In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car! For each prediction that has come true today, several others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn't consider how people would want to use the technology. Or if people really needed it in their lives or not. Let's look at some predictions from the not - too - distant past. Robot Helpers Where's the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he's probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other Manufacturing environments. Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people's home. So why hasn't happened? Probably because robots are still too expensive and Clumsy. And maybe the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too  _ . At home we seem to be doing fine without them. Telephones of tomorrow? In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn't caught on yet. Why? The technology worked fine, but it overlooked something obvious: peoples desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just stepped out of the shower? Probably not - it could be embarrassing! Just because a technology is available doesn't always mean people will want to use it. And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It's not so crazy anymore! But a flying car remains one of the most fascinating technology ideas to capture our imagination. Keep watching the news - or perhaps the sky outside your window - to see what the future will bring. What does the author think of the flying car?
It is too difficult to imagine. It is too crazy an idea. It is likely to be made. It is often reported in the news.