Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

What do you think is the most needed new technology, the most important technological break thru we could have today?

I'd think a couple would be likely contenders , you might think of others.

1. Clean practical large scale fusion power. End fossil fuel burning for power, great thing to do. Lower co2, less acid rain, less toxic coal waste. The benefits would just keep coming. Maybe even better if it use He3 as it is rare on earth but dirt common on the moon. (Literally dirt common, lunar soil is soaked with He3.) This would finally send humanity into space already. Plus we'd wipe out the moon nazis when we went to gather lunar He3. (Iron sky ref. )

2. Large scale mass industrial nanotech. Stuff that could nano-facture materials economically at the molecular level on industrial scales. Waste recycling would become very efficient and practical, medicines and materials could be made of discarded items, recycling would likely become more economic that mining. Whole landfills might be excavated for the processed materials in them for nano-cycling, freeing up vast tracts for development once decontaminated. Water could be desalinated in bulk. Food could be made directly from organic molecules. The total benefits are unforseeable but certainly awe inspiring.

Icd be happy with either one.

Fusion power is a good one, I'm not too familiar with nanotech. AI with the capacity to learn would be huge, an event horizon, but I don't know if it's the most needed new tech. Maybe it isn't even desirable.

Oh and terminator armour

Better Batteries.

We have plenty of options for mass generation of electricity, but terrible ways of storing it. If we could create batteries capable of powering a Semi-truck or Car for a week or so of continuous use that were no larger than a car's gas tank, we would see an explosion of new technologies. Being able to leave extension cords behind would be huge.

We could transition to electric vehicles on a massive scale, which if combined with mass acceptance of Nuclear power would see a huge drop in pollution from fossil fuels. Less money would be spent on fuel and could be used in other areas.

Exoskeletons and Power Armor would become viable. Even being able to carry 12 hours of charge would be enough to make them practical. We have literally all the necessary technology except a way to power them without a massive power cable following them around. Scaled up, we could even have giant Mecha suits.

If the battery tech was shrunk even further, we could see the first real advancement in Small Arms weapon technology since the very early 20th century with man-portable Railguns. Its actually quite sad how our gun technology really isn't any more advanced then it was in WW1. We've just maxed out technology that was all invented in the late 1800s, and had previously been advancing at a rapid pace. We hit a wall where true advancement just abruptly stopped, you just can't improve upon metallic cartridges and self-loading firearms.

 Grey Templar wrote:
Better Batteries.

We have plenty of options for mass generation of electricity, but terrible ways of storing it. If we could create batteries capable of powering a Semi-truck or Car for a week or so of continuous use that were no larger than a car's gas tank, we would see an explosion of new technologies. Being able to leave extension cords behind would be huge.

We could transition to electric vehicles on a massive scale, which if combined with mass acceptance of Nuclear power would see a huge drop in pollution from fossil fuels. Less money would be spent on fuel and could be used in other areas.

Exoskeletons and Power Armor would become viable. Even being able to carry 12 hours of charge would be enough to make them practical. We have literally all the necessary technology except a way to power them without a massive power cable following them around. Scaled up, we could even have giant Mecha suits.

If the battery tech was shrunk even further, we could see the first real advancement in Small Arms weapon technology since the very early 20th century with man-portable Railguns. Its actually quite sad how our gun technology really isn't any more advanced then it was in WW1. We've just maxed out technology that was all invented in the late 1800s, and had previously been advancing at a rapid pace. We hit a wall where true advancement just abruptly stopped, you just can't improve upon metallic cartridges and self-loading firearms.

You might like this.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconducting_magnetic_energy_storage

Population control.

We have plenty of resources to go around if we can limit and reduce the global population if we don't get that under control we're pretty much dooming ourselves to extinction.

I'd like to see advancements in stem cells that could maybe somehow facilitate the advanced healing of injuries. This is a personal gripe as I have a niggling rotator cuff injury that is being a pain to shift, amongst other aches and pains after a career in the forces and lifting weights.

