By Remy Raitt

Taking place between Friday, 13 and Tuesday, 17 March SXSW Interactive saw exhibitions, events and over 2500 talks on emerging technology. It’s the place where Twitter was launched and has a reputation for being the breeding ground for new ideas and creative technologies.

Sevasti began her talk with a quote from writer Arthur C. Clarke; “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. And after hearing about the amazing feats in technology she witnessed, it’s clear she couldn’t have chosen anything more apt.

Presentations on robots, bionics, biometrics, wearable’s and worldwide internet connectivity are what struck her the most. And as a self-confessed ‘futurist’, Sevasti excitedly says these advances are not far away from mainstream daily living.

“People have this dystopian view of robots,” she says, “but the focus was on the unique advantages robots offer.” “In my opinion there is a lot of untapped potential in robotics, they should be viewed as human assistants, not replacements.”

She discussed the Ozobot which introduces children to the basics of programming through colour and code patterns, the Telepresence which allows users to be in two places at once and drones which have been designed to deliver medical supplies in places of need, and have now been picked up the Swiss postal service to deliver mail.

Self-driving cars were a huge theme at the conference and Sevasti says Google announced that they plan to have some on Californian roads by the end of the year.

The technology surrounding bionics also blew her away. “We are already physically enhancing ourselves,” she says, “and it’s a lot simpler than the Tony Starke suit.” Japanese company, exiii, have found a way to make prosthetics more affordable; by 3D printing their handiii and controlling it through the user’s smartphone.

“Dr Geoffrey Ling and Darpa are revolutionising prosthetics. Working with returning war vets they are developing prosthetics controlled by the mind,” says Sevasti. She goes onto to reiterate the massive impact this could have on the future of creating ‘super humans’.

Next Sevasti discussed biometrics, which she believes will soon become our unique identifiers, and she’s not just talking about fingerprints. Minority Report-esque iris scanning, voice pattern scanning and identifying individuals’ unique heart electrical patterns will soon drive our everyday actions and functions. “Soon there will be no more passwords, our bodies are unlocking the future.” She cited the Nymi Band and body temperature regulator, Wristify, as excellent examples of where things are headed.

Google’s Loon, which was launched in 2013 was discussed at SXSW by Dr Astro Teller. Sevasti explained the rigorous testing processes the internet balloons, which aim to connect the whole world to the internet, are subject to. “They are working really hard to make them a reality,” she says, “and if Google X succeeds, what will happen to our world? It will really be the next step in our evolution.”

Another speaker who really impressed Sevasti was Martine Rothblatt. Her work with United Therapeutics is pioneering new avenues for organ transplantation and genetic modification.

But Sevasti says even with all these developments, its technology that we are using right now that will see us live forever. “Organs can extend our lives but what makes us live forever?” she asks. “What will stay forever is social media and the ‘mental us’”. “We are uploading pieces of ourselves all the time,” and soon, she says, our minds will be able to be uploaded onto an android.

“It’s all happening so gradually we won’t even notice it,” Sevasti says. “As humans we like to augment everything we do, we are designing our society and living longer. We need to ask questions about how this will impact our planet.” She says she is on the fence and sees both good and bad coming from these rapid technological developments. She says it could very well bring on a collective consciousness that could lead to greater understanding and a reimagining of what it means to be human.

She ended the talk off by playing a Jason Silva YouTube video titled Singularity which celebrates that moment in the future when we truly become one with technology by employing cyber-consciousness.

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