Ray Kurzweil at TED (2005)

Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil illustrates the exponential evolution of technology, predicting a sharp rise in computing capability, robotics and life expectancy within the next 15 years. He outlines the shocking ways we'll use technology to augment our own capabilities, forever blurring the lines between human and machine. A prolific inventor, Kurzweil developed the first Optical Character Recognition (OCR) system, the first text-to-speech reader for the blind, one of the first speech-recognition systems, and numerous electronic instruments. He's written several books exploring the social impact of technology, including The Age of Spiritual Machines and The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology. (Recorded February 2005 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 23:41)