Renowned British futurist Ray Hammond presented his vision of the city of the future. An important role, according to the scientist, will be played by soft robots, which will appear closer to 2020 and will simplify the life of people in cities.
Soft robots will not only clean the apartment and cook food, but also provide assistance to the elderly and infirm. Ultra-mobile gadgets will become ultra-thin, ultralight, and will be everywhere. They will be in clothes, glasses, personal hygiene items, and in general wherever they will be needed by a person.
In the near future, farms will appear in many cities where vegetables, herbs and other products will be grown. Small in footprint, the size of an ordinary plot, the skyscraper farm will be equipped with sensors connected to a control processor that will monitor and control all available parameters. The farm will yield the same amount of crops as about 6 hectares of traditional farmland.
In the near future, the urban landscape will acquire new colors thanks to augmented reality devices. Bus stops will show the time of arrival and destination of transport, in restaurants - menus and reviews, and in stores - the goods of the day. The city will be filled with a variety of information.
Technological experts believe food delivery will be record-breaking. In the skies in cities, automated airplanes will fly around the clock, which will replace ordinary couriers on motorcycles. Buildings and skyscrapers will be self-governing. Heating of apartments and lighting of entrances will be carried out by a smart home, which requires minimal human intervention. Shopping is about to change.
3D printing will likely be available in many stores, allowing people to create custom-made garments. The robots will become sales assistants in stores, and will also carry out inventory of goods. Products from the boxes will be shown on huge virtual displays, so that a person will see what is inside the package.
Experts predict that everything from the shops in the streets to the way home will be connected to the network. All of these facilities will generate massive amounts of data, and some cities may have a NASA-style system with a command center to make predictions about possible locations for crime. It is quite possible that the cars will be self-driving. The line between public transport and private transport will not be as noticeable as it is now. It is assumed that all people will change to a robo-taxi, and the traffic lights will not be needed.
Instead of street lights, trees will glow and generate their own energy. Professors at the University of Cambridge have already shown that glowing trees could be one way to save energy.
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