Human
The Future of Scientific Development According to Americans: From Space Travel to Robots
Thomas Carannante
First Posted: Apr 17, 2014 03:25 PM EDT
We know the current discourse of science and technology, but do we ever care what the everyday people think about it? The Pew Research Center does. Their latest study asked Americans about future scientific and technological developments.
The survey questioned 1,000 Americans about whether future developments would be positive or negative to society, whether or not they would enjoy those developments, and what advancements will be achievable in the near future. The study, "U.S. Views of Technology and the Future" was released on Thursday.
So what do the people think? Among those rated positively or negatively, 63% of Americans believe that opening U.S. airspace to drones would have a negative impact on the country. Additionally, 53% believe that technology such as Google Glass (devices that constantly spew information to people) would also be a change for the worse. Similarly, 65% thought the current state of affairs would be worse if robots became caregivers for the elderly and 66% thought the same for parents having the ability to alter DNA of future children.
What would people think about these possible developments in the next 50 years? A total of 48% would enjoy a driverless car, 26% would want a brain implant to improve memory or mental capacity, 9% of those asked are interested in owning a time machine, and 8% want a personal robot servant. A surprising 20% would want to eat lab-grown meat.
And perhaps the most interesting question of the survey: What do you think will be developed/achievable within the next 50 years? A total of 19% of the participants believe that we will be able to control the weather and avoid catastrophic events, 33% are confident that we'll have the capability to build long-term colonies in outer space, 39% think teleportation will be developed over that time period, and an overwhelming 81% are optimistic that lab-grown custom organs will be available for transplants.
It would sure be interesting to see a lot of these technologies and capabilities be developed in the near future, although a larger drone presence and more people wearing technological devices would most likely be more of an impediment to society.
A summary of the Pew Research study can be found here, and a another comprehensive overview is provided by Live Science.
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First Posted: Apr 17, 2014 03:25 PM EDT
We know the current discourse of science and technology, but do we ever care what the everyday people think about it? The Pew Research Center does. Their latest study asked Americans about future scientific and technological developments.
The survey questioned 1,000 Americans about whether future developments would be positive or negative to society, whether or not they would enjoy those developments, and what advancements will be achievable in the near future. The study, "U.S. Views of Technology and the Future" was released on Thursday.
So what do the people think? Among those rated positively or negatively, 63% of Americans believe that opening U.S. airspace to drones would have a negative impact on the country. Additionally, 53% believe that technology such as Google Glass (devices that constantly spew information to people) would also be a change for the worse. Similarly, 65% thought the current state of affairs would be worse if robots became caregivers for the elderly and 66% thought the same for parents having the ability to alter DNA of future children.
What would people think about these possible developments in the next 50 years? A total of 48% would enjoy a driverless car, 26% would want a brain implant to improve memory or mental capacity, 9% of those asked are interested in owning a time machine, and 8% want a personal robot servant. A surprising 20% would want to eat lab-grown meat.
And perhaps the most interesting question of the survey: What do you think will be developed/achievable within the next 50 years? A total of 19% of the participants believe that we will be able to control the weather and avoid catastrophic events, 33% are confident that we'll have the capability to build long-term colonies in outer space, 39% think teleportation will be developed over that time period, and an overwhelming 81% are optimistic that lab-grown custom organs will be available for transplants.
It would sure be interesting to see a lot of these technologies and capabilities be developed in the near future, although a larger drone presence and more people wearing technological devices would most likely be more of an impediment to society.
A summary of the Pew Research study can be found here, and a another comprehensive overview is provided by Live Science.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone