Solar panel phone screens

• I've been predicting that these will be A

Big Dealfor over a year, and have partly
included them because I just think
they're really cool. But as with many
new technologies, several sets of
researchers are currently working to
make transparent solar panels better
and cheaper, which means that next
year could be the year consumers
finally get hold of them. Once on the
market, they could invisibly collect
solar power on phone and computer
screens, and even on windows.
 A robot to schedule your meetings
• Artificial Intelligence still can't
have a totally convincing chat
with us, but it's now
sophisticated enough to carry
out online customer service, and,
as it turns out, be your personal
assistant. New app x.ai lets you
email "Amy" about a meeting
you want to set up, and she
liases with you and the other
person to find a time that works.
• Control your computer using
gestures
 A hotel in space

• Russian company Orbital

Technologies reckons it'll be sending
tourists into space as early as next year.
Guests would zoom up to the
Commercial Space Station on a rocket,
then spend their time in one of the
station's four cabins enjoying zero
gravity and watching earth through the
ship's giant portholes. And this is only
the beginning:Mashable has totted up
nine commercial companies planning to
send normal people into space over the
next decade or so.
 Self driving cars
• Yes, they've been around for
ages, but now we have on-the-
road testing and the beginnings
of a legislative framework for
the cars, they could soon be an
everyday reality. Google has
announced it's teaming up with
Ford to build self-driving
vehicles, hinting at large-scale
commercial production in the
near future
 ...and cars that make you better at
driving
• While self-driving cars are
grabbing the headlines, ordinary
cars are also stepping up their
game. Tesla's latest in-
car software offers a hands-free
autopilot mode, while Audi's Q7
SUVwill also brake on behalf of the
driver and nudge you back into the
correct lane. This type of gradual
automation may make fully self-
driving cars an easier sell in the
long run.
The suncream pill

• Fish and coral both excrete a

compound that protects them
from the sun, and for the past
five years or so scientists have
been working to use these
substances in a pill which, when
consumed by humans, would
offer the same protection. If it
works, it could cut rates of
sunburn and skin cancer, and
spare you from endless bouts of
greasy reapplication
 An end to language barriers

• Messaging and voice call

service Skype recently released
a live translation tool, Japan is
trialling a live translation
megaphone to use during the
2020 Olympics, and Google's
Translate app translates street
signs and real-time
conversations. It looks like
technology may finally be
breaking down the final barrier
in worldwide communication.
THANKS YOU