The world is full of opportunities. It’s budding with ideas that have the potential to change the world we inhabit. We are literally living in a hotbed of progress that’s merging human intelligence with technology like we have never witnessed before. With inventions like edible water bubbles and helium balloons that transport us to near space, our future looks very promising.
Come, let’s fast forward to the future with these 13 inventions.
1. Edible water blobs
Plastic water bottles may soon become a thing of the past if they are replaced by edible water blobs called the Ooho!. Water bubbles come encased in an edible membrane made of a natural seaweed extract that decomposes if not consumed in 4 to 6 weeks. Wow!
The brainchild of Skipping Rocks Lab – a team of students from RCA and Imperial College London – this invention is one we can get behind if we want plastic to stop degrading our environment.
2. Helium balloons that travel to space
Forget space capsules, don’t you think it would be more thrilling to just hop on a giant-ass balloon that takes you to space? Well, not actual space but even touching the periphery would do the job, won’t it?
Enter Zero2infinity and World View Enterprises – two ambitious firms hoping to utilise pressurized capsules strung beneath helium balloons to take tourists into near space.
And there’s a lot of money to mint here as balloons can stay longer in the stratosphere, offering increased amounts of views and experiences. While Zero2infinity will balloon you in their 'Bloons' for $124,000 at a time, World View would charge $75,000 for a one-round trip.
And there’s a lot of money to mint here as balloons can stay longer in the stratosphere, offering increased amounts of views and experiences. While Zero2infinity will balloon you in their 'Bloons' for $124,000 at a time, World View would charge $75,000 for a one-round trip.
3. Autonomous cars
Whether it’s Google or Tesla, autonomous vehicles are getting closer to reality to change the way we commute. Because cars that can pilot themselves with minimum human input are the way forward in a world that’s plagued with traffic and accidents.
CAR MAGAZINE
And it’s not only Google and Tesla that are showing off their technology. BMW announced a research-and-development project and Delphi put all its brains behind the wonder that is autonomous driving.
If things pan out as, we would soon be embracing fully-automated driving that lets us work on the run and reduces congestion.
4. 3D printing
One of the most revolutionary initiations in the last decade, 3D printing brings us the potential to have our imaginations run wild. Remember the 3D printed castle that was made entirely of concrete? If that’s not paving the way for affordable houses (that can withstand natural disasters!) then we don’t know what is. Andrey Rudenko, who was behind this awesome project, sees it only as a prequel to a full-fledged 3D printed home.
TOTAL KUSTOM
3D printing can eliminate the middle man, allowing you to print anything from a piece of furniture to a model of your face. As more companies hop on board to use 3D printers to manufacture their products, the availability of affordable printers in household will beautifully change futures.
5. Carpet alarm clocks
An alarm clock that allows you to trample on it whenever it goes off. Okay, not exactly trampling but firmly standing on the carpeted clock will do the trick.
This pressure-sensitive invention eliminates the act of hitting snooze every time your very boring and very regular alarm clock goes off, deafening you in the process.
KICKSTARTER
But the beauty of this Winson Tam invention is that it forces you out of bed which is precisely what the aim is always. Three seconds on the ‘Ruggie’, as it’s called, will go off to sleep once it has woken you up.
Just make sure, your pet doesn’t turn your rug into a play toy.
6. Hyperloop
A concept close to Elon Musk’s heart, the hyperloop envisions a train-like vehicle that zooms through tubes with minimum friction at a speed of 965 kmph, capable of covering the distance from San Francisco to L.A. in 35 minutes!
NEWSCIENTIST.COM
Hyperloop is a project so ambitious, it may just redefine the speed of travel. A design document released last year by Musk showed off the Hyperloop’s price tag at a whopping $6 billion! While it gets debated by engineers and their like, we can only hope for it to become a reality sooner than later.
7. Pod taxis
An invention closer to home, pod taxis will be India’s next big thing. This Rs. The 4,000-crore project will soon ferry people via ropeway connected driverless pods in Gurgaon.
TWITTER
Futuristic and one-of-its-kind, this public transport project will decongest the National Highway 8 – a popular route for officer goers – by transporting passengers along a 12.3 km ropeway.
8. GeeFi, a device that offers unlimited wi-fi anywhere in the world
What would you give to lay your hands on a device that offers unlimited data, 4G network, free roaming, zero sim cards, and accessibility in over 100 countries worldwide? Anything!
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Enter GeeFi, a wi-fi device that can offer you unlimited connectivity anywhere in the world. What’s even better is that it can have 10 devices connected to it at the same time including laptops, phones, tablets, cameras, and TVs. All you have to do is power the device on, enter the network ID and password, and voila! You crossover to a world that knows no connectivity hang-ups.
9. Invisibility cloaks
Harry Potter would totally approve of this. A stretchable material known as 'meta-skin' has the potential of crafting invisibility cloaks in future. By manipulating electromagnetic waves, the meta-skin can be tuned in a way that can cloak objects from radars.
THECREATORSPROJECT
Radars detect objects by using radio or microwaves.
Developed by a team from Iowa State University, this technology will create a radar invisibility cloak that will trap radio or microwaves that will escape detection by a radar detector.
10. Edible food wrappers
Once again, the aim here is to reduce the usage of plastic.
A research team at the United States Department of Agriculture are working hard at developing a packaging material made from casein – a protein found in milk.
USDA
The edible wrapper will not only be edible but also biodegradable. It will provide the eater with extra nutrition in the form of proteins and keep the food from spoiling.
11. Air-ink, a device that converts exhaust into usable ink
Expect only genius to flow out of an MIT Lab. The brainchild of Graviky Labs, Air-Ink is a godsend that can put an end to all our pollution woes.
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Containing a filter called 'Kaalink', the device can transform black carbon soot that billows from exhausts into usable ink. Artists have already gotten behind this invention and recommended its use.
12. Shampoo balls
Developed by a schoolboy, this genius product will end the use of plastic bottles once and for all.
Called Nohbo, every shampoo ball contains an amount that is ideal for a one-time wash. What's interesting to note here is that it remains solid until rubbed with water and worked into a lather.
SOLENT NEWS AND PHOTO AGENCY
It's ideal for travellers because it eliminates spills, leaks, and of course, plastic packaging! The balls come wrapped in biodegradable material that's made from plant extracts.
13. Wireless electricity
What started out as an experiment – a light bulb came to life in the middle of the room without any wires attached to it – is being realized into reality.
WITRICITY
Transferring power without wires sounds impossible but it’s WiTricity is developing what is known as wireless ‘resonance’ technology that can do just that.
By putting a magnetic field in the air, any device that’s brought near it can be induced with electricity minus the chords. Transferrable current, if you may!
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