Intel recruits sci-fi writers to dream up future tech

The collection, called The Tomorrow Project, aims to capture the publics imagination regarding the companys current research.Intel believes this can help anticipate consumer aspirations, and drive future adoption of its products.The anthology has been made available online as a free download.The Tomorrow Project is led by Intel futurist Brian David Johnson, who regards the scheme as an important way to assess future technology trends.When we design chips to go into your television, your computers, your phones - we need to do it about five or ten years in advance. We need to have an understanding of what people will want to do with those devices, said Mr Johnson.What science fiction does is give us a way to think about the implications of the technologies that were building, for the people who will actually be using them.The concept is called future casting - and aims to drive future technology uses, rather than simply responding to market forces.If we can give people a vision of the future - and do it through science fiction - we can capture peoples imaginations, said Mr Johnson.The project features work from UK sci-fi author Ray Hammond, who took research in development at Intels labs and used it as the basis for The Mercy Dash - the story of a couple battling futuristic traffic technology in a race to save a mothers life.