Think of our planet’s grand challenges: managing climate change; reducing energy use; sustaining food production; improving global health. Many of these efforts involve overlapping problems – and the potential for interlinked solutions. It’s no wonder the United Nations names “Partnerships” as its 17th Sustainable Development Goal. In this 10th edition of the Top 10 Emerging Technologies, created by Scientific American and the World Economic Forum, interlinking is front and centre. With the acceleration of government and industry commitments for decarbonization, there will be an array of novel approaches in low-emissions transportation, residential and commercial infrastructure, and industrial processes. Two such technologies – the production of “green” ammonia and engineered crops that make their own fertiliser – will improve agricultural sustainability. In remote areas, 3-D printing with local soils will erect stronger houses with less energy. Because health is on everyone’s mind, this year’s Top 10 salutes the rise of breath sensors that can detect COVID-19 and other diseases, as well as wireless biomarker monitors that make it easier to diagnose and manage chronic illnesses. New results from the field of genomics could allow for the engineering of longer “healthspans”, and on-demand drug manufacturing will result in tailored medicines while helping to solve today’s supply challenges with large-scale production.
To keep track of it all, the number of devices that make up the internet of things is rapidly growing.
They will become more globally connected through the use of orbiting nanosatellites and be powered by energy harvested from wireless signals. The future has never looked so interconnected.
