Matt James offers some thoughts and reflections on a new TV series which promises to introduce us to new developments in science and technology and get us thinking about the future. [Photo credit: Channel 4]
Billed as a “glimpse of the future”, Brave New World with Stephen Hawkingis a new Channel 4 series on Monday evenings and aims to showcase the latest in science, technology and innovation.
Technology
This new five part series is now over half way through its debut run and is certainly providing much to consider regarding the Brave New World which stands before us. I find it interesting that one episode is devoted to technology because surely technology is the main thread running throughout the whole series? Set in the context of past episodes and others to come (machines, health, environment and biology) this seems to me to stick out as being the odd one out. Then again, it may not be as it highlights an important theme. As I have commented previously, the idea of technology – from the most primitive to the most sophisticated – is the story of humans making things that allow us to do more than we could without them. Through our engagement with technology significant changes can take place. One only has to think about how the PC has transformed our lives or the mobile phone to see an example of this. With this in mind, this third episode of BNW and its specific focus on technology offers us the opportunity to consider technology and its potential transforming effect on how we live.
This week’s episode looks at a variety of technologies ranging from data mining to space exploration, 3D printing to cities of the future. Physicist Kathy Sykes kicks the show off by taking a closer look at mobile technology and the extent to which data produced by these devices can be monitored and applied in such a way so as to allow us to live healthier, happier and easier lives. Tracking the work of a research team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sykes discovers reality mining – picking up the digital “bread crumbs” from mobile technology in order to build a psychological profile on users’ behaviour.
New advances in 3D–printing or ‘additive manufacturing’ is the focus of Max Lamb’s visit to Leuven, Belgium. Here he explores how new laser based technology is allowing objects to be printed in 3D. Think Star Trek’s Replicator and you are amazingly close to what is being achieved.
Having made an extremely successful business out of the way in which we pay for things online, Elon Musk, founder of Paypal and internet entrepreneur is now turning his attention to space travel and exploration. As the future of NASA remains in the balance, Stephen Hawking investigates Musk’s new company, SpaceX, as it steps up to the mark in an attempt to make human life “multi–planetary”.
From outer space to more arid space, the episode’s focus shifts to the desert and experimental new cities. As the sprawling metropolis of Abu Dhabi attracts global attention as one of the fastest growing cities in the world, fresh ideas and thinking are already being applied to the concept of a new ‘green’ city next door to Abu Dhabi. Environmental scientist Tara Shine takes a visit to the new city and explores how new technology is being applied to create a city fit for the future.
Finally, Kathy Sykes returns to pursue neutrinos, the elusive ‘ghost particle’. Her pursuit takes her to northern Canada and a descent of two kilometres underground to one of the deepest labs in the world. Here, away from the interference of cosmic rays she explore how scientists are using technology to study the most mysterious particles in the universe.
Privacy and the Brave New World
Realising that the series does not really set out to critique or discuss in depth, the implications of the advances presented in the episodes, I want to offer three points in response to this week’s episode of BNW. These points seek to reflect on our engagement with these technologies and the issues we need to consider for the future.
First, consider the issue of digital security and privacy. Sykes’ visit to the MIT lab to explore ‘reality mining’ is both awe inspiring as well as disturbing all at the same time. To see the sheer amount of data which can be collected and produced from our use of technology is frightening. In the episode we see that, with prior agreement from Sykes, the research team ‘reading’ the data collected from her over a 24 hour period. They are able to pinpoint that after a relatively quiet period, there was a sudden increase in activity during one particular hour. Uncertain as to what she was doing at this precise moment, Sykes sits back and watches the screen as one of the team lay’s out before her a map upon which her movements are plotted, from which they can pin point precisely where she was and what she was doing during that hour. To her amazement, an image (not dissimilar to Google Streetview) appears on screen of her mother’s home. “Oh, it’s my mother’s….I went to my mother’s house!” she exclaims.
From the ‘crumbs’ of data produced by mobile phones, the MIT team are able to determine the daily patterns of life an individual – where they walk, how they get there, who their friends are, how much time they spending in certain activities. All in all, the team reckon they can predict behaviour patterns with 95% accuracy. What is more, being able to predict behaviour in this way, the team reckon they can determine patterns of early death. For example in San Francisco, by monitoring the movements and habits of people, they can identify patterns of behaviour which when cross referenced and broken down further can afford us insights into specific target groups, such as those who suffer from a high risk of diabetes. By identifying the behaviour of this high risk group, public health interventions can be made in areas where the group frequent the most, resulting in a far more effective and targeted campaign.