However, the downside of this I could see is if it was developed it could spiral into the 'rejuvenat' therapy of 40k and the last thing we need is people living longer.

I don't think we need new technology as much as we need a better understanding of how psychology and sociology can help us to decide what new technology we can safely handle.

stanman wrote:Population control.

We have plenty of resources to go around if we can limit and reduce the global population if we don't get that under control we're pretty much dooming ourselves to extinction.

queen_annes_revenge wrote:I'd like to see advancements in stem cells that could maybe somehow facilitate the advanced healing of injuries. This is a personal gripe as I have a niggling rotator cuff injury that is being a pain to shift, amongst other aches and pains after a career in the forces and lifting weights.

However, the downside of this I could see is if it was developed it could spiral into the 'rejuvenat' therapy of 40k and the last thing we need is people living longer.

Aaaaand you're both right!

Both gender birth control would be great but we would need to overcome a lot of cultural resistance to contraception. It could lead to even lower birth rates in advanced countries while not reducing it in third world countries where ironically it's most needed.

As to stem cells, well they could do a lot like restoring eyesight lost to macular degeneration, battling alzheimers, maybe growing new organs, etc. The downside is that it could create an even worse gap between the rich and the poor in medial care terms and lead to a nearly immortal aristocracy. Read Joe Haldeman's "buying time" for what that could be like. Plus, do you want someone like Vladimir Putin around forever? Seriously.

Both your ideas are good, and both could be double eged chainswords.

 Kilkrazy wrote:
I don't think we need new technology as much as we need a better understanding of how psychology and sociology can help us to decide what new technology we can safely handle.

stop and think before we blindly forge ahead with this new idea? dont be silly. I agree, but I can't see it happening.

 Grey Templar wrote:
Better Batteries.

We have plenty of options for mass generation of electricity, but terrible ways of storing it. If we could create batteries capable of powering a Semi-truck or Car for a week or so of continuous use that were no larger than a car's gas tank, we would see an explosion of new technologies. Being able to leave extension cords behind would be huge.

We could transition to electric vehicles on a massive scale, which if combined with mass acceptance of Nuclear power would see a huge drop in pollution from fossil fuels. Less money would be spent on fuel and could be used in other areas.

Exoskeletons and Power Armor would become viable. Even being able to carry 12 hours of charge would be enough to make them practical. We have literally all the necessary technology except a way to power them without a massive power cable following them around. Scaled up, we could even have giant Mecha suits.

If the battery tech was shrunk even further, we could see the first real advancement in Small Arms weapon technology since the very early 20th century with man-portable Railguns. Its actually quite sad how our gun technology really isn't any more advanced then it was in WW1. We've just maxed out technology that was all invented in the late 1800s, and had previously been advancing at a rapid pace. We hit a wall where true advancement just abruptly stopped, you just can't improve upon metallic cartridges and self-loading firearms.

Sounds like not that good then if it's such a good source for new better weapons. Last thing humans need

Plastic equivalents that are somehow biodegradable, maybe once activated with UV or something.

Some efficient and practical way of clearing all the existing plastic waste out of the ocean and doing something meaningful with it.

Atm, most of our most brilliant minds are focusing on bio-mechanicals and DNA sequencing research.

Being able to cure disease or prevent it from birth is an ongoing drive for the human race and has loads of side options, not to mention pharmaceuticals making billions also enticing funding for such things.



However if we are going to make any major breakthroughs for humankind of the scientific front we need to focus on understanding and controlling gravity better.

If we can get to the point where we can control gravity there will be no more limits upon travel and expansion. We will freely be able to explore the galaxy and expand, not to mention gain the ability to build so many things that we currently cannot.

@birth control: read "Factfulness" by Hans Rosling, socioeconomic growth is the best contraceptive there is and global overpopulation doomsaying is based on 30-50 years old data and models. One more thing - demography is a bitch and western european countries are basically already extinct and must rely on mass migration to sustain. That said, natural population stability is the hardest state to achieve - it will rapidly decline if the global birth rate goes below 1.8 and anything above 2.2 is a growth we cannot sustain for long - we should have never allow for population to grow above early XX century levels in the first place and now we are basically left with bad choices only.

