LONDON — Society may not be where “The Jetsons” were in their fictional 21st century — but a new survey finds many people believe it will be by the year 2050! Moreover, an expert on future tech says people will be ultra-sonically blasting their clothes clean, homes will feature waterless dishwashers, and families will think eating bugs for dinner is mainstream.
Futurologist, Dr. James Bellini, also predicts households are likely to be using drones to restock the fridge and will rely on farms that stretch upwards instead of outwards on sprawling fields. Other 2050 predictions include kitchens that operate almost entirely without water, using ultrasonic waves to clean surfaces, and washing machines that use high-tech beads to pulverize dirt.
In addition to Bellini’s thoughts on the future, a poll of 2,000 adults found 15 percent believe self-stocking smart fridges will be the most useful piece of tech in decades to come. Smart kettles and advanced apps to help with waste management are other upgrades people are planning to buy in the years to come. The research also found one in five believe robots will be helping out with housekeeping in the majority of homes by the year 2050.
One in six would like homes to become more eco-friendly and sustainable. A fifth admit that they often forget to recycle properly, and 56 percent think an increased use of tech could help with environmental issues such as this.
Over a third (37%) are also looking forward to a future where apps can help with recycling, according to the OnePoll data.
“Technology can help. We’ve got to tackle things like how we produce our food, store it, transport it and package it,” says Dr. Bellini, who is working with reuse and recycling platform Reward4Waste, which commissioned the research.“Another area is water – we’re going to be very short on water in the years to come, and according to some figures, 70 percent of all water used goes on farming – that’s 2.5 trillion cubic meters per year globally.
“In 30 years or so, we will have vertical farms, and grow things upwards in towers,” Bellini adds in a statement. “Historians will look back and joke about how we used to grow all our food on horizontal planes when there is so much space to use up above.”
On the subject of running out of space on Earth, Bellini adds the sky is the limit, literally!
“From about 2030 onwards you’ll see the Mars programs kicking in, and the possibility within that decade, men and women landing on Mars and creating self-sustaining economies.”
“Well over half of us wish recycling was easier and 40 percent would like a bin that automatically separates recycling,” adds a spokesperson for Reward4Waste.
“It’s fascinating to speculate on what technological changes may lie ahead of us over the next few decades, some big and some small. But it’s fair to say most people agree a key concern is how tech can help us live more sustainable, eco-friendly lives, to extend our resources as long as possible.”
Top Tech Respondents Predict will be Mainstream by 2050:
72Point writer Charlotte Minett contributed to this report.
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