Inventions of the future free essay sample

If youve ever seen the classic James Bond flick Thunderball, you probably remember that great action scene in which 007 makes his escape from some bad guys by slipping on a rocket-equipped backpack and blasting off into the sky [source: Parker]. Jet packs were first dreamed up by German scientists during World War II, and after the war, the Pentagon longed to develop its own version [source: Kaku]. In the 1950s, at Bell Aerosystems in New York, a visionary engineer named Wendell F.  Moore created his own version of the concept, a 125-pound (57-kilogram) rocket belt powered by a canister of liquid nitrogen. For its part, the U. S. military eventually gave up on jet packs as a practical mode of battlefield transportation, in part because flyers could only carry enough fuel to stay aloft for less than half a minute [source: Rocketman. com]. But we are getting really close to the jet packs we were promised. We will write a custom essay sample on Inventions of the future or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page New Zealand-based Martin Aircraft has approval for manned test flights of its P12 Jetpacks. And although the company has sent unmanned packs 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) in the air, these manned flights will only be 20 feet (6 meters) over land and 25 feet (7. 6 meters) over water [source: Oremus]. And guess what the company is taking orders. Law enforcement and government agencies can order one for an expected mid-2014 release, and private jet pack enthusiasts (and who isnt) can get on a waiting list for a possible 2015 purchase [source: Martin Jet Pack]. ROBOT MAIDS The most obvious answer to a complaint about the lack of robot maids is of course, Hey, buddy, go buy a Roomba. Because while they dont really resemble George Jetsons robotic maid Rosie, modern bots do carry out a host of floor vacuuming, tile scrubbing and pool cleaning chores. Of course, the vision of the computerized maid goes beyond mere automated dust busting. What weve been waiting for is a true robotic domestic servant capable of safely navigating a human living environment to carry out everything from cleaning the toilet to cooking pancakes. But in order to actually move through our kitchens and interact with us, robots will need to be capable of social learning. A truly social bot will need to evaluate environmental stimuli with a discriminating eye. In short, a true robotic maid would need to be autonomous. Scientists from Cornell University are on the case, and are slowly creating robots that might be able anticipate human needs. They predict that in the next few years we might see a robot maid who can do some specific tasks. So far, theyve already developed a robo-maid who can open a fridge and pour you a beer [source: Carroll]. A far greater help than, say, folding laundry. ATOMIC POWERED HOMES In the 1950s, when the U. S. government first approved the creation of nuclear plants for generating electricity, some Americans fantasized about a future in which small, personal nuclear reactors would be commonplace gadgets. In 1955, Robert E. Ferry, general manager of the Institute of Boiler and Radiator Manufacturers, gave a speech in which he predicted that individual homes would be heated and cooled by small reactors within three to six years. Although that hasnt happened nearly 60 years later, there was some movement to create mini-reactors that might power small communities or even homes. As recently as 2008, company Hyperion Power Generation (now Gen4 Energy) was claiming that it had developed nuclear power plans smaller than a garden shed that could power 20,000 homes and would be on sale by 2013 [source: Vidal and Rosen]. However, 2013 hit, and still no progress on this nuclear sunset.