The University of Southern California is testing a giant 3D printer that could be used to build a whole house in under 24 hours. Professor Behrokh Khoshnevis has designed the giant robot that replaces construction workers with a nozzle on … Continued
February 2014
Scientists have created a molecular communications system for the transmission of messages and data in challenging environments where electromagnetic waves cannot be used — such as tunnels, pipelines, underwater, within the body, and in biomedical nanorobots. “We believe we have sent … Continued
BM just unveiled its annual 5 in 5 — five predictions about technology innovations that IBM expects will change the way we work, live and play within the next five years. This year’s IBM 5 in 5 explores the idea that everything will learn … Continued
Our current trajectory suggests that the world system will realise a decline in living standards. There needs to be a shift in the global economy that moves away from wellbeing measures based on GDP, and which embraces new meaningful measures … Continued
December 2013
he advent of 3-D printing brought on a number of innovations worthy of news coverage. Printers have created prosthetic hands, action figures, food, even blood vessels, simply by depositing layer after layer of different kinds of ink. Now a handful of … Continued
October 2013
Australia has been listed in the top two countries best prepared to handle an uncertain future in a new report published in Fast Company. The detailed report can be found here: https://www.fastcoexist.com/3016024/the-59-countries-that-are-most-prepared-to-handle-an-uncertain-future
NESTA, a charitable foundation in London has collaborated with a number of other partners to explore how those who live in London in 10 years will actually live. They created 25 “imaginary Londoners” whom they describe in some detail here: … Continued
The 21 September 2013 Economist contains an article exploring just how serendipitous science research can be. A group of scientists at Michigan Technological University lead by Lyon King were exploring how to create fuel for very small rockets (details of … Continued
The World Future Society (with whom the futures foundation will have much closer links from 2014 – watch this space) has just published a list of 20 predictions for trends and breakthroughs likely to impact your work, your investments and … Continued
This is the tentative title of a new book to be published by Charles Brass early in 2019. More details will be posted here as they emerge
(Formerly the Project to Make Wellbeing a National Priority) Andrew Gaines, Convener Given Australia’s ecological and social deterioration, many of us believe wellbeing rather than sheer economic increase should be our national focus. We need to reorganise every level of … Continued
ABSTRACT Based on the history of the planet earth, it seems almost certain that humanity will face at least one survival crisis during the next 1,000 years. Although some individual humans will almost certainly survive almost any exogenous or endogenous … Continued
ABSTRACT What does it mean for humanity to strive for something? And how big a vision does humanity need to have in order to sustain it during the next 1,000 years? This paper makes a start at answering these questions, and … Continued
ABSTRACT One of the few certainties about the year 3000 seems to be that there will still be 168 hours in each and every week. Creating a viable way for all humanity to use their 168 hours is a major challenge … Continued
What is Futures and Futures Education? The Futures Field incorporates research, education and social movements that are involved in a wide range of activities, from trend analysis to curriculum development to social innovations. A core element of these activities is … Continued
FUTURES THINKING AND CURRICULUM STATEMENTS Why should schools include a futures perspective in Curriculum planning? Kew High School’s key question: What kind of young adults do we want our students to be? If this is the premise from which … Continued
Compiled by Caroline Smith, ACU National. Futures Education Bjerstedt, A. (1992). Conceptions of the Future and Education for Responsibilities Malmö, Sweden, Department of Educational and Psychological Research, Lund Beare, H. and Slaughter, R. (1994). Education for the Twenty First Century. London: Routledge Boulding, … Continued