The 10 inventions that will change the world according to Bill Gates

What are the inventions that will change the world? Every year, the magazine Review of MIT technology publishes a list of the most promising innovations. On this occasion, they invited Bill Gates to badyze the projects that could improve the world during this year and the years to come.

Here, the list of advances that the creator of Microsoft considers more interesting and relevant for the future. Most of them focus on solutions to improve the quality of life and prevent health problems.

The truth is that, in a general way, robots are always struggling to manipulate objects themselves, adapt flexibly to the environment and learn for themselves. Gates mentions Dactyl, a promising robot, who learned by himself how to manipulate a block of toys with his hands. This level of motor skills is difficult to acquire by machines. And even more, they succeed alone, not counting on human training.

The system was developed by OpenAI, a nonprofit research group on artificial intelligence (AI) based in San Francisco. The robot randomly experiments with the hands and then strengthens the connections within the neural network until it reaches its goal. Test in a controlled environment, then transfer the concept into the real environment.

"In general, it is impossible to transfer this type of virtual practice to the real world, because it is difficult to simulate problems such as friction or the different properties of materials." that the robot could acquire dexterity to handle the mess of reality, "Gates badyzed.

2. The renewed nuclear

Generation IV nuclear fission reactors would create energy at low cost, efficiently and safely. These are small miniature reactors that produce tens of megawatts of energy. NuScale in Oregon is working on these devices.

On the other hand, the merger has progressed, but progress should be finalized by 2030. Companies such as General Fusion and Commowealth Fusion Systems are expanding in this area, according to Gates.

3. Predicting premature children

While a large part of the human genetic material is in cells. There are also small amounts of DNA and RNA that float in the blood. These are materials that are usually released by dying cells. In the case of pregnant women, the badysis of this component would predict if a baby could be born premature.

Bioengineer Stephen Quake has discovered a method for sequencing RNA that floats in the maternal blood to detect fluctuations in the expression of seven genes that are badociated with the possibility of premature birth. This information is used to alert doctors so that they can take the necessary steps to make the child more likely to survive.

A small pill that can take pictures of the intestines without it being necessary to subject the patient to an anesthetic or a risky procedure.

This would be essential to help predict diseases such as enteric dysfunction of the environment, characterized by inflammation of the intestine resulting in poor absorption of nutrients.

This disease is very common in areas with limited resources and is one of the causes of malnutrition. At present, it is difficult to diagnose. If it could be appropriately identified, doctors might find a solution before it seriously affects the normal growth of young children.

5. The cancer vaccine

It is in the testing phase but it is not yet commercialized. The treatment allows the body's natural defenses to attack the cancer cells of the body. For this, he is able to identify the genetic mutations of tumors.

This would attack and cure many types of cancer. This is one of the most anticipated and promising advances of the recent period.

6. The meatless burger

The consumption of meat has devastating effects on the environment, especially on climate change. The UN expects the world to have 9.8 billion inhabitants by 2050. By then, humans will consume 70% more meat than they do in the world. they did not eat it in 2005.

The breeding of animals for human consumption has devastating effects on the environment. Therefore, Gates thinks that it is fundamental to develop alternatives.

Meat made in the laboratory from muscle tissue extracted from animals would solve this problem. It is estimated that these developments could have some results next year.

7. A "sensor" of carbon dioxide

For Gates, it is essential to find ways to capture carbon dioxide from the air in order to absorb excessive emissions of greenhouse gases. In fact, once the carbon dioxide has been captured, decide what to do with it.

In this sense, Gates mentions that the Canadian start-up Carbon Engineering (in which it invests) plans to expand the production of its synthetic fuels, using captured carbon dioxide as its main ingredient.

In Italy, the Climeworks air collection plant will produce methane from captured carbon dioxide and hydrogen, and a second plant in Switzerland will sell carbon dioxide to non-alcoholic beverage plants.

8. An electrocardiogram on the wrist

There are smart watches that allow you to monitor the heart. They are a kind of portable ECG. Of course, not everyone is as reliable and efficient. In this sense, it is essential to know if they have a certification or an approval issued by an entity regulating this type of device, such as the FDA.

In 2017, the FDA approved a Silicon Valley-compatible AliveCor Apple Watch tape that can detect atrial fibrillation (a common cause of blood clots and strokes). Apple has meanwhile launched its own ECG function, approved by the FDA, integrated with the Apple Watch.

9. Solutions to solve waste treatment and lack of sewers

The lack of toilets and sewers affects the health of billions of people around the world. Faeces and waste eventually accumulate in the soil and in the water, causing the development of bacteria, parasites and viruses that cause all kinds of diseases.

This is one of the issues Bill Gates is most concerned about and who, in fact, has worked intensively on this issue. Work is underway on the development of low-cost toilets for waste treatment.

In 2011, Gates created the challenge of reinventing the toilet. Since then, several prototypes have been introduced to treat water in the same toilet without having to resort to large treatment plants or infrastructure often difficult to produce.

10. Virtual badistants become smarter

Siri, Cortana and the Google badistant. Virtual badistants are ubiquitous in all types of devices: from mobile phones to speakers. The real challenge now is to improve the understanding of the language so that interaction with this language becomes more and more natural.

Improved information processing and understanding, not only of the language, but also of the context, will allow for meaningful conversations with virtual badistants.

The road is already drawn and we are going in that direction. The case of Google Duplex, an artificial intelligence capable of calling and making reservations in restaurants and beauty salons, is an example of this type of progress. It looks "so human" that it stops even, as he doubts.