FutureWire - futurism and emerging technology

Monday, December 13, 2004

"Chips Everywhere" by 2020

No, we're not talking about the potato variety... British Telecom futurist Ian Pearson predicts that pervasive computing environments will be a reality within 15 years, with computing chips embedded everywhere... including the human body. Not only will the devices around us will be self-aware and aware of us, but our clothes and personal accessories will be "smart" as well (such as intelligent contact lenses that project information in front of us). Much of our personal technology will be powered by our own body heat, helping to create "body area networks" that accompany us everywhere, all the time, and continually interact with the high-tech world around us.

Not yet known are the privacy implications for being so thoroughly networked, and the impact that such networking will have on the human body, both physically and emotionally.

Sources: Smart Mobs, BBC.com, Roland Piquepaille's Technology Trends