IBM has published their ‘Next 5 in 5’, an annual report that contains 5 articles written by IBM’s research experts. As you might have guessed from the title, the report features 5 areas of technology that their experts believe will be making significant advances in the next five years. As noted by The Verge, some of these ideas will certainly sound unfeasible today, but they are predictions coming from people with knowledge of what’s coming next in tech, so there is a good chance we’ll be seeing the stuff they’re talking about.

The theme for this year is how technology in the future will augment our five senses. Perhaps the most notable of these is the prediction that in 5 years, you’ll be touching items through your phone. One specific usage for this would be online clothes shopping, where you would theoretically be able to feel the product’s texture through your phone’s screen. Other predictions include computers that can smell and interpret those scents, and the ability to point your phone at produce and immediately receive feedback on its freshness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wXkfrBJqVcQ

The rest of the report has some very interesting insights on what we can expect from the technology tomorrow, from people that are always working towards what’s next. If you’d like to see the rest, check it out at the link below!

The IBM Next 5 in 5

[via A Smarter Planet Blog, The Verge]