The world is constantly moving forward. In 2018, we’ve come a long way. We now have self-driving vehicles, 3D printers, age-reversal, dinosaurs getting de-extinct, glasses that help the colour blind see colour, and have even walked on the moon (debatable)! ?
However, time flies. From vacationing in space to achieving immortality, here are 10 insane things you can expect to see in the coming years! ?
1. A new world’s tallest tower
In 2021, the construction of the Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia is to be completed; thus taking over Burj Khalifa’s record of being the tallest structure in the world! The Jeddah Tower will also be the world’s first 1 km high building, with an amazing height of 1008 m ?
2. Off to Mars!
By 2024, SpaceX, a company that was founded in 2002, plans to send a cargo spaceship to Mars. Following this, they will send the first people to ever visit Mars ? What more? By 2050, experts believe that there will be a new world on Mars, with possibly hundreds or even THOUSANDS of people living and working there!
3. The world’s population will be nearly 10 billion
According to a prediction made by the U.N., the world population in 2050 will be approximately 9.6 billion people! ??
4. Immortality?
Immortality expert Aubrey de Grey believes that aging is a ‘disease’ that can be cured ? According to this theory, he predicts that by 2036, treatments that can extend lives will be introduced, eventually matching the speed at which we age. “Life expectancy is growing by two years per decade at the moment,” says de Grey. “But it will soon be one year per year”.
5. Artificial Brains
Randal Koene, a neuroscientist, along with his team of scientists, plan on charting out the entire human brain as well as its functions by 2045 ? This will allow them to be able to create an artificial model of the brain. With the help of this, the team can even map out a particular person’s brain and make a perfect copy of it! So technically, even after the person ‘dies’, they can be revived with the artificial brain and can quite literally live FOREVER!
6. A blast from the past!
In 1992, Nickelodeon got together with the Kids World Council to assemble a big orange time capsule containing things that were important to kids at that time and buried it in front of Nickelodeon studios in Universal studios. The capsule included movies, CDs, a Nintendo Gameboy, rollerblades, magazines, a Barbie doll, pencils, twinkies, bubblegum and much more. The time capsule will be opened on April 30, 2042- exactly 50 years after it was buried! ?
7. Robo-workers
Ever since the industrial revolution, more and more jobs that were previously done by humans, have been taken over by machines ? However, at the rate that robotics is progressing, robo-workers may soon be taking over many more jobs, even simple jobs such as pizza delivery! Drivers too may soon be replaced with self-driving vehicles that don’t require any driver assistance at all! ?
8. Insta-homes
With the ability to create almost any shape or design with insane accuracy, 3D printers are now being used to create prosthetics too. However, by the year 2050, this will most definitely kick up a notch. In fact, in 2017, a small start-up company was able to build a 400 sq foot home with a 3D printer in only 24 hours! ? Though this house was small, this opens up a world to show us what this device is really capable of. By 2050, 3D printers may take over the construction of buildings and skyscrapers and complete it a LOT faster than manpower does ? Another benefit to this is that architects can even design buildings to withstand natural disasters such as hurricanes or tornadoes- the once thought ‘impossible’ designs will now exist with the help of this 3D machine.
9. Robo-people!
In 2018, we’ve come a long way in helping provide artificial limbs to those who are in need of it. We’ve built prosthetic limbs to provide to those who do not have them. However, pretty soon, artificial limbs may not be just for the amputated. By 2050, not only will people be able to opt for artificial arms or legs that are far stronger than normal limbs, they may even be able to get it modified as per their hobby or occupation! ? For example, there has already been an arm specially created for a tattoo artist. What’s special about it? It has a built-in tattoo needle! But this is just the beginning.
Very soon there may be limbs that are modified to accommodate gadgets, or even custom made to fit weapons! Can you believe it? With steady progress in medical technology, we may soon be living in a world where we can actually switch our eyes to night vision mode! ?
10. A vacation to SPACE?
Yes, we’re talking about actually booking a hotel room to tour through outer space! In fact, companies like Space X and Virgin Galactic have already started selling tickets for trips out of the atmosphere.. though they may not be extremely affordable for most of us ? The current price to book a seat on the space tour is actually believed to be over a million dollars. However, don’t lose hope just yet. If these first visits are successful, prices will soon eventually drop to provide this experience to a larger audience. Who knows, 2050 may be the year of space hotels and weekend getaways to the moon! ?
Written and researched by Najah Bashir
