Summer of 2020, Wang Jun-Gi and his wife wake up on a Saturday morning and activate their cleaning robot in the other room via sending wireless electricity that is constructed on their wall and windows. They listen to music from one of their many home appliances that became more compact due to the use of direct current power network, and do their daily chores. Then they get on their hybrid car that is cost-efficient and go for a drive, enjoying the natural landscape where there are no longer electric transmission towers. They park their electric cars near the city sidewalk and stroll along the beautiful city lighted by LED streetlamps that do not radiate heat. Once they come home, the couple sits on their comfortable sofa and takes out their flexible, bendable electric device from their pockets to turn on the TV. Before they go to bed, Mr. Wang's wife put on a whitening patch, run by a paper battery that makes it even more absorbable through skin, and goes to bed feeling very bright.
The magic behind electrical engineering creates clean energy and endorses the country's eco-friendly environment thus one cannot stop asking how will electrical technology transform the future landscape after a decade
To fulfill people's curiosity, the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) conducted a research worldwide and compiled ten technologies that are most likely to come true within the next ten years. According to Yoo Tae hwan, the director from KERI, the most promising ten technologies are selected in the basis of the level of completeness, how much social and economic ripple effect it will create and feasible probability, strictly calculated from statistical data.
The ten brightest electrical technologies are in the following order: metal-air battery, paper battery, micro development, transparent solar cell, wireless power transmission, dispersion power, straight power network, electric car, flexible transparent electrode, and LED technology.
These ten selected technologies are believed to improve people's life style and decrease carbon emission level. Moreover, it goes along with the world's initiative to sharply cut carbon emission by 30 percent and the nation's collaborative plan to promote green growth. Thus, this list of technologies is significant for they will in concert construct and transform the world's landscape to a more innovative and safe environment.
KERI received related vital information considering the selection of the most promising technologies of the future from William E. Halal, both a futurologist and a doctor of engineering at George Washington University (GWU). Doctor Halal operates science and technology department at GWU called Techcast, an online think tank. Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) also provided their advice on the method of forecasting the future. The final list presented by KERI is rooted upon the process of survey information and scanning, trend and quantitative analysis of patents, survey on expert's opinion, and comprehensive evaluation that have been excavated for six months utilizing collective intelligence to boot. According to KERI research team, electric energy can be classified into four stages: production-transportation-storage-utilization. And this year's chosen technologies are evenly distributed to all four steps; the list is targeted to satisfy the users and selected according to the users' point of view instead of the providers who cultivate electrical energy.
Lee Hong-Sik, the head of the research department, orchestrated this selection project; he said that most of these ten technologies might seem familiar to people, but the importance lays on the fact that this list is in concurrent with the national agenda of low-carbon, green growth and the world's concerted effort to radically reduce carbon emission by 30 percent until 2020. Lee Hong Sik continued, "People should take a keen interest in this list not because it is eye-catching but for the reason that a team of research specialists from a center for electric power have poured 30 years to bear these probable technologies which will come true within a decade."
First on the list is metal-air battery: this battery can be adopted on to various operating fields that require long hours, such as a hearing aid, because it has higher energy compared to usual kinds. It is a secondary cell that bears double mileage when used into an electric car. For the future, the research is set to advance the current secondary cell to fuel cells. Second, paper battery resembles a paper, for it is thin and bendable and has the best electric-chemical ability. Because of it's superior flexibility, it is expected to be used on cosmetics creating a whole new idea on electric chemical.
Micro energy, also known as ubiquitous or harvesting energy, is a technology that transforms minor, mundane energies such as, vibration, sound, electromagnetic, body heat, gravity, wind, light, and oxidation into electric energy and thus generate an electrical device that lacks batteries; for instance, wireless sensor system. Fourth on the list is transparent solar cell that can metamorphose into a new energy source which then gets applied to exterior walls of the buildings and windows. Since it has the ability to alter the shape of exterior walls and windows, for being the main energy supply, it is expected to create a revolution on the architectural design market.
Wireless power transmission technology, the fifth on the list, sends electric energy in the form of electromagnetic that does not require electric power lines. Thus, the user can send electricity anywhere, anytime. It is expected to be applied on long-distance wireless charger, ubiquitous wireless sensor power provider and other devices that can replace wired power charger and provider.
The ten technologies will reshape the future; however, first, it sets a forward path for the KERI electric energy experts to take and give the nation an outlook on the changing technological advances. This will allow it to produce innovative technologies that will provide an opportunity to lead the global market and create a low carbon environment.
