THE FUTURE IS HERE
Do you know the function of the device next to the phone above? Have you used it before?
Read the passage and answer the questions that follow
GOOGLE GLASS
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Google glass is a kind of a wearable computer. It displays information in hands-free format. It can communicate with the Internet through your voice commands. It is not yet mass produced and has no lenses. Google is thinking about partnerships with different companies producing sunglasses to make the lenses. Google glass proves that future is really here. You’ve seen it in the movies, now you’ll see it in real life. The current price for Google glass is 1500 $, but in future it will be reduced to 299 $.
Autonomous Car
Autonomous cars or robot cars are a great purchase for a person who is tired of driving. It can navigate and sense the environment without the help of people. Such cars are not yet mass produced, but will be in the near future. You can eat, relax, sleep, talk on the phone or watch a film while your car is driving you somewhere. It definitely saves your time. It costs about 4000$.
ASIMO​
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ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative MObility) is a humanoid robot. It is 130 cm tall and weighs 48 kilos. It was originally designed in 2000 to help people with disabilities. It can walk and run at distances up to 6 kilometers. It can interact with people. It recognises 10 different faces and can address them by name. It is used in a lot of demonstrations to encourage the study of science and is one of the attractions in Disneyland where ASIMO has been taking part in a 15-minute show “Say “Hello” to ASIMO” since 2005. It costs around 100000 $.
MULTICOPTER​
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Multicopter is like an individual helicopter with many blades. It is easy to manipulate. Multicopters are usually radio controlled. Depending on the number of blades Multicopters are called quadcoptera, hexacoptera and octocoptera (4, 6 and 8 blades). It can carry a human being or can be used for filming something from above or taking pictures of something from the sky. It would make a great present for a person who is into photography. The current price of the multicopter is 300 $ + depending on its size.
JETPACK​
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Have you ever seen people flying? Just in your dreams? Do you believe that there is a gadget that actually allows you to go up into the sky nowadays? It is called a jetpack. It is worn on your back like a kind of a rucksack and is fixed with the help of the belt. It was designed as a means of transportation for people in the army. There are still some problems, because human body is not naturally designed for flying. It weighs 60 kilos and costs 180 000 $.
URBAN AERONAUTICS X-HAWK​
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Urban Aeronautics X-Hawk is a flying car that is being developed in Israel. Start saving money if you want to get one! ☺ It will be about the size of a large van. At first it won’t be mass produced and would be used instead of helicopters to save people from burning buildings, to evacuate someone or to deliver police officers or soldiers to certain places. It will be able to fly for 2 hours without being recharged.
PROJECTION KEYBOARD
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Projection keyboard is a virtual keyboard projected onto any surface. It was invented in 1992. It analyses the movements of your fingers and reacts accordingly. It is projected with the help of a small device that looks like a speaker or a webcam. Why is it convenient? Firstly, it is portable. You can take it anywhere and it is much smaller than the traditional keyboard. Secondly, you can project it not only on your table, but also on the wall and enlarge the buttons. An essential thing for a person with bad sight.
3D PRINTER​
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3D printer is a special robot that actually creates an object when you provide it with a picture. You can create a small plastic image of yourself or a cup. It can make anything on the basis of the picture you give it. In the future, when this technology progresses it can be used to create objects you need instead of buying them. However, this technology is not cheap.
SEGWAY
It is a great present for a person who appreciates independence. It is an individual means of transportation. It can move forward and backward with a speed you choose. It is small, smaller than a motorbike and very economical. It saves energy and can reach the speed of 20 kilometers per hour. Segway was very popular with George Bush Junior, the ex-president of the USA.
