7 ms·

My list of innovations, currently happening is a bit longer:it's yours, plus IOT, VR, synthetic bio, food engineering across the board, ~AI, robotics and automa

by petra 10y ago

My list of innovations, currently happening is a bit longer:it's yours, plus IOT, VR, synthetic bio, food engineering across the board, ~AI, robotics and automation, genetic engineering(maybe hundreds in clinical trials?), a lot of innovation in medicine, transportation(even without self-driving, on-demand microtransit could replace lots of cars, EV's, affordable super-sonic airplane in development, lighter-than air transport, etc), affordable mri and a possible brain science revolution, etc etc. Potential for a lot of change, some of it very deep. EDIT: also i think there's a fundamental step up in the nature of scientific discovery - with the combination of miniaturization, robotics, and machine learning and simulation(sometimes) is a new, very potent discovery tool. And a lot of this is at the commercial level, and while more r&d could probably accelerate things, even staying at the current levels,we'll see a lot happening. But i'm not sure how can we compare what's next to what was before? what can compete with 0 infant mortality and nuclear weapons ? let's say we cured cancer, is it enough? Maybe not. Maybe a fully automated world can ? maybe. Naturally that's far harder than some vaccines and a critical mass of a bunch of stuff. But we may be getting there.

nostrademons 10y ago
"Every person, the owner of a factory, able to profitably manufacture anything that they can design for a group of like-minded customers." That's the promise behind 3D printing + robotics + the Internet + drone delivery. "Live where your heart desires. Work on what your brain finds most interesting." Telecommuting + solar + mesh/satellite networking.
- petra 10y ago
  The first thing: it's remind me of Youtube which can, theoretically, make everybody a global star, yet only a rare few make a living out of it. Really, a more economically realistic vision(depending on moore's law) would be high-quality VR for everybody, so everybody can be where their heart desires.
marssaxman 10y ago
I like your list, except for IOT, which is innovation with negative value.
- petra 10y ago
  Thanks. And sure, consumer IOT is bullshit. But industrial IOT is very valuable.
  - marssaxman 10y ago
    I hadn't heard of such a thing as "industrial IOT", but I can see how there might be a difference - more of an evolutionary development out of ordinary embedded control systems, I imagine. Do you have any examples handy? I'm curious what's going on in that field.
    - petra 10y ago
      Industrial(i.e. commercial) IOT examples: - waste disposal: system knows trash levels in each bin, allows optimization of routes, saving 30%. - agriculture: for trees: a bug trap, that measures the bug density in an area - allowing optimization of pesticide. etc for agriculture. - Smart sensors inside pipes, allowing cities to detect leaks in advance. Same for clogged pipes in restaurants. - Putting a lot of sensors in manufacturing processes, collection and analysis to see at what conditions there are problems with the product. - in restaurant chains, putting a lot of sensors, allowing management to keep an eye. also, measuring and tracking everything allows better stock management, critical in high-perishability stuff,
- nostrademons 10y ago
  Consumer IoT is actually pretty appealing, but it's been incredibly poorly executed so far. I would love to be able to get breakfast started while I'm still in bed, or let guests DJ the party from their cell-phone, or have a robot put away my dishes as soon as the dishwasher is done, or automatically transfer the wash when it finishes. Or imagine a product that, when somebody leaves a package on your doorstep, alerts you via smartwatch, lets you view a security-camera view of the premises around your house, and then gives you the option to open the door, have a robot sweep the package inside, and then shuts & locks the door again. It's just that a.) nobody has produced a product that actually lets me do this (other than the DJ thing, which you can approximate with various streaming services) and b.) I want to make sure that nobody other than me can do these things. Until someone solves the security & usability aspects and the industry actually adopts those solutions, it's just a gimmick.

by petra 10y ago

nostrademons 10y ago

"Every person, the owner of a factory, able to profitably manufacture anything that they can design for a group of like-minded customers." That's the promise behind 3D printing + robotics + the Internet + drone delivery. "Live where your heart desires. Work on what your brain finds most interesting." Telecommuting + solar + mesh/satellite networking.

petra 10y ago
The first thing: it's remind me of Youtube which can, theoretically, make everybody a global star, yet only a rare few make a living out of it. Really, a more economically realistic vision(depending on moore's law) would be high-quality VR for everybody, so everybody can be where their heart desires.

marssaxman 10y ago

I like your list, except for IOT, which is innovation with negative value.

petra 10y ago
Thanks. And sure, consumer IOT is bullshit. But industrial IOT is very valuable.
- marssaxman 10y ago
  I hadn't heard of such a thing as "industrial IOT", but I can see how there might be a difference - more of an evolutionary development out of ordinary embedded control systems, I imagine. Do you have any examples handy? I'm curious what's going on in that field.
  - petra 10y ago
    Industrial(i.e. commercial) IOT examples: - waste disposal: system knows trash levels in each bin, allows optimization of routes, saving 30%. - agriculture: for trees: a bug trap, that measures the bug density in an area - allowing optimization of pesticide. etc for agriculture. - Smart sensors inside pipes, allowing cities to detect leaks in advance. Same for clogged pipes in restaurants. - Putting a lot of sensors in manufacturing processes, collection and analysis to see at what conditions there are problems with the product. - in restaurant chains, putting a lot of sensors, allowing management to keep an eye. also, measuring and tracking everything allows better stock management, critical in high-perishability stuff,
nostrademons 10y ago
Consumer IoT is actually pretty appealing, but it's been incredibly poorly executed so far. I would love to be able to get breakfast started while I'm still in bed, or let guests DJ the party from their cell-phone, or have a robot put away my dishes as soon as the dishwasher is done, or automatically transfer the wash when it finishes. Or imagine a product that, when somebody leaves a package on your doorstep, alerts you via smartwatch, lets you view a security-camera view of the premises around your house, and then gives you the option to open the door, have a robot sweep the package inside, and then shuts & locks the door again. It's just that a.) nobody has produced a product that actually lets me do this (other than the DJ thing, which you can approximate with various streaming services) and b.) I want to make sure that nobody other than me can do these things. Until someone solves the security & usability aspects and the industry actually adopts those solutions, it's just a gimmick.