[Picture Via: sciencemag.org]

Artificial intelligence and robotics
Robots 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[2]
  • 2022 – Intelligent robots that sense their environment, make decisions, and learn are used in 30% of households and organizations – TechCast[3]
  • 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[4]
  • 2030 – Robots capable of performing at human level at most manual jobs Marshall Brain[5]
  • 2034 – Robots (home automation systems) performing most household tasks, Helen Greiner, Chairman of  iRobot

Military robots

  • 2015 – One third of US fighting strength will be composed of robots – US Department of Defense, 2006[7]
  • 2035 – First completely autonomous robot soldiers in operation – US Department of Defense, 2006[7]

Developments related to robotics from the Japan NISTEP[8] 2030 report:

  • 2013–2014 – agricultural robots (AgRobots[9][10])
  • 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 – Transhumanism

Artificial intelligence

  • 2019 – $1,000 computer will match the processing power of the human brain – Ray Kurzweil[11]
  • 2020 – Artificial Intelligence reaches human levels – Arthur C. Clarke 2001 prediction[12]
  • 2045 – The Singularity (creation of the first ultraintelligent machine) occurs – Ray Kurzweil[13]
  • 2050 – Computer costing a few hundred pounds will have the capacity of the human mind – Hans Moravec[14]
  • 2055 – $1,000 computer will match the processing power of all human brains on Earth – Ray Kurzweil[11]

Biology and medicine
Visual prosthetics

  • 2011 – Digital devices with implantable parts (Joseph Reger, Fujitsu-Siemens Technology Director, 2007,[15])

Regenerative medicine
Widespread use for most tissues and organs – 2020 (Federal Initiative for Regenerative Medicine)[16]

  • 2014–2024 – (International Association of Biomedical Gerontology, 2004) – comprehensive functional rejuvenation of middle-aged mice[17]

Cloning of dinosaurs

  • 2023 – Arthur C. Clarke[12]

Reverse engineering of human brain

  • 2025 – Ray Kurzweil, 2005[18]

Communications
All communications are IP-based

  • 2014 – Paul Mockapetris, inventor of the DNS system, 2004[19]

Computing
10 petaFLOPS supercomputer (the amount required to simulate the human brain according to Kurzweil)

  • 2012 – Riken[20]

1 zettaFLOPS supercomputer

  • 2032 – University of Notre Dame[21]

User interface

  • 2013 – Voice control replace keyboard/mouse interface for 30% of routine tasks – TechCast[3]

Video game graphics

  • 2019-2024 – Photo-realism in video games – Epic Games’ Founder, Technical Director, and CEO Tim Sweeney[22]

[edit]Culture and leisure
Virtual reality

  • 2025 – Full immersion virtual reality using direct input to the brain becomes available – Arthur C. Clarke[12]
  • 2030 – Virtual reality allows any type of interaction with anyone, regardless of physical proximity – Ray Kurzweil[11]

Sport

  • 2050 – A team of fully autonomous humanoid robots can win against the human world soccer champion team – RoboCup, 1997[23]

Demographics
World population exceeds 7 billion

  • 2011 – U.S. Census Bureau[24]
  • 2011 – United Nations[25]

World population exceeds 8 billion

  • 2026 – U.S. Census Bureau[24]
  • 2028 – United Nations[25]

World population exceeds 9 billion

  • 2043 – U.S. Census Bureau[24]
  • 2054 – United Nations[25]

21st century, then not growing further – Walter Greiling[26]
World population exceeds 10 billion

  • 2183 – United Nations[25]

Other demographic milestones

  • 2020 – World average life expectancy of new-born child exceeds 70 years – World Resources Institute[27]
  • 2030 – Number of people aged 65 or older exceeds 1 billion – Ray Hammond[28]
  • 2030 – New-born child in developed country has life expectancy of 130 years – Ray Hammond[28]
  • 2045 – World average life expectancy of new-born child exceeds 75 years – World Resources Institute[27]

Energy
Peak oil – global oil production peaks

  • 2011 – Colin Campbell, Oil Depletion Analysis Centre[29]
  • 2013 – French government report[30]

Other energy milestones

  • 2020 – U.S. carbon emission market exceeds $1 trillion – New Carbon Finance[31]
  • 2023 – Alternatives to carbon-based fuels provide 30% of all energy used worldwide – TechCast[3]

