Following on Envisaging a Better 2018 or Envisioning any Future  here are excerpts of 2 posts that could easily be merged into one another as they both address amongst many things, the present and future technological development that will undoubtedly imprint our life. Or as put in an MIT Technology Review, these technologies all have staying power. They will affect the economy and our politics, improve medicine, or influence our culture. Some are unfolding now; others will take a decade or more to develop. But you should know about all of them right now.

The picture above is of the IIAIDC.com.

However, below are only a few of the most notable.

Greatest triumphs in tech in 2017

Jan Vermeulen

2017 saw significant triumphs in the technology sector.

There have been major advances in the fields of robotics and machine learning, while cryptocurrencies have seen a meteoric rise in value and usage.

The biggest victories in technology in 2017 are listed below.

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence and robotics are rapidly becoming mainstream, Vodacom’s head of innovation Jannie van Zyl told MyBroadband.

Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robot performed backflips, and an AI passed a medical exam this year.

“Both these events were trigger events,” said van Zyl.

There has also been a rapid deployment and acceptance of self-driving cars, which could change the way people move.

Cryptocurrencies

MyBroadband founder Rudolph Muller listed the rise of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as his biggest technology triumph of the year.

“It went from a tech hobbyist’s domain to more mainstream adoption, and is still gaining momentum,” he said.

Bitcoin and Ethereum have dominated headlines in 2017, thanks to their rise in value.

Revenue sharing schemes for OTT players

Van Zyl also selected the European Union’s attempt to force over-the-top players to start sharing revenue with the creators of the content they are monetising as a highlight.

Google may have to compensate news outlets for using their content on Google News, for example.

5G

Van Zyl said the standardisation of 5G was another win in 2017.

Initially it looked as though the soonest 5G standardisation would happen is 2020, but a group of over 40 companies worked together to speed it up.

Qualcomm said the process would be finished in the first half of 2019 and mass adoption of the standard would happen by 2020.

This Super Green Tower Will Feature a Landing Pad for Your Flying Car

Richard’s Architecture + Design (RA+D) have designed the perfect super green building for the future. The Smart Tower will include some of the greenest technology the world has seen.

By Taylor Donovan Barnett

Flying cars are slowly moving their way from the back of the greatest minds in science fiction and are heading towards reality. Even the ride-share company, Uber, announced that they will be using flying cars as early as 2020. There is something about flying cars that lay at the heart of culture. The flying car has been the symbol for the optimist’s vision of the future. Understanding this, Richard Moreta Castillo and his team at Richard’s Architecture + Design (RA+D) have designed a massive tower that will not only be a net-zero tower but will also include areas to land your flying car.

The Dragon Inspired Smart Tower

Dubbed the Smart Power Long Tower, the massive and elegant building will be set in Shanghai, China. The building will feature commercial spaces, but a majority of the building will have some of the most exotic looking condominiums in the world. And, of course, do not forget the landing pads for your back- to-the-future looking flying car.

The ambitious features of the building do not stop there. The super green concept will also include a vertical forest that will have 50,000 trees and shrubs spiral towards the heavens.

The ambitious features of the building do not stop there. The super green concept will also include a vertical forest that will have 50,000 trees and shrubs spiral towards the heavens.

Like a spiralling staircase, docking stations for the drone cars wind up the exterior of the building. What makes this building even more special is that it will be able to clean a lot of the air in the surrounding area.

The building along with trees would be able to extract the carbon dioxide in the air, making a fire exit on the top of the building. Though it is still open to debate, the building will include things like a recycling water plant at the base of the building.

More exciting things will be happening at the base of the building. The vision also includes a massive aquarium, convention center. Topping all these impressive off, the $600 million dollars will be able to draw on solar, wind, hydro, and geothermal energy.