Future Tech

The practice of hiding secret messages has existed in many forms for centuries, but the advent of personal computing in the 1980s stepped it up and steganography now exists all around us, invisible right under our noses.

By Mark Mancini

The quantum internet of the future would use the quirky behavior of tiny particles to transmit vast amounts of information and enable applications not possible with today's internet. Still with us? Here's how it works.

By Patrick J. Kiger

First published in 1950, the Turing Test was designed to determine whether a computer would ever be able to successfully imitate a human being. So what's the state of it now?

By Dave Roos

The super-intelligent South African isn't just one of the richest and most creative people on Earth, he's also a forward-thinking futurist with a penchant for controversy.

By Nathan Chandler

LiDAR scanning technology reveals huge Mayan civilization lost beneath the jungles of Guatemala.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Smartphones could become obsolete by 2020, replaced by a new generation of wearable communication devices that will change the way we interact with the world.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Kurzweil has a pretty good track record with predictions. What does he have slated for humanity besides the singularity and figuring out the entire human brain by 2099?

By Kate Kershner

Expert tips to get techies ready for the rise of the robots.

By Chris Opfer

"Brainprint" technology could replace fingerprint scans, and a Romanian scientist reportedly can judge whether you're in the right emotional state to be granted access.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Harvard researchers announce turning hydrogen into a metal, a breakthrough that could lead to room-temperature superconductors and a revolutionary rocket propellant.

By Patrick J. Kiger

From predictive couponing to groceries delivered by robots straight to the trunk of your self-driving car, 21st-century shopping could offer serious innovations.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Take a holiday trip to Uncanny Valley! A computer brain was trained to compose a carol inspired by a picture of a Christmas tree — with horrible results.

By Christopher Hassiotis

The cyborgs on 'Westworld' had us wondering, would you know if you were a robot?

By Dave Roos

Exoskeletons, prosthetic limbs and mind-controlled computers took center stage in the first-of-its-kind competition in Zurich, Switzerland.

By Christopher Hassiotis

And it's only $90,000.

By Kate Kershner

Global Fishing Watch is a new online platform that allows anyone to track large fishing vessels via satellite technology. Would you use it?

By John Donovan

And there already are some practical uses for this incredible technology.

By Karen Kirkpatrick

South Korea's capital has seen smartphone-related traffic accidents triple since 2010, but city officials are fighting back against the smombies. Here's how.

By Christopher Hassiotis

As cities develop, how can technology be used to accommodate growing populations?

What are modern cities doing to accommodate growing populations?

A new robot draws inspiration from the motion of snakes to get around using a pure wave motion.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Engineers have created the acoustic equivalent of Lego blocks.

By Jonathan Strickland

New company turns collagen into leather hides, right in the lab.

By Alia Hoyt

Wouldn't it be cool if a maglev elevator could move in any direction, instead of just up and down? A German company created a cable-free one called the MULTI that can.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Infant fingerprints are tough to detect, but new technology can fix that. Here's why it's needed.

By Alia Hoyt