Not so long ago, no one had heard of a microwave oven or a home computer, and films could be watched exclusively in the cinema or on one of the three available TV channels (and then, once a year with constant breaks for commercials or on a bulky VHS cassette that needed rewind before viewing, and which was so worn out that after 10 views it became unusable). In addition, no one had a smartphone, everyone lived in caves and wrote down shopping lists on stone tablets, wore buckskin shoes and cork, and amused themselves with conversation and reading. Terrible, terrible times … Fortunately, today there are technologies that can brighten up our existence. But only some inventions are rapidly replacing others, and some household items, without which we cannot live today, will become obsolete not in 50-100 years, but in several decades. Of course, you may not want to part with some of them, but this is everyone's personal business.
Remote control
Everyone knows the age-old problem of finding a remote control. Everyone at least once in his life could not find him for several weeks and, in the end, he was found in the most ridiculous place, for example, on the refrigerator or at the bottom of the aquarium. In the meantime, day after day, we had to endure ads and get up off the couch every time we needed to change the channel.
But despite all the disadvantages, this invention is irreplaceable. At least it will remain so for another 10-20 years. Since USA Today believes remotes will soon disappear forever. But what kind of technology will replace this device? Very simple. Instead of pressing buttons on the remote, people will say a voice command, which will tell the TV to change channels, change the volume, etc.
Prosthetics
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Several hundred years ago, the loss of a limb meant installing a peg or a hook in its place, which was not very convenient and functional. With the development of medicine, prosthetics also developed, and today prostheses are more comfortable and more closely resemble a lost limb. But the prosthetics of the future may not be just functional, some companies are already developing prostheses that are part of a special device.
According to Business Insider, many modern prostheses can do much more than just pick up objects or help you walk again. After all, who needs the usual functions, if superpowers can appear instead of them with a new prosthesis?
James Young, for example, has a bionic arm with a landing pad for his racing drone and a phone charger. In addition, adjustable lighting is built into it. The device resembles the bionic arm used by Snake in Metal Gear Solid.
Some modern dentures are even more specific - a French artist named JC Sheitan Tenet has an arm that acts as a tattoo gun. And as technology advances, it is likely that no one else will have to suffer from boring, purely functional prosthetic devices - they will all be tuned to not only look cool, but also provide individual features for each user.
Chemotherapy
Of all the unpleasant things that can happen to a person in a lifetime, a cancer diagnosis is the one that people are most afraid to hear. Not only is the disease itself terrible, but also the main method of its treatment is no less debilitating. Chemotherapy is so exhausting people that sometimes patients tend to refuse treatment, just not to go through months of vomiting and hair loss.
According to Business Insider, chemotherapy will be completely obsolete in 20 years. Targeted methods based on human genetics will be used instead of standard treatment.
Four-digit PIN codes
If you have one bank card, remembering the 4-digit PIN code for it is not difficult. But if there are much more such cards, and there is still data for entering various accounts, new PIN codes that you set, since you suspect that someone could recognize the old ones, it is not possible to remember all this information.
Yes, a PIN is a reliable data protection, but only if all these numbers are stored in the owner's head, and not written on a piece of paper and embedded in a wallet. In addition, in order not to forget the coveted combination, many users began to use one PIN-code for all cards and accounts.
According to American Banker, PIN-based data security is already spiraling out of control, making it too easy for hackers to steal PINs. But on the other hand, today's chip-based credit card assigns a unique one-time code to each transaction, so hackers cannot get this data and use it to tamper with a card or make fraudulent purchases.
Broadcasting
Just a few decades ago, FM radio was a very popular source of information in many countries. All cars were sold with built-in radios. But the good old radio was replaced by satellite broadcasting. According to the San Diego Reader, over the years, more and more new cars will come without AM / FM radio as standard equipment.
Smartphones
If you cannot imagine life without this device, which is practically glued to your palm for most of the day, you can skip this point. Nevertheless, Business Insider claims that smartphones will soon cease to exist.
No, this does not mean at all that people will give up communication on social networks and other pleasures that a modern phone brings. But all information will enter the human brain through special glasses.
Petrol engines
Considering all the damage that car exhaust does to the atmosphere, it's no surprise that gasoline engines will sooner or later become obsolete. And this can happen much earlier than many people think.
According to Clean Technica, the only thing that stands between us and green fuels is the cost of technologies that can convert and distribute clean energy. As this technology becomes cheaper, renewable energies are becoming more in demand, and not just because they are better for the environment. Fossil fuels are limited, and sun and wind are infinite, which means that their use is a matter of paying for technology, not the fuel itself.
If you are skeptical that this could happen 20 years from now, it is already happening. For example, in 2014, Australia had 1.4 million solar-powered buildings, accounting for 11% of the entire country.
Modern computers
There are not many people in the world who really understand the data encryption technology on which the modern computer device is based. According to Data Center Knowledge, IBM already has a quantum computer that will replace the devices we are used to in the near future. Quantum computers will be more powerful, and conventional data encryption algorithms will completely outlive themselves.
Forever tangled wires
This is what mankind will certainly not regret, because it is the wires that entangle our homes and offices. According to PC Magazine, Ikea released a line of furniture in 2015 that also works as a charger. This means that you no longer need to wire up your phone to recharge. You just need to put it on the table.
The time will come when electric cars will charge without the usual chargers, and all kitchen appliances will also be wireless.
DVDs
In fact, DVDs are outdated for many. Unsurprisingly, users prefer media that cannot be scratched or lost, that is, purely digital copies of data. What to do with hundreds of discs that have been bought over the years? There are many great ideas on how to make original interior items or decor items out of them.
Author: Natalia Minenko