The digital age has revolutionised the way we live our lives. There’s no need to lambast the paperboy for getting your newspaper wet when you can download it to your Kindle. Packing board games like chess and monopoly for long journeys is pointless when they’re available as smartphone apps. However, some things remain disappointingly traditional. Here are five bits of kit we think ought to get the 21st century treatment.
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Staring Out of Smart Glass Windows
Smart glass has already been used to create bathrooms in luxury hotels to improve light and space. The glass walls can be changed from clear to opaque at the flick of a switch. Now, imagine smart glass windows for the home. You could stop nosey neighbours staring in with the opaque option, but switch to clear when your guests are expected to arrive. On top of that, how about an option to display whatever you like on your windows? Imagine being able to get up every morning to an amazing, convincing tropical beach seen like the one above, or being able to instantly decorate your house for kitchen with great snowy decals. Please make this a reality!
Robo-Barber: Enjoy a Power Cut
Ever had a bad hair cut? Don’t you think it’s time the tech boffins knuckled down and created some kind of robotic headgear programmed to cut any hairstyle, using the techniques of the finest snippers and clippers in the business? Removing the possibility of human error, the robo-barber could display detailed digital mock-ups of how different styles would suit a person based on head shape and hair type, colour and condition. Bad hair days would become a thing of the past.
Brainy Bins Weigh Up Your Waste
We all share a responsibility to live greener, with household waste recycling being one of the everyday ways we can make a small difference. The humble bin is crying out to be given an electronic update, enabling it to analyse our waste habits and make suggestions as to how we can become more eco-friendly. Bin sensors scan the refuse, printing out a daily report suggesting greener brands to buy. People discarding recyclable items are scalded in the voice of Oscar the Grouch.
Laser Cutting Tools for Home and Garden
Why should we need to exert ourselves to cut a loaf of bread or a plank of wood when we could have a fetching range of high-powered laser cutters in our kitchens and sheds? The freshly cooked Christmas turkey would be no match for this sci-fi cutlery; and lumberjacks would stare in checkered-shirted awe, as you chop mighty oaks with electronic ease. In no way is this a ploy to get the design ball rolling toward the lightsaber. Honest.
Get Into Shape with a Holo-Trainer
Is your personal trainer too loud, too touchy feely or simply has terrible body odour? Imagine a Holo-trainer projected from a digital sensor-covered exercise mat. You would stand directly behind them, following their perfect form, receiving advice based on how effectively the sensor mat says your movements mimic the trainer’s. A variety of Holo-trainer workouts would be available, including Mike Tyson’s Spectral Sparring, with optional ear-biting extension pack.