Personally, "the most needed new technology" should be a true game changer for the whole world socioeconomy, so only practical fusion power and supercapacitors are what qualifies for me as needed. As to medical progress - the mess we are in now is basically a result of single discovery - that of penicilin (see birth rates above), so I would be careful here, as medicine progress is great for personal and short term societal benefits, but a very hard nut to crack in a long term analysis of societies as a whole (rapid aging of society and demographic pyramid reversing is a huge problem in all developed countries). And with gene-editing on the rise and rapidly advancing neurosciences we are very close to "applied Aldous Huxley's Brave New World" levels of technological possibilities already. We even have artificial wombs...

Golden Throne. God-Emperor Trump ain’t getting any younger.

Teleporters - Solves travel for all, solves the fuel crisis as all the cars, lorrys and shipping can stop. Solves delivery times.

Heck it solves a lot of day to day issues and reduces climate change.

Yeah but then what happens if a fly gets stuck in the teleporter with you?

 Necros wrote:
Yeah but then what happens if a fly gets stuck in the teleporter with you?

You turn into Meth Goldblum.

Terraforming tech and Faster than Light travel ...


get me off this damn rock, I don't wanna live here any more

Carbon demitter which would decrease carbon dioxide in the atmosphere....

That and also carbon capturing, Air Cleaner.

Desalting machine that is energy efficient...

Microbots that can fix cancerous cells or deal with invading bacterial infections...

Auto Planner that that delegates tasks to you from a switchboard that is tied to your project management account that bases each task upon risk / reward / skill / time requirements.

 Asherian Command wrote:


Auto Planner that that delegates tasks to you from a switchboard that is tied to your project management account that bases each task upon risk / reward / skill / time requirements.

As fsr as I'm aware most humans already possess one of those, they live inside your skull.

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:

 Asherian Command wrote:


Auto Planner that that delegates tasks to you from a switchboard that is tied to your project management account that bases each task upon risk / reward / skill / time requirements.

As fsr as I'm aware most humans already possess one of those, they live inside your skull.

But they are easily nullified by wedding rings which replace all that with bespoke project requirements and time limits/schedules.

 Nostromodamus wrote:

 queen_annes_revenge wrote:

 Asherian Command wrote:


Auto Planner that that delegates tasks to you from a switchboard that is tied to your project management account that bases each task upon risk / reward / skill / time requirements.

As fsr as I'm aware most humans already possess one of those, they live inside your skull.

But they are easily nullified by wedding rings which replace all that with bespoke project requirements and time limits/schedules.

Exactly. Or better yet I don't like having to remember every single task that was given to me at the time, instead i something that delegates the time automatically for me.

Yeah, i was thiniing about possible technological breakthrus, like things we may alreayd be close to now. Antigravity might be nice but as far as I know we don;t even have a possiblity of it yet.

 Techpriestsupport wrote:
Yeah, i was thiniing about possible technological breakthrus, like things we may alreayd be close to now. Antigravity might be nice but as far as I know we don;t even have a possiblity of it yet.

Well that’s because we don’t really know what gravity actually is. How it actually works. We know a lot about what gravity does, that it’s related and directly proportional to mass. But we don’t know how different masses generate gravity, they just do it

 Grey Templar wrote:

 Techpriestsupport wrote:
Yeah, i was thiniing about possible technological breakthrus, like things we may alreayd be close to now. Antigravity might be nice but as far as I know we don;t even have a possiblity of it yet.

Well that’s because we don’t really know what gravity actually is. How it actually works. We know a lot about what gravity does, that it’s related and directly proportional to mass. But we don’t know how different masses generate gravity, they just do it

Well, one thing about my thread I wasn't clear enough on I guess (my bad ) is basically what breakthru should we focus on now, like a" Manhattan project" to make it happen.

