Futurism

DARPA Wants To Teach Military Drones The Meaning Of Teamwork

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has recently announced that it wants to create drone squadrons that will have the ability to work together during combat and surveillance missions. The new project, posted as a solicitation on the Federal Business Opportunities website, seeks to make drones more effective and less dependent on human operators…

io9 Mark Strauss

This Is What Tent Cities Will Look Like After Peak Oil

This tent could one day be your home. It will provide you with shelter from the elements, food, energy, and purified water. Meet the Urban Algae Canopy — perfect for all your environmental apocalypse needs. This prototype is the brainchild of Italian design firm Carlo Ratti Associati, and were previewed during last month’s Milan Design…

io9 Annalee Newitz

Stephen Hawking Says A.I. Could Be Our ‘Worst Mistake In History’

The world’s most famous physicist is warning about the risks posed by machine superintelligence, saying that it could be the most significant thing to ever happen in human history — and possibly the last. As we’ve discussed extensively here at io9, artificial superintelligence represents a potential existential threat to humanity, so it’s good to see…

io9 George Dvorsky

How Iran Became One of the World’s Most Futuristic Countries

When we think about futurism, often we imagine cutting-edge technologies like bionic arms or weather machines for colonizing Mars. But if we really want to make it for another few centuries, we’re going to need something that Iran has already got. To understand Iran’s breakthrough, we need to go back in time to 1993, when…

io9 Annalee Newitz

All The Times Science Fiction Became Science Fact In One Chart

Not every science fiction story is meant to predict the future, but some of them have forecast future events with incredible accuracy. This timeline sketches out some of the most exciting examples of times that science fiction became fact. It’s the work of io9-reader Isabelle Turner (who used, among other sources, this io9 open channel)…

io9 Ria Misra

What Happens When A City Runs Out Of Water?

What would life be like in a city that’s running out of water? With droughts and water shortages striking around the world, this question is becoming more and more urgent. Jared Bales, a hydrologist and engineer with the USGS specializing in issues of water resources and quality, joined us today to take questions. And one…

io9 Ria Misra

Japan Has A Plan To Start Using Space-based Solar Power By The 2030s

In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, Japan has doubled its efforts to find a viable alternative to nuclear power. An updated proposal from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) seeks to solve the island nation’s energy woes — and it’s the much vaunted scifi-like idea of building an orbital farm. Space-based solar is an…

io9 George Dvorsky

Greenpeace Envisions A Nightmarish Future Populated By Robotic Bees

As part of Greenpeace’s “Save the Bees” campaign, the environmental organization is showcasing a faux advertisement depicting a future in which robots have replaced natural pollinators. But while well-intentioned, it’s a rather myopic view of where we’re likely headed. The video is not as outlandish as it appears (though the suggestion that robotic bees will…

io9 George Dvorsky

Brain-inspired Microchips Simulate One Million Neurons In Real Time

By modeling a circuit board on the human brain, Stanford bioengineers have developed microchips that are 9,000 times faster than a typical PC. Called Neurogrid, these energy-efficient circuits could eventually power autonomous robots and advanced prosthetic limbs. Bioengineers are smart to take inspiration from the human brain. It’s a highly efficient information processor capable of…

io9 George Dvorsky

Boosting Brain Power Comes At A Price

Studies show that mild electrical currents can accelerate a number of cognitive functions, such as learning and math. But researchers now say there are mental tradeoffs to doing so. About a year ago, a research team led by Rol Cohen Kadosh showed that transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) makes people better at math. It works…

io9 George Dvorsky

Afterparty Is A Cutting-Edge Story About How Science Will Change Us

Daryl Gregory’s Afterparty is a fantastic thrill ride, presenting an all-too-real future that upends our own world and replaces it with something far more strange. This is science fiction of the cutting edge, on par with stories such as William Gibson’s Neuromancer, McIntosh’s Soft Apocalypse and Orphan Black. Spoilers ahead… Consider, for a moment, the…

Books & Comics Andrew Liptak

This Is the Future New York City Where I Want to Live

This enormous building looks like a marine invertebrate has devoured the intersection of two major train lines in Queens. It’s part of a futuristic proposal to convert this transit hub into high density housing and live-work spaces. The thing is so crazy it just might work. Over at The Atlantic Cities, Jenny Xie describes the…

io9 Annalee Newitz

The Machine‘s Director Takes Us Inside The Worst-Case Scenario For A.I.

