I was discussing some of the points in the above thread with SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) and we moved on to things we’d like to see.
“Teleportation,” she said. What she’d like is the ability to walk into a room somewhere, press some buttons, and materialise somewhere else. It’s worth mentioning that she uses a wheelchair to get around and we are planning a holiday that involves flying.
My thought was that, yes it would be great, but there would also be some drawbacks. It would mean that, for example, people could live in a nice part of the world and commute anywhere. That might cause all kinds of pressures on the environment. On the other hand - no more aeroplanes.
A miniature explosive device that can be implanted in my head that monitors my pain levels, mobility, and retirement fund. When the pain becomes intolerable, or I can’t get to the toilet by myself, or the money is about to run out it gets triggered.
Well as long as we’re stretching the bounds of science…
a pill that makes pets like dogs or cats live decades longer
a device you can wear that gives you a macronutrient readout of all the things you consume that day, as you ingest them
glasses with face recognition software that will identify the people you encounter and give you their information that you’ve preselected, such as name and how you know them.
lightsabers the size of cutlery
Pet elephants the size of house cats
A phone battery that harnesses the kinetic energy of your daily movement to charge your phone
A lab that can grow replacement organs from one’s stem cells, for transplantation into one’s body. Get to about 70? Time, perhaps, to replace your heart and lungs with an exact replica, untarnished by decades of living.
A universal translator, with real-time speech, that fits in your ear like a Bluetooth ear piece.
Functional holodecks, a la Star Trek: The Next Generation
Smart guns, which can only be fired by the person to whom it’s registered.
House Bots: home robots that serve as a combination home security, maid/butler, tech hub/entertainment center, and personal assistant
A holographic clock, which projects in your field of vision, and is activated whenever you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It is a countdown which tells you how long before you are sober.
I’d love to travel the world, but I don’t like to travel. So:
Totally Immersive VR Tours of the Best Places on Earth. The Louvre, Natural History Museum-London, The Amazon Rain Forest, Grand Canyon National Park, Costa Rica, Glacier National Park, Newark New Jersey—all the greatest places!
These tours would be hosted by real tour guides, in real time, at the real places. We tour customers would see, hear, smell and feel the environment that we are touring via camera, mic, smell-o-vision, and tactile gloves. Everyone can interact with the tour guide, and have the ability to pan and zoom their camera, as well as take snapshots.
The tours could make money charging what they normally charge, but we’d save a ton of money on travel expenses.
Perhaps upgraded tours could include the delivery of fine food and drink to enjoy during the tour. Example: a 5-course french meal and bottle of wine for the Louvre Tour.
I’d like to see something pretty simple: a device that mobility-impaired people can use to go up and down stairs and carry packages up/down stairs, without having to install something permanently. Some kind of assistive device you could strap around your waist or something and/or a basket that goes up the stairs with you. (I’m still in my 60s but live on an upper floor and someday am going to find it difficult.)
Well I think that these are to be used by the occupant of the chair plus a helper who guides the chair around? I’m thinking of something totally under the control of the elderly person, without assistance. And small enough so that it’s not unwieldy.
eta: I watched some videos and those chairs are great! And they do not need an assistant.
Nevertheless, what about something that would assist someone who doesn’t use a wheelchair to more easily navigate the stairs? Something portable? Or maybe something that’s just designed for carrying stuff.
Hey they do make consumer exoskeletons! See examples here and here and here. I remember looking for something like this a few years ago and and they did not exist.
Yes, @Elmer_J.Fudd and @Moriarty have clearly given this more thought than I! I have tried and failed to invent:
Something that keeps my hair out of the hinge of my eyeglasses (must be invisible);
And a public bathroom for women as quick and convenient as the giant vats I saw guys pissing in during a festival in Amsterdam.