Futurology and Lessons to Learn Together

Who would have thought that Tesla's advanced air filtration mode, known as "bioweapon defense mode" would actually have a real practical use? Several years back, Elon Musk's Musk's Tesla's were fitted with HEPA filters that were much more advanced than common passenger air filters found in other vehicles. Combined with the advancements that Tesla has brought forth in terms of machine learning and self-driving vehicles, it is clear that these advances do have an important use now and in the future.

It is safe to say that this pandemic is showing us the importance of investing in technology, but it also shows us where we are falling incredibly behind. Delivery services such as Amazon, the postal service, DHL, and countless others are a big improvement over what the world had during the days of the Spanish Flu. But we can see where things can be improved and perhaps need to be improved to avoid countless deaths for the next round that surely will hit in the next 100 years. Robots and self-driving cars will likely replace many delivery drivers and picking/packing workers would could dramatically decrease the transmission of future strains between sick workers that would be doing that work today. We are even seeing a glimpse of how 3D printers can have a practical health use and that technology is still in its infancy. Face masks and other critical components can be manufactured at home. How will this change in the future?

We are also witnessing how lost corporations and individuals are to the threats of such a contagion. Entire industries need bailouts and people will fall I to crisis without support from a safety net from extended financial hardships. The fallout from this pandemic is not even over, but we must make decisions now to help prepare the future from not learning from the past.

https://www.tesla.com/blog/putting-tesla-hepa-filter-and-bioweapon-defense-mode-to-the-test