We have seen great leaps in digital technology in past the past five years. Smartphones, cloud computing, multi-touch tablets, these are all innovations that revolutionized the way we live and work. However, believe it or not, we are just getting started. Technology will get even better. In the future, we could live like how people in science fiction movies did.

(Image Source: YouTube)

Today’s post is about 10 upcoming, real-life products that is set to revolutionize the world as we know it. Get ready to control the desktop and slice Ninja fruits with your eyes. Get ready to print your own creative physical product. Get ready to dive into the virtual world, and interact with them. Come unfold the future with us.

Read Also: 20 Futuristic Concept Gadgets That Really Inspire

1. Google Glass

Augmented Reality has already gotten into our life in the forms of simulated experiment and education app, but Google is taking it several steps higher with Google Glass. Theoretically, with Google Glass, you are able to view social media feeds, text, Google Maps, as well as navigate with GPS and take photos. You will also get the latest updates while you are on the ground.

(Image Source: YouTube)

It’s truly what we called vision, and it’s absolutely possible given the fact that the Google’s co-founder, Sergey Brin has demo’ed the glass with skydivers and creatives. Currently the device is only available to some developers with the price tag of $1500, but expect other tech companies trying it out and building an affordable consumer version.

2. Form 1

Just as the term suggests, 3D printing is the technology that could forge your digital design into a solid real-life product. It’s nothing new for the advanced mechanical industry, but a personal 3D printer is definitely a revolutionary idea.

Everybody can create their own physical product based on their custom design, and no approval needed from any giant manufacturer! Even the James Bond’s Aston Martin which was crashed in the movie was a 3D printed product!

(Image Source: Kickstarter)

Form 1 is one such personal 3D printer which can be yours at just $2799. It may sound like a high price but to have the luxury of getting producing your own prototypes, that’s a reaonable price.

Imagine a future where every individual professional has the capability to mass produce their own creative physical products without limitation. This is the future where personal productivity and creativity are maximized.

3. Oculus Rift

Virtual Reality gaming is here in the form of Oculus Rift. This history-defining 3D headset lets you mentally feel that you are actually inside a video game. In the Rift’s virtual world, you could turn your head around with ultra-low latency to view the world in high resolution display.

There are premium products in the market that can do the same, but Rift wants you to enjoy the experience at only $300, and the package even comes as a development kit. This is the beginning of the revolution for next-generation gaming.

(Image Source: Kickstarter)

The timing is perfect as the world is currently bombarded with the virtual reality topic that could also be attributed to Sword Art Online, the anime series featuring the characters playing games in an entirely virtual world. While we’re getting there, it could take a few more years to reach that level of realism. Oculus Rift is our first step.

4. Leap Motion

Multi-touch desktop is a (miserably) failed product due to the fact that hands could get very tired with prolonged use, but Leap Motion wants to challenge this dark area again with a more advanced idea. It lets you control the desktop with fingers, but without touching the screen.

(Image Source: Leap Motion)

It’s not your typical motion sensor, as Leap Motion allows you to scroll the web page, zoom in the map and photos, sign documentss and even play a first person shooter game with only hand and finger movements. The smooth reaction is the most crucial key point here. More importantly, you can own this future with just $70, a price of a premium PS3 game title!

If this device could completely work with Oculus Rift to simulate a real-time gaming experience, gaming is going to get a major make-over.

5. Eye Tribe

Eye tracking has been actively discussed by technology enthusiasts throughout these years, but it’s really challenging to implement. But Eye Tribe actually did this. They successfully created the technology to allow you to control your tablet, play flight simulator, and even slice fruits in Fruit Ninja only with your eye movements.

(Image Source: Eye Tribe)

It’s basically taking the common eye-tracking technology and combining it with a front-facing camera plus some serious computer-vision algorithm, and voila, fruit slicing done with the eyes! A live demo was done in LeWeb this year and we may actually be able to see it in in action in mobile devices in 2013.

Currently the company is still seeking partnership to bring this sci-fi tech into the consumer market but you and I know that this product is simply too awesome to fail.

