Are flying towns and cars really in the near future really, or the world of tomorrow should be somewhat greener, in which way could robots replace people and what medicine will bring in the decades to come?
At this year’s science festival, which is held from November 29 to December 2 at the Belgrade Fair, numerous scientific communicators will offer interesting solutions for the future through a variety of scientific disciplines. To meet the 12th Science Festival, inspired by the topic, Serbian scientists reveal how the future of our planet will look.
Scientific adviser at the Institute for Multidisciplinary Research at the University of Belgrade, Dr Ivan Spasojević compares the human race in the 20th century with “a teenager who got a quick car, from which many arouses and enthusiasm, and a lot of damage have come out”.
“After a century of abundance and knowledge that was primarily defined by the exploitation of oil reserves and technological expansion, the world is at a crossroads. With rational use, you have enough space on our plane: space (ask New York or Calcutta residents), energy (sun and other renewable sources), water (still this is a “blue planet”), food (Dutch efficiency is achievable for all) , oxygen (most of the production is in the oceans). Human society will have the choice between irrational conflicts and divisions in order to maintain the comfort of one at the expense of others, and pragmatism that will be distinguished by rationality and unification. “According to him, in the 21st century humanity should make a departure from the past, be mature and More pragmatic: “With this, there is a tendency for the world to whom we belong better to understand, in which science will play a leading role primarily through the integration of knowledge. This should lead to the development of completely new ideas and concepts in politics, economics, physics and medicine. I consider that a man is a viable species that is ready to live within the limits of a possible one and that will adapt to all the changes that most of all induce itself. Flying cities and cars are a glimpse of the concept of the last century, it’s time to get to know yourself and the world around us. ”
In the Earth of the future, a man’s favorite associate will be a robot, said the robotist Dr. Kosta Jovanovic, assistant professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Belgrade. “Robots will completely replace us in all repetitive, monotonous, difficult and boring jobs. People will do jobs that require intellectual work and creativity. In other words, robots will help people to further evolve intellectually through activities that will primarily occupy time, while people will create ever-smarter robots. Robots will be cheap labor. The cheapest hotels, restaurants and cafes will serve us robots, while the human factor, its kindness, humor, gentlemen’s gestures and social interaction will be the privilege of more abusive objects in which we will spend time, “says Jovanovic. “The new technological advancements that need to improve people’s lives are actually occupying our time as we learn to master these technologies by leaving little time for ourselves, family and friends. The challenges of tomorrow’s scientists will not be how to develop new technologies, but how to shorten the time of mastering these technologies, leaving a man of higher quality time to enjoy the Earth’s future! ”
On the other hand, prof. Dr. Bojana Obradović, from the Faculty of Technology and Metallurgy at the University of Belgrade, believes that people will start to turn more and more to turn to nature as their generous habitat to which they belong, and not as an object to be conquered and exploited. “In that sense, I believe that efficient recycling and treatment techniques for air, water and land will be developed, as well as high-energy processes that will use alternative energy sources with maximum utilization and without waste,” explains Dr Obradovic. “I also believe that treatment methods based on stimulating self-healing and self-generation will be found. In the field of researching new biomaterials and medical application techniques, which I am dealing with, I believe that we will develop sophisticated bioreactor systems that will imitate conditions in the human organism, so that we will come faster and more successfully to new and cheaper drugs and therapies without the application of animal testing. I imagine a cleaner, healthier and more coherent world of the future. ”
With the trace of this story, Dr. Pavle R. Andjus, professor of neurobiophysics who deals with neurodegenerative diseases, is the head of the Center for Laser Microscopy at the Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade. “I see a future in which each patient will have his personal medical description (genetically, physiologically, pharmacologically) and accordingly receive personalized therapy. I see the use of mobile phones that, in addition to the current alienation of the population and the absence of true communication, will enable, through artificial intelligence, quick and efficient diagnostics of patients and a quick transition to self-therapy “, says Dr. Anđus. “I see a continuation in the historical trend of biomedicine to prolong human life. This of course must go with the development of the above-mentioned fight against aging. And I do not care that this can cause an additional increase in the population – on the planet and how there is space for everyone, and ecology teaches us also the ecological balance of the population. I would not just like that space to be a cyber-matrix space, which unfortunately modern civilization is quite tough. ”
The general sponsor of the Science Festival for the sixth consecutive year is NIS, a company that relies on modern technologies and innovations every day in all business segments. In this way, NIS and the Science Festival together contribute to the affirmation of science and education among young people in Serbia, which is one of the strategic goals of the company that realizes its socially responsible projects under the slogan “The future at work”.
For the tenth time in a row, the Friend of the event is mts.
Support to the festival is the Embassy of the United States of America in Belgrade, the French Institute, the Austrian Cultural Forum and the Center for the Promotion of Science. The manifestation is co-organized by the Belgrade Fair
The sponsors of the Eleventh Science Festival are: Elektroprivreda Srbije, Erste Bank, National Geographic and Grafix.