What inventions do Brits think the future holds?

17th May 2019

MPA Group

Alex Lynn

0 0

It has been found that Brits think that robotic care workers, immersive contact lenses and implantable mobile phones will all be part of mainstream life in the next 40 years, according to new research by MPA Group. The innovation funding specialists conducted research into which inventions the nation are surprised are not yet part of everyday life, and which year they think they will become mainstream.

Almost half (44%) of Brits are surprised a cure for cancer has yet to be found, followed by clothes that connect to the internet (17%) and sleep pods that instantly induce sleep (16%). One in six Brits (16%) also claim they expected flying cars and commercial space flights to be part of everyday life in 2019.

Despite a cure for cancer being the invention we most expected to be part of everyday life by now, when asked what year they expected it to become part of modern life, the average year was 2070, pointing to the scientific challenges in making the breakthrough a reality. Sleep pods are the invention the nation thinks will be part of everyday life first, with the expected year being 2047.

The years the nation thinks the following will be part of everyday life are:

Sleep pods - 2047
Targeted marketing / responsive billboards - 2047
Immersive contact lenses - 2048
WiFi enabled clothing - 2048
Commercial space flights - 2057
Robotic care workers - 2058
Implantable mobile phones - 2058
Genetically modified pets - 2060
Self-cleaning plates - 2068
Cure for cancer - 2070
3D printed cars - 2070
Dream recorders - 2081
Mind-reading devices - 2085
Jet packs for commuting - 2085
Flying cars - 2075
Underwater cities - 2103

Interestingly, men believe that the inventions will become part of everyday life sooner than women, with women guessing a higher year on every single invention. In the case of immersive contact lenses, implantable mobile phones and commercial space flights, women claimed it would be over a decade later that each invention would be part of everyday life.

When asked what they would like to see invented over the next decade, some of the most imaginative answers included time machines and a self-refilling beer glass.

Mike Price, Director at MPA Group, said: “Responsive billboards and genetically modified pets may seem like something from a science fiction film, but our research shows that Brits only think it is a matter of decades before they become mainstream.

“With the rise of smart home technology, self-driving cars and companies investing in the digitalisation of everyday items, it will certainly be interesting to see which of the predictions do come true, and how willing the nation will be to embrace them.”