The revolutions that change our lifestyles and transform our work are countless: whether they are digital, ecological, biotechnological, or even robotic… Numerous domains are affected by innovations that are reshaping our economy and society, building a radically different future day by day. Which sectors are driving these new historical dynamics?
- 3D Printing of Attachments Among the swarm of innovations capable of radically changing our economy, 3D printing is increasingly making headlines. Most industrial sectors are affected here by the possibility of designing and computer-ordering the printing of numerous parts that will then be assembled. Earlier this year in 2015, astronauts aboard the International Space Station were able to print a mechanical tool in orbit, the blueprints of which were sent to them by email from Earth’s surface: a feat that holds promise for the future!
- On the Brink of Artificial Intelligence Another revolution is also brewing in the field of computing, through the incessant progress towards the invention of artificial intelligence. All internet giants are working on it: Google, Facebook, Amazon, as well as numerous laboratories around the world (for example, in Grenoble, France). We won’t easily obtain a self-aware robot, as progress in this field is gradual. The magnitude of the changes induced here is measured by the fantasies and fears they generate: fundamental ethical questions will arise on the path of these innovations.
- Renewable Energies Conquering the World They need no introduction as they are the subject of multiple expectations and hopes. But with solar electricity also comes electric machines, which struggle to emerge in transportation. It is to rid ourselves of fossil fuels that the American manufacturer Tesla has been able to design the most profitable and efficient electric vehicles to date. Convinced of his economic model, its CEO, Elon Musk, goes as far as publicly offering his patents, with the idea of spawning competitors to reduce costs and encourage this emerging sector!
- Cooperative Finance to Support a Fairer Economy It’s a rapidly growing sector that isn’t often discussed, and that’s a shame. Because it tends to redistribute wealth more democratically through transparent management of banking activities. Represented in France by “Crédit Coopératif” or “La Nef,” it involves investing clients’ money in activities that adhere to specific and well-known environmental and social requirements. Here, the client and their banker partner beyond the commercial relationship, in a common commitment to support a sector or humanitarian association.
- Soon Living in Space? SpaceX, Orbital Science, Boeing, Virgin Galactic, Sierra Nevada Corporation, EADS Astrium… The list of start-ups and companies investing in space has grown very long in just a few years. The reduction in the cost of access to orbit is preparing a revolution in the medium term and is too rarely discussed. Humans in space are coming soon, and it won’t just be the affair of a few wealthy tourists. Elon Musk, also the president of SpaceX, claims to want to found a city of one million inhabitants on the planet Mars within two decades. An ambition that reflects the importance space will take in the coming years, from the colonization of Mars to asteroid mining…