Things like fusion and nanotech are technologies that are well researched and have been worked on for a while. We've made progress, but I'm tiured of fusion people being "maybe 20 years away" like it has been for ~50 years now. The manhannan project made a nuclear weapon in a few years. It was a tremendous investment of resources and money, but it got the job done. I don't care what we have to invest to get fusion going, we should do it and not 20 years from now.

Same for nanotech.

Now with gravity, there was a big story many years ago about spinning superconductors generating quantum gravity, but that kind of died on review. So now there's just no starting point on gravity tech. There are start points on fusion and nanotech.





Automatically Appended Next Post:

tneva82 wrote:

 Grey Templar wrote:
Better Batteries.

We have plenty of options for mass generation of electricity, but terrible ways of storing it. If we could create batteries capable of powering a Semi-truck or Car for a week or so of continuous use that were no larger than a car's gas tank, we would see an explosion of new technologies. Being able to leave extension cords behind would be huge.

We could transition to electric vehicles on a massive scale, which if combined with mass acceptance of Nuclear power would see a huge drop in pollution from fossil fuels. Less money would be spent on fuel and could be used in other areas.

Exoskeletons and Power Armor would become viable. Even being able to carry 12 hours of charge would be enough to make them practical. We have literally all the necessary technology except a way to power them without a massive power cable following them around. Scaled up, we could even have giant Mecha suits.

If the battery tech was shrunk even further, we could see the first real advancement in Small Arms weapon technology since the very early 20th century with man-portable Railguns. Its actually quite sad how our gun technology really isn't any more advanced then it was in WW1. We've just maxed out technology that was all invented in the late 1800s, and had previously been advancing at a rapid pace. We hit a wall where true advancement just abruptly stopped, you just can't improve upon metallic cartridges and self-loading firearms.

Sounds like not that good then if it's such a good source for new better weapons. Last thing humans need

Any real breakthru will help weapons in some way. We have to accept that.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Kilkrazy wrote:
I don't think we need new technology as much as we need a better understanding of how psychology and sociology can help us to decide what new technology we can safely handle.

there's a book you might like. "Voyage of the space beagle" by A.E. Van Vogt. It's a 1930's sf novel that has something similar to what you're suggesting here. The main character is a follower of nexialism, a science that focuses on how the mind works and how to improve it, make it less vulnerable to manipulation. You might like it. It began as a series of shot stories started in the 30's and was compiled into a single novel in the early 50's. I wish Vogt had dome more novels about NExialism and the nexial institute.

 Grey Templar wrote:

 Techpriestsupport wrote:
Yeah, i was thiniing about possible technological breakthrus, like things we may alreayd be close to now. Antigravity might be nice but as far as I know we don;t even have a possiblity of it yet.

Well that’s because we don’t really know what gravity actually is. How it actually works. We know a lot about what gravity does, that it’s related and directly proportional to mass. But we don’t know how different masses generate gravity, they just do it

Wasn't it what the Higgs Boson was supposed to answer and we recently (it think in 2017) confirmed its existence?

As for a new invention, I must admit better batteries of small size would be essential. better recycling methods would also be very important.

epronovost wrote:

Wasn't it what the Higgs Boson was supposed to answer and we recently (it think in 2017) confirmed its existence?

I'm not aware much about the Higgs Boson, but I don't recall any specific connection with gravity. Even it was connected to gravity, it still wouldn't explain how this weird particle causes every mass in the universe to be attracted to every other mass in the universe. For all practical purposes its magic. Much like Quantum Entanglement. We don't know why it works or how it works, we just know it does and how to cause certain particles to become entangled. Add in how Observing the quantum entanglement causes de-cohesion and the whole thing just screws with all logic.

Interaction with the higgs boson gives matter mass which is the basis of gravity. We still donct know how to manipulate gravity yet.

Something to clean at atmosphere of all greehouse gasses.