We are on the threshold of a new era. Our planets climate is at risk.

The century of oil is coming to an

end, and the worlds energy supply must be put on a new and sustainable foundation. In 200 the number
of people li!ing in cities will be almost as large as the worlds entire population today " and for the first
time in history, there will be more senior citi#ens than children and young people.
Thats why researchers, in!entors, and engineers must be more creati!e today than e!er before.
$omputers as medical assistants, robots as household ser!ants, sensory organs for electric cars,
buildings as energy traders, farms in skyscrapers, ceilings made of light, power plants in deserts and on
the high seas, supercomputers the si#e of peas, !irtual uni!ersities, online factories " these are not
!isions but almost tangible realities in laboratories worldwide.
%or ten years now the maga#ine &ictures of the %uture has been e'ploring the world of tomorrow. In 20
issues comprising o!er 2,000 pages, &ictures of the %uture has been in!estigating future trends and
identifying the important technologies that will shape our li!es in the coming decades. In the new book
(ife in 200, )lrich *berl, *ditor+in+$hief of &ictures of the %uture, pro!ides for the first time a compact,
clearly structured summary of the key de!elopments that will determine how we li!e in the decades
ahead. $onsidered in the light of trends in society, business, and politics, these de!elopments point the
way forward as we ,ourney into the future.
The book is intended primarily for young readers who are curious about how inno!ations are born, how
!arious de!elopments affect one another, which professions are needed, and how they can help to in!ent
tomorrows world. -ut staying informed about the work of todays research centers and industrial
companies is important for e!eryone " from schoolchildren and college students to researchers,
professors, managers, and politicians. (ife in 200 contains 2.0 pages of clearly presented insights into
the laboratories of the people who create the future and e'citing glimpses of the world of tomorrow. It
shows that the challenges of the 2/st century can be mastered " if we keep our minds open to potential
solutions and ha!e the courage to act.