This sounds a great ability to have and a clear advantage in planning effective public health interventions. However, what else could this technology be used for? To think of an example closer to home, think about the London riots in August this year and the role mobile technology helped to play in organising and mobilising rioters. How might ‘reality mining’ have helped in preventing such a sequence of events from occurring? On the other hand, in the same way those specific groups can be identified for good, could it be used to discriminate against certain groups?
Watching this segment certainly brought to my mind recollections of the film Minority Report and the idea of taking action on foreknowledge. However, long term success of this kind of technology must hinge on trust and accountability. Sykes even refers to the technology as “a God’s eye view on the world”. From her perspective, the data is already being stored (think: banks, governments) so for us to choose to have it used in this way empowers us. Crucial, thought is the word of choice coupled with trust. For this to happen without our knowledge sets us on a course not too dissimilar to the world George Orwell wrote of in his novel 1984.
If the episode in general is highlighting how technologies look set to transform our world, this segment must surely help us to challenge and consider afresh our view on privacy. How prepared are we for public disclosure of our information to become more apart of our daily lives? The man behind Google, Eric Schmidt, is famously quoted as saying, “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place” and sparked fierce debate. The Electronic Frontier Foundation responded: “Google, governments, and technologists need to understand more broadly that ignoring privacy protections in the innovations we incorporate into our lives not only invites invasions of our personal space and comfort, but opens the door to future abuses of power.”
3D–printing and sustainability
Secondly, the advent of 3D printing or ‘additive technologies’ presents some really exciting prospects for the future of engineering and manufacturing. The more traditional approach to manufacturing has been based on subtraction where raw materials are taken, worked on in order to manufacture a product. 3D printing on the other hand comes at the situation from the bottom up, building products up layer by layer. This results in less wastage as well as lighter but stronger products as manufacturers are able to closely design more complex and stronger structures.
To me this has real potential benefits on several fronts. At a time when we are being forced to assess the environmental impact of so much of what we do, the prospect of reducing waste in manufacturing must surely be a good thing. Likewise creating lighter and more durable structures points to future products that can last longer and have a longer ‘shelf life’, thus reducing wastage from a different angle. More importantly, is how I can see this technology being applied in the developing world. If harnessed for good and supported by appropriate investment, surely this new technology could be deployed in developing countries as a way of manufacturing products which are not only durable and long lasting, but which could help to transform local industry and local markets. New products which are made locally and not imported from abroad. Indeed, after watching the BNW this week I have read of a mobile spider robot that could be sent into disaster situations in order to provide aid and assistance in hazardous situations. Being able to locate people in hard to reach places, the spider can then report back to emergency response teams on the status of the victims and the situation more generally. Using 3D printing the eight–legged lifesavers are being manufactured so they are cheaper and easier to produce.
Cities of the future
This idea of sustainability leads me to my third point regarding cities of the future. The contrast which could be seen between the gleaming sights of Abu Dhabi and Masdar in Tara Shine’s segment was significant. Whilst technology has played a key role in both cities, how it has been utilised and deployed in building Masdar is of crucial importance. Alongside the robot driven cars which operate underground and usher you from the outskirts into Masdar’s pedestrian–friendly city centre, the application of wisdom and new ideas is clearly demonstrated. For example, the air conditioning system which utilises a system of rotating towers which change direction according to the direction of the wind and then channels the natural air flow down to street level.
It is refreshing to see how technologies are being used in radically different ways. Yet the cost of such an experiment remains high. At a cost of $18 billion to build with the aim of housing 40,000 inhabitants, the cost of building a city such as Masdar cannot be ignored. However, as Shine points out it will remain costly if the ideas being modelled as Masdar remain just an experiment. On the other hand if they act as models which inspire innovators and investors as to what can be done then it could it could result in something fresh and exciting. Given the fast pace of change, linking up technologies to work together is crucial. I believed there is much to be gained from new tie–ups of knowledge exchange and expertise sharing as we consider the future and the questions which it presents. As previous episodes have shown, humans are inquisitive. When this inquisitiveness really kicks in and harnesses the transforming power of new technologies for good, then we really begin to see great potential for humanity to flourish.
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The fourth episode of Brave New World airs next week – Monday 7th November– at 8pm, Channel 4 and focuses on the topic of the environment.
As the series progresses Matt is intending to write a short comment and set of reflections on each of the programmes which will be available online on BioCentre’s website and mailing list.
