Technology Convergence and Visioning the Future

In today’s technological digital era and future prospective, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology and IT are moving closer to form a new dimension. Convergence technology is a progressive and exciting career path for current and future generation, changing the lives of millions of people every day. The way we as a individuals communicate, travel, plan our days, listen to music, watch movies, store & retrieve personal information, working with all across the world and our live is affected by the convergence of technologies – voice, data, image and video – into one flexible network.

Technology convergence to caused changes in all aspects of our lives by rewriting the rules for those living in the next century. We interact with colleagues remotely via the network and working either at home or often at some place far from the central office. This is affecting us already, but as we will see more, people will pay less attention to their neighbors and spend more time communicating with other on line, human communities will be reshaped as a result. Personal isolation may also be a significant byproduct in learning or teaching as well. Education is likely to be the common denominator that will separate and stratify our society, causing greater inequality.

Just looking at the possibilities before us today – something we would not have possibly imagined even at the turn of the millennium.

Here’s how technology convergence affecting today and enhancing our performance and saving time:

We try to work and communicate with families remotely. Soon we will be only on the network with our virtual personality.We don’t receive physical salary checks or dollars anymore; we can see on our computers if our salary has been credited to our bank account. Between several hundred employees, over a year, surely a tree must have been saved.Our initial fears of giving away our credit card number on an e-commerce site have all but now it is disappeared.Sale of digital cameras will overtake that of film cameras in near future.We are questioning our family physician or even specialist about the course of treatment on our second visit, having done some extensive research about the diagnosed ailment on the web.In many countries now, we don’t have to physically buy an air ticket. We can print the boarding pass, with a barcode, choose our seats, pay through our credit card, and simply check in. It saves us time, and the aggravation of a queue and traffic. Facebook and Google are working on providing the network access and making available in areas where they don’t have full & fast network access.Cloud storage demand and requirements are going to increase for use of common modes like DNA sequencing, genome sequencing and exome sequencing. Sequencing machines are spewing out more data.

Convergence of nanotechnology and biotechnology with cognitive science could produce new kinds of cosmetics that change with the user’s moods, enhancing the person’s emotional expressiveness.

Components of wearable computers could be packaged in scintillating jewelry, automatically communicating thoughts and feelings between people who are metaphorically and electronically “on the same wave length.”

Biotechnology could produce new materials that would be combined in manufacturing with nanotechnology-based information technology to produce clothing that automatically adjusts to changing temperatures and weather conditions. Perhaps the colors and apparent textures of this “smart clothing” would adjust also to the wearer’s activities and social environment.

Technological developments are already affecting gender stratification. People are promise to propel the trend toward gender equality by centering on manipulating ideas that are gender neutral.

The elimination of face-to-face communication will also eliminate the need to know a person’s sex, race, or age.

The following long-term implications of converging technologies in key areas of human activity:

Societal productivity, in terms of well being as well as economic growth.Security from natural and human-generated disasters.Individual and group performance and communication.Life-long learning, graceful aging, and a healthy life.Coherent technological developments and their integration with human activities.Human evolution, including individual and cultural evolution.

The change is revolutionary and changing how we interact with people in work place and between companies. Industrial companies are becoming customer service companies. Consumer products companies are becoming Internet companies. Energy companies are becoming information companies. And media and entertainment companies are becoming logistics companies.

In the future, we will be developing Robots and working with virtual colleague remotely in all across the world. We will be working on developing and commercialization of interactive TV as the next wave of technology that will affect the way we watch movies, learned various topics in school, the way music is taught in the schools and in the home or studio. In today’s world, ourselves are becoming preoccupied with virtual culture. Interactive computer-based instruction is fast eliminating the need to travel to classrooms to learn, receive, and complete assignments.

More people will be working in the future for companies that improves human health, physical capabilities and human performance.

I have identified the following area with breakthroughs:

Nano-bio processors for research and development of treatment.Bio-Informatics.Genomics and Proteomics.Nano-technology-based implants and regenerative Bio-Systems as replacements for human organs or for monitoring of physiological well-being.Nanoscale machines and comparable unobtrusive tools for medical intervention.Brain-to-brain and brain-to-machine interfaces.Virtual technological environment for training, design, workplace.Virtual data storage and Leap motion devices only.Digital Voice communication with H/W devices, Cars and Airplanes.Universal & Unified Car Technology.Human Voice cloning. Famous Singer’s voice will be alive forever. Software Applications will convert text into voice with your choice of singers.

