As we march relentlessly towards an Automated Society, scenarios emerge to provide signals. How far will we take this automation scenario? My post last week focused on sports and a robot that Shoots Baskets with stunning accuracy. My post for today looks into robotic surgery, which is traditionally defined as any surgery done with a complete robotic surgical system. It was originally developed for the military so that surgeons could remotely do open surgery on wounded soldiers in the field. This Article on the topic describes it this way:
Continue readingAuthor: Frank Diana
Nanobots To Improve Our Health and Someday Connect Our Minds
Nanotechnology is defined as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers. Wikipedia had this to say about the field:
Nanotechnology may be able to create many new materials and devices with a vast range of applications, such as in nanomedicine, nanoelectronics, biomaterials energy production, and consumer products. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as any new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios. These concerns have led to a debate among advocacy groups and governments on whether special regulation of nanotechnology is warranted.
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Non-Obvious Mega Trends
I just completed another book titled “Non-Obvious Mega Trends”. Author Rohit Bhargava focuses on seeing what no one else sees, and helping his readers do the same. Per the Amazon abstract, in the past ten years, his signature annual Non-Obvious Trend Report has helped over a million readers discover more than 100 trends changing our culture. The opening section focuses on the art of non-obvious thinking. From there, he explores the five mindsets of non-obvious thinkers, and reviews his Haystack Method for curating non-obvious Ideas.
Continue readingCOVID-19 Accelerates Innovation In Healthcare
We owe so much to the frontline heroes that serve society in critical times. The pandemic has shown us just how important and under-appreciated these individuals are. We owe them a debt of gratitude. Healthcare is one of those areas where we see both heroics and exposure. The lack of digital progress has been exposed across sectors by the virus. That is the bad news. The good news is that extreme events like this can serve as accelerants. This recent Article describes the turning point that COVID-19 likely represents for healthcare. Rethinking healthcare for the digital age should be a top priority (as it should across all industries).
Continue readingBasketball Shooting Robot Sets World Record
One future scenario that I describe is called an Automated Society. There is always much skepticism when the scenario is discussed. Our mind tells us that humans do things that automation simply cannot replace. I use sports as a good way to explore the possibility of automating anything we set our minds to. Take for example a robot sinking a hole in one.
Continue readingCOVID-19 Impacts University Enrollment
A recent Study found that the number of students enrolling in college immediately after high school plunged nearly 22% this past fall over last year. The future of education is a big discussion topic, as the pandemic is threatening the viability of education organizations and models. Key findings include:
Continue readingEnvisioning The Future Of Sports
Last week, I participated in the Mass Participation World Conference 2020. The theme of the event was “Changing the Narrative: Solutions to help us move from Surviving to Thriving”. We shared the results of a recent survey of runners. The TCS This Run Tech Survey reveals that technology is powering runners through the pandemic. The survey was geared towards uncovering running technology trends amid COVID-19 and helping shape how TCS can best support runners and races in the future. TCS sponsors marathons around the world, including the NYC Marathon.
As a follow up to my presentation on the Future of Sports, this Article envisions the future of athletics and society. Reimagine the future of sports along with us – I’d be interested in your thoughts.
Colliding Trends Reshape 2030
A recent book explores aspects of a broader Convergence story. The book – 2030: How Today’s Biggest Trends Will Collide and Reshape the Future of Everything – was authored by Mauro F. Guillen. In exploring a number of trends, he shows how the only effective way to understand the global transformations underway is to think laterally. Said another way, we need to think at the systems level. Understanding pieces in isolation blinds us to the combinatorial nature of change. The book abstract says it this way:
Continue readingEight Trends Amplified By COVID-19
I just finished another book and added it to my Library. Pandemic, Inc. explores eight trends that are amplified by the current pandemic. Author Patrick Schwerdtfeger believes we will see more change in the next 12 months then we saw in the last 12 years. He views the current crisis through an optimistic lens, seeing a time of incredible change, but also opportunity.
Continue readingOrganizing For Disruption
Back in 2015, I was looking at emerging organization models for a societal shift to a very different era. While organizations have experimented with many of these, the truth is, most still struggle with this critical structural change. One impactful model was positioned by Geoffrey Moore in his book titled Zone to Win. Given how relevant the topic is today, I am reposting my synopsis of the book below. In addition, here are three additional posts on the topic:
Continue readingReversing The Aging Process
Advances in life sciences have scientist believing that the first person to Live to 200 has already been born. This Healthy Life Extension scenario has major societal implications. In this scenario, we are not just enabling people to live longer, but we will also be healthier. This healthy longevity challenges traditional views of retirement, wealth, savings, our social contract, and the phases of our lives, among other things. Now, you may ask, how is it possible to extend our lives in a healthy manner? In a Post from 2018, I shared a perspective from Johnty Andersen, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology and Anti-Aging Medicine researcher:
Continue readingThe New Map
I just finished another book and added it to my Library. Author Daniel Yergin explores the convergence of energy, climate change, and a world where an existing power is confronted by an emerging power. The New Map helps us understand global dynamics, historical perspectives, the entrenched role of oil and gas, the forces that are driving an energy transition, and the impact of a raging pandemic.
