From an interview with the MIT Technology Review, Gates listed the most innovative technologies to be on the lookout for in 2019. Enjoy the list as it’s from one of the greatest minds of our time. My favorite is #5, the smooth-talking AI assistants. What’s yours?
Custom Cancer Vaccines
A new alternative to chemotherapy in that it still gets rid of the bad, but keeps the good. These new vaccines target genetically mutated, cancerous cells and take them out. “Personally customized vaccines” are now being made between BioNTech and Genentech. This seems like a much better route than traditional chemotherapy.
The Cow-Free Burger
Similar to Chick-Fil-A’s cow appreciation day, except now it could be every day. There are two options gaining popularity. The first being plant-based alternatives and one we have all heard of. An example? The veggie burger. The second is a little more interesting, the “lab-grown” burger. Scientists have now figured out how to make actual meat and not harm any animals in the process. The result is a much more satisfying burger that looks, tastes, and smells like the American classic we all know and love. We should expect to see more of these lab-grown burgers within the next year or so.
An ECG on Your Wrist
ECG, also known as an electrocardiogram, is a medical device used only in hospitals to detect heart abnormalities for potential stroke or heart attack victims. Except now, with FDA clearance, companies such as Apple, AliveCor, and Withings are making ECG a possibility from your watch. This is still a relatively new technology; it only uses one sensor instead of the 12 that are used in hospitals, but still has the ability to make a huge impact.
Sanitation Without Sewers
Many 3rd world countries contaminate their water without the infrastructure of a modern, separative sewer. Daniel Yeh and his team at University of South Florida may have just solved this problem. Their invention is called the NEWgenerator. It’s the size of a small shipping container and hooks up to existing toilets to safely disposes waste. The secret is that it uses an advanced, membrane filtration to convert waste into nutrients, energy, and water. The result is safe water! This is already being used in India and South Africa; and is saving countless lives.
Smooth-Talking AI Assistants
We all know about Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and the Google Home so what’s the difference? Well, a lot. AI now has the capabilities to make reservations, answer your phone calls, and negotiate prices! The two leaders in this space are Alibaba’s AliMe and the Google Duplex. It’s amazing to think of all the possibilities with AI. Pretty soon we’re going to be able to say, “Hey Google, do my job”.
