International Business Machines, the multinational computer technology giant, on Monday unveiled the 'IBM Next Five in Five' study, which is its view on five innovations that have the potential of changing the way people the world over work, live and play over the next five years.

Usually it is the adults who teach the kids. But IBM scientists and business consultants say that some of today's most popular pastimes from teens to post-graduates are on course to changing the way people will communicate, shop and work. Who would have thought that IM chats, text messages and video games would change the world. . . for adults!

1. We will be able to access healthcare remotely, from just about anywhere in the world

2. Mobile phones will start to read our minds: Advanced 'presence' technology will give mobile phones and PDAs (personal digital assistants) the ability to automatically learn about their users' whereabouts and preferences as they commute, work and travel. 'Presence' technology -- used in instant messaging -- already makes it possible to locate and identify a user as soon as the user connects to the network.

3. Real-time speech translation -- once a vision only in sci-fi -- will become the norm

4. There will be a 3-D Internet

5. New technologies the size of a few atoms will address areas of environmental importance

These five innovations were selected based on projects from the brains in IBM's Research labs, business research conducted by IBM's business think-tank, and ideas pooled from more than 150,000 people from 104 countries, including IBM employees, their family members, universities, business partners and customers from 67 countries, during a recent online brainstorm called 'IBM InnovationJam.'

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