The Future We Live In, Thanks to Moore's Law

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The Brink of the Future

"For 50 years, we have been sort of waiting for Artificial Intelligence (AI) or machine learning to provide us with 'Smart Systems,' but we are actually at the precipice of that occurring," a quote from University of Maryland (UMD) Professor Jon Froehlich speaking about the future of Human Computer Interaction (HCI).  Professor Froehlich is one the newest members of the Human Computer Interaction Lab at UMD, one of the longest running labs of its kind.  Froehlich mentions two grand challenges in HCI: Intersection of AI and HCI and Humans engaging with robots.  HCI researchers study how people interact with any kind of technology whether it be an iPhone, your desktop, or even your car, with the prevalence of smart systems in cars.

Cities Built Around Humans 

Froehlich's research includes analyzing the digital transactions people make in cities such as using a smart fare card in a metro system.  With that information social scientists and HCI researches can build cities based on how we interact with one another, how we tend to move about cities, and other factors based analyzing our digital records.  (Longer clip)

Why is All This Possible?  Moore's Law

Froehlich numerously commends Moore's Law for the current  computational and data storage capability of modern technology. Devices such as Microsoft's Kinect or IBM's Watson would not be possible without Intel co-founder Gorden Moore's ambitious vison, know known as Moore's Law.  Moore's Law states that the number of transistors on a chip will double approximately every two years.  Transistors are what make the computations of computers possible, which turn means that computational speed and power will double every 2 years.  (The graphic below is courtesy of Intel).