Environment
Arctic shrinkage – Arctic ice-free in summer

  • 2013 – Professor Wieslaw Maslowski, U. S. Naval Postgraduate School[32]
  • 2040 – National Center for Atmospheric Research[33]

Arctic shrinkage – arctic ice-free all year

  • 2020 – Ted Scambos, National Snow and Ice Center[34]

Other environmental milestones

  • 2098 – Coral cover on Great Barrier Reef drops below 10% – Dr Eric Wolanski, James Cook University[35]

Nanotechnology
Nanomachines in commercial use

  • 2019 – Nanotechnology is used in 30% of commercial products – TechCast[3]
  • 2020 – Nanomachines in soldier armor controlled by an on-board computer can change the properties of fabric from flexible to bullet-proof, treat wounds and filter out chemical and biological weapons, nanomuscle fibers can provide an exoskeleton. US Army, estimates from The Vision 2020 Future Warrior project, 2004

Universal replicator is developed

  • 2040 – Arthur C. Clarke[12]

Politics and economics
International Politics

  • 2012-onward – The United States of America lose the superpower status – Peter Dale Scott and Emmanuel Todd – After the Empire: The Breakdown of the American Order
  • 2012-onward – The United States of America come defeated in the New Great Game thus marking a “New New World Order” – Idriss Aberkane [36]
  • 2012-onward – The United States of America default on its sovereign debt marking a major financial collapse and a steep rise in the Glocalisation of daily social interactions due to the increased cost of basic commodities – Gerald Celente
  • 2020 – The American Empire disintegrates in a manner reminiscent to that of post 1989 USSR – Johan Galtung in a October 2009 interview for Russia Today [37] [38]

World economic growth

  • 2015 – Brazil becomes the world’s fifth largest economy, surpassing France, UK and Italy – Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva [39]
  • 2025 – One billion dollar-millionaires worldwide – James Canton, The Extreme Future[40]
  • 2027 – China’s GDP exceeds that of United States – Goldman Sachs,[41] Price Waterhouse Coopers[42]
  • 2032 – India’s GDP exceeds that of Japan – National Intelligence Council[43]

Transportation
Hybrid vehicles

  • 2013 – Hybrid powered cars make up 30% of the new car market – TechCast[3]

Self-driving cars

  • 2018 – Self-driving cars are commercially available – General Motors[44]
  • 2030 – All cars travelling on major roads under control of satellite and roadside control systems – Ray Hammond[28]

Space
Asteroid mining

  • 2024 – Peter Diamandis, founder of Ansari X Prize, 2004[45]

Human landing on Mars

  • 2020 – MIT’s Aeronautics and Astronautics department, 2005[46][47]
  • 2021 – Arthur C. Clarke[12]
  • 2025 – A permanent Mars colony, 4Frontiers, 2005[48]
  • 2030 – TechCast[3]

Near light speed travel

  • 2095 – Arthur C. Clarke[12]

Return to the Moon

  • 2015 – Russian plans – Energia Corporation (2006)[49]
  • 2020 – NASA plans first return to the Moon and moon colony no later than 2020 (2006)[50]
  • 2024 – Chinese plans (2006)[51]

First moonbase

  • 2030 – Russian plans (2011)[52]

Space elevator

  • 2020 – Bradley C. Edwards (head of Institute for Scientific Research)

Space tourism and private spaceflight

  • 2011 – Space flights become available to the public – Arthur C. Clarke[12]
  • 2013 – “Space cruiser” takes a group of tourists outside of the Earth’s atmosphere – TechCast[3]
  • 2024 – “Many thousands of people being able to afford” visiting orbital hotels, Burt Rutan, 2004[53]

Unmanned mission returns samples from Mars

  • 2020 – NASA[54]

Other

  • 2020 – Implantable brain chips let humans control electronic devices via brain waves – Intel (2009)[55]
  • 2013-2033 – Claytronics are now functioning in the real world – Seth Goldstein, associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University, founder and researcher at Claytronics Project (January 31, 2008)[56]

