Here are five indicators, observations or articles that caught the eye of FA futurists today.
Drone delivery? A Philadelphia dry cleaner used an off-the shelf drone to successfully deliver 2 shirts to a nearby customer in a promotional gimmick. Current commercial technology requires a pilot for the drone and a spotter at the delivery site, but both issues will no doubt be solved in time.
Swiss researchers have demonstrated that they can use high-intensity, high-frequency sound waves to levitate particles and objects and move them about.
Global polling finds that the United States is viewed somewhat more favorably than China, but people increasingly expect China to supplant the US.
Researchers have discovered a mouse gene that controls how quickly calories are burned; disabling the gene causes mice to gain weight while eating and exercising normally. Though just one person is so far known to have a “disabling mutation” in the gene, the discovery may help explain why some individuals gain weight more easily than others.
An app that makes suggestions for outdoor leisure illustrates how algorithmic foresight may increasingly guide people’s lives.