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Home / Topics  / 25 things with Craig Walker  / 25 things with Xero’s Craig Walker, part four

25 things with Xero’s Craig Walker, part four

5 predictions for 2037

INTERNET OF EVERYTHING.

Next-generation mobile networks are being designed to allow very high device density to support IoT (Internet of Things) type applications enabling everything to be connected in some way or another. This creates an environment where information processing devices will be virtually everywhere but also completely invisible and intelligent enough to allow them to perform autonomously, absorbed into our surroundings.

WEARABLE HEADS-UP DISPLAY.

We’ve already witnessed the advent of this, a la Google Glass and ARKit, but what we’ve seen of augmented reality is merely the beginning. In 20 years I expect further minimisation of this technology in size. Think digital contact lenses that embed information and augmented reality streams into every part of our lives, giving us a heads-up display that’s always on and completely integrated!

IMMORTALITY GETS A STEP CLOSER.

3D printing of complex organs (like the liver) will become a reality over the next decade. The next step is to build replacement cells or organs printed directly onto or into the human body, often in situ (if your heart is in bad shape, it will be regenerated for you). This will make organ shortages a thing of the past, extend life expectancies, and be the cosmetic surgery of the future. Expect the retirement age to be 75 by then as well.

THE WORLD IS CLOSE TO 10 BILLION PEOPLE.

Sustainability becomes the most important industry, and the relationship between human health and environmental health dramatically shifts how we think about consumption. In that context, solar will have become the world’s biggest energy source and desalination plants are a major source of water. As food demand grows despite less arable land availability, massive warehouses utilising advanced hydroponics become a source of agricultural innovation.

HOVERBOARDS.

Because Back to the Future predicted them by now and we’re still waiting and they’re cool and I want one.

Review overview