IBM lists five innovations to change our lives in next five years

IBM's "Next Five in Five" is a list of innovations that have the potential to change the way people work, live and play over the next five years. The Next Five in Five is based on market and societal trends expected to transform our lives, as well as emerging technologies from IBM's Labs around the world that can make these innovations possible.

In the next 5 years, technology innovations will impact our lives in the following ways:

1. Solar to become mainstream energy source:
Energy saving solar technology will be built into asphalt, paint and windows. Due to advance in technology unit cost per Kilo Watt Hour through solar power generation will be equal or less than public utility charge. So Solar energy will be an affordable option. The material which making solar economical is "thin-film" solar cells, a new type of cost-efficient solar cell that can be 100 times thinner than silicon-wafer cells and produced at a lower cost. These new thin-film solar cells can be "printed" and arranged on a flexible backing, suitable for not only the tops, but also the sides of buildings, tinted windows, cell phones, notebook computers, cars, and even clothing.

2. Crystal ball kind of health prediction tool:
In the next five years, the doctors can provide us with a genetic map that tells what health risks likely to face in lifetime and the specific things to do to prevent them, based on our specific DNA - all for less than $200. Ever since scientists discovered how to map the entire human genome, it has opened new doors in helping to unlock the secrets our genes. Genetic mapping will radically transform healthcare over the next five years and allow us to take better care.

3. The reading or writing may no more essential with speech responding IT systems:
In the future Internet can be surfed hands-free by using voice - therefore eliminating the need for visuals or keypads. New technology will change how people create, build and interact with information and e-commerce websites - using speech instead of text. In places like India, where the spoken word is more prominent than the written word in education, government and culture, "talking" to the Web is leapfrogging all other interfaces, and the mobile phone is outpacing the PC.

4. Digital shopping assistants:
In the next five years, shoppers will increasingly rely on themselves - and the opinions of each other - to make purchasing decisions rather than wait for help from in-store sales associates. A combination of new technology and the next wave of mobile devices will give the in-store shopping experience a significant boost. Fitting rooms soon will be outfitted with digital shopping assistants - touch screen and voice activated kiosks that will allow you to choose clothing items and accessories to complement, or replace, what you already selected.

5. Record own activity and easily search for forgotten stuff:
In the next five years, it will become much easier to remember what to buy at the grocery store, which errands need to be run, who you spoke with at a conference, where and when you agreed to meet a friend, or what product you saw advertised at the airport. That's because such details of everyday life will be recorded, stored, analyzed, and provided at the appropriate time and place by both portable and stationary smart appliances. To help make this possible, microphones and video cameras will record conversations and activities. The information collected will be automatically stored and analyzed on a personal computer.