Book excerpt: The Next Big Thing explores future revolutions that will determine how things are made, who we share the planet with, where resources come from, and the evolution of the human species. Beyond 2030, the way we live today will no longer be sustainable. We will therefore need to develop technologies including 3D printing, synthetic biology and space travel if our civilization is to survive and thrive. Part I reveals how local digital manufacturing will allow on-demand production in any location. Part II then looks at those robots and artificial intelligences that are destined to become our future carers, servants and companions. Part III next examines how resources from space will one day deliver fresh energy and raw material supplies. Finally, Part IV predicts the transhuman evolution that will be triggered as we learn to genetically reprogram and cybernetically upgrade our own biological hardware. The Next Big Thing is written by futurist Christopher Barnatt of ExplainingTheFuture.com. The book will open your mind to the astonishing opportunities that lie ahead, and which will drive us toward the technological singularity . . .