In the first half of the 20th Century, a wide range of
futurists, science fiction writers and others predicted what life would be like
in the Year 2000 and beyond. Many of those concepts made such an impact that
they left an indelible mark on the public's imagination.
In fact, many people assume that we're still slowly
progressing toward that future. But we are here to tell you that the real
future has already arrived. More than that, the predicted future is boring and
inferior to our amazing reality.
Let's compare elements of yesterday's future with what's
actually happening now and what will happen in Future too..
Pet robots
In the future-obsessed 1920s, '30s and '40s, futurists
commonly believed that robotic pets would become normal. A few prototypes were
even mocked up and displayed at World's Fairs. One robot dog called Philidog
was created in 1928. The most famous was Sparko, a robotic dog created in 1940.
They were actually mechanical contraptions that responded in
limited ways to various inputs. They achieved slow, clumsy movement with
internal gears and wires. Futurists no doubt assumed that computers would
eventually be involved, and that mechanical dogs would evolve into robot dogs.
But no futurist could have predicted the massive computer
power controlling today's home robot pets. The most recent example is the BB-8.
Jet packs
Futurists also envisioned jet packs -- apparently believing
that lashing a high-powered engine to your back would be a viable form of
transportation. The jet pack idea was so compelling, in fact, that it was
brought to fruition decades ago. The jet packs that, say, Nick Macomber flies
in demonstrations are essentially perfected versions of the concept from the
1960s and '70s.
The jet packs based on the decades-old predictions keep you
in the air for 30 seconds or so. They're also dangerous. The new version of the
old jet pack vision is off-limits to the public.
Compare that with the much-better jet-pack-like concepts
that are a reality, and are available to anyone who has the money and courage
to use them. For example, check out this video of Yves Rossy and Vince Reffet,
who fly jetpacks combined with hard-wing wingsuits to fly like Superman.
And next year, if
you've got $150,000 to spend, you'll be able to buy the world's first commercially
available jet pack, the Martin Jetpack.
Now talking about Future technology ideas
Internet for everyone
After Tesla and SpaceX, PayPal founder Elon Musk is turning
his attention back to the internet: he’s awaiting permission to send almost
4,000 small satellites into low-Earth orbit that would beam back a high-speed
wireless signal to everyone on the planet. And things are moving fast: Musk
hopes to launch a series of test satellites in 2016, with a view to completing
the project by 2020. He has competition to get there first though, as British
billionaire Richard Branson also wants to cover the world with wi-fi. Good
News for tattoo lovers
£3 pain-free tattoo removal:
Got a tattoo that you now regret?
There may soon be a gentler, cheaper alternative to laser removal. PhD student
Alec Falkenham in the US has worked out how to harness a property of your
body’s own immune system. He’s developed a cream that delivers drugs to white
blood cells called ‘macrophages’ (Greek for ‘big eaters’), causing them to
release the ink they took up in order to protect your skin during the tattooing
process.
Human head transplants:
Sergio Canavero , an Italian
neurosurgeon, intends to attempt the first human head transplant by 2016,
though no successful animal transplants with long-term survival have yet been
made. Because of the difficulty of connecting the spinal cord, Canavero has
suggested improvements in the process using a special blade and polyethylene
glycol, a polymer used in medicine as well as in everything from skin cream to
the conservation of the Mary Rose, can help start growth in spinal cord nerves.
Other experts say Canavero is
wildly optimistic, but we can at least expect improved ability to repair
damaged spinal cords over the next decade, restoring body function to some
spinal injury patients.
The four-day working
week:
It turns out working less might mean more work gets done. A
raft of studies have shown that with less time to work, less time is wasted –
there’s less absenteeism and, in most cases, greater productivity. A more
compact working week has also been shown to encourage employees to stay with
companies for longer, and works as a recruitment tool. A shorter working week
could even reduce global carbon emissions, with fewer commuters clogging the
roads on certain days.
Pleistocene Park:
Russian scientist Sergey Zimov
hopes to recreate a 12,000-year-old environment in a wildlife park for
herbivores like wild horse and bison, with extinct megafauna like mammoths
replaced by modern hybrids. Zimov will study the impact of the animals on
environment and climate.
So this are the future , present
and past inventions.
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