Daniel Yergin is a highly respected authority on energy, international politics, and economics, and a Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author. He is vice chairman of IHS Markit, one of the leading information and research firms in the world, a member of the board of the Council on Foreign Relations, a senior trustee of the Brookings Institution, and has served on the Secretary of Energy Advisory Board under the last four presidential administrations.
Continue readingBill Gates Looks At Life After COVID-19
Back in April and May, there was a lot of crystal ball gazing going on. Will COVID-19 change our world forever? This Post, among others I wrote in the early days of the pandemic, explored the various ways the world may change. In the post, I reflected on a key warning sign: most predictions of a post-crisis world have historically been wrong. I pointed to an Article authored by Rob Walker, where he stresses that thoughtful speculation about the future helps us cope with the present and identify potential challenges and opportunities. He adds however that history tells us that most predictions will be wrong. In looking back at predictions post 9/11 and the great recession, Mr. Walker provides supporting evidence for this statement.
Continue readingReimagining The Future Of Sports
This week, I had the pleasure of participating in the Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit. The event, which continues through November 19th, provides an opportunity to hear from leading sports figures on and off the field, court, and track, on how they successfully navigated a very difficult year.
Continue readingWhat Is The Future of Credit?
Just as we thought that credit and debit cards were about to completely supersede cash, there are now new payment systems that could take over and make plastic cards obsolete altogether. As mentioned in a post exploring those things that are Likely to Disappear in the Next Ten Years, credit cards may soon be out of circulation, likely within the next ten years.
While everyone will still be able to pay by credit, the rectangular bits of plastic that are used as a mode of payment will likely disappear from our wallets soon. It is actually starting now, as many of us are beginning to rely on our phones, smart watches, and other mobile devices to pay. There may come a time when no device is needed at all. Payment systems will work via facial recognition, as is already happening in China, and soon enough, the rest of the world.
In the US, credit cards are still very prevalent. Data collected by Statista shows that about 83 percent of Americans between 30 and 49 years old own a credit card. This is why most banks and companies still use traditional methods to establish a credit score. A post by Petal Card on building a good credit score outlines how the number is calculated in the US through five main factors:
Smart Construction Wearables Revolutionize Safety
I am constantly searching for content that will provide insights to those that read my posts. I came across this infographic on wearables and wanted to share. Here is an abstract that describes the visual.
Continue readingEducation In Transformative Eras
I had the pleasure of joining RegalixTV recently for a session focused on education. Host Dheeraj Prasad and I discussed the importance of education in transformative eras, how digital learning experiences are evolving, why there needs to be a shift in focus with respect to skill sets and a whole lot more on Knowledge-Centered Growth.
Tune in to watch the full Interview. I have focused a great deal on education recently. You got explore the topic via my earlier posts.
Capturing The Future Of Education Via Infographic
I’ve dedicated many of my last several posts to the topic of education. I recently joined a Future of Children event and participated in what they set up as a shark tank segment. The pitch was to focus on a the future of education. The message I delivered is captured in the infographic below. At the end of the post you will find links to my other recent education posts.
What Will The Future Home Look Like Post-Pandemic?
When I talk about this emerging era of great invention advancing the various areas of our well-being, I always include changes to the home. The home has remained quite static since great inventions of the second revolution (running water, sanitation, heating, air conditioning, etc.) established our modern-day home. For the first time since that period, the home is likely to see another shift. This was true prior to the pandemic, as the visual I use to describe this part of the innovation story describes.
Continue reading2030: The World’s Electricity Demands Are Met By Renewable Energy
It was 2014 when I was first exposed to the concept of an Energy Internet. It was Economist Jeremy Rifkin in his book The Zero Marginal Cost Society that introduced it as part of a broader vision for a new general purpose technology platform (GPTP). I have since written extensively about the Shifting Energy Paradigm and the implication for society. When evaluating the three foundational components of a GPTP (Energy, Communications, and Transport), changes to the energy component have historically driven the biggest societal transformations.
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Reimagining the Future 