More machines than people on the Internet

Rise of the robots

Machines will take over from humans as the biggest users of the Internet in a brave new world of electronic sensors, smart homes, and tags that track users' movements and habits, the UN's telecommunications agency predicted.

In a report entitled "Internet of Things", the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) outlined the expected next stage in the technological revolution where humans, electronic devices, inanimate objects and databases are linked by a radically transformed Internet.

It would seem that science fiction is slowly turning into science fact in an 'Internet of Things' based on ubiquitous network connectivity," the report said Thursday, saying objects would take on human characteristics thanks to technological innovation.

Currently there are about 875 million Internet users worldwide, a number that may simply double if humans remain the primary users of the future.

They would be tied into an all pervasive network where there would be no need to power up a computer to connect -- "anytime, anywhere, by anyone and anything", the report said.

Remote computer-controlled household appliances are already appearing, as well as prototype cars with collision-avoidance sensors.

Mobile phones can be used as electronic train tickets while meat exports from Namibia or goods for US retail chain Wal-Mart are tagged with sensors to allow them to be tracked.

The ITU's vision goes further, highlighting refrigerators that independently communicate with grocery stores, washing machines that communicate with clothing, implanted tags with medical equipment and vehicles with stationary or moving objects.
Industrial products would also become increasingly "smart", gaining autonomy and the intelligence thanks to miniaturised but more powerful computing capacity.

"Even particles and 'dust' might be tagged and networked", the ITU said.

"In this way the virtual world would map the real world, given that everything in our physical environment would have its own identity (a passport of sorts) in virtual cyberpsace," the report forecast.

The trend is being fuelled by a small number of technological developments, including miniature radio frequency RFID electronic tags that allow immediate identification and tracking, and new sensor technology, as well as smart devices and nanotechnology.

Some of the applications envisaged for emerging RFID tags are to replace human ID documents, track consumer habits, or banknotes.

The ITU said tighter linkages would be needed between those that create the technology and those that use it to cope with its forecast new world.

"In a world increasingly mediated by technology, we must ensure that the human core of our activities remains untouched," the report concluded.

I wouldn't doubt it for a minute. Machines are taking over in a lot of places.

People look at me like Im a nut sometimes what I say this but: I swear the movie Terminator, with the whole man vs machine idea, is going to be how we end up wiping out the human race. All it would take is one to become self aware.

we're getting more and more lazy and soon we're all gonna be sick fat people and these metal robots that can run 200 MPH and have machine gun fingers with be out police and presidents.

So naturally its going to set about destroying an entire race.

Not much chance of that happening any time soon. Luckily just hardware increasing in speed and capacity bring about any self aware A.I just yet...

We will all be killed unless you are not polite to robots and computers. Therefore, you must always say thank-you when you get your cash from the machine!!!

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of all scenarios, i would prefer the Ghost in the Shell paradigm best; a symbiotic synergy between Man & Machine could prove most beneficial..

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i think when computers become so advanced to think on there own, people will eventualy become afraid of there power (atleast some people)
and humans will be the ones to start the conflict, robots will simply self defend and might decide something like "they are a threat to our existence and therefor must be eliminated" or something like that. anyway i dont any of us will be there to see it

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Pull the plug now! before its too late

I just saw this new gizmo that takes pictures, sends text messages, surfs the internet, can make and recieve phone calls, record video and fit in your pocket when you're done.
With all this getting smaller and faster, just think about the Borg from Star Trek for a few seconds!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7103668/

go here guys it talks about what scientists think is gonna happen.

oops sorry go there but click the link that says Before and After humans.