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What kind of technological advances can we reasonably expect until 2100?

DrKelpo

DrKelpo

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,862
Germany
Okay, let's assume humankind survives Trump's presidency, we don't kill each other over something and global warming won't drown or burn us all. And let's assume for the sake of this thread that nations, organizations and people work together more closely in the future to tackle bigger projects.

There are obviously technologies known from the usual Sci-Fi suspects like the transporters from Star Trek or traveling with (nearly) the speed of light that won't happen anytime soon, if possible at all. Technologies that require fundamental break throughs and are in their earliest stages right now at best.
But then there are other technologies and projects that seem far more feasible within this century. Projects like permanent bases on the moon or Mars or the construction of a space elevator are gigantic endeavors but the tech required is already available for the most part and understood... missing developments are probably made within decades, not centuries.
I don't want to make it sound like the last steps required are super easy of course.
And then there are projects like mining asteroids which seem to be somewhere in the middle. There have already been landings on asteroids and also mining minerals in space seems to be feasible right now, but then again for example transporting these huge amounts of matter back to earth requires massive advances in space travel.

So... what can we reasonably expect in the next 81 years?
 
Replicant

Replicant

Attempted to circumvent a ban with an alt
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
9,380
MN
I full expect cancer to be curable by then. Hopefully autoimmune disease will be a thing if the best. But that will happen after I'm gone for sure.
 
Lord Error

Lord Error

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,372
I expect some kind of neural link to become possible by then, where you see and feel whatever computer feeds into your brain. Like VR, but direct into brain.
 
samoyed

samoyed

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
15,191
The collapse of capitalism and its evolution into socialism or degeneration into feudalism when general labor automation destroys the possibility of collective bargaining.

Can't form unions with robots.
 
mas8705

mas8705

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,497
Perhaps a more proficient way of travel. Hell, if we were to see bullet trains in the US before 2100, I'd call that progress.
 
Lord Error

Lord Error

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,372
Replicant said:
No way.
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It might not happen, but 80 years is a long time, and some understanding of what kind of input brain expects to receive already exists. Primitive artificial vision with fully bionic eyes is already being implanted into some blind people for example: http://theconversation.com/artificial-vision-what-people-with-bionic-eyes-see-79758
Here's also a link to research on how retinas communicate with brain: https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(14)00359-6
 
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onadesertedisland

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,660
Orbital travel for the rich. Subterranean housing for the rich (for cooling). Improved bionic limbs giving super-human abilities.
 

Deleted member 2802

Community Resetter
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
33,729
I think there is a superhuge problem in that China has set itself up as a reverse-engineering nation.
New ideas and creative thought are discouraged as it's better and more efficient to simply copy the best.
So as long as China is number one, I'm not sure how well "new tech" is going to go.

Tesla is building a factory in China and I'm just like rofl they are just going to steal all of Musk's desgins and robotics to make something four times cheaper
 

Deleted member 8257

Oct 26, 2017
24,586
Super magnets will be used in flying cars.
 
Vonnegut

Vonnegut

Banned
May 27, 2018
1,082
Lab-grown meat may become the norm.

There won't be a "cure" for cancer, but designer babies with genes tailored to reduce the risk of cancer may become commonplace.

Alzheimer's disease may become preventable or somewhat reversible.

Driverless cars will become the norm.

Eugenics may become an acceptable practice.

Calzones may finally overtake pizza as the most popular food.
 
Inugami

Inugami

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,995
I'm expecting a huge advance in underwater breathing apparatuses and much larger more fortified towers for the rich.
 
jelly

jelly

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
33,841
Body parts or nearly indistinguishable cybernetics for limb loss, organ replacement. Perfect eye sight that lasts forever.
 
Parch

Parch

Member
Nov 6, 2017
7,980
Historical advancement is not a good comparison to current situations. 80 years is not a long time and people grossly overestimate what can be accomplished in that time.

Edmonton has been expanding their subway system. The project began in 2011 and is not scheduled for completion until 2040. It's taking 30 years just to spread the current technology.

I can believe in self-driving cars, but flying cars? Don't hold your breath.
After the Apollo mission people were sure we would have a man on Mars before the turn of the century. Didn't happen. Won't anytime soon.

