< Previous3 /9 7 /10 4 TRL /9 D IGITAL METAMATERIALS, which are in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing an entirely new class of digitised materials whose properties can be altered and tuned on demand. Recent breakthroughs in the space include the development of the first viable blueprint architecture that could be used to create Digital Metamaterials with extraordinary properties that include but are not limited to changing the acoustic, electromagnetic, strength, and tensile properties of materials, with some of the most interesting examples being the ability to tune and turn on and off properties such as invisibility cloaking and the ability to turn soft materials rock hard at will. DEFINITION Digital Metamaterials are Metamaterials that can be digitally controlled and tuned in order to produce a range of different unatural properties and functionalities. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using Metamaterials to create invisibility cloaks, new forms of acoustic cloaking systems, and communications antennae. In the future the primary use case of this technology will be to create fully digitised materials and metamaterials that can assume almost any property or combination of properties imaginable, including but not limited to changing the acoustic, electromagnetic, strength, and tensile properties of materials, and as a result they will have a wide variety of 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, albeit from a very low base, primarily led by organisations in the Consumer Electronics sector, with support from univesity grants. In time we will see the technology mature to the point where researchers are able to beam high quality content directly into users eyes, but there will likely be significant cultural and regulatory hurdles to be overcome before the technology can be adopted. While Digital Metamaterials are in the Prototype Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by advances in Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Electronics, Graphene, Metamaterials, and Nano-Antennae, 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 potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 2 3 2 2 9 1 1 8 2018 2019 2023 2031 2037 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT DIGITAL METAMATERIALS STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘20, ‘21, ‘24 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 350311institute.com MRL3 /9 2 /10 5 TRL /9 E LECTROCALORIC MATERIALS, which are in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing materials that are able to change temperature in response to nothing more than an electrical stimulus. Recently researchers have made great strides in reducing the cost of the technology and have proved its viability in helping organisations create green zero emission heating and cooling systems which today account for over 15% of all Greenhouse Gas emissions. DEFINITION Electrocaloric Materials are materials that show a reversible temperature change under an applied electric field. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today researchers are using these materials to heat and cool environments, and have integrated the technology into domestic freezers and fridges. In the future this technology could be used to create Solid State Coolants which would have a huge number of use cases in everything from helping to cool computing devices and smart devices, through to heating and cooling vehicles. 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 Consumer Electronics, and Energy sector, with support from university grants. In time we will see the cost of the technology decrease to a point where it is competitive with more traditional polluting materials which, once it becomes capable of being manufactured and integrated at scale, could then put it on a collision course to replace them in all manner of products. While Electrocaloric Materials are in the Prototype Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by advances in Artificial Intelligence, as well as Advanced Manufacturing and Energy, 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 5 6 4 7 7 5 4 8 1955 1971 1984 2024 2031 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘21 ELECTROCALORIC MATERIALS EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 351311institute.com MRL2 /9 2 /10 4 TRL /9 F LEXIBLE CERAMICS, which are in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing ceramics that are flexible rather than brittle like traditional ceramics. Recently there have been a number of breakthroughs in the field with researchers developing ceramics that are fully flexible and even foldable under stress but that still possess the durability, lightness, and thermal properties of traditional ceramics which makes them the ideal candidates for all manner of use cases that traditional ceramics haven’t been ble to fulfil. DEFINITION Flexible Ceramics are ceramic-like materials capable of bending and flexing when under stress. EXAMPLE USE CASES Ceramics have all manner of use cases today but their brittle nature has limited their broader use. Now however Flexible Ceramics have the potential to be used in everything from gas and jet turbines, as well as in Fusion torexes, where the stresses and heat are extreme, and also in light weight body armour, prosthetics, exosuits, robotics, weapons, and even in traditional consumer electronics such as ovens and smartphones. