This document discusses key technologies of the future as identified by the Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment Council (TIFAC). It outlines several technologies including 3D printing, advanced oil and gas exploration, advanced robotics, alternate fuels, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, big data analytics, brain-computer interfaces, cloud technology, digital holography and 3D imaging, energy storage technologies, gamification, immersive virtual reality, internet of things, lab-on-a-chip, quantum computing, real-time translation, semantic web, telemedicine, and wearable devices. TIFAC sees these technologies as having the potential to improve lives, drive economic growth, and position India as a global leader in science and

1. A peep in to the Key
Technologies of the future
By
Technology Information, Forecasting & Assessment
Council -TIFAC
Reference: Internet
Compiled by Dr. Seema Shah
1

2. What is a Key technology of the
future in the next decade?
 It helps to improve quality of life of citizens
 Contributes to wealth creation
 Relevant in terms of making India a global
leader
 Has a potential to impact other technologies
 Study by Technology Information, Forecasting
& Assessment Council (TIFAC) an S&T think-
tank

3. Key Future Technology:
3-D Printing
Process of making 3D solid objects from a digital model and is
achieved using additive processes, where an object is created by
laying down successive layers of material.
It can reduce the material wastage and create complex objects.
Bio-printing of organs and food may revolutionize Healthcare and
Food sectors

4. Key Future Technology:
Advanced Oil & Gas Exploration
Exploration and recovery techniques that make
extraction of unconventional oil and gas
economical.
 Satellite Imagery
 Airborne Exploration
 Seismic Survey

5. Key Future Technology:
Advanced Robotics
Increasingly capable robots with enhanced sensors, dexterity and
intelligence used to automate tasks or augment human capacities
Swarm robotics, nanobots, telerobotics etc.
Robots are going to be the new revolutionary must have in a few
decades.
They can do more than the average human being in many
different ways.

6. Key Future Technology:
Alternate fuels
Alternative fuels are non-conventional or advanced fuels, are
any materials or substances that can be used as fuels, other
than conventional fuels.
Examples: biodiesel, bioalcohol (methanol, ethanol, butanol),
chemically stored electricity (batteries and fuel cells), hydrogen,
non-fossil methane, non-fossil natural gas, vegetable oil, and
other biomass sources.

7. Key Future Technology :
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The capability of a machine to imitate intelligent human
behaviour, such as visual perception, speech recognition,
decision making, translation and other tasks.
AI has been used in a wide range of fields including medical
diagnosis, stock trading, robot control, law, remote sensing,
scientific discovery and toys.

8. Key Future Technology :
Autonomous Vehicles
Driven by on-board computer using sensor feedback and
automatic controls, these vehicles that can navigate and
operate without human intervention.
Deployable for hazardous and repetitive tasks will find extensive
application in military, space, disaster management and other
civilian applications

9. Key Future Technology:
Big data analytics
Process of examining big data to decipher hidden
patterns/trends, unknown correlations and other useful
information for better decision making.
With big data analytics, one can analyze huge volumes of data
that conventional analytics can't touch.

10. Key Future Technology:
Brain Computer Interface (BCI) or Mind-Machine
Interface (MMI)
It is sometimes called a direct neural interface (DNI), synthetic
telepathy interface (STI) or a brain–machine interface (BMI) - a
direct communication pathway between the brain and an
external device for assisting, augmenting, or repairing human
cognitive or sensory-motor functions.

11. Key Future Technology:
Cloud Technology
Use of Computer hardware and software resources delivered
over a network or the internet, often as a service with minimal or
no local software or processing power. This technology allows
for much more efficient computing by centralizing data storage,
processing and bandwidth.

12. Key Future Technology:
Digital Holography and 3D Imaging
Applications of digital holographic, and three-
dimensional imaging and display methods
e.g. Computer Generated Holograms, Compressive
Holography, Quantitative Phase Imaging,
Holographic Lithography, Digital Holographic
Microscopy etc.

13. Key Future Technology :
Energy Storage technologies
Includes batteries, flywheels, flow batteries (Zinc
bromide & Vanadium Redox), metal-air batteries
electrochemical capacitors, Magnetic
(superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES)),
Thermal (Molten Salt), power electronics, and control
systems.
Technologies that enable long-term and efficient
storage of energy.

14. Key Future Technology :
Enernet
A smart grid that is similar to Internet that supports
uploading, downloading and storage of energy rather
than bits.

15. Key Future Technology:
Gamification
Gamification is the use of game thinking and game
mechanics in non-game contexts to engage users in
solving problems.

16. Key Future Technology :
Immersive Virtual Reality
It consists of immersion in an artificial environment where the
user feels just as immersed as they usually feel in consensus
reality
e.g. Panoramic 3D displays (visual), Surround sound acoustics
(auditory), Haptics and force feedback (tactile), Smell replication
(olfactory), Taste replication (gustation) etc.

17. Key Future Technology:
Internet of Things
Networks of sensors and actuators for data
collection, monitoring, decision making and process
optimization

18. Key Future Technology:
Lab-on-Chip
Lab-on-a-Chip (LOC) device, also known as a micro-total-
analytical system (microTAS) is a device that can integrate
miniaturized laboratory functions (such as separation and
analysis of components of a mixture) on a single
microprocessor chip

19. Key Future Technology :
Computing
Quantum computers take advantage of certain
quantum physics properties of atoms or nuclei that
allow them to work together as quantum bits, or
qubits to be the computer's processor and memory.

20. Key Future Technology:
Real time translation
Highly intelligent and interactive system that will allow
seamless translation of languages autonomously with
reasonable time delay.

21. Key Future Technology :
Semantic Web
Semantic web is an extension of the current Web that
enables machines to search, aggregate, share, re-
use, and combining of the information without a
human intervention.

22. Key Future Technology: Telmedicine
Telemedicine is the use of medical information
exchanged from one site to another via electronic
communications to improve a patient’s clinical health
status.
Telemedicine includes a growing variety of
applications and services using two-way video, email,
smart phones, wireless tools and other forms of
telecommunications technology.

23. Key Future Technology:
Wearable devices
Wearable technology, wearable devices, tech togs, or
fashion electronics are clothing and accessories
incorporating computer and advanced electronic
technologies.
The designs often incorporate practical functions and
features, but may also have a purely critical or
aesthetics