Brits think that robotic care workers, immersive contact lenses and implantable mobile phones will all be part of mainstream life in the next 40 years, according to new research by MPA Group.
The innovation funding specialists conducted research into which inventions the nation are surprised are not yet part of everyday life, and which year they think they will become mainstream.
Almost half (44%) of Brits are surprised a cure for cancer has yet to be found, followed by clothes that connect to the internet (17%) and sleep pods that instantly induce sleep (16%). One in six Brits (16%) also claim they expected flying cars and commercial space flights to be part of everyday life in 2019.
Despite a cure for cancer being the invention we most expected to be part of everyday life by now, when asked what year they expected it to become part of modern life, the average year was 2070, pointing to the scientific challenges in making the breakthrough a reality. Sleep pods are the invention the nation thinks will be part of everyday life first, with the expected year being 2047.
The years the nation thinks the following will be part of everyday life are:
- Sleep pods – 2047
- Targeted marketing / responsive billboards – 2047
- Immersive contact lenses – 2048
- Wi-Fi enabled clothing – 2048
- Commercial space flights – 2057
- Robotic care workers – 2058
- Implantable mobile phones – 2058
- Genetically modified pets – 2060
- Self cleaning plates – 2068
- Cure for cancer – 2070
- 3D printed cars – 2070
- Dream recorders – 2081
- Mind-reading devices – 2085
- Jet packs for commuting – 2085
- Flying cars – 2075
- Underwater cities – 2103
Interestingly, men believe that the inventions will become part of everyday life sooner than women, with women guessing a higher year on every single invention. In the case of immersive contact lenses, implantable mobile phones and commercial space flights, women claimed it would be over a decade later that each invention would be part of everyday life.
When asked what they would like to see invented over the next decade, some of the most imaginative answers included time machines and a self-refilling beer glass.
Mike Price, Director at MPA Group, said: “Responsive billboards and genetically modified pets may seem like something from a science fiction film, but our research shows that Brits only think it is a matter of decades before they become mainstream.
“With the rise of smart home technology, self driving cars and companies investing in the digitalisation of everyday items, it will certainly be interesting to see which of the predictions do come true, and how willing the nation will be to embrace them.”
Find out more about inventions of the future here: https://www.thempagroup.co.uk/news/inventions-of-the-future/
