Tomorrow in Brief

Virtual Therapy for Phobias

Simulating an environment or situation that evokes fear is one way that psychologists help treat patients with severe phobias. Now, therapists can deploy a range of virtual world simulations to help their patients.

In a virtual café or pub, for instance, individuals with social phobias can learn to deal with fears associated with being in public, such as being looked at or talked about, according to Delft University of Technology researcher Willem-Paul Brinkman.

While their patients are engaged in the simulation, therapists will be able to observe and record physical reactions such as heartbeat and perspiration, then encourage patients to test alternative behaviors in the simulation.

Source: Delft University of Technology, http://www.tudelft.nl.

Mobile Water and Power

Places without access to clean water and convenient power may soon have a solution to both problems.

Developed by Purdue University researchers, a new alloy of aluminum, gallium, indium, and tin can split salty or polluted water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen feeds a fuel cell housed in a relatively lightweight (under 100 pounds) portable unit to produce electricity, with steam as a byproduct. The steam purifies the water.

The technology may be used not only for poor, remote villages, but also for military operations, according to Jerry Woodall, distinguished professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Source: Purdue University, www.purdue.edu.

Space Junk Detector

A new European space surveillance system is being developed in the hope of keeping outer space tidy—and space traffic flowing smoothly.

Futurists have long warned that increased human activity in space would have one inescapable byproduct: increased orbiting junk. Space junk haulers, reclaimers, and recyclers were even listed among THE FUTURIST’s “70 Jobs for 2030” (January-February 2011).

Now, Fraunhofer Institute researchers are working with the European Space Agency to develop radar systems with sufficiently high resolution to track the estimated 20,000 orbiting pieces of debris that threaten to damage or destroy any satellite or vehicle they may encounter.

Source: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, www.fraunhofer.de.

The Internet of Bodies

As sensors and transmission technologies continue to shrink in size, they will enable us to monitor and manage our own bodies—and connect with others.

As with the so-called Internet of things, an Internet of bodies may soon be built, thanks to work under way in research labs such as the Department of Informatics at the University of Oslo.

Such a “bodnet” could allow frail elderly individuals to live independently at home, as well as improve public health monitoring and prediction systems, as data can be collected from widely distributed populations.

Source: University of Oslo, www.uio.no.

WordBuzz: Protopia

A proposed destination for a desirable future. Protopia, as defined by Wired senior maverick Kevin Kelly, would be a future that is better than today but would not attempt to be a utopia in the sense of a problem-free world.

Technology futurist Heather Schlegel would like to take the concept a bit further. Protopia, she argues, should represent a positive portrayal of the future. Protopians would actively tackle big problems and develop new tools, mind-sets, and paradigms for doing so.

Sources: Kevin Kelly’s blog The Technium, www.kk.org/thetechnium.

Heather Schlegel’s blog Heathervescent, www.heather vescent.com.