References

  1. ^ See editions of this calendar.
  2. ^ a b Robotic age poses ethical dilemma, BBC News
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Latest Forecast Results, TechCast
  4. ^ Scientists Developing Robotic Hand of the Future, ScienceDaily
  5. ^ 2003 Robotic Nation, Marshall Brain
  6. ^ Interview: Helen Greiner, Chairman and Cofounder of iRobot, Corp,
  7. ^ a b Launching a new kind of warfare, Guardian Online
  8. ^ Nistep Homepage
  9. ^ UIUC Agricultural Engineering | Faculty and Staff
  10. ^ service-robots.org – agriculture & harvesting
  11. ^ a b c The Coming Merging of Mind and Machine, Ray Kurzweil
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Interview with Arthur C. Clarke, November 30, 2001
  13. ^ *Kurzweil, Raymond (2005), The Singularity Is Near, New York: Viking, ISBN 0-670-03384-7
  14. ^ Robots rule OK?, BBS News
  15. ^ Люди-супермонстры, и не только
  16. ^ Dick Pelletier, “Regenerative medicine could cure most diseases by 2020″
  17. ^ The Fable of the Dragon Tyrant
  18. ^ Cory
  19. 2067- Robotic invasion will end humanity and Earth will turn into a Robotic Biosphere. – Greg Hufernsmutch [1]
  20. Doctorow, “Thought Experiments: When the Singularity is More Than a Literary Device: An Interview with Futurist-Inventor Ray Kurzweil”
  21. ^ Net pioneer predicts web future, BBC News
  22. ^ Taking on the Challenge of a 10-Petaflop Computer, Riken News April 2006
  23. ^ The Technology Lane on the Road to a Zettaflops
  24. ^ Epic: Photo-realistic games in ’10-15 years’
  25. ^ RoboCup Official Site
  26. ^ a b c U.S. Census Bureau International Database
  27. ^ a b c d The World at Six Billion, Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat
  28. ^ Walter Greiling: Wie werden wir leben? (“How are we going to live?”) Econ publishers, Munich 1954
  29. ^ a b Population, Health and Human Well-being – Demographics: Life expectancy at birth, both sexes, Earthtrends database
  30. ^ a b c The World in 2030, Ray Hammond
  31. ^ World oil supplies are set to run out faster than expected, warn scientists, The Independent
  32. ^ ‘Peak oil’ enters mainstream debate, BBC News
  33. ^ Prediction: $1 Trillion U.S. Carbon Market By 2020
  34. ^ Arctic summers ice-free ‘by 2013′, BBC News
  35. ^ Abrupt Ice Retreat Could Produce Ice-Free Arctic Summers by 2040, NCAR Press Release
  36. ^ Arctic could be ice-free by 2020, beating predictions by 30 years
  37. ^ Great Barrier Reef coral cover could drop below 10% by 2098
  38. ^ Aberkane, Idriss. Brzezinski on a U.S. Berezina: anticipating a New, New World Order E-International Relations March 31. 2011
  39. ^ [Russia Today, Oct 30th 2009 "The American empire will collapse by 2020" | http://rt.com/usa/news/american-empire-collapse-2020/]
  40. ^ [Russia Today, Feb 21st 2011 "“US Empire” doomed to fall - sociologist" | http://rt.com/news/us-empire-fall-sociologist/]
  41. ^ Lula’s declaration
  42. ^ Billion millionaires by 2025 ?
  43. ^ BRICS AND BEYOND, Goldman Sachs
  44. ^ The World in 2050, PWC
  45. ^ Report of the National Intelligence Council’s 2020 Project
  46. ^ GM researching driverless cars
  47. ^ Mark Baard, “The Final Capitalist Frontier” (11.17.04).
  48. ^ David L Chandler, “Design choices may hurry humans to Mars” (01 September 2005).
  49. ^ Zonk, “Visiting Our Red Space Neighbor” (Sep 09, 2005).
  50. ^ Slideshow: The Next Mother Lode: Mars
  51. ^ Russia will develop space elevators
  52. ^ Robert Z. Pearlman, “NASA Confirms New Moon Vehicle is Orion” (23 August 2006).
  53. ^ [2][dead link]
  54. ^ Russians see room for moonbase in lunar lava caves
  55. ^ http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories2004/local/20041220215558.shtml
  56. ^ Mars 2007 Missions and beyond, NASA
  57. ^ Intel: Chips in brains will control computers by 2020
  58. ^ Shape-shifting robot swarms will create 3D replicas
  59. ^ http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=3290.php

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