< Previous6 /10 3 TRL /9 B ODY AREA NETWORKS, which is in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with trying to turn the human body, and all its individual systems, into the biological equivalent of a computer-like communications and data network which has better security than almost all of today’s wireless authentication systems, like Bluetooth. Recent breakthroughs in the field include using low power magnetic fields and wearables to turn the human body into a data network which, when combined with other technologies such as Biological Computing and Organic Networks could open up a phenomenal range of weird and interesting opportunities. DEFINITION Body Area Networks is the technology that turns the human body into the equivalent of a computer data network. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today researchers are using the technology to turn the human body into data networks that, in turn, they were able to use as a form of unique, and presently unhackable authentication system to enable bluetooth-like secure payments. And as we look ahead at what the future could hold this use case alone opens the door to some exciting new security applications. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow at an accelerating rate, primarily led by organisations in the Technology sector, with support from university grants. In time we will see the technology mature, at which point it will then have to overcome some serious regulatory hurdles if it’s to stand any chance of being fully commercialised. While Body Area Networks are in the Prototype Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by advances in Biological Computing, Organic Networks, as well as potentially Nanobots, Nanomachines, and Nanoparticles, but at this point in time it is not clear what they will be replaced by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, experiment with it, and forecast out the implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 2 2 2 5 4 2 2 7 1988 2001 2019 2035 2052 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘21 BODY AREA NETWORKS EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 220311institute.com 2 /9 MRL7 /10 9 TRL /9 C OGNITIVE RADIO, which is in the Prototype Stage and early Productisation Stage, is the field of research involved with creating radio based communication platforms that can be programmed and configured dynamically to use the best wireless channels in their vicinity in order to avoid radio spectrum congestion, and interference. Recently there have been several breakthroughs in the field after researchers embedded Artificial Intelligence into their platforms which not only helped boost their platforms ability to detect interference, but also helped them their platforms respond in real time to minimise the impact. DEFINITION Cognitive Radio is a form of wireless communication where a transceiver can intelligently detect which communication channels are free and instantly move into them. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using Cognitive Radio to help improve the radio quality for emergency responders, and to create the next generation of military communications platforms that cannot be jammed by increasingly advanced and technologically capable enemies. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow, with the main investments coming from aerospace, defence, government, and industry consortiums. While Cognitive Radio is in the Prototype Stage, over the long term it will be enhanced by advances in Artificial Intelligence, and in Nano-Manufacturing which will let researchers create new communications platforms capable of harnessing new parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, and potentially replaced by Nil Communication and new Quantum Communications technologies. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, experiment with it, with a view to implementing it, and forecast out the potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 4 7 4 8 7 4 4 8 1998 2007 2011 2016 2030 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22 COGNITIVE RADIO EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 221311institute.com 9 /9 MRL5 /9 3 /10 6 TRL /9 D ELAY TOLERANT NETWORKS, which are in the early Productisation Stage, is the field of research concerned with creating communication networks that can withstand long breaks and delays in the communications chain, such as when a satellite moves out of position when a space agency is trying to communicate with the International Space Station, or a network failure. Delay Tolerant Networks (DTN) work by managing these breaks in availability by letting each node in the network temporarily store the data that goes through them and then waiting for the best moment to pass that data along. DEFINITION Delay Tolerant Networks are communications networks designed to withstand long delays or outages in the data transmission chain. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using Delay Tolerant Networks to send information from Earth to the International Space Station (ISS). In the future though primary applications will include using them to communicate with people and things where the communications chains are frequently broken or poor, such as in caves, the deep ocean, or in outer space, as well as in denied environments where communications are being specifically jammed by adversaries, and areas subject to frequent network breaks. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade research in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow, primarily led by aerospace, defence, and government funding, university grants, and industry consortiums. While Delay Tolerant Networks are in the early Productisation Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Internet, and Quantum Sensors, but not replaced. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, and re-visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 2 3 3 8 8 3 3 8 1985 2012 2018 2026 2032 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT DELAY TOLERANT NETWORKS STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 222311institute.com MRL9 /9 7 /10 9 TRL /9 L OW EARTH ORBIT PLATFORMS, a GENERAL PURPOSE TECHNOLOGY, which are in the Productisation Stage, is the field of research concerned with building networks of satellites that orbit the Earth at altitudes of between 400 and 1,000 miles. As the cost of building and launching satellites, thanks to Advanced Manufacturing techniques, and re- useable rocket launch systems help drop the price of building and launching these platforms by more than a hundred fold this realm of space is becoming increasingly accessible and democratised. As a result organisations are now lining up to commercialise it. DEFINITION Low Earth Orbit platforms are satellite systems that orbit between 400 and 1,000 miles above the Earth’s surface. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using Low Earth Orbit Platforms to bring connectivity to every individual on the planet by launching 4,200 LEO satellites that can blanket the Earth with coverage and connect the last 3.5 Billion people, and launching new satellite platforms that can monitor and surveill the Earth and everyone and everything on it in real time in high definition, and starting to lay the foundations for the first large scale off Earth manufacturing facilities. