IT and Society: Holographic mobile phones to appear by 2015

Scientific predictions – is a part of a traditional annual survey conducted by IBM, which brings together around 3000 scientists worldwide in order to cull five key technological ideas, expected to take root in the next five years. Many ideas are derived from IBM’s research laboratories which conduct research and developments of many promising technologies in the fields of nanoelectronics, optic circuit technology etc.

Holographic conversations, projected from mobile phones, lead this year’s list. By 2015, the mobile phone will project a 3-D image of anyone who calls and laptops will be powered by kinetic energy.

The predictions also include air- breathing batteries, computer programs that can tell when and where traffic jams will take place, environmental information generated by sensors in cars and phones, and cities powered by the heat thrown off by computer servers.

In 2007 IBM predicted that by 2012 cell phones would be used as wallets – to pay for services and purchases, book tickets and other purposes. This happened earlier. This year saw the appearance of phones with NFC support, which may be used as wallets, though the very NFC technology has not become widespread so far. Lots of smart phones with NFC options are expected to appear the next year.