Space Tourism and Commercial Deep Space

After some 60 years of highly trained astronauts going into space, the related technologies and costs have altered to the point where increasing numbers of private citizens can become space tourists, initially suborbital for minimal times and Earth orbital for up to the order of two weeks. There has also developed a rapidly improving digital reality/immersive virtual presence technology providing space tourism experiences at minimal cost and available essentially to everyone. The safety aspects of physical space tourism need further development, but those that relate to the space environment are tolerable for a few weeks from the 60 years of manned space flight experience. As space tourism over the years expands beyond earth orbit to moon, Mars, asteroids, other planets, etc., the safety issues will need to be seriously worked. Tourism is only a portion of what will become major opportunities and expansion of commercial space beyond earth utilities into deep space, enabled by the ongoing major reductions in the costs of space access.

Biotechnology

Biotechnology utilizes biological systems or living organisms to create, develop, or make products. This chapter reviews the current state of biotechnology and examines its future trends. Currently, biotechnology plays key roles in medicine, agriculture, and industry. In medicine, vaccines which still rely on biological systems for their production, are the best tools to prevent infectious diseases; antibodies and RNA/DNA probes have been crucial in detecting and treating diseases; and genetic editing and gene therapy is making it possible to treat hereditary diseases. In agriculture, biotechnology is generating crops that produce high yields and need fewer inputs, crops that need fewer applications of pesticides, and crops with enhanced nutrition profiles. In industry, biotechnology is being utilized in food processing, metal ore processing, the production of chemicals, and reducing energy consumption and pollution.

Removing the Constraints of Disability

One billion people globally live with disabilities that are physical, sensory, psychiatric, neurological, cognitive, or intellectual. Their disabilities are dynamic and can be temporary or permanent, singular or plural, from birth or developed, and can change over time. People with disabilities face barriers to economic, social, political, and cultural participation. Assistive technology, artificial intelligence, and broader technology can amplify their inclusion, participation, and independence. This chapter will highlight emerging and evolving technologies, rooted in machine learning and neural networks, which assist across different disabilities and seek to improve the user's sense of ability and independence. These include Seeing AI app, OXSIGHT, OrCam, Envision smart glasses, and Dot Watch for vision impairment; Ava app and cognitive hearing aid for hearing impairment; Liftware self-stabilising utensils for limited hand mobility; Eyegaze and Tobii – assistive technologies that allow users to control computer and smartphone screens with their eyes; and 3D printed prosthetics.

The Transition to Online Teaching and Learning

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 provided both a need and an opportunity for educational institutions in Sydney to explore new ways of providing teaching and learning for their students. UBSS was able to respond quickly because it had already prepared to introduce online learning. In mid-2019, the institution had decided to offer an online option and a senior staff member and support staff had been working since then to convert existing product into suitable online format. By the time the demand for online teaching and learning arrived, the institution was already well placed for the conversion.

Enhancing Mental Health

Mental health is one of the health priorities in the 21st century along with cardiovascular, cancer, and diabetes. Technology nowadays is most sought for getting any information. There are numerous online platforms that have been developed to assist in assessment, provide feedback, suggest management, and thereafter monitor mental disorders in target patients with a view to enhancing the quality of mental health care provided by traditional face-to-face services. In the current situation where the world is facing a challenging situation in COVID-19, technology has become highly sought after for managing the health of patients.

Ageing

In 2019, the number of people in the world aged over 65 was 703 million. By 2050, this number is projected to be 1.5 billion. However, it is not only the number of older persons but the proportion that is changing. Italy was the first country to experience a demographic milestone known as the ‘Historic Reversal', reporting in 1995 that the population of people aged 65 years and older outnumbered children under the age of 15 for the first time ever. By 2050, this number is expected to reach 90 countries. This social ‘megatrend' collides with another shifting paradigm: technological advancement, accelerating every year at an extraordinary pace. While this trend of continuous technological evolution is not developing uniformly around the world, the scope of potential support that new and emergent technologies can bring to older adults is enormous. This chapter explores key areas of consideration to ensure that the promise of the digital future is realised for older people and that it is an enabling force, rather than a barrier to enjoying a longer, more supported later life.

Asteroid Futures

This chapter evaluates the emerging industry of asteroid mining and the pivotal role of the United States in shaping the new rules for an extra-terrestrial economy. The Outer Space Treaty 1967 (OST) governs the use of space, with over 100 signatories, including the United States and China. However, as space exploration expands to encompass both public and private stakeholders, there is a growing international debate about whether the OST's provisions prohibit the assertion of sovereignty and, hence, property rights, in outer space. With the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act (2015), the United States has pursued a legal framework that facilitates commercial asteroid mining and a political strategy that focuses on bilateral space exploration agreements with countries such as Luxembourg, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates. Due to its dominant position in the space sector, the United States will strongly influence the regulatory roadmap for the era of Space 2.0.

Technological Convergence

Technological convergence is accelerating and allowing humanity to move from slow and erratic biological evolution to fast and precise technological evolution. The expression “emerging technologies” is used to cover new and potentially powerful fields such as biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and nanotechnology. Although the expression might be somewhat ambiguous, several clusters of different technologies are advancing exponentially and will be critical to humanity's future. NBIC is a common abbreviation that stands for nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, and cognitive science. Other technologies like robotics, quantum computing, and space technologies can be added towards an accelerating “technological convergence” that might lead to a “technological singularity” as proposed by US engineer and futurist Ray Kurzweil. According to Kurzweil, we will reach a “technological singularity” by 2045, when we will be able to transcend many of our current limitations and move from biological humans to technological transhumans, both on planet Earth and beyond.

Never Say Die

This chapter evaluates the longevity industry and the claims being made about the viability of radical life extension. It distinguishes between the established science of human aging and the emerging promissory economy being built upon visions of extending life well beyond the theoretical optimal human lifespan of approximately 115 years. With reference to examples such as cryo-preservation and cellular interventions, this wide-ranging exploration of the contemporary Western obsession with prolonging vibrant life focuses on the techno-political dimensions of “disrupting death” and the complex relationship between hope and hype that sustains the immortality imaginary.

Autonomous Robots

Primitive autonomous robotic vehicles were first developed during World War I and deployed during wars throughout the 20th century. More recently, autonomous vehicles with cognition were enabled by new technologies, especially in sensors, processors, and software, along with advances in humanoid and other legged robots. The autonomous car, a transformative and disruptive technology, will lead over the coming decades to the development of ubiquitous autonomous robots with increasing levels of cognition for many different applications. These robots will fill nearly every economic sector and occupational niche. The potential impact of autonomous intelligent robots on society, by the end of the century, will lead to ethical and moral dilemmas, as well as impacting jobs across the globe. There is a need to provide alternative sources of income, or alternative employment, for unemployed humans. There is also a need to consider the consequence of the possible emergence of robot self-awareness, consciousness, and free will.