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow at an accelerating rate, primarily led by visionary space start ups that want to push the boundaries, and the more visionary established space organisations. While Low Earth Orbit Platforms are in the Productisation Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by advances in Advanced Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Energy and propulsion, and Robotics, but not replaced. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, experiment with it, with a view to implementing it, and forecast out the potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 6 5 3 9 9 8 7 9 1959 1961 1965 1968 2028 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23, ‘24 LOW EARTH ORBIT PLATFORMS EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 223311institute.com MRL7 /9 2 /10 9 TRL /9 L OW POWER WIDE AREA NETWORKS, a GENERAL PURPOSE TECHNOLOGY, which are in the Productisation Stage, is the field of research concerned with the development of new low power communications platforms that use both licensed and unlicensed radio spectrum to allow organisations to create wide area networks capable of connecting and communicating with the billions of individual sensors and things that make up the Internet of Things. While there are now a number of competing LPWAN standards, including LORA, Narrowband-IOT, and Sigfox, increasingly there is a fight brewing between the incumbent telecommunications providers who want their chargeable licensed spectrum standards to be the preferred standard, and start ups in the space who want their unlicensed, non- proprietary standards to be the winner. As a result it is likely that there will be multiple competing standards for a while, until the favourites break away from the pack, which will continue to confuse consumers and hinder adoption. DEFINITION Low Power Wide Area Networks are wireless networks that allow the long range communication, at a low bit rates, between different wide spread devices, sensors and things. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using Low Power Wide Area Networks to connect hundreds of millions of internet of Things devices, from agricultural machinery and industrial robotics platforms, to Vehicle to X infrastructure and Smart Cities, so the use cases, even through this is a communications technology, are unlimited. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow at an accelerating rate, primarily led by organisations in the Communications and Technology sectors. While Low Power Wide Area Networks are in the Productisation Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by advances in Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Cognitive Radio, and Mesh Networks, but not replaced. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, experiment with it, with a view to implementing it, and forecast out the potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 8 8 5 8 8 7 6 8 1983 1995 2005 2009 2032 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT LOW POWER WIDE AREA NETWORKS STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 224311institute.com MRL3 /9 7 /10 4 TRL /9 M OLECULAR COMMUNICATIONS, which is in the Concept Stage and Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with understanding how molecules and other chemicals and compounds in organic and inorganic systems communicate with one another, and discovering new ways to influence and control the mechanisms behind them for human benefit. While research in the area is very specialist, and the field is very complex, Molecular Communications is an area of increasing interest as researchers around the world build the first Biological, Chemical, DNA, Liquid and Molecular Computer platforms, and build and design new Semi-Synthetic and Synthetic cells and designer organisms. And that’s all before we discuss the advances we’ve seen recently in creating Nanobots and Nano-Machines capable of cruising the body’s blood stream, hunting down and killing disease, and performing basic in vivo surgery. DEFINITION Molecular Communication is where biological and hybrid cells and Nanomachines use molecules to communicate with one another and other systems to perform coordinated actions. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today the first Molecular Communications prototypes are being used to build enzyme engines that power the Nanobots that one day will seek out cancer within the human body, improve the accuracy and efficiency of new, powerful CRISPR Gene Editing and mRNA tools, and build the first generations of Biological, Chemical, DNA, Liquid, Molecular Computer platforms, and Nano-Sensors. In the future the other primary uses cases for the technology will also include the development of new materials, and even more extraordinary applications than we are examining today. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow at an accelerating rate, primarily led by organisations in the Biotech, Healthcare, and Technology sectors, as well as university grants. While Molecular Communications are in the Concept Stage and Prototype Stage, over the long term it will be enhanced by advances in Nanotechnology and Synthetic Biology, and replaced by Atomic Communication. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, and re-visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 4 2 2 4 7 3 2 7 1973 1984 1998 2027 2048 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘17, ‘18, ‘19 MOLECULAR COMMUNICATIONS EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 225311institute.com MRL3 /9 3 /10 4 TRL /9 N IL COMMUNICATION, which are in the Concept Stage and very early Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with sending data in new ultra-secure ways, and recently researchers discovered how to send data without sending data, and doing so without having to use particles, which are the foundation of how all data is transmitted today whether it’s sending E-Mails with electrons, or listening to music using air molecules. In order to accomplish their feat the researchers involved managed to send data without sending data and communicate using a phenomenon known as the Quantum Zeno effect, and Quantum Wave Functions. And yes, I know how weird all that sounds, but now that the first prototypes have been built and tested, this could be one of, if not the most secure forms of communication ever known. DEFINITION Nil Communication is the process of exploiting quantum mechanics to send information without transmitting any data. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today the first Nil Communication prototypes have been used to demonstrate the feasibility of the technology, and so far the tests, which sent information without sending information, used Quantum Zeno waves to accomplish their feat. