Tagged: emerging technologies

Canada’s emerging technologies metascan - Ariadne

Robert Hickson • Apr 09, 2014 •

• emerging technologies,
• future,
• policy,
• Society

The Canadian Government’s just released a report on emerging technologies. It looks out over the next 15 years and focuses on digital technologies, biotechnologies, nanotechnologies and neuroscience technologies, which they consider have the potential for disruptive rather than incremental innovation. As you’d expect they consider biological enhancements, nanofactories, robots, wired-up everything. There are no major surprises in their findings. Some … Read More

Predicting disruptive technologies - Ariadne

Robert Hickson • Jun 27, 2013 •

• Economic,
• emerging technologies,
• prediction

There’s a lot of intellectual as well as commercial interest in predicting what the next big technological developments will be. Last month McKinsey Global Institute published its list of  12 potentially economically disruptive technologies. This follows on the heels of Technology Review’s annual top 10 breakthrough technologies. For followers of the future there is likely to … Read More

A tale of technologies - Ariadne

Robert Hickson • Mar 15, 2013 •

• emerging technologies,
• governance,
• innovation,
• Social

If Charles Dickens was alive today and writing about technology, would he re-pen something like this: It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, it is the age of wisdom, it is the age of foolishness, it is the epoch of belief, it is the epoch of incredulity, it is the season of light, it is … Read More

Where’s my Robot? [Part 2] - Ariadne

Robert Hickson • Sep 15, 2011 •

• emerging technologies,
• ethics,
• future,
• robotics,
• warfare

Part 1 looked at trends in Robotics. Here I consider some of the challenges, as well as provide more information on military robots. Challenges What is needed for robots to be valued and respected members of our world? As a non-specialist I see five main requirements: Discriminating – It is easy for us to distinguish individuals and objects by … Read More

Where’s my Robot? [Part 1] - Ariadne

Robert Hickson • Sep 14, 2011 •

• emerging technologies,
• future,
• Health Care,
• manufacturing,
• robotics,
• warfare

Robots have been a promise and a fear for the last century. Up till now robots have been used for what have been called the 3 D’s — Dull, Dirty and Dangerous work. Things like building cars, vacuuming, mining, chopping up carcasses, search & rescue, and joining the armed forces. But there are also robotic footballers, … Read More