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MORLEY Chapter 8: Emerging Technologies. Chapter Overview. The computer of the future Emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology, that are already impacting our lives Emerging networking technologies Artificial intelligence (AI) T echnological advances in medicine & the military
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Chapter Overview • The computer of the future • Emerging technologies, such as nanotechnology, that are already impacting our lives • Emerging networking technologies • Artificial intelligence (AI) • Technological advances in medicine & the military • Societal implications of emerging technologies
Envisioning Technology • http://envisioningtech.com/
Computers in the Future • Smaller, faster, and more powerful • More user-friendly • Voice input and gesture/touchinterfaces • Multisensory output, not just sight and sound • Mobile computers closer in capabilities to desktop computers and used for broader purposes • Part of walls, desks, appliances, clothing • More environmentally friendly
Emerging Input Hardware • Gesture-based devices (ex., Wii, Kinect) • Surface computing: Interacts with the user using ordinary objects, such as a table top; ex., Microsoft Surface • 2D barcodes: Uses vertical dimension also • Augmented reality (VR): Overlaying images with data; used in mobiles, eyewear, windshields • Radio frequency identification (RFID) and Near Field Communication (NFC): Used for payment systems
New Processing Technologies • Multi-core CPUs • USB 3.0 • Flexible processors • Terascale computing: The ability of computers to process at least one trillion floating-point operations per second (one teraflop) • 3D chips: Components are layered, cutting down on required surface area • Graphene
More Power + Tighter Spaces = Heat • Heat can damage components • Cooler chips run faster • Fans and heat sinks traditional answer • Water cooling; even liquid nitrogen cooling
New Processing Tech: NVRAM • Nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM): Data stays when power off • MRAM: Uses magnetic polarization to store data • PRAM: Have a special coating that changes when heat is applied, similar to recordable CDs / DVDs • NRAM: Nanotube-based memory • May replace SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic RAM) for a PC’s memory sticks
Emerging Output Devices • 3D display screens: Use filters, prisms, lenses and other technologies to create a 3D effect • Wearable personal displays: Typically built into eyeware; project images to the glasses • 3D projectors: Display laser holograms • Tiny portable projectors: Display on any flat surface • Available as stand-alone devices • Built into mobile phones, portable digital media players, portable computers, or other devices
Emerging Flat-Screen Devices: OLED • Organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays: Use a layer of organic material that emits light when electric current is applied • Do not use backlighting • Wide viewing angle, low energy consumption, longer battery life • Emerging in digital cameras, portable digital media players, mobile phones, TVs, etc.
Types of OLEDs Include • Flexible OLED (FOLED) displays • Transparent OLED (TOLED) displays • Interferometric modulator displays (IMOD): Uses external light so images are bright and clear even in direct sunlight • Use no power unless image changes • Use no backlighting • Beginning to be used with mobile devices but may also be used with large outdoor displays
Emerging Storage Devices • Hard drive technologies are increasing density • For portable personal storage, USB flash drives are: • Continuing to be built into a variety of everyday items • Including new capabilities (recreate user’s primary PC PC environment on any computer, protect the data stored on the flash drive, etc.)
Emerging Storage Devices:Holographic Storage • Use laser beams to store data on holographic (3D) discs (currently hold 300 GB each) • Uses two beams to store data: • Reference beam: Determines the location • Signal beam: Contains the actual data • The hologram is stored where the two beams intersect within the medium • Over one million bits of data can be stored at one time in a single flash of light (~ 50 pages of text) • A detector reads the data one page at a time
The Impact of Nanotechnology • Creating computer components, machines, and other structures less than 100 nanometers in size • One nanometer (nm) is one billionth of a meter • Today’s CPUs use transistors that are 64 nm or less in size (1 human hair = 60,000 nm wide) • Components in the future may need to be built at an atomic or molecular level • Research is leading towards new products in many areas
Carbon Nanotubes • Tiny hollow tubes made up of carbon atoms • Used in a variety of computer (ex. memory chips) and consumer products (ex. cheap flat screens) • May be used to clean up contaminated water, protect soldiers, treat cancer, etc.
Quantum Computing • Applies quantum physics and mechanics (atomic and sub-atomic level studies)to computers • Utilizes atoms, nuclei, electrons, photons working together as qubits (quantum bits) • Qubits function as the computer’s processor and memory • Each qubit can represent more than the two states (1 and 0) used with electronic bits • Could build quantum computers far more powerful than conventional computers; good for code-breaking and encryption; very experimental • If quantum computers ever become a reality, the “killer app” for them will most likely not be code breaking but rather something so obvious it is rarely even mentioned: simulating quantum physics.