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow at an accelerating rate, but it will be from a very low base and primarily led by organisations in the Defence sector, assisted by specialist Government funding. While Nil Communications are in the Concept Stage and very early Prototype Stage, at this point in time it is unclear what it will be replaced by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, and re-visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 1 1 1 4 5 1 1 7 2003 2007 2018 2040 2058 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT NIL COMMUNICATION STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 226311institute.com MRL2 /9 7 /10 4 TRL /9 O RGANIC NETWORKS, which are in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with finding new ways to leverage biology and biological systems to create the next generation of computer-like communication and data networks, and recently there have been a number of developments in the space. Recently researchers have discovered and designed new technologies that connect biological and artificial systems together which allow the quick and uninterrupted flow of data between previously distinct biological and digital systems, thereby opening the door to the development of completely new hybrid communications, computing, electronics, and health opportunities. DEFINITION Organic Networks are computer-like data networks that are made from exclusively biological and, or organic components. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today the first Organic Networks are being used to test the theory but it is not hard to imagine how they could be used to create entirely new classes of computing and electronics that marry together the best of both organic and non-organic worlds, as well as how they could be used to compliment other healthcare innovations, such as Bio-Hybrid Organs, and accelerate the symbiosis and unification of Man and Machine, whether it be in the form of AI Symbiosis, Human 2.0, or the Singularity. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow at an accelerating rate, primarily led by organisations in the Healthcare and Technology sectors, with support from government funding and university grants. In time we will see the technology become mature at which point it will revolutionise multiple technology fields and fuel a new technology revolution. While Organic Networks are in the Prototype Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by advances in 3D and 4D Printing, Bio-Hybrid Organs, Bioelectronic Medicine, Biological Computing, Brain Machine Interfaces, Genetic Engineering, Neuro-Prosthetics, Synthetic Biology, and Synthetic Cells, but at this point in time it is not clear what they will be replaced by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, experiment with it, and forecast out the implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 2 2 2 4 8 2 2 8 1971 1987 2020 2050 2065 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: NONE ORGANIC NETWORKS EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 227311institute.com MRL2 /9 5 /10 4 TRL /9 P ETABIT NETWORKS, a General Purpose Technology, which are in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with trying to develop ultra-fast network systems that can transmit petabits worth of data per second. Recently there have been some major breakthroughs in the space, at both the compute and network level with researchers managing to push upto 11Pbs through aggregated network equipment, and nearly 2Pbs via a 15 core fiber optic cable - enough brandwidth to download over 230 Million photographs per second and more traffic than travels through the entire internet’s backbone network per second. On a smaller scale researchers have also managed to deliver over 1Pbs over standard local 4 Core Fiber, which means that one day your local broadband connection could finally fill your data fetish. DEFINITION Petabit Networks are networks capable of transmitting over one quadrillion bits of data per second. EXAMPLE USE CASES The obvious use cases for this technology are to support the internet’s connectivity backbone and provide massive amounts of bandwidth to countries, organisations, and eventually individuals. However, while it’s one thing to have access to networks that are capable of running at these massive speeds the real question is what data needs could ever possibly come close to maxing them out. Perhaps those of an Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI) ... FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see interest in this field accelerate, predominantly led by the Communications and Defence sectors, with support from government grants. Today data is oil, as they say, and it’s arguably the world’s most valuable commodity so being able to shuttle massive volumes of it around the world at insane speeds is an advantage While Petabit Networks are still in the Prototype Stage they could be enhanced by advances in AI, Exascale Computing, Federated Supercomputing, Laser technology, Materials, Photonic Computing, and other technologies, however over the long term it’s unclear what it could be superceded by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, and re-visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 4 4 2 8 9 4 2 9 1983 1991 2020 2034 2042 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT PETABIT NETWORKS STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘23, ‘24 228311institute.com MRL EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech.6 /9 6 /10 9 TRL /9 P SEUDO SATELLITES, which are in the Productisation Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing high altitude platforms that fly close to the Earth’s Stratosphere, acting as a half way house, per se, between Low Earth Orbit Platforms, such as satellites, and ground based stations. Currently there is a lot of buzz around these platforms as companies race to create and deploy platforms, from passive balloons to highly advanced drones with wingspans larger than a 747’s, that provide organisations with new ways to provide a whole new range of services that up until recently were either infeasible or impossible without the use of expensive satellite systems. DEFINITION Pseudo Satellites are high-altitude aircraft or platforms that are designed to fill in the gaps between satellites and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using Pseudo Satellites to provide connectivity services to disaster zones and remote areas of the planet, as well as using them to create Persistent Surveillance Systems that can monitor and police entire cities in real time with just one or more drones. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow at an accelerating rate, primarily led by organisations in the Aerospace, Communications and Technology sectors. While Pseudo Satellites are in the Productisation Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by advances in Artificial Intelligence, 3D Printing, Drones, Optics, Photovoltaics, Self- Healing Materials, and Virtual Reality, but it is unlikely that they will be replaced. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, explore the field, establish a point of view, experiment with it, with a view to implementing it, and forecast out the potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 8 5 6 9 7 7 6 9 1993 1998 2009 2017 2032 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘23 PSEUDO SATELLITES EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 229311institute.com MRLNext >