在当今数字化技术时代乃至未来展望中，纳米技术（Nanotechnology）、生物技术（Biotechnology）与信息技术（IT）正日益趋近，共同构建全新的技术维度。技术融合（Convergence technology）作为兼具前瞻性与创新性的发展路径，每日都在改变着千百万人的生活。我们作为个体的沟通方式、出行规划、日常安排、音乐聆听、影视观赏、个人信息存储与调取，以及全球协同工作的模式，皆因语音、数据、图像与视频技术融合为统一灵活的网络而发生改变。

技术融合重塑了下个世纪人们的生活准则，从方方面面改变着我们的生活。我们可通过网络与同事远程协作，居家办公或在远离总部的任意地点开展工作。这一变革已切实影响着我们的生活；随着技术融合的深入，人们将更少关注邻里互动，转而更多投入在线社交，人类社群也将因此迎来重塑。在线学习与教学过程中，个人疏离感也可能成为显著的副产品。教育或将成为分化、层级化社会的核心因素，进一步加剧社会不平等。

仅审视当下摆在我们面前的种种可能性，便足以让我们惊叹——即便在千禧年之交，这些场景也绝非我们所能想象。以下便是技术融合如何在当下赋能我们、提升效率并节省时间的具体体现：

我们可通过远程方式开展工作、与家人沟通；不久的将来，我们或将仅以虚拟人格依托网络存在。我们不再领取实体薪资支票或现金，而是可通过电脑端查看薪资是否已汇入银行账户。若以数百名员工为例，一年下来便可节省大量纸质耗材，相当于挽救了一棵树木。我们最初对于在电子商务（E-commerce）网站泄露信用卡号的担忧，如今已基本消散。不久的将来，数码相机的销量将超越胶片相机。在首次就诊后，我们可通过网络对确诊病症展开充分调研，随后便可向家庭医生乃至专科医生详细咨询治疗方案。如今在诸多国家，我们无需线下购买机票：可自行打印带条形码的登机牌、预选座位、通过信用卡完成支付，随后直接办理登机手续。此举不仅节省了时间，还免去了排队与通勤的烦扰。脸书（Facebook）与谷歌（Google）正致力于在网络覆盖不全、速率不足的地区提供网络接入服务。随着DNA测序（DNA sequencing）、基因组测序（genome sequencing）与外显子测序（exome sequencing）等常规技术的应用，云存储（Cloud storage）的需求与日俱增。测序设备正源源不断地生成海量数据。

纳米技术、生物技术与认知科学的融合，或将催生可随使用者情绪变化的新型化妆品，增强个人的情感表达能力。可穿戴计算机的组件可集成于光彩夺目的首饰之中，实现人与人之间的思想与情感自动传递——即便双方在物理空间上相隔甚远，也能通过电子技术实现“同频共振”。生物技术可研发出新型材料，与基于纳米技术的信息技术相结合，制造出可自动适配温度与天气变化的服装。这类“智能服饰”的色彩与外观纹理，或许还可根据穿着者的活动场景与社交环境进行调整。

技术发展已对社会性别分层产生影响；人们正致力于通过构建性别中立的理念，推动性别平等趋势的发展。面对面沟通的减少，也将让我们无需再关注他人的性别、种族与年龄。

以下为技术融合在人类核心活动领域所带来的长期影响：
- 社会生产力：涵盖民生福祉与经济增长
- 灾害防控：抵御自然与人为灾害
- 个体与群体的表现及沟通效率
- 终身学习、优雅衰老与健康生活
- 协同技术发展及其与人类活动的融合
- 人类演化：包括个体演化与文化演化

这场变革具有革命性意义，重塑了职场与企业间的人际互动模式：工业企业正转型为客户服务型企业，消费产品企业正转型为互联网企业，能源企业正转型为信息企业，而媒体与娱乐企业正转型为物流企业。

未来，我们将研发机器人，并与遍布全球的虚拟同事远程协作；我们还将推动交互式电视的研发与商业化，这一技术浪潮将重塑我们的观影方式、学校中的学科学习模式，以及学校、家庭或工作室中的音乐教学模式。当下，我们正日益沉浸于虚拟文化；基于计算机的交互式教学正快速取代线下课堂学习，让我们无需前往教室即可完成课程学习与作业提交。

未来，将有更多人投身于致力于提升人类健康水平、身体机能与综合表现的企业。

我已梳理出以下具备突破潜力的领域：
- 用于治疗研发的纳米生物处理器（Nano-bio processors）
- 生物信息学（Bio-Informatics）
- 基因组学与蛋白质组学（Genomics and Proteomics）
- 基于纳米技术的植入物与再生生物系统（Bio-Systems）：用于人体器官替代或生理健康监测
- 纳米级机械与同类无创工具：用于医疗干预
- 脑-脑接口与脑-机接口（Brain-to-brain and brain-to-machine interfaces）
- 用于培训、设计与职场场景的虚拟技术环境
- 虚拟数据存储与Leap Motion体感设备
- 与硬件（H/W）设备、汽车及飞机联动的数字语音通信
- 通用统一汽车技术
- 人声克隆技术：可让知名歌手的声音永久留存，软件应用可将文本转换为指定歌手的语音