This is an article written by John Elfreth Watkins, Jr This is an article written by John Elfreth Watkins, Jr., a writer in the early 20th Century. Back in December 1900, he wrote his ideas about “What May Happen in the Next Hundred Years”.

When he was wrong he was very wrong! There will be No C, X or Q in our every-day alphabet. They will be abandoned because unnecessary. Mosquitoes, house-flies and roaches will have been practically exterminated… There will be no wild animals except in zoos. Rats and mice will have been exterminated. The horse will have become practically extinct. A university education will be free to every man and woman.

But he was correct too! Americans would be taller by 2 inches. Pictures will be coloured and be published in newspapers within an hour. Wireless telephone will go around the world – we can connect with anyone at any time. Refrigerators will keep food fresh for a long time. Refrigerators on land and sea will bring us exotic food from other countries all year round.

Over the years many people also had opinions about the future because some ideas just seemed too crazy at the time. Here are a few examples:

Inventions that never made it!

The world looks very different now compared to how it did 100 years ago, with lots of clever ideas from scientists and engineers affecting our lives in all sorts of ways. Think about the way we communicate, how we get to school and what type of houses we live in. Comparing this to how we lived in 1914 shows just how much the world has changed in 100 years.

100 years of change

Imagine the future… What do you think will be different about the world in another 100 years? Using your imagination, I want you to design a product that you think would help make our world a better place in the year 2114. To get you started, here are a few theme ideas and facts about recent scientific and engineering developments. What might be the next big thing? You can use these themes, or your own ideas, as a starting point to begin researching for your design.

Energy Since the industrial revolution, mankind has relied heavily on fossil fuels. Scientists and engineers are developing new products that help us become less reliant on these non-renewable fuels, and are exploring more efficient ways of harnessing the energy of renewable sources such as the sun, tides and wind. For example, in April 2012, one of the largest wind farms in the world (Jaisalmer Wind Park in India) produced 1,064 megawatts of electricity, more than any other onshore wind farm in the world, and enough to power about 24,000 homes. What other sources of renewable energy can be harnessed, and how might these be used in the future?

Transport It is estimated that today over 70% of UK households own one or more cars, compared to 52% in the 1970’s. This rise in personal transport has caused concerns about the impact on the environment, our health and the safety of our roads. How might scientists and engineers address these issues in the future? Future of food & food production In 2013, scientists from the Netherlands successfully grew a beef burger in their laboratory. It took three months to grow the burger, at a cost of over £20,000. This development is a long way from being produced on a commercial scale, however the idea that humans might one day be able to produce large quantities of meat from very few animals could potentially help resolve concerns for animal welfare, our health, sustainability and the impact on the environment. What other new developments and products might affect the future of food and food production?

Human enhancement From glasses to prosthetic limbs, scientists all over the world are developing new ways to overcome the limitations of the human mind and body. In the last decade, researchers in America and Switzerland have been working on touch sensitive prosthetic limbs. Those testing an advanced prosthetic hand have been able to feel which finger is being touched, without looking. This gives hope that one day, amputees will receive a prosthesis that moves, feels and functions like a healthy limb. What other human enhancements might be commonplace in the next 100 years?

DEADLINE – Tuesday 6th May How to enter… Design a new product, a scientific, technological or medical advancement that you feel will help society in 100 years’ time You can draw or paint a poster, build a model or create a design on the computer Please draw/print your design onto an A4 or A3 sheet of paper You can create a 3D model You must also include a title for your design, label its features and write a short explanation of how it will help our future society DEADLINE – Tuesday 6th May