If you could travel back in time five centuries, you’d encounter a thriving Aztec empire in Central Mexico, a freshly painted “Mona Lisa” in Renaissance Europe and cooler temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere. This was a world in the midst of the Little Ice Age (A.D. 1300 to 1850) and a period of vast European exploration now known as the Age of Discovery.
Our world today is almost unrecognizable from a century ago, so what can we expect jumping a century ahead?
But what if we could look 500 years into the future and glimpse the Earth of the 26th century? Would the world seem as different to us as the 21st century would have seemed to residents of the 16th century?
The Samsung Future Living Report was compiled by a group of scientists, architects and urban planners who have some great insight into what our world will look like in 100 years.
A new report authored by scientists, architects and urbanists in the UK has tried to paint a picture of Western human society in the year 2116 — a picture that includes underwater bubble cities, origami furniture and no more sick days.
From giant skyscrapers to giant drones, according to the Smart Things Future Living Report, the next hundred years will be big.
As the global population continues to balloon and cities become more crowded, buildings will climb to unprecedented heights.
Technology has improved exponentially since the 1500s, and this pace will likely continue in the centuries to come. Physicist Stephen Hawking proposes that by the year 2600, this growth would see 10 new theoretical physics papers published every 10 seconds. If Moore’s Law holds true and both computer speed and complexity double every 18 months, then some of these studies may be the work of highly intelligent machines.
Drone technology
Drone technology has become a favorite for governments and consumers alike in recent years, and it sounds like they’re only going to get bigger.
So big in fact, that the report suggests enormous drones will be strong enough to carry entire homes around the world when the wealthy among us fancy a holiday. The rest of us will have to settle for our own personal drone, which will replace cars as the common mode of transport.
Or you could just take a vacation to the moon or Mars, as colonization throughout space begins close to home and expands outward as capabilities increase.
Underwater Cities
Many marine biologists are enthusiastic about the possibility of being able to live underwater.
There are those who see underwater living as a way of preserving our species in the event of an apocalyptic catastrophe. In the event of a disaster that put paid to human life, communities could perform reverse versions of Noah’s ark. With that in mind, Philip Pauley, a futurist and the founder of the London-based visual communications consultancy Pauley, designed the self-sustaining habitat Sub-Biosphere 2. His design includes circular structures that could be floated out to sea and then sunk, creating a haven for 50 to 100 lucky people.
The report also predicts the creation of underwater cities that use the water to foster breathable atmospheres.
Travel in the Skyways
Travel will have revolutionized too, and roads will be a thing of the past when everyone travels the skyways in their own personal drones.
Future Skyscapers
Our cities will have completely transformed with towering mega structures that will “dwarf today’s skyscrapers” and earth structures that tunnel 25 stories underground.
Himalaya Water Tower.
Building the skyscraper in the Himalayas has its benefits: during rainy season, the long pipes can collect water and store it for future use. This will help regulate the flow of water all year round for the residents.
Image Source: eVolo
Future Food
The report — which basically extrapolates current forms of technology — also carves out a large place for 3D printing technologies in the future, including for our culinary needs.
“We will be downloading dishes from famous chefs that we will tailor to our personal needs. We will be able to 3D-print a banquet or a favourite cake in minutes,” it says. That’s right, actually cooking food will be considered retro.
Far less surprising is the claim that a majority of our furniture will be produced by 3D printing, including origami furniture that will easily fold away.
Interior design of the future
Interior design will be completely dependent on your mood, thanks to customizable smart walls that can change on a whim (think old school “Smart House” style)
Health of the future
With increasing medical capability thanks to technological advancement and collaboration, we may be around to see it.
These in-home body pods will fully scan your body to determine if you’re truly sick with a digital diagnosis, where the problem is concentrated and it will even be able to dispense medication or dispatch personnel when needed.
We’ve heard it before, but the standard number of weekly working hours could be reduced considerably in the future. According to the report, we will conduct a greater amount of business from remote locations by attending meetings via a personal hologram, opening the door for a potential three day working week.
But given that renowned economist John Maynard Keynes famously predicted in 1930 that advancements in technology would lead to a 15-hour working week, don’t hold your breath on the three day prediction.
Regardless of how many days we work, Australia’s penchant for chucking a sickie could become a thing of the past due to “health diagnosis pods (that) will be fitted as a standard feature in homes”.
These medi-pods will provide a “digital diagnosis” and “supply medicine or a remote surgeon if needed”.
Given the rate of technological change, predicting how the future will turn out in a hundred years time is a fool’s errand, and plenty of our past attempts have missed the mark.
For instance, pre-1970s science fiction failed to predict the invention of the internet — something which has brought about a fundamental and lasting change to society.
“Our lives today are almost unrecognizable from those a century ago. The internet has revolutionized the way we communicate, learn and control our lives,” report co-author Dr Aderin-Pocock said.
It’s likely the year 2116 will also look prove unrecognizable to those of us alive today. But in the meantime, it’s still fun to guess what it may look like.
Space scientist, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who also co-authored the report for SmartThings, revealed;
“Just ten years ago, technology like SmartThings would have been inconceivable, yet today developments like this let us monitor, control and secure our living spaces with the touch of a smartphone. Over the next century we will see further seismic shifts in the way we live and interact with our surroundings.”
The human race have always endeavoured to “improve” our current living and working environments, making comfort, health and efficiency the ultimate goals – and it seems we’re approaching somewhat of a utopia.
Just think though, one of those flying drones will probably cost as much as the very first Playstation, and a ticket to the moon is probably going to be cheaper than a train ticket from Bristol to London.
Source:
