Engineering Predictions For the 21st CenturyThat Were Way Off

Personal helicopters, mail sent via rocket and teleportation.

These are just a handful of predictions for the engineering industry that, decades ago, academics, futurists and government agencies predicted would be commonplace in the 21st century.

However, while some predictions were accurate, others were a little optimistic.

Using our global expertise in the engineering industry, specialist recruitment company Progressive Recruitment has brought to life engineering predictions for the 21st century that were (fairly) inaccurate.

Through a series of fake product advertisements, we re-imagine what life would be like if these predictions had indeed been correct.

By 2020 we will live in flying houses

It was in 1966 that the inventor and futurist Arthur C. Clarke put forth a series of predictions about the 21st Century.

Clarke believed houses would be radically different by this time, stating that the homes of the future would have no roots tying them to the ground.

The autonomous home would be able to move to anywhere on earth at the owner’s whim when they needed a change of scenery.

A man looking out of the window at two houses flying in the sky

A billboard that has an image of a man looking out of the window at two houses flying in the sky

The sky would be filled with flying cars

Forward-looking Victorian artist, Albert Robida, predicted in 1882 that the skies would be thick with flying cars by 2018.

Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motor Company, also made the same prediction, saying we would one day be in airborne automobiles, and in 1923 started to sketch his prediction.

With companies such as Uber, we may not be far away from this technology. However, in 2021 the masses are still unable to take to the skies in our own vehicles to beat the rush hour traffic.

A car flying high in the skies above a city

A billboard that has an image of a car flying high in the skies above a city

We will be holidaying on Mars

According to Laura Forczyk, founder of space consulting firm Astralytical, space tourism has been a vision for a long time and in 2009, several companies and individuals expressed the desire to make the 2010s the decade of space tourism.

Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk went as far as saying, “I’m going to go out on a limb and say that by 2020 there will be serious plans to go to Mars with people.”

A billboard that has an image of two people in a swimming pool on Mars

We will be able to travel via teleportation

In the 2014 book, ‘Shift 2020: How Technology Will Impact Our Future’, author Michael J O’Farrell of the Mobile Institute predicts, “In the pending nanomobility era, I predict telepathy and teleportation will become possible by the year 2020 – with both commonplace by 2040.”

Although we are yet to see if O’Farrell’s prediction for 2040 will come true, it feels a little unlikely right now.

If you are looking for a career in engineering because you too want to contribute to exciting industry developments, Progressive Recruitment will help by connecting you with world-class engineering businesses.

Whether you are looking to recruit engineers in the UK, find an engineering job in the US, or are searching for talented candidates in the industry anywhere in the world, we have the options and solutions for you.