Optical Computing • Optical computer: A computer that uses light (ex., from a laser) to perform digital computations • Optical chips move data as photons, not electrons. • Devices much smaller & faster than normal • Opto-electronic computers: use both electricity and light (ex., fiber-optic cable) • Medical diagnostic systems • Remote sensing systems • Fiber-optic communications • Artificial eyes
Quick Quiz 1. Which of the following is NOT a type of flat-panel display technology? a. NFC b. OLED c. IMOD 2. True or False: Holographic storage records data just on the surface of the disc, like a CD. 3. A quantum bit is known as a(n) __________________. Answers: 1) a; 2) False; 3) qubit
Networking Technologies • Improvements are constantly being made to wired and wireless networking technologies to: • Increase speed and connectivity options for local area networks (LANs) and Internet connections • Support the continued growth in Internet-based multimedia and communications • Voice over IP (VoIP) • VOD and mobile TV • Telepresencevideo conferencing • Geobrowsing and GPS monitoring systems
Voice over IP Network technology that allows telephone users to send and receive calls via an Internet service instead of from a traditional land-line or mobile provider
VOD and Mobile TV • Video on Demand (VOD): Network technology that allows customers to receive on a network-aware device movie titles or TV shows they request • Service can be immediate or scheduled • Mobile TV: Network technology that allows customers to watch TV programs on a hand-held device, such as a mobile phone
TelepresenceVideo Conferencing • Video conference: the use of telecommunication technologies to allow meeting participation by individuals at two or more different locations • Telepresence video conferencing: Offers life-size, high-definition views and audio of meeting participants
Geobrowsing Network technology that allows users to look for information visually – often starting with a map – and then navigate / “drill-down” to the desired text
Wired Networking • Ethernet: The most widely used networking protocol • Continually evolving to support faster speeds • 10 Gbps today; 30 Gbps, 100 Gbps in development • Power over Ethernet (PoE): Allows both electrical power and data sent over standard Ethernet cable • Used most often in business networks • Requires special hardware and devices • Eliminates need for devices to be near outlet
Broadband Over Power Lines (BPL) • Allows data (primarily Internet data at this time) to be sent over existing power-pole infrastructure and a building’s regular power lines • Based on the Powerline standard • Requires additional hardware on power poles • Potentially offers broadband access to any home or business with access to electricity
Wireless Networking: WiFi • Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity): Family of wireless networks using the IEEE standard 802.11 (a, b, g, n, etc.) • Current standard for wireless in home or office • Designed for medium-range data transfers • Performance depends on: • Wi-Fi standard and hardware being used • Number of solid objects and distance between the wireless access point and the device • Interference from cordless phones, baby monitors, microwaves, etc., on same radio frequency
Wireless Networking: WiMAX • WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, or IEEE 802.16): A wireless standard that is faster and has farther range than Wi-Fi • Mobile WiMAX (IEEE 802.16e): Designed to bring broadband Internet service to users via mobile phone, computer, or other WiMAX-enabled device
Wireless Networking: Mobiles • Cellular standards: Evolving to meet demand and mobile trends; classed by bandwidth “generation” • Bandwidth: Measure of how much data can move per second through assigned “pipe” • Actual standards can differ by vendor and country! • 3Gstandards: first to support both data and voice • 4G standards: support for gaming, mobile TV, etc. • Mobile WiMAX • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
Wireless Networking: Short-Range • Bluetooth: Original wireless standard designed for short-range connections between devices • Wireless USB: Similar to Bluetooth, but transfers data more quickly • WirelessHD (WiHD): Designed for home consumer electronic devices • TransferJet: Designed to transfer large files quickly between devices as soon as they come in contact
Quick Quiz 1. An emerging networking standard designed to connect home entertainment devices is ____________. a. LTE b. wirelessHD c. mobile WiMax 2. True or False: The most common protocol used with wired networks is Wi-Fi. 3. An emerging wireless standard that can transmit data over a distance of up to 6 miles is ____________. Answers: 1) b; 2) False; 3) WiMAX
Artificial Intelligence (AI) • Artificial intelligence (AI): The science and engineering of making computing machines that think and act like intelligent humans • Turing Test: A test of AI • An observer interacts electronically with a human and a computer by sending them questions and reviewing the typed responses • If the observer repeatedly cannot tell which of the responses is human and which is machine, the machine is viewed as intelligent
Turing Test and Loebner Prize Loebner Prize: Includes a gold medal to be awarded to the developer of the first computer to pass the Turing Test; no winner as of yet
Artificial Intelligence (AI) • Early advances in AI were in game playing, ex., chess (huge number of possible moves) • Today’s chess-playing programs can beat human chess masters
Some Current AI Applications • Contain some aspects of AI though tend to mimic human intelligence • Intelligent agents: Programs that perform specific tasks to help make a user’s work more efficient or entertaining • Application assistants – online help, ex., Siri • Shopping bots (price comparison) • Entertainment bots (ex., Sony AIBO dog) • Chatterbots(simulate human conversation; ex., CleverBot)
AI: Expert Systems • Expert systems: Programs that can make decisions and draw conclusions, similar to a human expert • Include: • Knowledge base (database with facts and rules) • Inference engine (program that applies the rules to the data stored in the knowledge base) • Widely used for many tasks, such as: • Diagnosing illness • Financial forecasting • Scheduling routes for delivery vehicles • Credit authorizations
AI: Neural Networks • Neural networks: AI systems that attempt to imitate the way a human brain works • Can learn by observation, as well as trial and error • Designed to recognize patterns in data and make more progressive leaps in associations and predictions than conventional computer systems • Used in (ex.): • Vision recognition systems • Fingerprint analysis • Oil and gas exploration
AI: Robotics • Robots: Devices, controlled by a person or computer, that can move and react to sensory input • Robotics: The development and study of robots • Business / industrial robots: • Monitor security • Facilitate teleconferencing (as a stand-in) • Search and rescue missions • Fight fires; search for gas leaks • Work on assembly line • Deliver mail / packages