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see interest in this field accelerate, predominantly led by the aerospace and manufacturing sectors, with government grants. Ceramics are amazingly light and durable materials but their brittleness has so far severely limited their broader use, especially in defence. Now though the latest developments mean that we could finally see them break out of their niche and into the mainstream especially in use cases where so far aluminium, steel, and titanium alloys, as well as other super alloys, have traditionally dominated. While Flexible Ceramics are in the Prototype Stage over the longer term they could be enhanced by advances in 3D and 4D Printing, AI, Nanomanufacturing, Polymers, Quantum Computing, and other technologies, however over the long term it’s unclear what it could be superseded 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 potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 4 4 4 7 9 4 3 8 1956 1981 2022 2032 2040 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT FLEXIBLE CERAMICS STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘23, ‘24 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 352311institute.com MRL8 /9 2 /10 9 TRL /9 G RAPHENE, which is in the Prototype Stage and early Productisation Stage, is the field of research concerned with the development of new Graphene manufacturing processes and products. Recently breakthroughs have included discovering new ways to cost efficiently manufacture Graphene at moderate, but not mass, scale, as well as developing new Graphene configurations that dramatically extend the materials usefulness, which includes using it to create the first generation of single step water purification systems, and Terahertz computer chips, among many more applications. Graphene’s status as a wonder material is much hyped, and with good cause, consequently it will have far and wide ranging impacts on everything from the development of next generation electronics and energy systems to the development of new biomedical and robotics products, and almost everything in between. DEFINITION Graphene is a one atom thick sheet of pure Carbon that has very high strength to weight ratios and exceptional conductivity properties. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using Graphene to create single step, passive water purification systems, edible electronics that can track the provenance of food stuffs, and synthetic cell sized robots, all the way through to new super energy dense LiOn batteries, and Aerogels that are 99 percent lighter than steel but 10 times stronger. In the future the primary use cases of the technology will be almost 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 Aerospace, Defence, Manufacturing, and Technology sectors, with support from government funding, and university grants. In time we will see the technology become increasingly cheap and easy to manufacture, and as this happens researchers will similarly find it increasingly easy to develop new Graphene structures that have a variety of commercial applications. While Graphene is in the Prototype Stage and early Productisation Stage, over the long term it will be enhanced by advances in Artificial Intelligence Creative Machines, and Nano-Manufacturing, but at this point in time it is not clear what it 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, 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 6 3 6 9 8 2 9 1977 1999 2004 2007 2030 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘17, ‘18, ‘19, ‘20, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23, ‘24 GRAPHENE EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 353311institute.com MRL3 /9 2 /10 6 TRL /9 I NFINITELY RECYCLABLE PLASTICS, which are in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing new ways to recycle plastics whose properties don’t degrade every time they are recycled as is the issue with current plastics and current recycling technology. Recent breakthroughs in the space include the development of a new process that breaks plastics back down to their individual chemical components, without any loss of quality, so they can be recombined again to form plastic that is as good as new. DEFINITION Infinitely Recyclable Plastics are plastics that can be infinitely recycled without any degredation or loss in quality. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using small scale prototypes to prove the theory behind the technology and refine it. In the future the primary use of this technology will be to reduce the amount of plastic sent to landfill and give the circular economy a much needed boost. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow, primarily led by organisations in the Manufacturing sector, with support from univesity grants. In time we will see the technology mature to a point where it is capable of being integrated into recycling processing workflows, but in order to be adopted the technology and the processing equipment it will relies on will need to be affordable, easy to implement, and have a clear return on investment, and at the moment given the current state of investment in the sectors this technology targets that is open to question. While Infinitely Recyclable Plastics are in the Prototype Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by advances in Polymers, 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 potential implications of the technology. