IBM's Next 5 in 5 (2010 Edition)

It's that time of year again, when think tanks, corporations, analyst firms and scientific publications post their lists of technology predictions for the coming years. IBM has just posted its most recent "Next 5 in 5" - five innovations that will transform our lives in the next five years. These are always fun to take a look at to better understand what companies are working towards and where they think the future is headed.

This year's list includes:

• Sensors Networks - citizens with wireless devices acting like distributed sensor networks, generating massive amounts of data that can be shared and analyzed to help with environmental issues and natural disasters


• 3D Interfaces - realtime holographic interfaces, holographic communication and interacting with the Internet in 3D


• Advanced Battery Technology - batteries with 10x the current storage capacity, small personal electronic devices powered by kinetic or static electricity, batteries that breath oxygen to generate power


• Data Centers Providing Heat for Buildings - waste heat from data centers recycled to heat air and water in buildings


• Adaptive Traffic Systems - real-time information on accidents, local events, weather, and construction brought together to provide personalized congestion prediction for commuters
  
  

Prior "Next 5 in 5" publications included the following

2009

1. Cities will have healthier immune systems
2. City buildings will sense and respond like living organisms
3. Cars and city buses will run on empty
4. Smarter systems will quench cities’ thirst for water and save energy
5. Cities will respond to a crisis -- even before receiving an emergency phone call

Fast Company Article: IBM's 5 in 5: Smart Grids, Living Buildings, and Smart Water

2008

1. Energy saving solar technology will be built into asphalt, paint and windows
2. You will have a crystal ball for your health
3. You will talk to the Web . . . and the Web will talk back
4. You will have your own digital shopping assistants
5. Forgetting will become a distant memory

2007

1. 3-D representation of the human body (medical avatars)
2. Smart tagging of food using RFID and other sensors
3. Smart grids/energy/managing your personal carbon footprint
4. Cars that drive themselves
5. Cell phones used as banker, ticket broker, concierge, shopping buddy