WE'LL HAVE LIFTS OFF!

Elevators to space, robot roommates and bio-printed organs are among the technological developments that could become reality by 2050

- BY KAREN ROCKETT

REMEMBER when we thought the future would mean wearing Bacofoil suits and driving to work in a Jetsons-style aero-car? The 21st century, of course, didn't quite turn out how the popular futuristic children's cartoon predicted - but in many ways it looks wackier than we could have imagined.

Now leading futurologist and author Tom Cheesewright, who advises companies on how to plan and prepare for the future, has predicted the top 10 scientific and technological breakthroughs we can expect to see by 2050.

"Human beings have a deep-seated ingenuity, and while I understand the future can be scary, we have every reason to be hopeful," he says.

In fact, Cheesewright, who has a degree in mechatronic engineering, believes the next 24 years have the potential to be the greatest era of progress in human history.

His top predictions for 2050 come as just one in six people say they feel optimistic about the future of the world, according to research from Zurich Insurance.

Some 63% of respondents who are old enough to remember the turn of the century say they are gloomier now than they were 25 years ago.

"It's become fashionable to bemoan a future dominated by AI, robotics and relentless technological change - but really, we have a lot to look forward to," says Cheesewright. "Here are the key breakthroughs that I am most excited about as we look towards the second half of the 21st century."

SPACE ELEVATOR

"A space elevator is something man has been imagining since the 1960s.

"The next frontier of space travel and exploration will finally see the construction of the world's first space elevator, a towering structure with the dual purpose of carrying both cargo and passengers into orbit.