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What will cities of the future look like?
Technology is moving at dizzying speed and it’s very likely that the urban spaces in which we live will look drastically different over the next few decades.
From the way we travel to how and where we shop, we’ve come up with some future predictions exploring how new technology could improve our cities and living spaces in exciting new ways.
Where Will We Live?
Buildings of the future are likely to be far more environmentally friendly than they are presently.
We’ve all heard of solar panels which are commonly found on roofs of buildings, but how about solar windows?
In the future, our homes could generate their own energy by harnessing the power of the sun through specially designed solar windows.
From homes and schools to hospitals and offices, buildings of the future will be more connected to each other through IoT (Internet of Things) technologies. This means they can send each other data and information on how much energy they’ve used. If one building has energy to spare, it could be transferred to a nearby building in need of some extra power! How cool is that?
How Will We Shop?
What if you could try on clothes without even getting undressed!
Future shops could offer interactive changing rooms which use augmented reality (AR), allowing you to see what hundreds of different outfits look like in just a matter of minutes. The clever thing about this technology, is that it would be able to access data on your previous shopping habits to automatically know your size and preferences. Just like a virtual stylist.
This would make shopping a lot quicker and easier, and your purchases could even be ordered and delivered to your door by drone!
How Will We Travel?
The way we travel around towns and cities, and even across the globe has changed massively in the last few centuries. Even Uber is a relatively new concept that seems completely normal now.
The next big thing in transport is likely to be electric cars. Although this technology already exists, in the future everyone could drive an electric car which is far kinder on the environment.
We could even see self-driving cars on our roads in the not so distant future. Our cars already have built in systems that help us to park, so this idea isn’t as far off as you might think. In the future, your car could drop you off and go park itself!
This technology also has the potential to transform the public transport sector. Driverless transport pods that we order from our phones could be the new bus!
The benefit of these types of vehicles is that they are more efficient, economical and rely on renewable energy.
About Innovate UK
These predictions have been made by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, the government funding body driving science and research discoveries.
To find out about more future possibilities, subscribe to the Innovate UK YouTube channel and let your imagination roam free!
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