A renowned inventor and student demonstrations took over Howe Hall Wednesday to discuss the future of technology during the Human Computer Interaction Forum.

Ray Kurzweil, inventor and author of “The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology,” spoke Wednesday to an audience that packed the Lee Liu/Alliant Energy Auditorium.

Kurzweil spoke about the future of technology and its implications in biology for humans. He said technology is growing at an exponential rate and predicted that as soon as 2010, images would be directly painted on our retinas and there would be fully immersive virtual reality, among other advancements.

“The adoption of new technology continues to accelerate,” he said.

Making the connection between biology and technology, Kurzweil said there are animal experiments that involve shutting down the fat insulin reception gene. If successful in humans, this could help combat obesity.

“Our genes have stayed the same for a very long time while we no longer need the same things from them,” he said.

Kurzweil also lent a view into the future. He said there are many projects that are currently being developed, some of which are on the nano level. He mentioned a current research project, in which scientists are designing machines as small as cells that theoretically could, once injected into the body, give a person the ability to hold their breath for four hours.

Jennifer Long, freshman in electrical engineering, said the speech was interesting and opened her eyes to how fast things are moving.

“It really gave a prospect of how [the future] is going to be,” she said.

Students also received advice from Kurzweil about how to involve themselves in the technological changes. Kurzweil said the best way to take part is to follow your passion, regardless of whether it is related to technology.

In addition to Kurzweil’s lecture, the forum also offered numerous demonstrations from ISU students. Poster exhibits of projects were set up by 40 students and demonstrations from 11 students were given during the showcase.

One of these was a program used to assemble pieces in a 3D environment.

There was also a display from Steven Pautz, graduate student in computer science, showing a multi-sensory world directed by music.