Today is the 50th anniversary of the Sputnik satellite being launched into space by the Soviet Union. Among the many other things this event did was that it effectively started the “space race” and ignited the imaginations of people all around the world about the exciting possibilities of satellite surveillance and satellite communications. Without such an impetus it is possible that applications such as Google Earth would not be here today.
I mention this anniversary because it is important to understand that today’s accelerating pace of technological change implies, among other things, that society will likely experience the equivalent of 50 years of progress (at the old 20th century rate of change) in the next 10 to 15 years. And everywhere I look today—in the fields of nanotechnology, robotics, synthetic biology, information technology and the cognitive sciences—I see the modern day equivalent of the Sputnik launch.
For example, in this piece which I wrote for MSNBC last month entitled ”Nanotech is in the Genes,” I discussed how advances in nanotechnology are enabling diagnostic technologies that will effectively utilize genetic information to better treat people’s illinesess. In the process, it will revolutionize health care. In the field of robotics, Oshkosh Truck Company has just launched a hulking new robotic truck, dubbed TerraMax, that drives itself. And in synthetic biology, Craig Venter and others are increasingly confident that within the next few years they will have successfully created artificial life forms that could transform the energy sector.
My point is that is important to understand that just as Sputnik led to advances in communications and, in the process, the creation of entirely new industries; today’s technological advances are going to do the same thing—only they will do so in a timeframe that is exponentially faster than what we have experienced in the past half century.
Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequenter speaker on future trends, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of business, industry and non-profit organizations and associations.