6. SmartThings

The current problem that most devices have is that they function as a standalone being, and it require effort for tech competitors to actually partner with each other and build products that can truly connect with each other. SmartThings is here to make your every device, digital or non-digital, connect together and benefit you.

(Image Source: Kickstarter)

With SmartThings you can get your smoke alarms, humidity, pressure and vibration sensors to detect changes in your house and alert you through your smartphone! Imagine the possibilities with this.

You could track who’s been inside your house, turn on the lights while you’re entering a room, shut windows and doors when you leave the house, all with the help of something that only costs $500! Feel like a tech lord in your castle with this marvel.

7. Firefox OS

iOS and Android are great, but they each have their own rules and policies that certainly inhibit the creative efforts of developers. Mozilla has since decided to build a new mobile operating system from scratch, one that will focus on true openness, freedom and user choice. It’s Firefox OS.

Firefox OS is built on Gonk, Gecko and Gaia software layers – for the rest of us, it means it is built on open source, and it carries web technologies such as HTML5 and CSS3.

(Image Source: Mozilla)

Developers can create and debut web apps without the blockade of requirements set by app stores, and users could even customize the OS based on their needs. Currently the OS has made its debut on Android-compatible phones, and the impression so far, is great.

You can use the OS to do essential tasks you do on iOS or Android: calling friends, browsing web, taking photos, playing games, they are all possible on Firefox OS, set to rock the smartphone market.

8. Project Fiona

Meet the first generation of the gaming tablet. Razer’s Project Fiona is a serious gaming tablet built for hardcore gaming. Once it’s out, it will be the frontier for the future tablets, as tech companies might want to build their own tablets, dedicated towards gaming, but for now Fiona is the only possible one that will debut in 2013.

(Image Source: Razer™)

This beast features next generation Intel® Core i7 processor geared to render all your favorite PC games, all at the palm of your hands. Crowned as the best gaming accessories manufacturer, Razer clearly knows how to build user experience straight into the tablet, and that means 3-axis gyro, magnetometer, accelerometer and full-screen user interface supporting multi-touch. My body and soul are ready.

9. Parallella

Parallella is going to change the way that computers are made, and Adapteva offers you chance to join in on this revolution. Simply put, it’s a supercomputer for everyone. Basically, an energy-efficient computer built for processing complex software simultaneously and effectively. Real-time object tracking, holographic heads-up display, speech recognition will become even stronger and smarter with Parallella.

(Image Source: YouTube)

The project has been successfully funded so far, with an estimated delivery date of February 2013. For a mini supercomputer, the price seems really promising since it’s magically $99! It’s not recommended for the non-programmer and non-Linux user, but the kit is loaded with development software to create your personal projects.

I never thought the future of computing could be kick-started with just $99, which is made possible using crowdfunding platforms.

10. Google Driverless Car

I could still remember the day I watch the iRobot as a teen, and being skeptical about my brother’s statement that one day, the driverless car will become reality. And it’s now a reality, made possible by… a search engine company, Google.

While the data source is still a secret recipe, the Google driverless car is powered by artificial intelligence that utilizes the input from the video cameras inside the car, a sensor on the vehicle’s top, and some radar and position sensors attached to different positions of the car. Sounds like a lot of effort to mimic the human intelligence in a car, but so far the system has successfully driven 1609 kilometres without human commands!

(Image Source: Wikipedia)

“You can count on one hand the number of years it will take before ordinary people can experience this.” Google co-founder, Sergey Brin said. However, innovation is an achievement, consumerization is the headache, as Google currently face the challenge to forge the system into an affordable gem that every worker with an average salary could benefit from.

Cloud Computing means Internet-based computing where your data and the software are present on the Web, and the application is used as a service rather than a standalone software. You can run a virtual application or operating system within a browser which preserves your user session and your data. It’s like travelling with your own computer but without carrying its hardware.

With a Cloud operating system (also known as a Web OS), you can manage your office work, prepare projects, etc quite similar to how you do on your desktop. The beauty of the idea is that everything is stored on the Internet and hence available everywhere you go!

