The Future is Bright: A Look at Tomorrow’s Technology

If you could look into the crystal ball and see tomorrow’s technology, what would it look like? Will your computer look the same? Will it act the same? Will you even use a computer as we know it today? While the future has yet to materialize, some developments are on the horizon, offering us a sneak peek at what may be in technology’s future.

Ever Shrinking Computers
In case you haven’t noticed, computers have been shrinking recently. Huge computer towers have given way to all-in-one computers while portable laptops have shrunk into netbooks and tablet computers. In the future, expect computers to shrink down to the atomic level. That’s right, nanotechnology may be coming to computers.

A group known as the “Nano Computer Dream Team” once claimed that they would unveil the world’s first nanocomputer on November 1, 2011. The concept of arranging atoms has been demonstrated in the lab on a small scale, such as IBM’s 1989 feat of arranging atoms into its logo and its later development of the world’s smallest working abacus in 1996. As the clock clicks closer to the promised date, the dream of a nanocomputer may or may not come true. Though the Nano Computer Dream Team’s website appears to be defunct, dreams often recur.

New Memory Technology
Another futuristic technology shows promise: Protonic Memory. Current memory technologies such as DRAM have a major flaw. Once power is cut off, the information stored in memory is lost. If you’ve ever worked on document only to have the power go off before you had a chance to save it, then you know that losing power often means losing your data. Protonic memory technology involves a device that takes advantage of embedded protons. These protons remain in place when power is cut off which keeps your data intact despite the lack of power. A patent for this memory retention technology has been filed by scientists.

New Storage Technology
Holography is a technology with its roots dating back to 1947. The first holograms were plagued with imperfections which were later addressed in the 1960s with lasers. Today, holographic technologies are used in various forms, one of the most common being holographic images on credit cards. In the future, you may see holographic storage systems with huge storage capacitiesand blazing fast access speeds. Holographic storage technology is faster than conventional optical storage systems due to the way it reads and writes data – in one operation – compared to the way optical systems read and write data – bit by bit.

The Cloak of Invisibility
Remember how super heroes could make themselves invisible to avoid detection? Data Hiding is a technique used by content creators as a measure against unauthorized copying and distribution. Data can be embedded into digital media such as photos, audio files, video files, and documents. This technology embeds the data into the digital media, avoiding the data headers. Thus, the data is virtually undetectable. Meanwhile, the data does not interfere with the original data’s performance.

Tomorrow’s Interfaces
Today’s computers are controlled through the use of input devices such as keyboard, mice, and touch screens. Future computer interfaces may make use of speech recognition technologies and voice commands. Currently emerging is what’s known as an “object oriented” operating system. Rather than working with individual applications and commands, users will work with objects such as documents. These objects will contain sub-objects that control functions such as printing or emailing documents. Under this model, data isn’t reliant upon a program’s features but rather upon the features available under the operating system.

Shrinking computers, memory that remains available despite power losses, holographic storage, invisible data, and new interfaces are but a taste of technology’s future. Computer scientists and developers are imagining, testing, and developing new technologies, making the future for computer exciting and promising.

About CBT Planet:

CBT Planet offers CBT Training courses covering today’s technologies and IT certifications with new titles added regularly as new technologies emerge. With loads of computer based training courses, instructor-led training videos, and IT certification boot camps available, it’s possible to stay on top of technology according to your needs. Certified instructors and subject matter experts lead you through the training, sharing knowledge and teaching you the skills you need in today’s rapidly changing technological world.