When we look at the new technology being experimented with, we get a picture of what the world may be like in the future. One thing that really struck me was the fact something which has been appearing in science fiction movies for years and even in comic books has now come to pass which is a giant robot with a human inside controlling it. At least three countries are developing these beasts, one is the United States and the others are Japan and South Korea and there are probably more I don’t know about. One has been developed for use on a hostile planet or moon. The idea here is the a human will be inside of it, sitting in the head and controlling the robot as it travels across the surface. Japan and the United States are going to have a competition between two robots, just like we have seen in a couple of Science Fiction movies. Aside from giant robots, we can expect every household to have a robot aid of some kind. When they get cheap enough they will proliferate just as computers did and they will continue to get more efficient, which we might classify as smarter.

There will be hardly any work in the future, since automation will have taken over most of the jobs in service industries, factories and other areas. It may turn out even professionals will be without a job since robots and computers will have access to an instant database and be able to diagnose, build and engineer more efficiently than humans. Where will this leave most of us? If the trend continues which is being started now, we will be given money by the government called a guaranteed income. This will free the human race to pursue their interests whatever they may be. It could go terribly wrong however, if we are not given enough money to do anything other than just exist. Paper currency will probably disappear and the world will become a place dependent on electronic money. People will use the equivalent of a credit card for everything and the government will merely deposit our monthly funds into our account which will replenish this card.

Petroleum powered cars will become a thing of the past as we figure out how to recharge electric cars more efficiently and increase their range. Since electric cars have less parts they will probably be more reliable than gasoline powered ones and especially hybrid powered cars. We already know drivers will be eliminated and cars will automatically take us to our destination. There will be no need for driver’s licenses and tests in the future. The cars themselves will change and it will be more like sitting in your living room as you travel to your destination. You’ll be able to play cards on the card table with your friends, look at television and to the enjoyment of many, you will probably be allowed to drink alcohol during the trip since you are not controlling the car. Some believe these cars will be stocked with food and drinks and refrigerators and may even contain the equivalent of a hotplate allowing you to do a little cooking on the way.

People are going to have a lot longer lifespan if scientists get their way. It may be tough to accomplish this since there are forces out there which do not want this to happen and instead want to see less people on the earth. If we can overcome these forces people may be able to increase their lifespans three or four fold in the beginning and maybe more in the future. Current research is showing there is a good chance of reversing aging and those born today could possibly be able to live to be at least three hundred years old. Genetic research has shown we can increase the lifespan of mice.

Meat will not come from animals anymore. All of our meat will be grown in a laboratory. We have already grown the meat for a hamburger which was grown a couple of years ago at the cost of well over one hundred thousand dollars. This has been reduced to about twelve dollars. If this cost keeps going down it will become far cheaper to eat laboratory meat, then meat from animals. This may have an effect on society, because those people who are vegans or vegetarians may decide to eat meat again since it is not coming from animals. It is said lab grown meat will be much safer to eat, because it will be grown in much cleaner conditions.

In the future the use of medicine could diminish. It will be a tough fight, because of the powerful drug companies, but it could be a fight we could win. For years we have been trying to discover why the placebo effect works. The placebo effect occurs during drug testing when some people are given a drug while others are given a pill which does nothing. Many times the non-drug pill will cure someone or will help them along with their recovery. Scientists are also looking into the areas of the brain which may control how the body cures itself. A lot of gene research is also going on and new gene therapies are being discovered for curing certain conditions. If we can get past the drug companies resistance to doing what is good for the human race instead of just what puts more money in their pockets, we might just increase the life expectancy of the entire human race.

New materials coming onto the market may make bulky clothes a thing of the past. New types of materials which are coming out are able to keep heat in. These materials could be used to make simple garments like shirts and pants for men and women which would also act as a heavy overcoat if conditions require. I’m not saying they would look like an overcoat, what I am saying is they would keep a person warm enough so he wouldn’t need a coat. Other types of new material are also coming out and some are said to be capable of stopping bullets and cooling us off.

People may routinely traveling to settlements on Mars and the moon and even further. The future of tomorrow will probably be so different in so many ways it would be hard to imagine today.