IBM's annual list of five innovations set to change our lives in the next five years

Gizmag ^ | 12/28/2010 | Ben Coxworth

[benewton]

“IBM is trying to reduce the amount power required for such devices to less than 0.5 volts per transistor.”

Yes, I’m a grunt engineer, but if you don’t even know how power is measured (volts x amps = watts) why would anybody even listen to you?

And, while I was around at the time, I had the good sense to avoid IBM PCs.

[orlop9]

I can’t wait for their “smart meters” to fry the gizmos at my house that Gulf Power hasn’t gotten to already /S

[mamelukesabre]

I only like the first 2 on the list. I think the holographic telepresence is a good idea and worth persuing. Not so much for phone conversations but for robots. A robot that can project itself holographically to my side without actually following me around would be handy. Then I wouldn’t need a computer or a telephone. I could say “oh robot, come here” and then without more than a split second of waiting, my robot’s hologram appears and says “yes sir, what can I do?”. I can make a phone call, send email, etc, just by telling my robot’s hologram and my robot can do it for me. I suppose I would have to carry around the holographic projector though. But that still beats carrying a computer or a robot.

[C210N]

Such sensors could be used to create massive data sets used for everything from fighting global warming to tracking invasive species...

Color me paranoid, but when I see the words glowbull warming near invasive species, I think they may be thinking of deniers and other logical thinkers.

[hifidelity]

With that in mind, I read “citizen science” as “tracking people”.

[denydenydeny]

I agree with you. "Citizen scientists" seems only a few steps away from "Stasi" if you ask me.

...sensors could be used to create massive data sets used for everything from fighting global warming to tracking invasive species. IBM also sees custom scientific smartphone apps playing a part in “citizen science,” and has already launched an app called Creek Watch, that allows us regular folks to update the local water authority on creek conditions.

This could just as easily allow "us regular folks" to report your next door neighbor for "failure to recycle" or "leaving too many lights on" to the "local authority."

[Erasmus]

“IBM is trying to reduce the amount power required for such devices to less than 0.5 volts per transistor.”

Yes, I’m a grunt engineer, but if you don’t even know how power is measured (volts x amps = watts) why would anybody even listen to you?

(Ahem..) journalists. The sentence could only mean that they were predicting gate-source threshhold voltages below .5 volts, so that circuits could operate on Vdd's down to a volt or a little more. That would certainly qualify as a low power technology.