Scientific discoveries we’re hoping for this year…

A beautifying machine: Maya Westwick

It’s 2013 and technology has advanced in leaps and bounds. We can access the most obscure of information at the click of a button, fly across the world in less than a day and find out everything there is to about a person from the comfort of our couch, without even having to ever speak to them. Yet with all the miraculous advancements, the savvy gadgets and the life-made-easier devices we now can’t live without, one thing still remains to be made simpler: the process of getting ready for a night out.

If there’s one thing I hope tech geniuses invent this year, it’s a machine that can be installed in every bedroom that gets us ready for the night on the town. We’ve seen it in movies: a girl stands on a conveyer belt arms outstretched, fresh faced and casually dressed, someone in the background presses a button and as the girl moves across the conveyer belt she is transformed into a beautiful swan, she doesn’t even have to lift a finger!

Gone will be the hours of prep that goes into nights out to Altoria, we will no longer need to start getting ready at 5pm just to make it to prinks at 9pm on time. Debates about up-dos/curly/wavy/straight barnets, smoky eyes, statement lips, false eyelashes, bodycon, crop tops, tights/no tights will only be a topic of conversation when we remember life pre-2013.
Guys never have to know that the outfit we ‘just threw together’ actually took 2 hours, and girls worldwide can spend their time doing something way more productive than putting on eyeliner or making sure their hair doesn’t fall flat.

If we see it in movies, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes mainstream. I long for the day a budding entrepreneur proposes such an invention to the dragons on Dragon’s Den; but until then I’ll be spending the next 20 minutes putting on my mascara!

Quantum computers: Helena Moretti

With terabyte hard drives easily accessible on the market and USB drives that can hold 256GB, you may not think that we have much need for more memory in a smaller space. In 1947 however, it was thought that six computers would be all the processing power needed for the entire United States – it’s easy to see how our predictions today may not hold up in the future. Scientists are currently looking at quantum computing – a method of storage and processing that uses quantum phenomena (such as tunnelling and entanglement), enabling us to perform more complex tasks using much less space.

Quantum computers were first hypothesised 30 years ago, when scientists were already beginning to see the rapid growth of memory usage in computing. Quantum computers do exist today, though they look more like the computers of the 1950s, taking up an entire room and requiring industrial fans to keep them cool. A household quantum computer may be a long way off. However, I hope that during 2013 advances are made that brings this amazing processing power closer to home, and also provides more research institutions with access to these machines.

More efficient batteries: George Ryan

I would like to see a better battery invented in 2013. As mobile technology has become faster, cheaper and more indispensable, there has been little to no correlation to improved battery life in our gadgets. It is rare for the latest smartphone batteries to stay charged all day long. Current battery technology is heavy and energy is sparse per gram of battery. There is a compromise between size and weight of batteries in mobile devices and how often the device needs recharging. Now this may seem trivial when applied to consumer electronics, but improving battery technology could revolutionise the world, especially in the field of transportation.

What has prevented electronic vehicles taking off is the range, weight and price of batteries used in them. Warwick Manufacturing Group has recently received £13 million of government investment for its Energy Storage Research & Development Centre to create the batteries for the electronic cars, buses and lorries of the future. I hope that this technology gets off the ground in 2013: it will speed up the process of ending our reliance on oil to drive vehicles, decreasing pollution on our streets and negating the effects of climate change.

Life on Mars: Matthew Beech

The habitability of Mars has long been the subject of rigorous scientific exploration, and perhaps the recurrent discussion could come to a head in 2013. Often thought of as an arid, inhospitable wasteland, the only known inhabitants of the red planet have been characters from low-budget science fiction films.

However, that could soon change. NASA recently landed Curiosity, an advanced robotic rover, on the surface of Mars, with the objective to determine whether or not life exists (or may have previously existed) there. To do this, the rover will analyse the chemical composition of the regolith and atmosphere, track any features indicating past or present biological processes, and monitor the surface radiation of the planet.

Conceivably, signs of life on another planet would be the most exciting discovery ever. It would allow the scientific community to explore new branches of biology and chemistry based upon other forms of life, and perhaps commence additional research on other planets and moons. It may also allow us to eventually develop equipment capable of terraforming Mars, creating a planet fit for human habitation. I, for one, eagerly await NASA’s findings. After all, it could confirm that the universe is more fascinating and less lonely than we first thought.

Long distance relationship technology: Michael Allen

Being in a long distance relationship, the majority of my interactions with my girlfriend feature her as a pixelated blob, during a desperate long-distance Skype call made all the more painful by two crummy internet connections. The latter half of 2012 was spent cursing Virgin Media for their ‘Up to 30MB’ claims and growing sick of the phrases “Sorry?” and “What did you say?” I know I’m lucky to have Skype and telephones at all; even if I was any good at the composition of billet-doux I wouldn’t be able to stand the snail-mail wait for the reply anyway.

But still – I want more. The sight of study couples in the library during Term 2 is going to be too much. In the classic sci-fi flick Demolition Man, Sylvester Stallone and Sandra Bullock don specialised headgear which enables intimacy between two people without physical contact.

While Stallone is put off by the device while he is sitting opposite Bullock, I think nowadays such technology would be welcomed by many couples who, for various reasons, are forced to conduct their relationships from afar. Let’s hope 2013 sees the development of new, revolutionary technology to bring long-distance lovers together.