👀 🦾 SEE THE FUTURE: NANOTECH CONTACTS GIVE YOU SUPERVISION. Scientists have created infrared contact lenses that give you literal superpowers — like seeing in the dark, spotting hidden heat sources, and picking up signals no human eye has ever seen. And they work even with your eyes closed.
No batteries. No goggles. Just soft, wearable nanotech you could someday pop in before your morning commute.
—> WHY YOU’D ACTUALLY WANT THIS: This isn’t sci-fi for superheroes — it’s super-vision for real life.
See in the dark. Whether you’re out late, walking your dog, or navigating a blackout — infrared light reveals heat and movement that’s invisible to the naked eye.
Find people in smoke or fog. Firefighters, rescue teams, even cyclists on foggy mornings — all could benefit from literal heat vision.
These lenses overlay infrared on top of your regular sight. You don’t lose what you see — you gain what you’ve been missing.
—> TECH THAT EXPANDS THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE: The lenses work by embedding tiny nanoparticles in soft contact lenses. Even cooler? It works better when your eyes are closed, because infrared penetrates eyelids. That means you could see emergency signals or alerts even in sleep or smoke-filled rooms.
—> WHAT’S NEXT: These lenses are still in early-stage testing, but a glasses version is in the works. Long term? Think applications in:
Search and rescue
Surgery and medical imaging
Helping the colorblind
Security, navigation, even wildlife watching
Sources: Live Science | ABC News | Science Alert
hello, future. it’s me, kev.
…and this is a dispatch from the digital frontier. It’s time to meet the future NOW — with the latest on markets, tech, and freedom. The day is 143. The year is 2025. The planet is Earth.
The planet has complete 39.18 percent its annual orbit around the sun star.
My name is Kevin Cirilli —> LinkedIn. Spotify. Sign-up to receive the future in your inbox here.
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Back to the future...
META: 3D INSTAGRAM PHOTOS ARE COMING TO META QUEST HEADSETS, via Meta:
Thanks to our AI view synthesis algorithms, we can transform the existing photos that show up in Instagram feed pixel by pixel—no fancy 3D cameras required. That means flat photos that weren’t originally captured in 3D will automatically be converted into an immersive format that gives 2D images a sense of depth when you view them on Quest.
Meanwhile…
🚨🚨🚨🚨 DIGITAL BURNOUT: HALF OF GEN Z WISH THE INTERNET DIDN’T EXIST. A new UK survey finds that 46% of young people aged 16–21 say they'd rather live in a world without the internet. Why? Because 70% feel worse about themselves after spending time on social media.
📱 THE SIGNALS
— 50% support a digital curfew after 10PM
— 40% admit to having burner accounts
— 27% have pretended to be someone else online
— 68% say time online hurts their mental health
🧠 👀 MEET THE FUTURE OF ONLINE SAFETY: As UK officials float digital curfews and safety mandates, kids themselves are calling for change. Tech isn’t going away—but safer, less addictive design just might be the next frontier.
Source: The Guardian
HOW IT’S PLAYING —> ZME Science: Almost Half of Teens Say They’d Rather Grow Up Without the Internet… Moonshot: Survey shows half of young people want social media curfew… Cyber News: Gen Z wants off the grid — half says ditch the internet… DigWatch: Half of young people would prefer life without the internet…
FUTURES
💸 BOND MARKET BLINKS ON BIG TAX BILL: Yields on U.S. Treasury notes dropped Thursday after the House passed a pricey tax bill that’s raising alarms about America’s debt pile.
—> WHAT'S GOING ON? The 30-year yield—basically the interest rate the government pays to borrow money—fell to 5.05% after peaking above 5.14% earlier in the day. That’s the highest level since late 2023. When yields drop, it usually means investors are nervous and buying safer assets like bonds.
—> WHY IT MATTERS: The bill is popular politically, but expensive. Investors are worried it will worsen the federal deficit, which could force the government to borrow even more—and possibly push rates up longer term.
Source: CNBC
PENNIES
🚨 🪙 THE FUTURE IS PENNILESS: The U.S. Mint is pulling the plug on the penny. Production will end when current blanks run out — because making 1¢ now costs nearly 4¢. That’s $56 million in savings per year… and one less excuse to dig through couch cushions.
—> WHAT'S NEXT: 114 billion pennies still out there, but if Congress signs off, this could be the end of Lincoln’s least valuable cameo. But… killing the penny might mean more nickels — which cost even more to make. So this might just be the first coin to fall.
SPACE
🌑 🌍 MINOR PLANET ALERT: PLUTO’S GOT A COUSIN: Meet 2017 OF201, a newly discovered object so far out in the solar system it takes 25,000 years to orbit the sun. Scientists announced this week they discovered it and they think it may be large enough to qualify as a dwarf planet, joining Pluto and other icy misfits on the solar system’s edge.
—> THE SOLAR SYSTEM ISN’T JUST 8 PLANETS AND A MOON. Minor planets are space rocks that orbit the sun but aren’t full-fledged planets. Actually? It’s the wild west out there. The solar system includes:
🌑 8 planets (sorry, Pluto)
🪐 200+ moons
☄️ 1 million+ asteroids
🧊 Thousands of trans-Neptunian objects many in the Kuiper Belt (the outer belt of the Solar System)
🌫️ And possibly billions more comets in the deep freeze of the Oort Cloud
And out beyond Neptune? It's not empty. It’s wild. Icy worlds like 2017 OF201 are telling us we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s out there.
—> WHAT IT MEANS: This isn’t Planet Nine (which we write about frequently), but it could help us find it. Discoveries like this challenge our assumptions—and show how much of our own backyard we still haven’t mapped.
Sources: Phys.org | EarthSky | Gizmodo
ROBOTICS // QUANTUM // ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
👨⚕️ 🤖 THE ROBOT WILL SEE YOU NOW. Surgery is getting a sci-fi upgrade. A robot called STAR just stitched a pig’s intestine all by itself—with more precision than most human surgeons. It didn’t just assist. It planned the stitches, tracked the breathing, and adapted in real time.
—> WHAT’S STAR? It’s a surgical robot made by Johns Hopkins. It sees in 3D, follows tissue as it moves, and uses AI to guide its tiny tools. Instead of a doctor steering it with a joystick, STAR mostly works on its own—checking with a human if needed.
—> MEET THE FUTURE: This isn’t science fiction anymore. Autonomous surgical robots like STAR could soon be in real operating rooms. One day, hearing “the robot will see you now” might be just another part of going to the doctor.
Source: IEEE Spectrum
MTF EVENTS // SPECIAL CONTENT
MEET THE FUTURE AT SPACE REG BOOTCAMP!!! The Association of Commercial Space Professionals and Q Station have joined forces to offer the Third Annual Space Regulatory Bootcamp in Albuquerque, NM June 10-11th. Spend two intense days learning to navigate the intricacies of the regulations that are slowing your business down.
Leave with practical skills, meaningful connections, and with a regulatory roadmap for your business. From fundraising to government contracting and export controls, our instructors will be hands-on with teaching skills and answering your questions. Tickets and agenda available here: https://acsp.space/abq25bootcamp/ Use our code: ACSPFRIEND to get 10% off your ticket.
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With gratitude,
Kev
ABOUT mtf.tv’s meet the future: mtf.tv’s meet the future is a cutting-edge platform focused on addressing key challenges at the intersection of national security, technology, and business. With a mission to embrace freedom to meet the future’s challenges and opportunities, mtf.tv offers forward-thinking media offerings and forums.
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