The Future: Social Media at 100,000 ft

Dutch airline KLM has just announced a service called "Meet and seat". Customers can now check who's on their flight before they leave and find fellow passengers on social media. The service allows you to add people on LinkedIn and Facebook and aims to encourage conversations between passengers. This leads to the age old question, can social sites tell us too much? If a stranger knows my name, place of work and where I'm going, I may not want to be in the same room as him/her. Let alone be on the same flight.
What are your thoughts?

The Future: The Electric Delorean 2013

The Delorean Motor Company have teamed up with Epic EV to release an all electric DMC 12. The car will look like the classic Mary McFly car from the film and will go into production in 2013.

The perfect companion to your new Marty McFly Nikes

The Future: Adult Jungle Gym

The Great Outdoor Gym is a government based fund to offer people a free gym environment. This local gym is based in a woods in Bexley, UK, it offers 5 different types of equipment all aimed at toning different parts of your body.

What's quite clever about the gym is that it uses no electricity, the bikes are simply peddle bikes which donn't move and the running machine is a line of metal tubing that moves underfoot.

In the UK many people jog through woods to keep fit and so this outdoor gym makes perfect sense. It's like an adult jungle gym although kids can obviously still use the equipment.

The Future: Computer Screens

A video showing what future screens could be like. The transparant screen idea was shown off in CES last january, the movement tracking parts of the screen are similar to Microsofts new Xbox add on and the stretching screen idea is similar to the flexible e-ink displays. Even the transfer of files option can be done through bump software on iphones and android devices. The future and everything in this video is nearly available today.

The Future: Underground Garage

Now this is something I would want in my house. It doesn't really make any sense and it takes ages to drop down... getting your car out in the morning would be annoying especially if your late for work.. but still its cool and is like a cool show off piece.

The Future: Self Tieing Shoe's

They've made real life nike shoelace tieing up shoes. They're based on the nike shoes in the Back to the future films although they are different colours. I think Nike should release something like this as there is a demand, 2 million people have watched videos of this. If you want to make them yourself here's a step by step: http://www.instructables.com/id/Power-Laces-the-Auto-lacing-shoe/

The Future: Project Natal Meet Milo

I think the level of interactivity shown here is amazing, if project natal can do this and other things like it with very little lag, Microsoft could be on to a winner

The Future: 3D DSi Game

This new Game for DSi uses the front facing camera on the DSi to see where your eyes are and then rearranges the image to that perspective. This idea is so clever, its literally 3D within the screen instead of outside it. Imagine what would happen if you added 3D glasses to the equation you would have a stupid amount of depth. This technology can change portable 3D gaming, I just hope Nintendo know about this for their new DS2.

The Future: Visual Search

Visual Search is a new way of finding out information. Using your phones camera you can find out information about your location or even add contact information to your phone by taking a picture of the person business card. Google released the "Google Goggles" software at the end of last year and there's other companies that have already created similar software for the iPhone. It's little touches on the android devices like this and the bar code scanner that really make the platform shine.

The Future: Commercial Space Travel

Richard Branson has created the first commercial way to travel through space. The new space crafts named "Spaceshiptwo" allow passengers to travel around the globe and feel 6 minutes worth of weightlessness. For £200,000 passengers get three days training and then a sub orbital flight around the earth on the new VSS Enterprise. What's next for space travel? Parties on the moon? Only time will tell.

The Future: Self Parking Cars

VW have been making self parking cars for a while but as of yet haven't released one to the general public. This was built at Stanford Uni, its a modified passat with lasers and computers controlling and sensing the objects around it.

Want More?: An autonomous Audi TTS, will race to the top of Pikes Peak in 2010
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CuVVZq9GfY

Want More info?: http://www.botjunkie.com/2009/10/26/vail-demonstrates-autonomous-valet-parking-system/

Creative: Bloomframe®

This is a window that turns into a balcony at the press of a button. It is currently being shown off at trade shows but will be on the market soon. It's a clever idea and I can see it selling, it does take a while to transform though.
www.bloomframe.com

Want More?:
Expandable Table: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj7wwlI_Tes&feature=related

Crazy Expandable Chair 1-16 person: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aQxEEi7I0Q&NR=1

Creative: Dyson Fan

Sir James Dyson has always gone against the normal ways of thinking and is one of this decades best inventors. After being turned down by the big vacuum companies he created the first bag-less Vacuum Cleaner and since then has revolutionised many other household machinery. His latest invention is the blade-less desk fan, which takes air in and then multiplies it allowing you to feel a cold breeze against you.

The Future: Wireless Electricity

Recently the technology world has all been about making things wireless. We had mobile phones, then wireless transfer, then wireless internet etc. The thing that has always held things back has been the power cable. The phone needs to be charged every so often, the flat screen has to have a cord to the power supply. Wires look messy and can take away from a nice looking piece of Kit. This video shows two pieces of technology which allow the user to have wireless power. Supposedly they will be released in about 3 years. I'm sure that there will be controversy over whether they will effect our brains and stuff and truth is with strong magnets charging devices around your home people may have something to worry about.
However with all the safety laws I'm sure it will be safe when released.. imagine being on a train to work, checking your emails and charging your phone at the same time, never will you be disconnected.. the future sounds good.

The Future: Maptor

This clever little device uses GPS to track your positioning and then uses an in built projector to show you where you are. I really like how simple and effective this is and would help in many different situations, especially if your delivering parcels to random address ala me this week. Some people have said that GPS phones can do this, its true but its still a cool device and something that will hopefully transform from a prototype to a real world product.

Amazing: Brainport

This electrical device records visuals through a camera and then transfers them into signals on your tongue. Your brain is able to take these signals and some how turn them into visuals. This device is set to be released in 2010, after government approval. I have to say this is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. In the future even blind people will be able to to see.

Future: Programmable Matter

The possibilities for this seem endless, imagine changing what your clothes look like with the click of a button and what will future theme park rides be like?

Amazing: fMRI

This is a documentary about the advances in brain scanning technology, it's kinda long but I learnt so much. The end section talks about my dissertation subject, the marketing of a product and how they can use brain scans to work out what people want.

The Future: Google

This is Philipp Lenssen's concept of what google will look like in few years time, I think it has it's advantages but buying pictures isn't something i want to do.