Kids reckon we’ll see flying shoes, invisibility cloaks and teleportation within the next decade, a survey has revealed.
A survey of 500 children aged between six and 12 found that 78 per cent think that ‘anything is possible’ due to the great strides in technology in recent years.
Asked what they thought would be invented with the next few years, 25 per cent said that flying shoes would be available to buy within the next 5-10 years.
One third of children said they would expect invisibility cloaks, like the one featured in the Harry Potter films, to become reality within 10 years
A total of 70 per cent said that within the next decade we would be able to communicate with wild animals and our own pets after the invention of a Doctor Dolittle-style ‘translation device’.
Two-thirds of the kids said X-ray specs would soon become a reality, with half saying we would soon be able to ‘read each other’s minds’.
One-third of children said they would expect teleportation and invisibility cloaks to become a reality within the next 10 years, in the poll by Sony Mobile to promote its Xperia Touch projector.
The poll found that 72 per cent of children said they were better at using computers and tech than their parents.
Despite fears over kids using computers, tablets and smart phones too much, bosses at Sony found that 70 per cent of 500 parents polled said technology was something which improved their kids’ imaginations and performance at school.
Ian Pearson, a Futurologist from Futurizon, said the digital world exposes kids to ideas from across the whole of human culture.
Two-thirds of the kids said X-ray specs would soon become a reality, with half saying we would soon be able to ‘read each other’s minds’
He said: ‘Virtual worlds in computer games especially can really expand imaginations.
‘Kids use highly advanced technology all the time, it is their normal life and they would find it nearly impossible to imagine a world where their technology can’t solve a problem for them.’
He said that flying shoes could be on the shelves within five years and that telepathy could be around by 2050.
He said, however, it was doubtful if teleportation would even be a reality, but that a translation device allowing us to speak to animals could be around by 2050.
He added: ‘As Arthur C Clarke once observed, a sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, and kids have grown up in a Harry Potter culture surrounded by tech that does seemingly magical things, so it’s not unreasonable to expect them to think anything at all is possible.
‘Their short experience of life has never been technologically limited so they remain optimistic that anything can be done and that’s no bad thing, their imaginations have flourished.’
Ian Pearson, a Futurologist from Futurizon, said ‘kids have grown up in a Harry Potter culture surrounded by tech that does seemingly magical things, so it’s not unreasonable to expect them to think anything at all is possible’
Hirohito Kondo, of Sony, said : ‘Xperia Touch is a flagship smart device that can transform any surface into an interactive screen, bringing a glimpse of the future into the home or office.
‘We commissioned this campaign to delve into the imagination of children and parents alike to help illustrate the advanced technology and experience – as a bonus, we may even have a few new employees lined up for our R&D centre!’