Forecasting the future is never easy. We were, of course, supposed to have flying cars by now–and yet here we all are, still stuck in traffic on the ground. But lack of personal aerial-transportation options aside, we are living in a world in which the pace of innovation and scientific discovery makes reality seem more and more like science fiction. In the next year, those lines will get even more blurred: Think electronic pills that beam your vitals to your doctor, a drone swooping from the sky to save lives in a disaster, or even a fundamental rethinking of how businesses relate to society. One thing that’s certain: The world will look very different a year from now. We predict that these 12 ideas, currently being shaped in labs, skunk works, and boardrooms around the world, will be some of the most revolutionary, changing how we live, for the better, in 2014 and beyond. And if they fail to materialize in the next 12 months, just wait–they’ll still happen before that flying car.

The malaria parasite still thrives in countries like Angola and Uganda, where treatment and prevention are tough to implement. But this year, the first-ever vaccine could come up for regulatory approval, giving hope that the world might someday end the disease. Read more here.

Police who responded to a Saskatchewan car accident last May had a dilemma–the victim was missing. They had no luck searching the area on the ground, but in this case, there was another tool: They sent an unmanned aerial vehicle to look for telltale infrared signatures. Read more here.

As media theorist Douglas Rushkoff puts it, “Code is literacy in the 21st century.” Schools are starting to come around to that point of view, and 2014 will see a big jump in students who are studying computer programming. In 2013, Idaho and Tennessee passed legislation allowing computer science to fulfill math or science graduation requirements–a move that will lead to class sizes 50% larger than before–and organizations such as Code.org and the Association of Computing Machinery are working to spread the movement nationwide. This year, says ACM’s director of public policy, Cameron Wilson, “we will unite behind the idea that every student should have access to K–12 computer science education as a fundamental new literacy for all, instead of knowledge for a privileged few.”–Jillian Goodman

It wasn’t long ago that everyone thought Siri would revolutionize the way we interact with our phones. That never quite happened, but new technology could fulfill the promise of a fully interactive AI personal assistant. The next step will come this year. Expect Labs will release an app that listens to your phone conversations and serves up information before you even ask for it. Read more here.

Access to the Internet has been expanding fast, with 35% of the global population now online, up from around 20% in 2008. In the next year, three projects will help it really take off. Mark Zuckerberg recently launched Internet.org, an initiative to make web access more affordable around the world. And Google is experimenting with a system of huge balloons outfitted with Wi-Fi transmitters. “Broadband is one of the most enabling technologies of our lifetime,” says Steve Collar, CEO of O3b Networks, which is working to expand the Internet in developing countries. “But you can’t run fiber through the Amazon or the mountains of Pakistan.” Read more here.

Last fall, Apple captured the popular imagination by including a fingerprint reader in the iPhone 5s. But it’s iris scanning that’s more likely to affect how you interact with the electronic world. As a universal biometric ID, your iris will eventually replace passcodes and access cards. In 2014, the fast-growing biometrics industry is expected to reach $14 billion a year as eye scanning expands from international airports and border crossings to some U.S. corporate campuses, college buildings, and prisons. Read more.