FROM GETTING TO work via flying car to 3D-printing your dinner, there are a lot of ways that tech could change your life in the future. But how likely would you be to adopt these tech advances, and to make them a part of your daily routines?
In a new series, Future Real, we’re partnering with Volkswagen to spotlight technologies of the future, with a different theme each time. As you read, we’ll ask you to rate how likely you’d really be to give each piece of tech a try.
This week, with tech journalist Luke Hoare Greene: how on board are you with the communication innovations of the future?
Twenty years ago, the idea of having a face-to-face video call with someone from around the world at a moment’s notice would have been unbelievable – and now it’s just a part of everyday life.
From smartphones to social media, communication technology has advanced more quickly than we can keep up with, and things that might seem far-fetched today could soon be a reality.
Holograms, on-the-fly translation, and brain-to-brain connections – they’re definitely conversation starters, but would you use any of this futuristic communication tech in your daily life?
1. Travel more easily with live translation in your earbuds
Travelling around the world is an amazing experience, but the language barrier can be difficult to overcome and often makes seeing new places more stressful than you’d like.
Language translation devices have been around for a couple of years now, but they’ve been slow, bulky, or expensive. With modern technology advancements, the translation devices of the future are much sleeker, affordable, and useful.
Devices like the ONE Mini are bringing an Apple-like layer of cool to the tech. The ONE Mini doesn’t just look good, though, it actually allows you to have a conversation with a local while you travel – like something straight out of Star Trek.
Google is also working on live translation technology with its new Google Pixel Buds 2. The Buds 2 have built-in translation, which listens to what the other person is saying and translates it directly in your ear in real-time.
How appealing does it sound to travel the world without a language barrier in your way?
2. Send your hologram to that meeting across town, and avoid sitting in traffic
A staple of science fiction for years, holograms are often seen as the ultimate futuristic tech, but their regular use isn’t as far off as you might think.
Back in 2012, a hologram of deceased rapper Tupac took to the stage at Coachella, and although it wasn’t the most realistic or capable of interacting with others, it still caused a stir.
Holographic technology has continued to evolve, and there are currently many types of holograms, some of which could very well be used as your main mode of communication in the near future.
In 2018, Mischa Dohler, a professor in wireless communications at King’s College, London performed a live concert with his daughter who appeared as a hologram over a 5G video link, proving that the tech already works.
The possibilities of a holographic future are almost endless: from your sister in Sydney being able to ‘visit’ you almost instantly, to being able to show up for a job interview without needing to leave your home.
Are you excited about holographic phone calls, or would you rather stick to FaceTime?
3. Use brainwaves to communicate with your friends in another room
If you thought using speakerphone was a handy way to have a hands-free conversation, imagine simply thinking a sentence and having it sent directly into the brain of the person you’re chatting to.
Neural connectivity has long been seen as the next step in communication, and some scientists even believe it’s the next step in human evolution.
BrainNet is already enabling participants to use brain-to-brain communication to work together to solve a puzzle in a videogame, despite being in different rooms. According to Nature.com, BrainNet uses “electroencephalography (EEG) to record brain signals and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to deliver information noninvasively to the brain”
Of course, this technology still has a long way to go in order to communicate more than simple messages, and there could be privacy issues to resolve first.
Would you be willing to beam your thoughts directly into someone else’s brain?
4. Eat dinner with friends and family in different countries
Imagine having dinner with your loved ones – despite them being on the other side of the world. That’s the idea behind The Connected Restaurant, a pop-up restaurant set up by Three Network in Dublin last year, where diners could eat a Christmas dinner, even served the same dishes, while having a large-scale video chat with family members in Sydney.
The current idea is a temporary popup, with another iteration running this year between Dublin and New York City, but it’s not far-fetched to think that in the future, having dinner with someone who’s on a different continent could be the norm.
The technology behind this isn’t ground-breaking, but if you imagine combining this idea with any of the tech listed above – a holographic dinner? Or two people having dinner together without speaking a word of each other’s language?
How much would you like to have a meal with far-flung friends and family?
The future is nearer than you think. Pre-book the all-electric Volkswagen ID.3 1st online at Volkswagen.ie/ID.
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