Cassandra Brennan

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   In the past, children came home from school and played video games on their Nintendo or GameCube. If they wanted to hang out with a friend, they picked up their home phone and called their friend's house in hopes of reaching their friend directly, rather than their friend’s parents.
   Technology has changed quite a lot over the years. People are able to play video games from a portable, handheld device and send a quick text message on their cell phone without even leaving the couch. Friends can play video games together while being in different houses - in different towns - through xBox Live.
   It's hard to believe that people used to watch movies on VHS tapes and are now able to instantly stream virtually any movie they would like straight from the internet to televisions. There is no longer any need to go to a video store to purchase or rent a movie. Instant gratification is a common characteristic in people today.
   Instead of watching these movies on television consoles, shaped like a cube with a concave screen, there is the option to use flat screen televisions that are only centimeters thick, weigh virtually nothing and have screens as large as walls. Some televisions even have features such as 3-D and High Definition; luxuries that viewers never expected, but now cannot live without.
   Imagine hand writing every paper ever assigned in high school. Instead there is  the option to quickly type it out on a desktop or laptop computer. All of those obnoxious and tedious typing classes finally paid off.
   Tech-savvy students are aware that technological advancements occur on a daily basis. A new game system, computer program and/or cell phone emerges constantly. Many people take for granted what is available to them. However, many advances that may not necessarily impact the average person's life are taking place right behind their back.  
   Robots are being produced which can rescue people drowning in deep waters, such as EMILY, or Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard, a robot engineered by an Arizona based company known as Hydronalix.  According to Michelle Smith of the Huffington Post, EMILY can go up to 22 mph, which means it can get to drowning people quicker than humans can.
    As well as life saving robots, cars are being engineered that can drive themselves. According to Amol Koldhekar, writer at Engadget, Volvo is planning on releasing a car in 2014 that is able to operate itself - because humans are too accident prone.
   As most know, smart phones are now equipped with location services and artificial intelligence. However, imagine having a phone that wouldn't require a charger. Or never having to plug a phone in to the computer just to add some music. Engineers are trying to create a way that cell phones can become completely wireless, meaning ports won't even be necessary.
   From the time it has taken to read this article, Apple designers and engineers could be working on a wristwatch-like device that will work like a computer. With more to come, technological advances will take place that humans could never have dreamed of. Each generation will become more and more dependent on their devices which alone will change the world.