The Google Glass and 3-D Printing are two new innovations with far-reaching consequences.

Industry insiders offer their views

Let us take a moment to reflect upon the way technology has changed our lives. A scant 15 years ago, a computer powered by an Intel Pentium would have been something to be proud of. Around the same time, mobile phones were a rare commodity among the populace, a lu!ury item. "ast forwarding a bit, another fact that seems unbelievable in a time when a smartphone occupies almost every pocket is that the first iPhone debuted only in ##$, and the first Android handset, in ##%. It is a sign of the times that these archetypes of their kind are already rendered almost obsolete a mere few years after their release. &ow among the things we take for granted are handheld devices that understand what we say and talk back, 'ap through webpages and user interfaces at lightning speed and pack more processing power than early supercomputers. All this makes one wonder, what is ne!t in this technological (enaissance) And what are the conse*uences) Prasanth Parameshwaran, founder of web design and development firm Apprender, believes that +,- printing .essentially a printer that builds ob/ects layer by layer with e!treme precision using 0A- drawings as reference1 is going to be the start of a new epoch. 2+,- printing has limitless possibilities, as it can create almost anything with /ust raw material and a computer generated model. 3he applications in medicine are particularly impressive, as specialised items for rare transplants can be created rather than wasting precious time.4 5e cites an e!ample where doctors at the 6niversity of 7ichigan created a windpipe splint for a si! week old baby boy whose airways were collapsing, out of material that will be reabsorbed by his body when his respiratory system develops sufficiently. Another popular favourite is 8oogle 8lass, a pair of wearable spectacles running 8oogle9s Android with a small heads up display mounted onto it.

It is the latest invention from 8oogle9s cartoonishly named :8oogle ;9 division, already responsible for creating driverless cars and internet beaming balloons. 28oogle 8lass is definitely going to change the way we see the world, literally,4 says Pratheeksha A.<., one of the co,founders of app development company Amidray 3echnolgies. 23he idea of a wearable device that augments reality, showing you real time information on the things you see in front of you, is ama'ing. 3here are already hoards of apps being developed for the device, and we are considering some too,4 she says. 5owever, both Prasanth and Pratheeksha offer a word of caution as well. 2In light of the recent :Prism9 controversy, as well as talks about our own proposed 0entral 7onitoring =ystem, one has to wonder what will happen to privacy in the near future. 3he smartphone has already led to a decline in our privacy levels and a device like 8lass in the wrong hands is a scary prospect,4 says Prasanth. Pratheeksha concurs, 2In a country like India, where women are already in constant fear of their privacy, such devices do raise *uestions, but being in the technology field, I still cannot help but be e!cited about its positive potential,4 she says. In an interesting side note, 8oogle 8lass has already been banned in some cafes and casinos abroad, a pre,emptive measure against any issues its eventual arrival may create. 3he situation is summed up rather succinctly by Prasanth, 2I think as a global community we are at a crucial /uncture, we have endless potential thanks to these upcoming devices, whether we use them for good or not is up to us.4