# What invention will be the "Next Big Thing" in the future. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 28, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380 "2010-07-28T22:49:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![scamartistry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@scamartistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scamartistry)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/1 "2010-07-28T22:49:35Z")
What world changing inventions/discoveries might we see in say before year 2050 that will make a huge impact on everyday life. Or might even be in the pipelines right now? Inventions on a similar level as computers, the internet, etc etc that we have seen in very recent history. Any good speculations?? ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/2 "2010-07-28T22:53:24Z")
Nested quotes. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/3 "2010-07-28T22:56:52Z")
“Printing” of physical objects, aka “desktop manufacturing.”. It’ll start out with simple plastic shapes (still plenty useful, look at how many items around you qualify), and continue until we’ve got the practical equivalent of replicators. The initial technologies are almost cheap enough for consumer adoption now; I think it’ll be soon. ---
**Author:** ![G-SE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f0a364/32.png) [@G-SE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G-SE)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/4 "2010-07-28T23:11:25Z")
The Matrix. And I’m very serious. Not the “controlled by machines to be a battery” style, but a complete sensory immersion into a computer generated virtual world, connected globally. Another 60 or so years of advancement in both brain-machine interface controls (currently being developed for artificial limbs) as well as computer graphics & processing abilities, and I think you’d be close to a rough version. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/5 "2010-07-28T23:23:45Z")
Room temperature superconductors. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/6 "2010-07-28T23:27:57Z")
Farmville [bots](http://farmvillebot.net/). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/7 "2010-07-28T23:44:12Z")
I doubt if anything has changed in the last 3 weeks. Except maybe nested quoted. [Is there, any more, any Next Thing, any Coming Thing, any Rising Thing – any Future?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=568914&) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/8 "2010-07-29T00:03:24Z")
Humanity’s last invention: The whorebot. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/9 "2010-07-29T03:10:07Z")
Nanotech replicators ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/10 "2010-07-29T03:19:56Z")
automated learning via direct injection into subconcious [matrix]. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/11 "2010-07-29T04:39:49Z")
> [@scamartistry](#): > > What world changing inventions/discoveries might we see in say before year 2050 that will make a huge impact on everyday life. Or might even be in the pipelines right now? > > Inventions on a similar level as computers, the internet, etc etc that we have seen in very recent history. > > Any good speculations?? What are we debating here, and what makes it “great”? ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/12 "2010-07-29T05:51:25Z")
locational awareness ~ the annotated world. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/13 "2010-07-29T06:20:54Z")
Which is kinda what the [Layar](http://www.layar.com/) app is trying to do ---
**Author:** ![toofs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@toofs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toofs)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/14 "2010-07-29T07:31:40Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Humanity’s last invention: The whorebot. Yeah. ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/15 "2010-07-29T08:59:36Z")
I’m still holding out for my flying cars. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/16 "2010-07-29T11:46:30Z")
This is more of an IMHO topic than a Great Debate, so off it goes. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/17 "2010-07-29T19:12:09Z")
> [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](#): > > I’m still holding out for my flying cars. There’s the [Moller Skycar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moller_Skycar) . . . Not good enough! I want George Jetson’s car: It flies, it floats, it hovers, it folds up into a 2-pound briefcase! ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/18 "2010-07-29T21:21:47Z")
Supposedly, practical 3-D television is finally in beta development. If true, it would be the next “must have” consumer good. Lab-cloned replacement organs? Proof of concept is already here, just a matter of making it work on a clinical scale. Human cloning is probably already technically possible, just not ethically supportable due to the high failure rate. My guess is that it’ll make in way in through the back door of manipulating germ cells to treat hereditary diseases, as technique improves. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/19 "2010-07-29T21:49:10Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > “Printing” of physical objects, aka “desktop manufacturing.”. It’ll start out with simple plastic shapes (still plenty useful, look at how many items around you qualify), and continue until we’ve got the practical equivalent of replicators. > > The initial technologies are almost cheap enough for consumer adoption now; I think it’ll be soon. I like the idea, but why bother? I mean you could become a high tech artisan, making bespoke electronic items I suppose but mass manufactured stuff is always gonna be cheaper. I suppose if you had a ST-esque replicator that would be a game changer, but being able to manufacture paper clips or blenders at home doesn’t really seem that useful to me. I mean the artistic implications are astounding but the practical ones seem less so. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380/20 "2010-07-29T22:17:00Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > > [@TimeWinder](#): > > > > “Printing” of physical objects, aka “desktop manufacturing.”. It’ll start out with simple plastic shapes (still plenty useful, look at how many items around you qualify), and continue until we’ve got the practical equivalent of replicators. > > > > The initial technologies are almost cheap enough for consumer adoption now; I think it’ll be soon. > > I like the idea, but why bother? I mean you could become a high tech artisan, making bespoke electronic items I suppose but mass manufactured stuff is always gonna be cheaper. I suppose if you had a ST-esque replicator that would be a game changer, but being able to manufacture paper clips or blenders at home doesn’t really seem that useful to me. I mean the artistic implications are astounding but the practical ones seem less so. I believe the presumption is that it will replace buying junk from stores - if you lose a cell phone, just print another. If you want a clean fork, just print another. If you want the next Harry Potter book, just print one up. If you want a medum rare steak, just print one up. You wouldn’t have to design the specifications for them yourself, either; you could buy and download ‘mass designed’ replicator instructions online. If this came to pass and supplanted retail sale, it would _certainly_ be a world-changing invention. Of course, there are still a few minor problems with this plan, mostly relating to raw materials - where do you get them? And what can they make? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-invention-will-be-the-next-big-thing-in-the-future/548380.md?page=2)