Want to give Cloud OS a go? Here are a few Cloud OS you can test run for free.

Recommended Reading: Cloud Hosting: How Does It Really Work?

1. ZeroPC

ZeroPC offers you 1GB of free storage and lets you to connect cloud storage services like Box, DropBox, Google Drive, SkyDrive, SugarSync and 4Shared for access to your paperwork. ZeroPC is also available on the Android, iPhone and iPad, giving you access while on the go.

For photo lovers, it is also a great "photo management tool", linking photo & video services like Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, PhotoBucket, Picasa and Recood. Plus, it also has native apps for instant messaging, a text editor as well as productivity tools for managing documents and spreadsheets online.

2. Jolicloud

Jolicloud offers you Joli OS, which you can download and install in your system (even if it’s 10 years old) or use it in the browser. Joli OS provides you with the full cloud experience – keep and use your favorite apps any time, any where. Jolicloud has over 15,000 web apps you can access using the system.

You can integrate your DropBox and Google Drive accounts with Jolicloud and there is also a ‘Jolicloud Me’ version where you can manage all of your online life at a single place Jolicloud Me currently supports Facebook, Flickr, Instagram, Picasa, Tumblr and Twitter.

3. Glide OS

Glide OS is a good choice if you’re collaborating for a group project. Glide team offers 30GB of free storage and you can add a total of 6 users in your account. The OS is not very pretty but is quite useful; it has additional features like email and profiles as well as basic tools like Calendar, Notes, Text editor, Presentation maker, etc required for your paperwork.

Glide also provides a syncing software for Windows, Mac OS and Linux so that you can easily sync your files between Glide HD (they call it the Glide Hard Disk) and your local storage. They also have browser extensions and a mobile version.

4. SilveOS

SilveOS is a cloud operating system built on Silverlight. You can run it in any browser with Silverlight installed. It has many built-in apps which let you write, listen to music, make notes, and even play Solitaire. You can also install Silverlight apps from the web in SilveOS.

It, however, doesn’t provide any storage so it’s not the best Cloud OS for long term work. But it’s a handy tool if you often work on computers that is not yours like the office computer or at cyber cafes.

5. iSpaces Cloud Computer

iSpaces has only the basic features for you to manage your work like Browser, File manager, Notes, Office suite (Zoho office), etc. It also has 3 Workspaces accessible from the task bar. t lets you keep your working environments organized with quick access from one Workspace to the other.

You can work on your files from Box and DropBox using the file manager. iSpaces has a simple environment for you to access your files on Box and DropBox in the same view, and you can move your files from one space to another just by drag and drop. The changes will be reflected in your respective cloud storage accounts.

6. Cloudo

Although in beta stage, Cloudo is an interesting operating system built to run in your browser. It is packed with apps like Mail, Calendar, Audio Player, RSS reader, Contact manager, Word processor, Notepad, Command Line Interpreter, Finder (to search files) etc. It provides a good interface like an operating system where you can run commands, install apps, play music etc.

It handle multi-tasking quite efficiently and let you do your tasks efficiently. It also offers an Application Manager which you can use to install more apps in your Cloudo.

7. xOS

xOS doesn’t provide a lot of customization options but they do provide a good collection of apps for personal use. It offers Web browser, File manager, Text editor, Notes, Calendar, Paint, Email client, and Canvas Rider (a bicycle game) among others.

8. ZimDesk

ZimDesk is a cloud operating system full of apps and features. It has got Custom wallpapers, Office Suite, Contact Manager, RSS reader, Calendar, Mail client, FTP client, File uploader and manager etc.

9. The Places A

It’s an another cloud operating system which offers basic apps like Radio, Calendar, File manager, Bookmark manager, Notes, Email client, etc. You can add web apps to it as links which will be opened in new tabs. It also supports Instant messaging between its users.

Cloud OS is unique in the sense that you can have all your documents, designs, music, personal files, photos and videos kept online and accessible via a virtual working environment. Great for busy people who are always on the go, travelling to different places, working on different computers or mobile devices. Working on a Cloud OS, all you need is an Internet connection and you’re all set.