Is Innovation Doing Gender (conclusion)

Together we went through several innovative technologies (AI, Mobile Robots, exoskeletons) trying to estimate whether they were gender or not. We’ve learnt that all the stereotypes around men and women are purely cultural and part of intersectionality. We’ve seen also that AI is likely to perpetrate or increase the gap between male and female condition. We know that ARM and exoskeletons tend to close this gap in a far future. Let’s screen a little bit faster at other emerging technologies.

Blockchain

This one is probably one of the most interesting. Unlike machine learning with centralized databases, managed, updated and secured by the owner, the distributed database created by blockchain technology has a fundamentally different digital backbone. The result is a system for digital interactions that does not need a trusted third party. The work of securing digital relationships is implicit — supplied by the elegant, simple, yet robust network architecture of blockchain technology itself. Therefore, each node is equally co-producing the entire chain and each transaction is to be committed by the whole peer-to-peer network. Regardless of the gender of the user, the blockchain provides a powerful ownership tool that fulfills authentication requirements. Inherently, the Blockchain does not make any difference of behavior. What others call the Internet of Value. It is typically a Zero Gender Footprint technology.

Augmented Reality

Great apps developed within the consumer world (Ikea, Sephora) but also in healthcare (for training) and for the business of fun. You can simulate riding crazy attractions into a theme park. You can also simulate adult relations, but I won’t go any further but, because of that, I have to classify it as Non-gender. If you feel skeptical, go a read about the Geek revenge or Bye Felipe and get back to me for updates.

IoT

There are too many applications around IoT. By 2025, it is estimated that there will be more than 21 billion IoT devices on earth (Source Symantec Antivirus) as the range of existing and potential Internet of Things devices is enormous. Connected to the Internet, all these devices gather and share data with each other the net. Thus, the AI will make the chips to focus on particular data that they receive. In addition, we know that machine learning will perpetuate or even emphasis the gender gap. Then, IoT to be thrown on the same bucket as AI.

4D printing

In addition to 3D printing, 4D printing is a renovation, using special materials to print objects that change shape post-production. A trigger may be water, heat, wind and other future forms of energy. Allowing shapes to go from one state to another state, the idea is to create programmable materials that build themselves. The parts can transform from one shape to another directly on their own. It is like robotics but without wires or motor.
As explained by Skylar Tibbits on TEDx “this is the first time a program and transformation has been embedded directly into the materials themselves“. This brings the ability for humans to program physical and biological materials to change shape and properties, again and again, overtime.

Think about programmable and adaptive water pipes, walls, roads, tools. With 4D-innovation, we will reshape all the stuff and tools humans have created so far. With 4D-innovation, we’ll literally reinvent the world.

Let’s hope, from this time, we would live in a more gender and inclusive world.