Never mind if there's life on Mars - check your voicemail. NASA pulled another one out the bag, this time successfully sending and returning a voice message to Mars. The message was over a minute long and was returned from NASA's Curiosity rover which is currently pootling across Mars' surface in search of life, or something. The typically patriotic message said, amongst other things;
"Hello. This is Charlie Bolden, NASA administrator speaking to you via the broadcast capabilities of the Curiosity Rover, which is now on the surface of Mars. Landing a rover on Mars is not easy. Others have tried, only America has fully succeeded."
A message intended to inspire someone alive today to become the first person to stand on the surface of Mars. If sending a voicemail to a planet that doesn't actually have anyone on it seems a little bizarre, check out some of the weird and wacky predictions of where technology is (possibly) going to take us next…
Become the invisible man (or woman)
Ever been in a situation where you wish the ground would just open up and swallow you whole? Not a problem, with an invisibility cloak.
There are a few different types of invisibility cloak in the pipeline, each needing a little tweaking before you can sneak into the ladies' changing rooms without being arrested. One type uses carbon nanotubing to recreate a similar natural phenomena as a desert mirage. Intense heat from electrical stimulation causes a steep temperature gradient that bends light away from the wearer.
In theory. Another type of invisible cloak uses metamaterials which are far smaller than the wavelength of light, and can guide the rays around the wearer like water being guided down a stream. Don't move an inch though, or your evil plan will be spoiled - at the moment the technology only works in 2D.
Get an information chip implanted in your brain
Or perhaps implant one in someone else's? The Ministry of Defence predicts that by 2035 it'll be possible to wire an information chip directly to the human brain. Which means that not only will you be able to use the latest communications technology to find out what the weather forecast is in your area, but also, should some baddies get their hands on the technology, you might become part of a "flashmob" mobilised to challenge security forces in a small area. Fun times.
Hop in my time machine, baby
Turns out you don't have to be a time lord to travel through time, although we're more likely to be able to warp into the future than travel into the past, according to experts.
All you have to do is find yourself a wormhole - a stable one, mind - and congratulations, you've just found your ticket through time and space. As it stands research into this type of time travel remains at a quantum level, but rest assured it won't be long before you can pop back and sort out that terrible 90s haircut.
What do you think of the Martian voicemail? What are your predictions for the future of technology?
Catherine HalseyAbout the Guest Author:
Catherine Halsey writes for a digital marketing agency on a range of subjects. This article links back to http://www.skype.com/intl/en/features/allfeatures/voicemail/