Accessibility links
The Future: A Tech Preview In a four-part series looking to the future, Morning Edition examines how technology could define daily life five or 10 years from now.
Special Series

The Future: A Tech Preview

In a four-part series, Morning Edition examines technology's new frontiers.

The Increasing Power of the Silicon Chip

While most consumers never see a silicon chip, they do see the results of their growing power: high-definition television sets, cell phones with cameras, faster and smarter computers. Ever-shrinking chips are not only giving consumers new products, but also helping the scientific community.

The Increasing Power of the Silicon Chip

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/5418208/5418213" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Broadening the Reach of Broadband

As people get more of their entertainment from the Internet, the amount of data flowing in and out of the house is going to grow. Telecommunications companies and communities are looking for ways to make "broadband" even broader -- and more affordable.

Broadening the Reach of Broadband

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/5400144/5400147" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Methanol: The Key to Building a Better Battery?

Technology companies and even the U.S. military are working on new power sources that last longer than today's batteries. One unexpected answer is a highly flammable liquid fuel that's been around for over 300 years.

Methanol: The Key to Building a Better Battery?

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/5386468/5388209" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Chasing a Habitable 'Home of the Future'

People love to speculate on what the home of the future will look like -- remember the cartoon the Jetsons? But history is littered with the detritus of failed utopian homes. The latest efforts at high tech homes have to balance gadgetry with livability.

Chasing a Habitable 'Home of the Future'

Listen
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/5360871/5370433" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Browse archive or search npr.org