Ever wonder where different forms of technology come from? Where they originate? Chances are, you can trace many examples back to the IEEE. And helping incubate these society- and life-changing concepts is Dr. Bill Tonti, senior director for IEEE Future Directions. While personally holding ownership to more than 280 U.S. patents, Dr. Tonti helps foster new initiatives that represent various technologies and motivates IEEE and the general public to engage with these programs. Today there are various IEEE Future Directions initiatives, including programs revolving around big data, the brain, cybersecurity, digital senses, green ICT, rebooting computing smart cities, smart materials, software defined networks and 5G. Many of these initiatives were spotlighted at the October 2016 IEEE Technology Time Machine symposium in San Diego. Through our interview with Dr. Tonti, a passageway to a bright and exhilarating technological future was unveiled.