Each week Nikolas Badminton, Futurist Speaker, summarizes the top-5 future looking developments and news items that I find to be inspiring, interesting, concerning, or downright strange. Each day he reads through dozens of blogs and news websites to find those things that we should be aware of.
In Future Trends – Self-driving UBER is here we look at the trends that we should be aware of today, September 16th, 2016. UBER launches self-driving cars in Pittsburgh, robots will eliminate 6% of US jobs, exoskeleton marathons, and self-esteem is being ruined by dating apps.

Uber Begins Testing Self-Driving Cars in Pittsburgh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmofgf-Y3Mc
Via Laughing Squid

Here’s the tech that lets Uber’s self-driving cars see the world

Via Business Insider

Robots will eliminate 6% of all US jobs by 2021, report says

By 2021, robots will have eliminated 6% of all jobs in the US, starting with customer service representatives and eventually truck and taxi drivers. That’s just one cheery takeaway from a report released by market research company Forrester this week.
“By 2021 a disruptive tidal wave will begin. Solutions powered by AI/cognitive technology will displace jobs, with the biggest impact felt in transportation, logistics, customer service and consumer services,” said Forrester’s Brian Hopkins in the report.

The Inevitable Robot Uprising has already started, with at least 45% of US online adults saying they use at least one of the aforementioned digital concierges. Intelligent agents can access calendars, email accounts, browsing history, playlists, purchases and media viewing history to create a detailed view of any given individual. With this knowledge, virtual agents can provide highly customized assistance, which is valuable to shops or banks trying to deliver better customer service.
Forrester paints a picture of the not-too-distant future.
“The doorbell rings, and it’s the delivery of a new pair of running shoes, in the right style, color and size, just as you needed to replace your old ones. And here’s the kicker: you didn’t order them. Your intelligent agent did.”
Via The Guardian

Exoskeleton Helps Paralyzed, Pregnant Woman Complete Half Marathon

Claire Lomas, a 36-year-old woman who is 16 weeks pregnant, recently completed the Great North Run, the largest half marathon in the world that takes place each September in North East England.
Lomas has also been paralyzed from the chest down since 2007 following a horseback riding accident.
Lomas used an exoskeleton from ReWalk Robotics to help her complete the 13-mile journey over five days. She also had help from her husband, Dan, who was behind her each step of the way. Lomas walked about three miles per day, beating the heat, hills, and injuries throughout the half marathon.
She said she struggled to train for the event because of morning sickness. Lomas told the BBC that even standing in the suit isn’t easy. “It’s taken some learning. It’s not just physical work, it’s the concentration with every step,” she said. “It doesn’t just walk for me. I have to use the parts that aren’t paralyzed to make it walk.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=116TlHcqOWU
Via Robotic Trends

Do Dating Apps Ruin Men’s Self-Esteem?

Via DNews

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Nikolas Badminton is a world-respected futurist speaker that researches, speaks, and writes about the future of work, how technology is affecting the workplace, how workers are adapting, the sharing economy, and how the world is evolving. He appears at conferences in Canada, USA, UK, and Europe. Email him to book him for your radio, TV show, or conference.