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The Life in 2020 project by Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson imagines the technology and companies that people will be interacting with in a decade's time. WGSN gets an update from project head Erik Kruse.  Imagine waking up to an alarm clock in tune with biological rhythms, carrying a PC to work in your pocket and projecting a hologram of yourself to a doctor's surgery for an accurate diagnosis, before relaxing in a virtual 'personal zone' where all devices are temporarily placed out of reach. Welcome to life in 2020 - or at least the vision of it from Ericsson.
The ongoing development project details numerous 'devices' and enterprises that could be a reality by 2020 and describes how several 'personas' - covering a wide range of people - interact with those aspects in their everyday lives. Project head Erik Kruse told WGSN that since the initial content for Life in 2020 was completed in 2008, Ericsson has worked further to develop even more devices and services - with more than 80 having now been 'created'. "We are now trying to evaluate how cities will be (the results will be released in September), and we're also making 20 short films which will be ready next year," Kruse said. DevicesSome of the most engaging content involves the technology and gadgets that Ericsson thinks we might be using in 2020. While there are those that appear more likely to be realised than others, Kruse insists that all are based on current developments.
Spider Computer "The inspiration for the devices is based on what we have seen from small start-ups, and we've also made our own work," he said. "This is a creative process with our designers. "We've scanned trends, trying to see where technology will be." Those devices include the Spider Computer, a hugely impressive creation that Kruse says will be developed into a fully working model this month. The device is the size of a small plastic torch, with three foldaway legs that enable it to stand on a table or desk. The keyboard, however, is a laser projection (similar to one seen here at CES in 2007), while the 'monitor' is displayed by using a pico projector to shine the image on to a flat surface. And if that isn't enough, it is also a mobile phone.
Other devices include the Eco Passport, which uses a transparent screen to show eco and other information about the places it is held in front of - such as shops and restaurants - as well as tracking its owner's behaviour to help measure against best practice for an eco-friendly lifestyle. The Touch Membrane, meanwhile, allows a sense of touch to transcend distance boundaries, with a person able to feel the exact imprint someone else is making on their membrane (technology similar to the Hug Shirt, seen here). As for even more forward-thinking developments - how about virtual reality tours and interactive walls that, for example, can replace screens used for TVs, computers and consoles? "Interactive walls could be further away," said Kruse. "Japanese researchers are trying to make TV in a spray can. They think it will be commercially available in five years - I think maybe in 2020, but that is where we get our inspiration from." Meanwhile an Interactive Table, and other devices of its ilk, could be indicative of the way products operate in a future marked by a vastly different digital landscape.
Wall TV "We predict 50bn devices will be connected to the net in 2020," said Kruse. "People will look beyond things like phones and computers. We're investigating different surfaces and how they will work when they are all connected. "For example, you could subscribe to newspapers and have them shown on your table as you eat breakfast. There will be screens everywhere, where you can receive information when and where you need it," he said. Along that theme, the PicTray, one of the latest developments, is a digital photoframe connected to the internet which offers features such as video-calling, an electronic TV guide, a mediacentre and online browsing. Another newer development is the Chameleon Book, a small laptop with active screens on all sides so, for example, emails can be accessed without opening it. When it is opened there are two touch-sensitive screens inside, meaning you can have a keyboard and monitor or use them for other purposes such as watching videos.
Key themes - environment, education, conveniencePowering much of the thought process behind the new devices, companies and how people will be functioning in 2020 are some key themes for the future. As far as Ericsson is concerned, major themes underpinning Life in 2020 will include the environment, education and convenience. "A big theme is environment - it is important now and in the future," said Kruse. "How can we help the end-user get information on their consumption, power and carbon, for example? If we want people to change their behaviour, they will need feedback."
Indiebank Those ecological ideas have been translated into many of the enterprises that Ericsson has envisaged for 2020, including the UN-funded Global Watch, clean water supplier Water to Life and Green-Tel, which focuses on providing services to transfer ecological data about products using RFID and near-field communication. With convenience also an important theme, Indiebank offers both personal service and low costs from its central location in Bangalore, with services distributed online and a real advisor displayed as a virtual avatar on a user's digital device or in special areas in shopping centres. Convenience also has a role to play in healthcare in the future. The Virtual Health Care enterprise foresees real-time consultations being carried out by video presence, with visiting nurses carrying out basic procedures via the use of a Virtual Doctor's Bag, which contains simple test kits as well as video conferencing facilities.
Virtual Doctor's Bag "Convenience is extremely important. We should be trying to make life simpler," said Kruse. "We can make it more convenient for old people to stay at home and have the same care they would receive at the hospital." Also important is transcending traditional geographical barriers to new technology, for example taking healthcare to regions that don't already have it. "It's a global thing - it's quite easy to develop devices for rich, young people, but we could also give poor people in Africa much better lives as well," said Kruse. Contact |
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