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 4 5 4 4 8 2 2 8 1985 1997 2019 2028 2032 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT INFINITELY RECYCLABLE PLASTICS STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘20, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 354311institute.com MRL3 /9 3 /10 5 TRL /9 K INETIC FABRICS, which is in the Prototype Stage, is the fiel of research concerned with creating a new class of fabrics that are both able to harness and use motion for a variety of purposes. Recently there have been a number of breakthroughs in the space including the development of kinetic fabrics that can both listen to sounds and vibrations and play sounds and vibrations, the implications of which mean that fabrics can replay the breathing patterns and heart rhythms of individuals who may be many thousands of miles away,or even simulated, which can then be used for both educational purposes as well as to help improve sports performance and empathy. DEFINITION Kinetic Fabrics are fabrics that emulate, harness, and synthesis kinetic energy and reactions. EXAMPLE USE CASES Kinetic Fabrics have a variety of interesting use cases including the ability to act as a microphone and listen to all of the currently non-observable sounds of a persons body, the outputs of which can then be used to develop better Predictive Health and Quantified Self models which can be used to help organisations and individuals diagnose disease and the state of people’s health faster so they can make interventions faster. Meanwhile other applications include the ability to play sound, which while useful from an entertainment perspective could also be used to disrupt eavesdropping, synchronise a persons breathing with other people remotely via taptic feedback to improve sports training and performance, and all manner of other examples. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, albeit from a low base, primarily led by organisations in the healthcare sector. In time we will see Kinetic Fabrics play a more significant role especially in the Smart Clothing and Wearable Technology spaces, but it’s also highly likely that their use will spread to other sectors as the technology evolves. While Kinetic Fabrics are in the Prototype Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by advances in Computing, Electronics, Materials, and other fields 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 6 7 4 7 7 3 2 8 1991 2001 2021 2033 2041 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT KINETIC FABRICS STARBURST APPEARANCES: NONE 355311institute.com EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. MRL3 /9 7 /10 4 TRL /9 L IVING MATERIALS, which are in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing new ways to develop materials that are alive, but not sentient, that exhibit all the properties of living organisms, such as the ability to grow in a controllable manner, and self-heal, and self-replicate. Recently there has been a breakthrough in the field that saw the development of the first living material that exhibited all the traditional signs of life including the ability to metabolise, and while it wasn’t used to develop a product just the concept of such a material is interesting enough for now. DEFINITION Living Materials are materials that exhibit all the signs of life but that stop short of being living organisms in the traditional sense of the term. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using prototypes to prove the theory behind the technology and refine it. In the future the primary use case of this technology will be almost unlimited, especially when combined with other material types, to the point where when it’s combined with the principles of Synthetic Biology not only could we see it being used to help create a new class of robots but also be used as the foundation to grow entire buildings or even cities. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade interest in the field will continue to accelerate, and interest and investment will continue to grow, albeit from a very low base, primarily led by univesity grants. In time we will see the technology mature to the point where it will leave the labs and be commercialised, however the strangeness of the technology means that use cases will no doubt start off very narrow, such as being used as a coating for other materials, before its use cases are expanded into other areas such as the healthcare sector. While living Materials are in the Prototype Stage, over the long term they will be enhanced by advances in CAST, CRISPR, Gene Editing, Semi-Synthetic Cells, Synthetic Cells, synthetic DNA, and Synthetic Biology, 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, and establish a point of view, and re-visit it every few years until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 3 5 4 6 8 1 1 8 1952 1973 2018 2037 >2075 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT LIVING MATERIALS STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘20, ‘21, ‘22, ‘23, ‘24 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 356311institute.com MRL4 /9 2 /10 7 TRL /9 M AGNETO RESTRICTIVE MATERIALS, which are in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing new kinds of materials whose properties and shape can be dynamically affected and altered by magnetism. While this is a comparatively old technology it was put on the shelf for decades by the Americans until the Chinese started experimenting with it for military applications. Recent breakthroughs in this field include the development of new magneto restrictive materials for stealth submarines which, when exposed to a mild magnetic field, makes those submarines invisible to sonar by making them appear, on the scopes, just like water. DEFINITION Magneto Restrictive Materials are substances that change their shape and or dimensions in response to applied magnetic fields. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today the primary use cases for this technology is in stealth military applications, certainly for sea, but also likely for air and land systems. However, other emergent use cases also include the ability to use this technology to create new acoustic and sonar systems, non-destructive testing systems, vibration and noise dampening, as well as magneto restrictive energy harvesting systems and sensing systems, all of which would have their own use cases. