Foresighting communications in 25 years

Fraunhofer ISI questioned experts about the information and communication technologies of the future in a Delphi study. Much is technically feasible, say the experts, but not everything is also desirable.

3D Internet with holograms, super-fast quantum computers or glasses which project the pictures from a PC or television directly onto the eye.

Visions of information and communication technologies of the future abound. But which ones are going to actually be implemented in the next 25 years? Which obstacles are to be overcome? And do these new technologies affect the quality of life, the economy and the environment?.The research team interviewed over 400 experts about their opinions on 35 futures theses.

Whereas the experts consider many technical problems to be soluble, for instance in speech recognition software, they see obstacles among others in data protection, for example in the thesis according to which every person is surrounded by a ‘digital aura’ which constantly exchanges data with other persons in the background. Not everything which is technically possible is also desirable, according to the experts.