Timeline for the Future: Potential Developments and Likely Impacts

"The timeline for the future provides some basic information to help with planning for the years ahead. Each of the innovations on the timeline represents a general sort of change. The timeline addresses emerging opportunities and their potential effects on human lives, rather than with any particular gadgets. This timeline was originally developed by British Telecommunications in 1991 and has been updated every couple of years under the leadership of futurologist Ian Pearson of Futurizon GmbH in Ipswich. Since the previous version of the timeline was published in the March–April issue of The Futurist, the panel has altered its expectations for some events. For example, the anticipations of fully functional artificial eyes and peripheral nerves have been moved forward from the 2030s and beyond to the 2020s. In picking target dates for the timeline, it is assumed that the item will be readily available but still not a commodity item. The timeline is presented" (Ebscohost). This article would be an interesting read for high school students and can inspire interesting lessons combining STEM subjects, research, and reading, including searching for patents or evidence that any of the predicted innovations have actually occurred.