Technology Path Forward to Sustainable Smart Cities and Future Innovation

Imagine homes in the sky, on the sea surface or even under the water, flying cars, reality beyond virtual reality (VR) to see your relatives and friends not only on computer screen but right next to you. And yes, you can expect to  live healthy life for thousands of year. Does it sound like exaggeration? But no wonder if turns into reality since many scientists around the world are working hard to make the impossible possible in near future. This is information technology age. Data is being generated at light speed. Over 2.5 Quintilian new data is getting added on daily basis. Undoubtedly, this has helped accelerating innovation. Year 2015 and 2016 has been effective in giving amazing futuristic technologies to satisfy increasing needs of mankind. 

Year 2015 began with Facebook’s solar panel based Internet  connectivity airplane project, followed by discovery of algae based jelly to stop bleeding in less than 12 seconds during accident or surgery, 3d printed medicine tablet, invention of the cement that could absorb 3 thousand liters of water in a minute to avoid flood like situations, energy generation from human waste, technology to decode DNA, anti-Ebola vaccine, prophylactic mosquito, a car that could be converted to airplane and a 5 dollar computer was a big hit at the end of the year.

Similarly, year 2016 was equally important for futuristic technologies. By year 2020, it is expected to connect over 30 billion Internet devices to each other. The world would be super interconnected and depend on massive information exchange. Nano-sensor technology will boost agriculture, medical, architecture industry. 24×7 reliable and Eco-friendly renewable energy will be possible through aluminum, zinc and sodium based batteries, autonomous vehicles i.e. self driving cars can not only avoid accidents but improve human lives especially of  handicapped and elderly people, wireless charging technology can keep devices running forever, conversational interfaces, robots will teach robots, personalize air purifiers, organ on chips, realistic dolls, artificial pancreas, floating products etc. are the top innovations of year 2016.

Rapid urbanization is a global challenge. We must optimize our cities before it becomes too crowded and out of control. Technology is the answer. Worldwide countries are focusing on technology for sustainable and organized growth of cities. Technology awareness and education can play a key role in making citizens smarts and ready for smart cities. In next few articles, lets find our few amazing global technology innovations and brainstorm about how we can possibly implement them in local context to solve local challenges. … to be continued …

वाढते शहरीकरण हे एक जागतिक आव्हान आहे. माणसे, प्राणी, कचरा, इमारती व वाहनांच्या भाऊगर्दीमुळे आणि अपुऱ्या संसाधनांमुळे शहरं विद्रुप तर सुविधा क्लेशदायक ठरत आहेत. यावर निश्चित उत्तर म्हणजे तंत्रज्ञान. शहरी जीवनमान सुसह्य करण्यासाठी जगभर तंत्रज्ञानाचा नियोजनबद्ध वापर करण्यावर आता जोर दिला जात आहे. शहरे स्मार्ट करण्याबरोबरच शहरातील नागरिकही स्मार्ट कशी होतील यासाठी नवनवीन तंत्रज्ञानाबद्दल जनप्रबोधन करणेही तितकेच महत्वाचे. त्यादृष्टीने ‘महाराष्ट्र टाइम्स’ कडून तंत्रज्ञान विषययावर लेखमला लिहिण्यासाठीची मला विचारणा झाली. त्याबद्दल ‘मटा’ चे आभार. मी गेली एक-दिड वर्ष अमेरिकेत वास्तव्यास असताना आणि तेही फेसबुक, गुगल, एमआयटी सारख्या तंत्रज्ञानाच्या पंढरीत वावरतांना तंत्रज्ञानात होणारे बदल  मला अगदी जवळून अनुभवता आले. पाश्चिमात्य राष्ट्रांची सरकारी धोरणं, तेथील नागरिकांची मानसिकता, पुरेशे प्रशिक्षित मनुष्यबळ, भक्कम पायाभूत सुविधा आणि अद्ययावत संसाधनं हि सगळीच कशी त्यांच्या विकासासाठी पूरक आहेत याचा अभ्यास करता आला. आपल्याकडेही प्रयत्नांती ते सहज शक्य आहे. माझ्यामते ‘समस्या’चेच दुसरे नाव ‘संधी’. पुढील काही लेखांत बघुयात जागतिक तंत्रज्ञानाचे अद्भुत अविष्कार आणि आपण सर्व मिळून विचार करूयात कि आपल्याकडे स्थानिक समस्या निराकरणासाठी त्यांचा कसा अंगीकार करता येऊ शकेल. लेखमालेच्या या एकत्रित प्रवासात कृपया आपल्या प्रतिक्रिया, विचार तसेच सूचना जरूर कळवा.