Peeking into the crystal ball: Future of Internet

3. Smart devices

 Robin Li, chief executive officer of Baidu Inc

Self-driving cars will be quite common on the roads in three to five years. More importantly, cars will be more like a computer on wheels, and people will be able to connect with each other through their cars.

 Ma Huateng, chief executive officer of Tencent

Even brain-to-brain communication via an electroencephalogram (EEG) may be possible by wearing some devices.

 Zhou Hongyi, chief executive officer of Qihoo 360 Technology

By connecting more than a billion people via smartphones, many innovative business models have mushroomed and drastically changed people's lives in China. But in the future — be it cars or wearable devices — all things can be connected to each other via the Internet. The more people we have, the more devices can be connected to the Internet, and the stronger and more powerful our Internet industry will be.

 Michael Huth, Professor of Computer Science at Imperial College London

The Internet is extending its reach considerably with more small devices connecting to it; from body sensors and smart meters to light bulbs and gadgets in commercial aircraft passenger space.