We could live in a Matrix-like virtual world by 2045.

Pearson said advancements in nanotechnology will make it possible to plug our brains into computers and live in a simulated world.
"You can certainly make something a bit like the Matrix, if you wanted to," Pearson told Tech Insider. "Around 2045, 2050, you could link people's brains to the computers so much that they believe they’re living in a virtual world."
Pearson said the concept is a bit like what Tesla CEO Elon Musk outlined when he talked about neural lace at the Vox Media's Code Conference in Southern California.
Neural lace is a wireless brain-computer system that would add a digital layer of intelligence to our brain. It's a concept nanotechnologists have been working on.

 

People could start using robots to do work around their house and provide companionship starting in 2030.

"Between artificial intelligence and robotics, we'll have quite a lot of assistant tech and some companionship since a lot of people will be living alone," Pearson said. "So companionship is one of the primary goals for future robots."
Toyota has already announced its plans to build robots geared toward assisting people around the house.

 

Self-driving vehicles could be ubiquitous in the next 10 years.

Whether that comes in the form of a car is up for debate, Pearson said.
Pearson described a ride-sharing system where people would order "cheap steel boxes" that could drive people around. The pod-like system would be a more cost-effective driverless system than something complicated like a driverless car.
Still, with so many automakers and tech companies working self-driving cars, it does seem likely we could see one in use in a decade.

 

Clothing could give people superhuman skills in the next 10 years.

The most obvious example of this is the exoskeleton suit, Pearson said. Hyundai recently created an exoskeleton suit that can make heavy lifting easier.
But Pearson said he can also envision other kinds of advanced clothing, like leggings that make it easier to walk and run. Or a Spiderman-like suit made with Polymer gels that can improve strength.

 

Prosthetics could get so advanced in the next 10 years they could give people new skills.

We've started seeing people use advanced prosthetics already. James Young, a 25-year-old biological scientist, has a prosthetic arm with a personal drone and built-in flashlight. And a French artist is using a prosthetic that doubles as a tattoo gun.
Pearson said prosthetics will continue to get more advanced to the point where people are fully comfortable with technology merging with the body. For example, he said people could choose to get cybernetic implants in their legs to make them stronger.

Space trips designed to send people to Mars could start taking place in 2030.

That prediction actually gives Musk some leeway in realizing his vision of getting people to Mars. Musk said at Vox's Code Conference in June said he plans to send astronauts to the red planet in 2024 so they get there by 2025.
"We will see first people going off to mars, and then robots will do some basic stuff like making basic materials [on Mars,]" Pearson said. "We're going to have to do that because only so much can be brought to space."

 

Machines could start thinking like humans as early as 2025.

 

Pearson said he thinks it's very feasible that computers could gain consciousness by 2025, perhaps even earlier in 2020.
"Google's DeepMind isn't there yet, but really I'm sure they'll probably discover those things along the way, and by 2020, it's possible their computer could be superhuman and could be conscious," he said. "That could be the beginning of the end, really."

A Hyperloop could take us in between cities in just six years.

 

We already know we're getting closer to seeing a Hyperloop, a high-speed propulsion system, after seeing the first test run by start-up Hyperloop One in May. Hyperloop One has actually partnered with the City of Moscow to bring one to Russia.
Pearson said he expects to see a short-range Hyperloop that transports people between two cities in five to six years time.

We could start seeing delivery drones finally start making deliveries in the next two years.

 

Regulation, rather than the technology, is more of a limiting factor for getting delivery drones off the ground. But Pearson said by 2018, drones will be used to deliver things like packages to hospitals.
But he doesn't see delivery drones being allowed to become too widespread. It may be used for some package delivery, but not everyday activities like pizza delivery, he said.