What will be the biggest stories of 2019? | Part One

Wearable Robotics and Assistive Technology

• Product Launch: A battery-powered "assist suit" featuring robotic muscle packs that contract to boost wearer strength will enter the market in 2019.
  • Mechanism: The technology operates like an electric bicycle, providing coordinated power to the wearer's body only while moving.
  • Target Market: The suit targets a global over-60 population expected to double by 2050, specifically addressing labor shortages in aging sectors like Japan's construction industry (avg. worker age: 48).
  • Cost Barrier: Retail pricing will approximate that of a bespoke, tailored suit, limiting immediate mass adoption.
  • Adoption Challenge: Manufacturers acknowledge a difficulty in achieving "trickle-down" technology effects similar to Formula One racing becoming consumer cars.

Aviation and Infrastructure Trends

• Cost Reduction: Low-cost, long-haul flights are projected to become available, with a 10,000-mile trip from London to Sydney priced around $350.
  • Drivers: This price drop is driven by competition between two new state-of-the-art mega-hub airports opening in 2019.
  • Beijing Daxing Airport: Due to open in 2019 to serve a Chinese passenger market set to triple over the next 20 years, symbolizing an economic shift eastward.
  • Istanbul Mega-Hub: Opened in 2018, covering 26 square miles (larger than Manhattan); the Turkish government is providing fuel subsidies to airlines to boost tourism.
• Forward-Looking Warning: Current low fares may be short-lived due to future airline requirements to offset carbon emissions, potentially increasing costs passed to passengers.

Social Movements and Human Rights

• Stonewall Anniversary: 2019 marks 50 years since the Stonewall Riots; campaigners emphasize that while progress has been made, repression and violence persist globally.
  • Legal Roots: Current anti-LGBT laws largely stem from Sharia law or British colonial exportation of Christian principles.
  • Decriminalization Momentum: Following India's 2018 decriminalization of homosexuality, campaigners hope other former British colonies will follow suit.
  • Key Event: Kenya's High Court is scheduled to rule in February 2019 on decriminalizing same-sex intimacy (currently punishable by up to 14 years in prison).
    • Projected Impact: Success in Kenya is viewed as a potential "tipping point" for Africa, potentially triggering a domino effect of legal changes across the continent.

Driverless Vehicle Revolution

• Commercialization: 2019 is designated as the year driverless technology moves from concept to paid consumer service in US cities, with GM and Waymo scaling up operations.
  • Market Projections: The driverless car industry is predicted to be worth $550 billion by 2026.
  • Government Commitments: Dubai has pledged that a quarter of all trips will be driverless by 2030.
• Safety and Skepticism: The industry faces scrutiny following the first fatality caused by a self-driving car in March 2018.
  • Statistical Context: While current US road deaths number around 40,000 annually, manufacturers argue that a 99% safety improvement would still result in approximately 400 deaths, potentially acceptable but difficult to sell publicly.
  • Industry Stance: Manufacturers remain confident that continuous technological improvement will eventually shift public perception from fearing "killer machines" to rejecting "killer humans."

Leonardo da Vinci Cultural Impact

• Centennial Celebrations: 2019 marks 500 years since Leonardo's death, resulting in "Leonardo mania" with blockbuster exhibitions featuring his art and notebooks.
  • Art Valuation: References his painting Salvator Mundi, auctioned for $450 million.
  • Modern Inventions: Leonardo's designs, including scuba gear, tanks, and the "aerial screw," are influencing modern technology, such as a new commercially available flying car utilizing folding helicopter blades.
• Philosophical Legacy: Exhibitions and media highlight his history as an outsider (illegitimate, left-handed, vegetarian, gay) to emphasize his lesson of tolerance and unity in a divided world.