15 Tech Concepts You'll Need To Know In 2006
Scientific and technological breakthroughs can take years to develop, but when they leave the lab and enter the world at large, word spreads quickly. Here's a look at the advances you'll be hearing about in the coming year.
BY ALEX HUTCHINSON
Published in the January, 2006 issue.
Driver-Monitoring SystemInstead of just watching for hazards on the road, Toyota's latest precrash safety system is turning its attention to the most likely cause of an accident: you. This spring, Lexus models in Japan will be available with a camera mounted on the steering column that uses facial-recognition software to determine whether you're watching the road. If not, and the front-mounted radar sees you're getting too close to something, it will flash a light, then beep and tap the brakes if you persist in rubbernecking.
Body Area Network (BAN)Like everything else, implantable medical devices are going wireless. A new in-body antenna chip from Zarlink Semiconductor is in preproduction, and should appear in pacemakers and hearing implants this year. By transmitting data to and receiving instructions from nearby base stations, BAN chips can reprogram your heartbeat at your doctor's office or make a diagnosis from a bedside wireless monitor at home.
Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) already lets us make phone calls over the Internet. Now, IPTV is doing something similar for video. The advantage? Convergence. If your TV is tapped into the Internet, you can program your DVR to record over the Web from your office. Future applications may add interactivity to standard TV broadcasts. For example: multiple viewing angles for sports events. Telco SBC is betting an estimated $4 billion on its Project Lightspeed, which will roll out IPTV across the country this year.
MetadataIt used to be that a file was just a file, identified by a name and a three-letter extension. But computer storage has exponentially increased the number of files a PC can access. Programs such as word processors currently collect metadata--literally "data about data"--detailing who wrote each file; music programs such as iTunes automatically tag song files with album details from online databases. Apple's Tiger operating system automates the process of metadata collection and uses it to help you quickly search through huge amounts of data to find files on your computer. Likewise, Microsoft says metadata searches will be integrated into its Vista OS, which ships later this year.
NAND Flash MemoryCompared to the mini hard drives used in portable electronics, flash memory is smaller, has fewer moving parts and uses less power. But until recently, flash hasn't had the storage capacity to find its way into multigigabyte devices. NAND flash memory, however, can store huge amounts of data on tiny chips. (The NAND refers to the logic gate used in the circuits.) Last fall, Apple brought NAND chips into the hands of the public with the 2GB and 4GB iPod nano music players. Capacities will only increase. Samsung has announced that its 16GB NAND chip will be on the market before the end of 2006.
Nanoparticle BatteriesEven if your batteries lasted 10 times longer, they would still die at the wrong time. Toshiba is developing batteries that use nanoparticles to improve lithium-ion absorption during recharging--going from zero to 80 percent charge in 1 minute. This year, the batteries will appear in cars and factories, but they should eventually find their way to laptops and cellular phones.
SPIT (SPam over Internet Telephony)The spread of VoIP has been relatively peaceful--so far. But as its popularity has grown, hackers have developed an interest. One company, Internet Security Systems (ISS), found a security flaw in Cisco's VoIP technology last summer. In addition to hacking worries, VoIP can be used like e-mail to send a single voice message to thousands of recipients simultaneously, creating a telemarketer from hell. ISS's software already has some SPIT protection, but more will be needed when the problem explodes this year.
Micro Fuel CellsWe've been promised a fuel cell revolution for years, but now fuel cells small enough for portable electronics are making their way to market. Coming this year, UltraCell's paperback-size "reformed methanol" unit has twice the energy density of lithium-ion batteries and can power a laptop computer. Fuel cells for cellphones will have to wait for another year, but Toshiba recently demonstrated "direct methanol" prototypes, the size of a pack of gum, powering MP3 players.
Electronic Medical Records (EMR)A recent CDC study shows that less than a third of U.S. hospitals use electronic medical records, a situation that had dangerous repercussions in the chaos following Hurricane Katrina. It won't be easy--or cheap--to establish a secure, nationwide network that puts test results and prescriptions online, and allows national disease trends to be tracked. President Bush has proposed a $125 million budget for 2006 to develop EMR programs.
Coal GasificationThis technology turns coal into its gaseous elements, allowing pollutants like sulfur to be stripped from the gas before it's burned--turning "dirty coal" into a cleaner fuel. The basic technique has been around for a century, but pollution concerns and rising energy costs are spurring new development. Power plants in Illinois, Ohio and Indiana have started the engineering design process, which should be complete by this fall.
Perpendicular StorageCurrent hard drives use longitudinal storage, with magnetic bits laid out end to end. If the bits are packed perpendicularly, you save space--like dominoes standing on end rather than lying flat. Hitachi estimates that by the end of the decade, perpendicular drives could store 10 times more data than today's drives.
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