Peering into the Future

Cutting-edge research and technology could change our lives in unprecedented and unpredictable ways. That's one of the underlying themes of The New Yorker's "Stories from the Near Future" conference this week.

Developments in neuroscience and robotics are allowing for the creation of artificial robotic limbs that will give disabled people unprecedented control of motion. University of Washington researcher Yoky Matsuoka's neurobotics laboratory is combining scientific disciplines to make such prosthetic technology accessible and affordable.

In impoverished areas of the Third World, new technologies could drastically improve the lives of people dependent on subsistence farming. MIT lecturer Amy Smith spoke about her work encouraging students to create simple and easily-producible technologies to be used in developing countries. She showed slides of a tool that compresses organic waste into charcoal briquettes, and demonstrated a simple tool that removes kernels from dried ears of corn seven times faster than by hand.

Scientists and researchers were also joined by high-profile public officials. San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom discussed how his city has embarked on one of the most ambitious recycling programs in the world, and has already achieved a 70 percent recycling rate. And New York City police commissioner Raymond Kelly spoke about the massive surveillance system called the Lower Manhattan Security Initiative and other efforts to detect and prevent attacks on the city.

Design was a big topic at this year's conference. Alternative game designer Jane McGonigal discussed how games can be used for scientific research, engaging people in solving real-world problems, and boosting democracy and public participation. British architect David Adjaye called for a new approach to architecture that incorporates the context of cities and local attitudes into building design. And "environmental psychologist" Paco Underhill talked about how poorly airports are designed to meet the needs of travelers, and how easily they could be improved without hampering security efforts.

The conference overall doesn't offer a crystal-ball view of the future. But it does identify the newly-emerging research that could meet today's challenges. And it takes an optimistic view of how those problems can be solved with interdisciplinary cooperation and public engagement.