• Question: How do you think technology will have been developed in 30 years

    Asked by teapot to Alessandra, Dimitrios, Niamh, Becky, Stacey, Tony on 10 Jun 2017. This question was also asked by Poppy.
    • Photo: Niamh Ryall

      Niamh Ryall answered on 10 Jun 2017:

      Hello teapot
      One thing that will still be a massive influence in the world of science and engineering will be the teapot, without doubt. Any great piece of teamwork I’ve ever done has involved tea and cake.

      But as for more high tech things, it will be an interesting time. The connectivity of our electronics will make our homes and buildings interactive and potentially more energy efficient. People are using their minds to control arms, which might bring movement back to people who have lost it. We might have exoskeletons for walking around. We will hopefully be relying on renewable sources for our power by then and have developed an ingenious solution for transport. Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla is trying to create a tunnel system below our cities. Boston Dynamics make robot dogs! Also, bare in mind that about half of the buildings needed by 2050 haven’t been built yet! Have a look at the “supertrees” in Signapore’s Gardens. They have created a solar powered vertical gardens to form a botanical garden. Maybe our new cities will look like that.

      The problems are pretty worrying too though, even for helpful technology. For instance, one technology will have soon is much more accurate diagnostics for doctors to use. This will be great but it creates its own problems, would you want to know you’re likely to develop a certain disease in 10 years time if there’s nothing that can be done about it?

      What do you think?

    • Photo: Stacey Marple

      Stacey Marple answered on 10 Jun 2017:

      Hi Teapot, well I’m probably not as good as George Orwell at predicting the future but I hope we have used engineering to make the world a better more sustainable place. I am interested in new research developing neural interfaces to help people with limb loss and memory problems particularly allowing them to operate robotic limbs. Maybe in the future we can help people walk again using robotics and their minds. I would like to see 100% renewable energy, improved world sanitation and the ability to explore more of space.

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