Predicting the future is getting even more difficult these days. The rate of technological innovations has sped up in the last fifty years. A few years ago everyone was carrying around mobile phones that looked like bricks and couldn't do anything but make calls. Today smartphones can browse the Internet, play games and in many ways is a portable computer in one very, thin case. And this rate of innovation is unlikely to slow down in the next fifty years. Every day scientists and inventors are discovering new technologies that will change the world in ways that we can't imagine. Here are some of the current technologies that will inevitably change the way we live in the future.

Driverless Cars

The notion of driverless cars has been around as the car itself. During the World's Fair in New York in 1939 GM foresaw the advent of self-driving cars. With advances in computing power and satellite technology that future is now upon us. BMW, General Motors, Volkswagen, Google as well as other research labs around the world are all developing autonomous cars. Although their methods vary in details, autonomous cars generally use GPS to guide them on the road while cameras, lasers and radar keep them from crashing into other cars. Computers take the data and give the cars detailed instructions on where to go. Soon driving your own car could be a rare privilege as autonomous cars take over driving duties.

Space Tourism

Commuting to space wouldn't just be a Hollywood tale as more companies invest in the burgeoning space industry. Space won't just be limited to governments or specially trained astronauts. Ordinary tourists will be taking family vacations as the industry grows. Taking a shuttle to see the moon is still for the very rich today, it costs about $20 to 30 million to get to the International Space Station or $200,000 for a sub-orbital flight in Virgin Galactic but the industry is growing by leaps and bounds and soon tours to the moon could be as affordable as a trip overseas.

3D Printing and Custom Products

Imagine replacing your sick organs with a 3D print. Over the last few years 3D printing has been gaining ground in different industries because of the speed and efficiency in which parts can be manufactured. 3D prints can be used in medicine to replace bones, teeth and even organs. 3D printers can rapidly fabricate replacement parts and other one-time manufacturing needs. In retail, 3D prints are used to readily print a customer's items to their own specifications. 3D printing is technology that can change every aspect of the manufacturing industry.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is the idea of taking a real-life scene and adding some data to it so that users can better understand what the scene is about. For example you can take a picture of a building and there will be data about the building's history, its residents, physical features, etc. With the arrival of powerful smartphones and tablets, augmented reality is now within reach for everyone in any place. Apps like Yelp will show you ratings and reviews for a restaurant before you walk in. AR could increase the flow of information in future societies. People can just point their AR phones or tablets at an object and learn everything there is about it, this can even be applied to people. Instead of leaving calling cards people will be a carrying their information with them with one click of a phone.

Personalized Medicine

Medicine will be more personalized over the next few years. With DNA sequencing doctors will be able to tell a patient's medical history and their chances of developing certain diseases or cancers. Doctors will just assess a patient's blood to get an update on the current state of the patient's health.