“Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn’t block traffic.” ― Dan Rather
Cars. Self-driving cars. Electric cars. Giga-factories to build electric cars. There’s a traffic jam of car stories in The Future This Week. Add a self-assembling moon base and loads of al energy projects and we’re good to go.
Electric Cars/Battery Technology–Two researchers from Purdue University have developed a battery technology that can refuel at a pump, in the same way cars currently refuel with gasoline. The battery is recharged by replacing electrolytes, and thus could be serviced by technology similar to that used in current gas stations.
For those who prefer a more scifi approach to recharging electric vehicles, consider the patent that has been filed for to create a mobile electric car-recharging infrastructure using drones summoned by smart phone. A patent does not mean it will actually happen though; I would not bet on it.
Almost on cue for the stories above, Tesla announced a wide range of ambitious expansion plans at its annual shareholder meeting. Chief among these was a stated goal to eventually build 10-20 gigafactories, with a production capacity of between 12 and 24 million vehicles annually. They’ll need some ambitious charging schemes like the ones mentioned above to make those number viable. Actually, they might first want to concentrate on figuring out how the hell they can sell that many vehicles.
Self-Driving Cars–Honda announced a target date of 2025 for bringing fully self-driving cars to the marketplace. They’ve set a date of 2020 for rolling out vehicles with an autonomous freeway driving option, as an interim step.
3D Printing/Lunar Base–Researchers at Carleton University, in Canada are developing a 3D printer that can replicate itself. The device could ultimately be used to build a moon base in situ with a single seeding device using lunar materials to reproduce itself many-fold and then build structures.
Internet of Things–DARPA is making progress toward the development of a near zero-power RF and sensor technology. Their stated goal is to reduce Internet of Things power requirements by 1000-fold.
Aerospace–Lockheed-Martin says it is on pace to develop a hyper-sonic spy drone for deployment by sometime next year. Powered by its SR-72 propulsion system, the device could attain speeds of up to 4600 MPH, for less than $1 Billion. Such a bargain.
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This week, I feel like I’m trying to take a drink from an open fire hydrant. There’s simply a flood of news from all the usual suspects: A.I., robotics, transhumanism, flying cars, AR, VR, gene editing. Oh, don’t forget Elon Musk–he’s perpetually in the news, though he might have been upstaged by Neil DeGrasse Tyson this week.
If you’ve never heard the phrase, “think globally, act locally,” you’ve probably been living under a rock. It’s origin is murky, but the concept is best attributed to Scottish town planner 
of Seeking Delphi have showcased technological quantum leaps that have the potential to cause radical upheaval of civilization. Authors Richardson and Smyre point the way for small to medium organizations and communities to deal with it–to embrace, use, and grow with it. A means to invent the local future.
