I have waited a long time for someone to invent a procedure to bud new teeth for me. They would also have to re-grow my resorbed bone tissue, which occurs when teeth are removed, but I believe both procedures will be developed in this century. There are many more applications for biological remodeling (some occurs naturally, as when broken bones heal) and I think those applications would be preferable to even future advanced prosthetic devices. Imagine growing new, fully functional, limbs! Or replacement internal organs, grown inside your own body. So, yeah, gene editing and stem-cell programming, and maybe nanobots to clear out clogged arteries and re-build or repair internal organs are "just around the corner" time-wise. I doubt I will live long enough to see any of it, but surely my grandchildren will.
As far as things electronical... I completely missed the invention and eventual importance of microprocessors and other microelectronic advances in the last part of the previous century. I was quick to pick up on these things and begin using them, but didn't have a clue, circa 1960, that they would even occur. Same with lasers. Clunky, expensive, toys back in the day (a solution looking for a problem to solve) and now diode lasers practically run the show. I think perhaps advances in personal transportation and communication might be on the horizon, but I have no idea what form that will take... powered shoes maybe? A folding quad-copter fitted to a backpack? Implantable personal communications? We already have cochlear implants for the deaf, why not add two-way WiFi communications or Bluetooth? Subcutaneous wrist-watches with LED readouts? Self-illuminating tattoos? A hair treatment that changes colors with a comb?
I would like to see an affordable circuit board maker that quantum jumps existing technology to pop out a circuit board when I download a file to it. Maybe a high-resolution ink-jet printer that prints etchant right onto the copper-clad board. Print, wait, rinse. Heck, one of
@donkey's 3D printers could probably be adapted with an ink-jet head to do this... might want to start with printing resist ink first and later develop the etching "ink" for really quick turn-around prototypes.
My career was mostly focused on military applications, so powered exo-skeletons and powered human armor, augmented with situation-awareness electronics and hybrid battlefield communication systems seems to be a predictable progression. I doubt war will be eliminated from the human biosphere any time soon. We're just too good at it. Maybe some Aliens will notice and hire some of us (or more likely, "farm" all of us) as galactic mercenaries. Details coming next summer to a multiplex theater near you.
Pretty neat topic,
