Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100

will be able to “see” complete reconstructions of the buildings and monuments in their full glory, along with historical anecdotes. The remains of the Roman Empire, instead of being broken columns and weeds, will spring back to life as you wander among them, complete with commentary and notes.
    The Beijing Institute of Technology has already taken the first baby steps in this direction. In cyberspace, it re-created the fabulous Garden of Perfect Brightness, which was destroyed by British-French forces during the Second Opium War of 1860. Today, all that is left of the fabled garden is the wreckage left by marauding troops. But if you view the ruins from a special viewing platform, you can see the entire garden before you in all its splendor. In the future, this will become commonplace.
    An even more advanced system was created by inventor Nikolas Neecke, who has created a walking tour of Basel, Switzerland. When you walk around its ancient streets, you see images of ancient buildings and even people superimposed on the present, as if you were a time traveler. The computer locates your position and then shows you images of ancient scenes in your goggles, as if you were transported to medieval times. Today, you have to wear large goggles and a heavy backpack full of GPS electronics and computers. Tomorrow, you will have this in your contact lens.
    If you are driving a car in a foreign land, all the gauges would appear on your contact lens in English, so you would never have to glance down to see them. You will see the road signs along with explanations of any object nearby, such as tourist attractions. You will also see rapid translations of road signs.
    A hiker, camper, or outdoorsman will know not just his position in aforeign land but also the names of all the plants and animals, and will be able to see a map of the area and receive weather reports. He will also see trails and camping sites that may be hidden by brush and trees.
    Apartment hunters will be able to see what is available as you walk down the street or drive by in a car. Your lens will display the price, the amenities, etc., of any apartment or house that’s for sale.
    And gazing at the night sky, you will see the stars and all the constellations clearly delineated, as if you were watching a planetarium show, except that the stars you see are real. You will also see where galaxies, distant black holes, and other interesting astronomical sights are located and be able to download interesting lectures.
    In addition to being able to see through objects and visit foreign lands, augmented vision will be essential if you need very specialized information at a moment’s touch.
    For example, if you are an actor, musician, or performer who has to memorize large amounts of material, in the future you will see all the lines or music in your lens. You won’t need teleprompters, cue cards, sheet music, or notes to remind you. You will not need to memorize anything anymore.
    Other examples include:
     
    • If you are a student and missed a lecture, you will be able to download lectures given by virtual professors on any subject and watch them. Via telepresence, an image of a real professor could appear in front of you and answer any questions you may have. You will also be able to see demonstrations of experiments, videos, etc., via your lens.
    • If you are a soldier in the field, your goggles or headset may give you all the latest information, maps, enemy locations, direction of enemy fire, instructions from superiors, etc. In a firefight with the enemy, when bullets are whizzing by from all directions, you will be able to see through obstacles and hills and locate the enemy, since drones flying overhead can identify their positions.
    • If you are a surgeon doing a delicate emergency operation, you will be able to see inside the patient (via portable MRI machines), through the body (via sensors moving inside the body), as well as access all medical records and videos of previous operations.
    •If you are playing a video game, you can immerse yourself in cyberspace in your contact lens. Although you are in an empty room, you can see all your friends in perfect 3-D, experiencing some alien landscape as you prepare to do battle with imaginary aliens. It will be as if you are on the battlefield of an alien planet, with ray blasts going off all around you and your buddies.
    • If you need to look up any athlete’s statistics or sports trivia, the