series Mysterious World. For many years, Robert A. Heinlein,...
- 2013 – "Space cruiser” takes a group of tourists outside of the Earth’s atmosphere – TechCast
- 2024 – "Many thousands of people being able to afford" visiting orbital hotels, Burt RutanBurt RutanElbert Leander "Burt" Rutan is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft...
, 2004
- 2011 – Space flights become available to the public – Arthur C. Clarke
- Unmanned mission returns samples from Mars
- 2020 – NASA
- Energy from space
- 2040 - Space-based solar power will be commercially viable.
Other
- 2020 - Implantable brain chips let humans control electronic devices via brain waves - Intel (2009)
- 2013-2033 - ClaytronicsClaytronicsClaytronics is an abstract future concept that combines nanoscale robotics and computer science to create individual nanometer-scale computers called claytronic atoms, or catoms, which can interact with each other to form tangible 3-D objects that a user can interact with. This idea is more broadly...
are now functioning in the real world - Seth Goldstein, associate professor at Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
, founder and researcher at Claytronics Project (January 31, 2008)
Top 12 areas for innovation through 2025
This list is part of research and consulting firm Social Technologies technology foresight project, published as a press release in 2007.- Personalized medicinePersonalized medicinePersonalized medicine is a medical model emphasizing in general the customization of healthcare, with all decisions and practices being tailored to individual patients in whatever ways possible...
- Creation of an individual’s genome map for a retail price of less than $1,000
- Correlation of specific genes and proteins with specific cancers, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and diabetes, which will allow both physicians and patients to anticipate, plan for, and mitigate, if not cure, DNA-based health challenges development of pharmaceuticals that treat gene-based diseases, replacing surgeries and chemotherapy
- Distributed energy
- Advanced electric storage devices and batteries at all scales
- New power systems with source-switching flexibility
- Pervasive computing
- Very simple and inexpensive computing devices with integrated wireless telephone and Internet capabilities (the worldwide $100 computer)
- The Semantic WebSemantic WebThe Semantic Web is a collaborative movement led by the World Wide Web Consortium that promotes common formats for data on the World Wide Web. By encouraging the inclusion of semantic content in web pages, the Semantic Web aims at converting the current web of unstructured documents into a "web of...
, enabled by Web data that automatically self-organizes based on its content, allowing search tools or software agents to identify the actual relevance of Web pages—not just find keywords on them - Intelligent interfaces, in some cases enabled by virtual reality
- NanomaterialsNanomaterialsNanomaterials is a field that takes a materials science-based approach to nanotechnology. It studies materials with morphological features on the nanoscale, and especially those that have special properties stemming from their nanoscale dimensions...
- The function of nanomaterials will move from “passive” to “active” with the integration of nanoscale valves, switches, pumps, motors, and other components.
- Biomarkers for health
- Individualized, private, and self-administered diagnostics for multiple physical parameters such as blood sugar, urine, C-reactive proteins, HDL, and LDL, as well as home diagnostic kits that detect early signs of diabetes, heart disease, and types of cancers
- Personalized exercise equipment and regimens that deliver customized benefits (for weight control, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.)
- Advanced CAT scans, MRIs, and brain scans to identify disorders earlier and more accurately at less cost
- Biofuels
- High-energy blends of gasoline and diesel with biofuels (beyond the ethanol blends known today)
- Biomass production of a methanol that can be used as a fuel for fuel cells
- New discoveries in plant genetics and biotechnologies specifically for energy content
- Advanced manufacturing
- Advanced computer-aided design and control
- Multiple variable and inexpensive sensors linked with computers
- Expert systems and advanced pattern-recognition software for very tight quality control
- Universal water
- Ultra-fine filters (probably from nanotechnology)
- New energy sources for desalination and purification, including hybrid systems that combine conventional and alternative power—especially solar power
- Smart water-use technologies for agriculture and industry
- Carbon management
- Effective “measure, monitor, and verify” systems
- Affordable and effective carbon capture and storage technologies and systems for coal-burning power plants
- Low to zero emission controls for transportation
- Engineered agriculture
- Identification of specific genomes for desired growing and use qualities
- Crop-produced pharmaceuticals and chemical feedstocks
- Crops designed specifically for energy content and conversion
- Security and tracking
- Completely autonomous security-camera systems with algorithms able to correctly interpret and identify all manner of human behavior
- Multiple integrated sensors (including remote sensing)
- Radio frequency (RF) tags for people and valuables
- Advanced transportation
- Organized and coordinated personal transportation through wireless computer networks, information systems, and Internet access
- Onboard sensors and computers for smart vehicles
See also
- Timeline of the far futureTimeline of the far futureWhile predictions of the future can never be absolutely certain, this list of predictions follows from present scientific understanding and models...
- Famous predictionsFamous predictionsThere have been various notable predictions made throughout history, including those by scientists based on the scientific method, theoretical non-fiction predictions of social and technological change of futurologists, economic forecasts of economists regarding financial markets, wealth and...
- Future of the EarthFuture of the EarthThe biological and geological future of the Earth can be extrapolated based upon the estimated effects of several long-term influences. These include the chemistry at the Earth's surface, the rate of cooling of the planet's interior, the gravitational interactions with other objects in the Solar...
- FuturologyFuturologyFutures studies is the study of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures and the worldviews and myths that underlie them. There is a debate as to whether this discipline is an art or science. In general, it can be considered as a branch under the more general scope of the field of...
- Technology forecastingTechnology forecastingTechnology forecasting attempts to predict the future characteristics of useful technological machines, procedures or techniques.-Important aspects:...
- In the Year 2525In the Year 2525"In the Year 2525 " is a hit song from 1969 by American pop-rock duo Zager and Evans. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks commencing July 12, 1969. The song was written by Rick Evans in 1964 and originally released on a small regional record label in 1968...
Further reading
- Oliver, Richard W. The Shape of Things to Come: 7 Imperatives for Winning in the New World of Business. ISBN 0070482632
External links
- Online Technology Forecast Results – a list of technological forecasts by the G. Washington University TechCast.
- FutureTimeline.net – a speculative timeline of future history and technological change.