====== A Review of Technology in 2155 Compared to 2024 ======

Cybernetics, biotechnologies, power advancements, general electronics, and computer technologies have advanced rapidly, and new discoveries and advancements in existing technologies are frequent. The resultant impact on society is a state of constant 'future shock' in which subcultures can differ wildly.

Computers, sensors, and communicators are faster, smarter, and smaller, and can be built into almost anything.
Wearable computers are inexpensive. Quantum computers can solve problems and break encryption by computing every possible solution at once, but quantum communication systems trump that with unbreakable encryption. Neural interfaces link mind and machine, and cybernetic implants do not merely replace injured body parts, but actually enhance them.

Artificial intelligence is smart and inexpensive, and volitional AIs – machines that can think like people – exist, although they are tightly controlled. Inexpensive sapient machines are commonplace. Swarms of tiny microbots can be built, and biomechanical nanomachines can perform prodigious feats of medicine and genetic engineering.

Perhaps the most significant developments are in bioscience. Functional organs can be grown with tissue engineering and transplanted into the body. Wonder drugs and other treatments can be delivered in smart capsules. Not all diseases are cured, but lifespans may increase substantially. Genetic restructuring is functional and offers the potential of immortality and personal refinement. People who can afford to take full advantage of modern medicine may live for centuries or more. As science gains a greater understanding of the human mind, more complex neuro-tech and cybernetics have become available, and it is possible to cybernetically possess bodies, control minds, and record sensory information.

Advances in genetics and science have also allowed for the understanding of the scientific basis of psi powers, and their widespread integration into society. This includes the development of psychotronics – devices that are intended to protect against, amplify, or enhance psi abilities, or which work using their principles. However, the major development of psi-tech is not a gadget but a technique: the ability to locate, identify, train, and even genetically engineer people who possess psi powers. This has resulted in psi abilities becoming an open and accepted part of society, particularly amongst the rich and powerful.

Major advances have occured in the material science, especially in the fabrication of nano-scale materials, the
development of composite materials, structural supercapacitors as power reserves, and polymer-based electronics. This leads to the widespread use of devices such as printed computers, flexible batteries, and bio-compatible implants, as well as products such as video wallpaper and chameleon suits.  One example of the new bio-nanotech products is pseudo-living polymers that are capable of self-repair. These "living bio-plastics" make a range of tough, lightweight, and self-maintaining equipment possible. 

Molecular nanotechnology is routinely used in manufacturing. Many products can be self-assembled "from the
bottom up" using methods analogous to the way biological organisms grow. The tools used are biomechanical in
nature, combining proteins and engineered viruses with metals and other inorganic materials. Bio-nanomachines
construct most biotech products and are used in medicine and genetic engineering, but molecular manufacturing is still limited to making specialized components and products that can be assembled in “wet” environments.
Macro-scale products using metals, semiconductors, diamond-hard materials, and ceramics still rely on "top
down" manufacturing techniques and 3D printing technologies.

Micro-mechanical electromagnetic systems – tiny sensors and actuators – drastically shrink many electronic and mechanical devices. The results are dramatic, ranging from vehicle surfaces that can change their aerodynamic properties to labs-on-a-chip and artificial gills.

Fuel cells and gas turbines are miniaturized and used as power cells for electronics and other portable devices. On a larger scale, nuclear fusion and solar power free society from dependency on fossil fuels; although diesel-powered internal combustion engines are still common civilian backup systems, nuclear fusion plants are small enough to be deployed in tanks and fightercraft.

Improvements in material technology lead to affordable space transport systems, such as single-stage-to-orbit shuttles or space elevators. Cheaper access to orbit may boost other space technology, such as nuclear engines for interplanetary journeys, beamed power from solar satellites, and life support technology. Industry and even colonists may go into space, taking advantage of the gravity-free environment to mine asteroids or develop better industrial processes. FTL is a theoretically sound concept based on current understanding of physics, but experiments in its development have had inconclusive results.

Antimatter is now capable of being routinely manufactured. It's used in medicine (as a radiation source),  and has the potential to develop into the next major energy source. It is incredibly effective as a weapon of war, however, which has led to increasing tensions between nations as a new "clean" nuclear arms race threatens to emerge.

Small arms technology often relies on conventional guns (with improved ammunition, electronic ignition, and smart electronics) but both non-lethal and lethal energy weapons such as electromagnetic guns and high-energy lasers are utilized in many contexts thanks to the development of power cells that can effectively support these weapons' energy demands. While automatic-fire weapons are still controlled, perimeter-defense automatic non-lethal 'deterrent' weaponry is frequently deployed in security-conscious areas, and private corporations regularly have license to use lethal force in defending their property.

Body armor has advanced even more rapidly than weapons. Comfortable climate-controlled suits can protect the entire body, and space suits become lightweight vacc suits. Advances in micro-turbines and robotics make powered suits feasible, both exoskeletons (for civilian and military applications) and battlesuits.