This article is part of our Innovation in America series, in which Foolish writers highlight examples of innovation going on today and what they see coming in the future.
Author's note: This is a fictional story exploring how several major technological trends shape one man's life 10 years from now. It is the final part of a three-part series that examines the possible progress of technology over the coming decade.
Family ties Johnny is now 33 years old and has become a senior roboticist at Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) X. He and his wife are trying to conceive their first child. They want their offspring to have the best possible opportunities available in a rapidly changing world. Today, Johnny and his wife are going to visit the Silicon Valley Genomic Institute for a full genomic analysis. The institute is not known only for its analytical capabilities. It has evolved from that original focus to become one of the most advanced human genetic engineering facilities in the United States.
Automated world Johnny and his wife travel to the institute in an autonomously driven car controlled by Google technology. It's been more than a decade since Google first developed successful self-driving cars, but legislation and costs posed major obstacles to widespread consumer adoption until the start of the 2020s. Now, thanks to automation, a great deal of Northern California's transportation infrastructure has been taken over by automation.
The roads would seem eerily sparse to a driver in 2012. Most knowledge workers now find telecommuting more rewarding and efficient than going to an office, and cost-conscious corporations encourage the behavior shift. Many travel-dependent jobs have either moved online or have been superseded by autonomous vehicles and unmanned aerial transports, which number in the tens of thousands over American skies.
Most vehicles Johnny's car passes on the way to the institute are automated transport vehicles delivering packages for FedEx, with a few others bearing families to vacation spots or medical appointments. They communicate with each other using a connected vehicle web, each vehicle transmitting vital information to nearby vehicles and to central communication servers installed in the spaces formerly occupied by traffic control devices.
Did you know? California, Hawaii, Arizona, and Oklahoma have all crafted legislation for regulating autonomous cars on public roads, and Nevada already allows it.
The institute is a gleaming monument to medical science, towering four stories over a quiet tree-lined neighborhood. It's one of the few locations in the area with significant traffic. As Johnny and his wife leave their car, an unmanned Boeing (NYSE: BA) transport helicopter whirs into view, descending to the institute's roof to deliver sensitive supplies. Cameras in the entry alcove scan the pair's eyes as they approach, granting access to the institute.
Did you know? The Federal Aviation Administration will develop regulations to allow unmanned commercial aircraft over American airspace by 2015.
A sparse reception area greets Johnny and his wife just beyond the doors. There is no one waiting to greet them, but the word "information" is printed on the far wall above a semicircular desk, on which sits a luminescent cube. Johnny waves his arm over it. Sensors in his wristband computer communicate with the cube, seamlessly transferring more specific appointment information to the wristband while also uploading Johnny's encrypted personal details to the institute's record servers.
Here is the original post:
Innovation in America: A Tale of the Decade to Come
Recommendation and review posted by G. Smith