The assumption that there are going to be super amazing advancements in 80 years is science fiction. Mostly fiction.
 
Tetrinski

Tetrinski

Banned
May 17, 2018
2,915
NarohDethan said:
I just hope we are able to cure cancer, or at least diminish its effects, by then. Fuck cancer.
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As great as that would be, the average life expectancy would only increase by 4 years. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see cancer go fuck itself, but the one health improvement I'd love to see is all the problems related with nutrition whether that is lack of food or just bad nutritional choices (obesity epidemics). I think that'd be the best way to improve people's health and life expectancy while reducing other diseases (even some cancers!).

The problem is that we totally have the technology to do that. It's an economic problem now, and it won't get solved without social transformation.
 
Tetrinski

Tetrinski

Banned
May 17, 2018
2,915
Parch said:
Historical advancement is not a good comparison to current situations. 80 years is not a long time and people grossly overestimate what can be accomplished in that time.

Edmonton has been expanding their subway system. The project began in 2011 and is not scheduled for completion until 2040. It's taking 30 years just to spread the current technology.

I can believe in self-driving cars, but flying cars? Don't hold your breath.
After the Apollo mission people were sure we would have a man on Mars before the turn of the century. Didn't happen. Won't anytime soon.

The assumption that there are going to be super amazing advancements in 80 years is science fiction. Mostly fiction.
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All your points are true and yet think of computers and what you could do with them 20 years ago and what you can do now and how your life has changed thanks to the internet. 80 years is four times more.
 

Deleted member 39374

Banned
Feb 1, 2018
5,083
-large scale renewable energy, most smaller countries will be 100% powered by it
-large scale carbon capture systems to mitigate climate change
-colonies on mars and the moon, they're shitty though
-quantum technology is mainstream and used in many products
-cloned meat and meat substitutes become extremely common and cost-effective for fast food applications
-internet 3.0, AR/MR elements integrated into your everyday life and indistinguishable from reality, no wearables required, this causes people to sink deeper and deeper into their filter bubbles and become truly deranged
 

Deleted member 8561

user requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
11,284
The center of every technical advancement will be the proliferation of cheap renewable energy. When solar and wind are practically free, you can do almost anything you want.

Want to suck carbon out of the atmosphere? When you have free energy it's actually manageable.
Want to produce enough drinking water for your region? Set up some desalination plants

Other than that

99% of meat will be lab grown. Plant based meat will also find a place in the market. Natural meat will be a luxury item.
A colony on Mars
Astroid mining will most likely be an industry

But 2100 is way too far away for most of these. Cheap renewable energy will be a thing in the late 2020's/2030's (to the point where no new energy production will be carbon based). Lab grown meat/plant based meat will already be well into disrupting the market in the mid 2020's. Self driving cars will be taking over the roads in the 2020's, as well as EV's being economically competitive with the most affordable ICE vehicles.
 
Inugami

Inugami

Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,995
Mondai said:
I dont claim to know anything , just the way I see it.
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Nah brah, it's exactly what you claimed. It's also silly since cancer is never a one time occurrence and it's guaranteed to happen more with age. Big Pharma would be wracking up huge profits, much more since people would live longer and they'd get cancer more.

Unless you're saying that Big Pharma has a cure for aging entirely which is even more laughable.
 
low-G

low-G

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,144
A true AI, a semi-sentient AI (late 21st century)
Some pretty good robotics. Robots that can help you around the house. Robots that can take your remaining jobs. Humanoid robots.
Preliminary direct human neural computers.
Quantum coprocessor for your computers to assist in certain kinds of operations. Helps with AI of all kinds and encryption, raytracing -- anything that is considered 'brute force' today.
 
Baphomet

Baphomet

Member
Dec 8, 2018
17,014
KojiKnight said:
Nah brah, it's exactly what you claimed. It's also silly since cancer is never a one time occurrence and it's guaranteed to happen more with age. Big Pharma would be wracking up huge profits, much more since people would live longer and they'd get cancer more.

Unless you're saying that Big Pharma has a cure for aging entirely which is even more laughable.
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lol sadly nothing will stop aging.
 
Ryuelli

Ryuelli

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,209
If we're lucky we'll get the taco trucks on every corner that we were once promised.
 
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