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see interest and investment in this technology increase, primarily led by organisations in the Defense sector and university grants. Magneto restrictive materials, which can dynamically change their dimensions and shape by nanometers or more under certain conditions, opens the door to create a whole new species of materials that have unique utility, and while it is likely that this technology will remain niche it could end up playing an important role in key sectors which means that, as we’ve seen before, it will likely remain a subtle but important technology for decades to come. While Magneto Restrictive Materials are still in the Prototype Stage they could be enhanced by advances in Advanced Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Materials, Nano- Manufacturing, Sensors, and other technologies, however over the long term it’s unclear what it could be superseded by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, establish a point of view, 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 2 3 7 8 4 2 7 1965 1971 1982 2029 2055 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT MAGNETO RESTRICTIVE MATERIALS STARBURST APPEARANCES: NONE EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 357311institute.com MRL1 /9 10 4 TRL /9 M ATTER CREATION, which is in the Concept Stage, is the field of research concerned with trying to reproduce one of the universes most fundamental capabilities that has so far eluded humanity - to create matter. Recently we saw the first ever breakthrough in this field, and while in ancient times philosophers talked about being able to create matter from nothing the actual reality isn’t too far removed from that after scientists clashed individual gold atoms moving at near light speed in a particle collider with light, the result of which was the collision of photons to create electrons and positrons - Matter. Needless to say if this technology was ever able to be harnessed and matured then you could argue it would usher in yet another new age of humanity full of sci-fi-like potential. DEFINITION Matter Creation is the creation of electron and positron based matter from the collision of photons. EXAMPLE USE CASES Put mildly the future use cases of this technology would be infinite so this is likely one of the few paragraphs in this entire codex where I could write “anything is possible” as a future use case and I’d be right. So I’ll just leave that one there. FUTURE TRAJECTORY AND REPLACABILITY Over the next decade we will continue to see interest and investment in this field increase, primarily led by university grants. While this technology is incredibly exciting and full of potential being honest it’s likely that it’s more than a century before we could see working prototypes that have actual utility. In the meantime therefore I suggest you put this on your grand kids radars and get them to check on it every decade or so. While Matter Creation is still in the Concept Stage it could be enhanced by advances in Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing, Materials, and other technologies, however over the long term it’s unclear what it could be superseded by. MATTHEW’S RECOMMENDATION In the short to medium term I suggest companies put the technology on their radars, establish a point of view, and re-visit it every few decades until progress in the space accelerates. 15 SECOND SUMMARY Accessibility Affordability Competition Demonstration Desirability Investment Regulation Viability 1 1 1 1 9 1 1 4 1901 1966 2023 > 2075 > 2075 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT MATTER CREATION STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘24 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 358311institute.com MRL5 /9 3 /10 9 TRL /9 M EGA MAGNETS, which are in the Prototype Stage, is the field of research concerned with developing incredibly powerful magnets. Recently researchers in the field have broken several long standing world records, including the record for the most powerful magnet which now clocks in at 32 Tesla units, which is at least 500,000 times more powerful than the Earth’s magnetic field, and has revolutionary implications for Neutron and X-Ray scientific measurement products, as well as on the development of Fusion Reactors, MRI scanners, and new mass transit transportation systems, such as the Mach capable Hyperloops which rely on magnetic levitation to boost their speeds, long range wireless charging solutions, and much more. DEFINITION Mega Magnets are based on rare Earth elements whose properties can be harnessed to create exceptionally strong magnets. EXAMPLE USE CASES Today we are using Mega Magnets at a very large scale in platforms such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to smash matter together, and in the world’s most advanced Neutrino detectors. In the future the primary use cases of the technology will be to develop new ultra-sensitive healthcare and scientific measurement tools, which will lead to the development of new materials and Superconductors, among other things, and the pursuit to create the first commercially viable Fusion Reactors. 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, Energy, and Manufacturing sectors, with support from government funding, and university grants. In time we will see the technology increase in power, with new records being set more frequently, but as the technology gets more powerful its development will be hampered by our inability to contain or control the huge magnetic forces which today are increasingly causing explosions in labs. While Mega Magnets are in the Prototype Stage at this point in time it is not clear what it 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, 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 7 5 3 7 7 6 4 9 1921 1965 1971 1982 2028 STATUS PRIMARY GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT AREAS IMPACT MEGA MAGNETS STARBURST APPEARANCES: ‘17, ‘18, ‘19 EXPLORE MORE. Click or scan me to learn more about this emerging tech. 359311institute.com MRLNext >