The Machine, in select theaters today, is a harrowing low-budget movie about what happens when the military tries to develop its own artificial intelligence. We spoke to writer/director Caradog W. James about his research on real-life military experiments, and the worst thing that could possibly happen with A.I. The Machine is a really beautiful film,…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders

Supercentenarian’s Blood Provides Clues To Extending Human Life

Prior to her death at the tender age of 115, Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper was the world’s oldest woman. Recently, scientists had the opportunity to study her blood — and what they discovered could have serious implications to the future of rejuvenation therapies. Supercentenarians are a rare breed — people who have reached the age of…

io9 George Dvorsky

Forget VR Sex — Here’s How Tech Will Actually Change Your Love Life

Our technologies are rapidly evolving, and with it, the very nature of our personal lives. Here’s how the era of tech-enabled intimacy will forever change the way we go about forming and maintaining relationships. One person who’s given this topic considerable thought is Heather Schlegel. She’s an award winning futurist and social scientist who investigates…

io9 George Dvorsky

The Latest Incarnation Of ASIMO Is Actually Quite Badass

Honda’s humanoid robot, ASIMO, recently celebrated its 14th birthday. The diminutive android has experienced some minor upgrades over the years, but nothing quite like it’s latest batch of enhancements. Just watch what ASIMO can do now. Lance Ulanoff and the team at Mashable recently attended a demonstration of the new-and-improved ASIMO at the International Auto…

io9 George Dvorsky

This Ridiculously Cool Hexapod Can Transform Into A Roving Ball

Norwegian engineer Kåre Halvorsen has unleashed his latest creation, a spider-like robot called MorpHex MKII that can retract its six legs and transform into a rolling ball. Halvorsen’s previous spiderbot could only roll around in circles, but this one can move in straight lines thus improving its stalking capabilities. It may also be the first…

io9 George Dvorsky

New Poll Shows The U.S. Is Extremely Confused About The Future

A recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that the majority of Americans are optimistic about the future. But when asked about specifics, they demonstrated a pronounced nervousness about some of the most plausible and beneficial advancements. Top image: Deus Ex: Human Revolution concept art by Jim Murray. According to the poll, 53%…

io9 George Dvorsky

10 Futurist Phrases And Terms That Are Complete Bullshit

Last month we told you about 20 terms every self-respecting futurist should know, but now it’s time to turn our attention to the opposite. Here are 10 pseudofuturist catchphrases and concepts that need to be eliminated from your vocabulary. Top image: Screen grab from Elysium. 1. “Transcendence” Some futurists toss this word around in a…

io9 George Dvorsky

Is Google Aiming Too Low By Planning A “Science Fictional” Future?

That new profile of Google X, Google’s mysterious futuristic project, includes the intriguing detail that all of Google X’s projects must have “a component that resembles science fiction.” That sounds ambitious and thrilling. But the Atlantic’s Robinson Meyer says that’s actually too narrow a view of the future. Meyer’s essay is worth checking out in…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders

DARPA Wants To Teach Military Drones The Meaning Of Teamwork

This Is What Tent Cities Will Look Like After Peak Oil

Stephen Hawking Says A.I. Could Be Our ‘Worst Mistake In History’

How Iran Became One of the World’s Most Futuristic Countries

All The Times Science Fiction Became Science Fact In One Chart

What Happens When A City Runs Out Of Water?

Japan Has A Plan To Start Using Space-based Solar Power By The 2030s

Greenpeace Envisions A Nightmarish Future Populated By Robotic Bees

Brain-inspired Microchips Simulate One Million Neurons In Real Time

Boosting Brain Power Comes At A Price

Afterparty Is A Cutting-Edge Story About How Science Will Change Us

This Is the Future New York City Where I Want to Live

The Machine‘s Director Takes Us Inside The Worst-Case Scenario For A.I.

Supercentenarian’s Blood Provides Clues To Extending Human Life

Forget VR Sex — Here’s How Tech Will Actually Change Your Love Life

The Latest Incarnation Of ASIMO Is Actually Quite Badass

This Ridiculously Cool Hexapod Can Transform Into A Roving Ball

New Poll Shows The U.S. Is Extremely Confused About The Future

10 Futurist Phrases And Terms That Are Complete Bullshit

Is Google Aiming Too Low By Planning A “Science Fictional” Future?

Trump Says He’ll Sign Order to Pay TSA

Deadpool Will Deface ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Classics for a New Secret Lair

Apple’s Siri Isn’t Just Going to Use One Chatbot. It’s Going to Use All of Them

Why ‘For All Mankind’ Season 5 Is the Key to the Rest of the Series

ASUS ZenScreen 15.6-Inch Portable Monitor Is Now Cheaper Than Black Friday in Amazon’s Big Spring Sale

Early Wildfires Are Surging Across the US—and Trump’s New Fire Agency Isn’t Ready

INIU Brings Another Power Bank to the Spring Sale as SnapGo Keychain Portable Charger Drops to Its Lowest Price

Attorney Hit With Historic Fine for Citing AI-Generated Cases

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

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