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The Age of the Interface

My latest article “The Age of the Interface” is the cover story for the May/June issue of The Futurist which is out this week.


A properly designed and implemented interface not only facilitates system-to-system communication, but it also simplifies and automates control of otherwise complex functions. Interfaces let us operate on things that we can’t otherwise deal with and peer into regions where we couldn’t otherwise see. From steering aircraft carriers to moving atoms with atomic force microscopes, interfaces rescale our actions. They translate digital signals and invisible radiation into media that are readily accessible to our senses. In essence, they become our eyes, ears, hands, and even extensions of our minds.

As astounding and varied as our interfaces are today, they’re on track to become much more so in the near future. Under development now are a range of new methods for interacting with our devices in ways that would have been inconceivable only a few years ago. With so many advances now on the horizon, we may someday look back on this period as the Golden Age of the Interface.

This article grew out of some of my observations about the profusion of interfaces that are currently under development. Some of these will be coming onto the market this year, others five to ten years from now. Overall, the trend is toward more natural ways of interfacing with one (or more) of our senses and an increasingly immediate integration with our bodies.

I’m very pleased with how the article turned out and welcome your responses and critiques.

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This entry was posted by Richard Yonck on Thursday, April 8th, 2010 at 4:09 PM and is filed under Futurists, Intelligence revolution. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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