There are some inventions that we know are going to be huge as soon as we hear about them – the air fryer comes to mind – and others that honestly end up taking us by surprise.

Even though these ideas might have flown under the radar, people really think we’re going to see a big impact from them down the road.

Drip irrigation systems.

Low-pressure solar-powered drip irrigation systems.

Drip irrigation delivers water through a piping network to drip emitters that release the water directly at the base of the crops, avoiding water losses due to evaporation, runoff, and infiltration.

Drip can reduce water consumption by 20-60% compared to conventional flood irrigation, and has been shown to increase yields by 20-50% for certain crops. Because irrigation accounts for over 70% of freshwater use in most regions of the world, large-scale adoption of drip irrigation would reduce the consumption of freshwater and be an asset for locations around the world experiencing water shortages and groundwater depletion.

A new back sounds nice.

I was talking with my spine surgeon and he said in 30 years they will be able to regenerate the gel in your spine, practically giving you a new back.

A little more background. I’ve herniated the same two disc in my lower back twice by the time I was 30.

My doctor told me that by the time I’m 50 I’ll most likely need back surgery but it shouldn’t be a big deal since they can replace the gel (not sure technical name) that’s been impacted by the slip discs.

Like Glad Wrap.

I saw a new solar panel that is like Glad Wrap that goes on windows. Clear, thin, film that covers windows and collect solar power. So you don’t need to put the large panels on rooftops.

So if you think about it on City skyscrapers there is more surface area on the sides of the building than the roof. Everyone east and west of the building having invisible solar panels.

Revolutionary.

Research into bacteriophages (bacteria targeting viruses) could cure antibiotic resistant bacterium such as MRSA.

They grow with you.

Did you know that they have developed implants which can grow with you? Meaning that kids with faulty heart valves or damaged organs which require a synthetic element can undergo just one surgery as they’re young and never have to have further surgeries for replacement as they grow.

My housemate is a chemical engineer and she told me all about it I thought it was interesting.

No longer science fiction.

Gene therapy is no longer science fiction. My girlfriend got “Luxturna” surgery and the results have been amazing (she used to be unable to see at all at night and now she can guide herself without a cane).

More treatments like that are going to keep coming and be standard before we realize it.

A game-changer.

Crops that can grow anywhere. I think there are some good developments in this type, and this means draught and insects would no longer affect the growth.

This would decrease poverty and famine.

Massive and amazing sea-change.

Biotech science in general is undergoing a massive and amazing sea-change right now. Gene Therapy is a huge wave that’s just getting started even now.

And there are so many related applications that are really exciting. We are swiftly getting to the point of being able to edit safely. We can already “teach” your own modified immune cells to attack your cancer in things like CAR-T.

And the field is really still in it’s infancy yet. Imagine fighting cancer effectively without the side effects of chemo. We will look back someday and think chemo was barbaric.

Solid state.

Solid state batteries. Maybe. From memory, larger capacity, much faster charging, and significantly longer life.

Quite terrifying.

While not an unknown technology, Deepfake is still in its infancy and it terrifies me.

We already live in a time when people take irrefutable video evidence and somehow find ways to rationalize away what they are seeing. People don’t listen to science anymore, truth has become frighteningly subjective. Think of all the videos of police shootings/political scandals/whistle blowers/assassinations/and more.

Now, add in a technology that has the potential to create doubt about the validity of what we are seeing. It’s the perfect excuse, and all people will need, to kill that last little bit of logical thought deep in their brain. It is a perfect tool to create chaos and discord. Politicians will use it to create confusion and doubt. To sow fear, create false narrative and de-legitimize their opponents. Or to cast doubt on crimes and acts they have committed.

Something that was once impossible to rationalize away will become yet another misinformation tool and a engine to sow doubt.

A reality of sorts.

Bio chips are now a reality of sorts. Means we can test various drugs and treatments on your genetics without doing it on you. No animal testing. Whole cohorts of test subjects that are chips.

Just a biochip. So we can find the cure or treatment for something and know it will work before prescribing it 🙂

It will be a while until its mainstream and used instead but its a reality 🙂

Billions a year.

Realistically, the use of carbon grids to reproduce the catalytic effects of Rhodium metal, commonly used in catalytic converters. Rhodium metal is currently trading at $13,000/oz after a huge spike due to worldwide emissions restrictions that took effect in 2020.

Long story short there is only 2 places on Earth to effectively find the stuff and it is going to run out, well before fossil fuels and other important building materials do.

Replacing Rhodium with Carbon in catalytic purposes would save global manufacturers hundreds of billions a year and make many consumer goods much more affordable.

Incredibly sophisticated.

I’m surprised no one has said it yet, but automation is getting incredibly sophisticated, there will be no need to for a lot of people to work in factories. I went to an assembly expo and the manufacturing technology of today is mind blowing. Some jobs you still need humans, but even then, many of those jobs are getting fool-proof to the point that previous jobs that required skills will be able to be replaced by cheaper labor with lesser skill.

I think it’s ultimately a good thing, but who’s knows how long it will be before society catches up to technology.

Battery recycling.

Lithium Sulfur batteries are in development right now that could make battery storage much cheaper than current lithium ion, and lithium polymer batteries. Lower cost batteries mean more people can afford to use them, and that’s more internal combustion engines, replaced with electric motors.

While I’m at it, battery recycling. Every element in a battery can be extracted, and recycled into new batteries, especially the lithium. A former founding member of Tesla has actually already opened a plant to do just that.

3D printing.

3D printing at home. Imagine downloading the blueprints of whatever you need, customize it and have it printed over night and into your hands.

What is now a hobby will soon be a common household tool.

A few hurdles.

Printed human skin and organs.

There are still some decent hurdles to overcome for macro scale application of 3d printing biologicals, but yeah this will be a super good one in the future.

I guess we’ll just have to wait and see who is correct.

It’s going to be an interesting couple of decades, for sure.