20 Predictions of the Future (part 1)

It’s human nature to fantasize about the future and predict what life might be like in the future. Over the past eight decades, there have been many wild and outlandish predictions of bizarre gadgets, structures and inter-planetary colonies, all published by magazines, newspapers, books and professors. While some predictions of future technology have seen actualization in the modern world, many such forecasts have not come true. In fact, by the year 2000, the world was predicted to be a far different place than it is even nine and half years later. Today we take a look at twenty predicted technological breakthroughs that never came to be, their origins and current status. To be fair, as you’ll see, we’ve certainly made progress in the right direction, but have still to achieve the dream.

Flying Car

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Probably the most common future technology never invented is the flying car. Appearing in countless science fiction movies and soaring through the day dreams of any commuter stuck in daily bumper to bumper traffic, the flying car represents a human fantasy that hasn’t yet taken off. This is not to say that there haven’t been plenty attempts at a functional model. From the winged Pinto of 1973 (which led to the fiery death of the two pilots) to the more recent “Moller SkyCar,” the world has been searching for a cost effective way at personal air travel for decades. Dr. Paul Moller of Moller Industries (a company specializing in flying cars) has since filed for bankruptcy, and his flying cars still struggle to achieve a vertical lift of more than 25 feet.

Corner Grocermat

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Inspired by our enduring desire to create convenience through technology, the Corner Grocermat was a prediction of a drive through supermarket made in 1959. Published in the “Closer Than We Think” section of the Chicago Tribune, the paper stated that soon, the grocermat will, “…enable the housewife to drive around an oval arrangement of such preloaded display sections and pick out what was needed. A clerk would put the desired groceries on a moving belt which would move when the auto did, so that the purchases would wind up at the checkout counter at the same time the driver did.” As cool a this sounds like it might be, the corner grocermat never came to be, appearing to have been an empty prediction never put into development. Today, the biggest supermarket technological advancement seen has been the advent of the “self check-out line,” and home grocery delivery services such as Stop and Shop’s “Peapod” program.

The Flying Platform

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Appearing in the 1955 issue of Pacific Stars and Stripes, the “Flying Platform” was theorized as a personal hover device. Unquestionably dangerous, the wingless aircraft was said to be in development by the Navy for soldier transport, and was predicted to be a, “…speedy coupe for businessmen of the future.” The Navy actually produced several of these platforms, however they were discontinued because of their limited speed, bulkiness in combat and very low vertical lift potential. Many said that the platform failed to achieve much more than the “air cushion effect,” meaning they could elevate less than a couple feet off the ground.

Space Coveralls

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With Martian colonies predicted so near in the future, the science community of 1960 needed to develop a space suit that could handle the extreme conditions of outer space exploration. To this end, “Space Coveralls” were theorized to be in development, and several features of the high-tech stellar suit were outlined. A cone shaped utility pod was to be attached to the back of the suit, for storing various space tools. Of course, the suits needed to be air conditioned as well as heated to protect the explorer from the harsh temperatures of alien worlds. Sun ray protection was said to come standard, as was a metallic construction so that out of control drifters could be pulled back to safety with a giant magnet. Finally, a cane that also acted as a jet thruster. Actual space suits ended up turning out much different and today, these suits do not come with a sweet NASA issue jet-cane.

The Personal Jet Pack

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From the set of Hollywood flicks to demonstrations at Tomorrowland (Disney Land/World), personal jet packs have been talked about since the day the first flying car was dreamed up. For decades it has been thought that everyone – from military soldiers to Joe Sixpack – would be riding in style with a sweet jet pack strapped to their back. The first actual jet packs are said to have been manufactured by the German army during World War II. Since their inception, several functional models have been created; in fact the one used by James Bond in Thunderball was a real pack. The problem with commercial jet packs has frequently been stated as their brief air time capability and the injury risks associated with their use – for example, the harsh landings.

Robot Housemaid

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If ever there was a human desire, it is the wish that there could be a robot to do our work for us. Such was the thinking in 1959 when the Robot Housemaid was predicted in “Closer Than We Think”. Shaped like a mini-lighthouse, the Robot Housemaid was said to float suspended in air on an air-cushion and would help take care of basic household tasks. The column reported that the robo-maid would be able to: “…Move linen, glasses, china and silver to the table. After dinner it would wash them and store them away.” Here in the year of 2009 we still have to set our own tables, but engineers at several robotics firms have been working on some sophisticated technology that might bring us closer to the robot maid than we imagine. The Honda Asimo, for example, can recognize its owner, obey commands and serve certain drinks.

Weather Control

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In 1966, a radio documentary, 2000 AD, was aired as a forum for various media and science personalities to discuss what life might be like in the year 2000. The primary theme running through the show concerned a prediction that no one in the year 2000 would have to work more than a day or two a week, and our leisure time would go through the roof. With so much free time, you can imagine that we would not want our vacations or day trips ruined by nasty weather, and therefore we should quickly develop a way to control the weather, shaping it to our needs. Taking the lighting from the clouds or the wind from the tornadoes were among the predictions, yet they were careful to note that we might not take weather control too far because of political reasons. Unfortunately, we here in the 2000’s still work full weeks, and we still get our picnics rained out from time to time. You can listen to the weather control selection of the broadcast here.

The Lunar Olympic Stadium

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In 1979 the buzz in the future-themed media circled around the idea of a lunar colony, and with that colony came the claim that in 2020, our Olympic Games will take place on the moon. Authors of the book, Future Cities: Homes and Living Into the 21st Century, wrote that with colonies living and reproducing in lunar cities, the climate might be perfect for the first ever interplanetary Olympic competition. The stadium for the event would be situated under a huge Plexiglas done, and Earthlings and “Moonies” (as the book refers to the lunar families) can come and watch the event take place. The book continues to predict that with lower gravity, certain events like the high-jump would be even more entertaining. Today we still hold the games here on earth, and technology does not seem ripe to hold them on the moon within the next decade. Interestingly, various space-themed websites are still reporting that Olympics on the moon are, “only a matter of time.”

The Answer Machine

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The “Answer Machine,” as it was called in a 1964 publication, was a theorized tool for answering homework problems. Using a typewriter keyboard, the user would ask the machine a question and an answer would quickly appear on the machine’s television screen display. Furthermore, the machine could sing you tunes if need be, or even play movies about any topic the user might research. It is unclear from the writings about the machine how the experts thought that one machine could possibly store information about every single topic one might wish to research, however today a very similar kind of technology exists. The Internet enabled computer is about the closest thing to the Answer Machine around. The Internet contains tomes of information about any subject you might wish to know about, however the computer is far from a homework-thwarting Answer Machine, and it appears that technology has outpaced this primitive technological prediction.

The Space Resort

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The idea of vacationing in outer space has been a fantasy of us earthlings for decades. It seems that every so often, some new company reports that in ten years the wealthiest of us will be able to charter vacation expeditions into outer space. Unfortunately for those with the money to burn, these promises never come to fruition, and our summer vacations remain constrained to the limitations of our terrestrial planet. This space-resort fantasy dates back far past 1982, however it was in that year that the first bold prediction was made. In a book entitled The Kid’s Whole Future Catalog, a letter from an fictional character vacationing in space appears. Such trips were expected to be possible in 2002, with fully functional space resorts orbiting the earth and ample transportation to and fro. The description of the science-fiction space pool is a priceless read. Today, its far past 2002 and a stay at the “Ramada: Milky Way Galaxy” seems as far off as it did back then.

Part 2: 20 Predictions of the Future

(Source: manolith.com)

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