The world is our technological oyster and the last decade has seen a new wave of devices that have made our professional and personal lives considerably easier. While it may seem that things just couldn't get any better than the talk-activated iPhones and 1,000 plus book wonder that is the Kindle, according to the forecasts by computer giant IBM, we haven't seen anything yet.
At the end of last year, the firm cast its predictive eye over the technology that is set to boggle our brains over the next five years. Its forecast painted a picture of the modern world that was akin to the futuristic communities set out in science-fiction novels. A world where ordinary consumers would use mind-reading and energy sources powered by human activity would be commonplace. For those curious enough to get a window into this future, read on to find out just what devices will be powering through our lives in the next five years.

People power

The 21st century is all about renewable sources of energy and ditching expendable sources such as fossil fuels. While environmentalists have been focusing their attentions on the benefits of solar panels and wind farms in a bid to reduce our carbon footprint, there has been a source of energy literally under our noses that we have yet to draw on. IBM has suggested that kinetic energy, created by walking and cycling, will be utilised to power our homes, offices and cities in the near future.

Instead of using our commute to work to get from A to B, attaching a small device to our wheel spokes will mean that we can top up battery power as we go.

Mind reading

We'd all love to know what our family, friends and colleagues are thinking and, thanks to current research being conducted by IBM scientists and other academics, this could be possible sooner than we think. If scientists can work to link our brain to everyday devices, we could soon be controlling the cursor on our computers without fiddling with a mouse and making a telephone call home without pressing single key.

Bioinformatics scientists have already developed a headset that can read brain activity to identify facial expressions, excitement and concentration levels, as well as people's thoughts without them actually doing anything. IBM also argues that this new technology will have an impact on the world of medicine as doctors can analyse brain patterns and potentially help those with brain disorders such as autism.

Tailored 'junk' mail

Try as we might to apply the highest spam filters, those annoying sales emails somehow manage to wangle their way through. Real-time analytics will look at the combination of your profiles across a number of sites and only send information that is personalised to you.

The end of passwords

We have already seen how contactless card technology has superseded the humble password but this is going to be taken to another level over the next half decade with the use of multi-factor biometrics. This system will scan the retina to identify your individual biometric profile which will be based on your exact biological make up. It could see consumers simply walking up to cash machines and talking into a sensor which will detect our unique voice patterns and trigger withdrawals.

A growing digital world

Over the next five years, even the most reluctant of technology users will jump on the advancement bandwagon. According to IBM, this will mean that 5.6 billion mobile devices will be sold over the next five years.