Alternative Energies Update

By wrapping solar cells around an optical fiber, efficiency can be increased six fold:

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/23829/

Artificial Intelligence Update

As we learn more and more about the human brain, interpreting neural activity accurately is becoming possible. It's now possible to roughly tell what a person is thinking about and even create a motion picture of what a person is viewing based solely on measuring brain activity (within limits):

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427323.500-brain-scanners-can-tell-what-youre-thinking-about.html

Robotics Update

For anyone who doesn't think functional humanoid robots are only a decade or two away, here's the latest prototype of a bipedal walker ("Petman") from the makers of the four-legged Big Dog:

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/24313/?a=f

(Be sure to play the video.)

Nanotechnology Update

By adding specific molecules, light and heat to nanoparticles, those nanoparticles can be made to self-assemble into a variety of complex structures, something that will make developing nanotech products much easier:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022164245.htm

Virtual Reality Update

Several videos demonstrating advances in augmented reality:

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/editors/24253/?a=f

Robotics Update

Hydrogen could be used to make robot muscles far quieter than compressed air or electric motors:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427305.600-hydrogen-muscle-silences-the-domestic-robot.html

Cybernetics Update

Researchers have developed the first bionic hand ("Smart Hand") to not only operate directly from signals from the brain, but also provide tactile feedback so the wearer can feel with the hand:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8313037.stm (watch the video)

This is the first time a bionic limb has approached the functional capabilities of a real hand.

Alternative Energies Update

These are the five top contenders for drastically changing the equation for alternative energy:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703746604574461342682276898.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

(Note the 1,000 megawatts powering 1,000 homes is a mistake; the number of homes powered would be 1,000,000.)

Nanotechnology Update

A breakthrough manufacturing technique now allows diodes to be made much smaller:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013110042.htm

Society Update

David Brin's "Transparent Society" proposed we'll all soon be continuously recording everything in our lives, leading to a complete loss of privacy...but that it could be turned into a good thing. Now a camera is available to record your every waking moment (it's only a still camera now...but the writing is on the wall):

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17992-new-camera-promises-to-capture-your-whole-life.html

Cybernetics Update

Using bacterial flagella to power micro-machines:

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/arxiv/24261/

Robotics Update

New submarine and spider robots have been developed to explore the gastrointestinal system:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8301232.stm

Artificial Intelligence Update

Researcher predicts we will be able to reverse-engineer the human brain within ten years:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090904071908.htm

Artificial Intelligence Update

A component of the brain critical for higher level cognition turns out to work much like a digital computer, perhaps simplifying some of the quest for true artificial intelligence:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061005222628.htm

Transportation Update

The US military is developing high-tech airships called LEMVs (Long Endurance Multi-intelligence Vehicles) that use helium to provide 80% of lift, and aerodynamics and thrusters to provide the remaining 20%:

http://ecogeek.org/efficiency/2958

Alternative Energies Update

A new small nuclear battery with a liquid semiconductor could provide SIX orders of magnitude more power than chemical batteries:

http://www.physorg.com/news174139641.html

Cybernetics Update

Signals generated by the brain can now be converted into computer commands, sent over the Internet, and then converted back into brain signals, resulting in what amounts to computer-assisted telepathy!

http://www.soton.ac.uk/mediacentre/news/2009/oct/09_135.shtml

Cybernetics Update

Beetles can now be remotely controlled to fly, land and turn:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17895-freeflying-cyborg-insects-steered-from-a-distance.html

Fitted with cameras they should make excellent scouts and spies.