The technologies stories first imagined in this decade, by kind, with whether each has been built since and who would keep the profit.
By kind of technology
Space travel and habitats · 5
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Weightlessness (Kepler)
Somnium (The Dream), Johannes Kepler · 1634
The idea that somewhere between worlds a body would feel no pull of gravity.
built in 1998, 364 years after it was imagined
No prizeNothing is soldas a model judges it
Why
No prize. It is an idea about what travellers would feel, not a product anyone makes or sells.
Who is paid. Nothing is sold, so nobody pays and no seller collects.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is fairly sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Gansas
The Man in the Moone, Francis Godwin · 1638
Wild birds whose seasonal flights carry them across space to the Moon.
not yet built · AI models judge it not physically possible
No prizeNothing is soldas a model judges it
Why
No prize. They are wild birds, creatures and not a technology.
Who is paid. Nothing is sold, so nobody pays and no seller collects.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is fairly sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Weightlessness in Space
The Man in the Moone, Francis Godwin · 1638
An early notion that travellers far above the Earth would float free of weight.
built in 1998, 360 years after it was imagined
No prizeNothing is soldas a model judges it
Why
No prize. It is an early idea about what travellers would feel, not a product anyone makes or sells.
Who is paid. Nothing is sold, so nobody pays and no seller collects.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is fairly sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Moon Machine
A Voyage to the Moon, Cyrano de Bergerac · 1657
A vehicle that lifts a person off the Earth and carries them all the way to the Moon.
not yet built · AI models' likeliest decade: the 2030s
A large prizeBusinesses pay; existing firms keep the restas a model judges it
Why
A large prize. A working ship that carries people and cargo between worlds is the base of a whole transport industry.
Who is paid. Carriers and other firms working in space buy ships, and since a second yard could build the same craft the established shipbuilders collect.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is fairly sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Barrels of Air
The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, Jane Webb Loudon · 1828
Carrying a sealed supply of air to breathe at heights where none remains.
not yet built · AI models' likeliest decade: the 2020s
A small prizeBusinesses pay; existing firms keep the restas a model judges it
Why
A small prize. Breathable air is essential aboard, but this is a fitting inside a craft or suit, not an industry of its own.
Who is paid. Ship operators pay for it within the craft, and the established builders of ships and suits supply it because the method is easy to copy.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is fairly sure of this one.
Computing, AI and virtual worlds · 2
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Geometric Modeling
Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift · 1726
Representing people and animals with shapes and figures drawn from geometry.
built in 1982, 256 years after it was imagined
No prizeNothing is soldas a model judges it
Why
No prize. As described this is a way of drawing and thinking, not a made thing anyone could sell.
Who is paid. No product exists to buy, so there is no payer and no seller.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is not very sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Knowledge Engine
Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift · 1726
A machine that generates text and can produce whole books with little human effort.
built in 1998, 272 years after it was imagined
A large prizeBusinesses pay; no seller keeps muchas a model judges it
Why
A large prize. A machine that truly wrote whole books with little effort would change the costs of publishing, though the first real text machines did far less than this promise.
Who is paid. Publishers, studios and other firms are assumed to be the main buyers, and once the method is known many can offer it, so no seller keeps much.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is fairly sure of this one.
Robotics and automation · 3
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Androide
Cyclopaedia, Ephraim Chambers · 1727
A machine built in human shape.
built in the 2000s, about 280 years after it was imagined
A vast prizeBusinesses pay; existing firms keep the restas a model judges it
Why
A vast prize. The description gives only the human form, so it is assumed to be the artificial person of the stories, able to do most kinds of human work, which would change how most people work.
Who is paid. Firms buy them as labour, and since many could build such bodies once shown how, the large manufacturers with factories and service networks collect what is left.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is not very sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Feeding Room
Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be), Emile Souvestre · 1846
A nursery where machines feed and look after infants.
not yet built · AI models' likeliest decade: the 2040s
A large prizeBusinesses pay; existing firms keep the restas a model judges it
Why
A large prize. Machines that feed and mind infants would be worth an industry of its own in child care.
Who is paid. Nurseries, not families, are assumed to buy the machines here, and the established makers that families trust collect.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is not very sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Steam Horse
Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be), Emile Souvestre · 1846
A machine built like an animal that walks and pulls loads on engine power.
not yet built · AI models' likeliest decade: the 2020s
A small prizeBusinesses pay; no seller keeps muchas a model judges it
Why
A small prize. A walking engine in animal form pulls loads, but the gain from engine power would come as well on wheels, so the legs earn only a niche where wheels fail.
Who is paid. Carriers and farmers on rough ground are assumed to buy it, and many makers could build one, so no seller keeps much.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is not very sure of this one.
Mind and neurotechnology · 1
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Cogitator (The Chair of Reflection)
The Consolidator, Daniel Defoe · 1705
A seat that makes whoever sits in it think more clearly and logically.
not yet built · AI models could not judge when it may arrive
A large prizeHouseholds pay; no seller keeps muchas a model judges it
Why
A large prize. Thinking more clearly at will would lift the work of anyone who uses their head, worth an industry of its own.
Who is paid. Workers and students would buy it for themselves, and once one maker had it others could copy it, so no seller keeps much.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is not very sure of this one.
Transport and mobility · 5
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Mail-Post Letter-Ball
The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, Jane Webb Loudon · 1828
Hollow balls fired between towns by steam cannon to deliver letters quickly.
not yet built · AI models could not judge when it may arrive
A small prizeA government pays; existing firms keep the restas a model judges it
Why
A small prize. Letters shot between towns arrive sooner, which is a convenience now that most messages need no paper.
Who is paid. I assume the public post pays for it, and the engineering firms that already build for the post collect.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is not very sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Stage Balloon
The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, Jane Webb Loudon · 1828
Scheduled lighter-than-air craft carrying the public like a coach service.
not yet built · AI models' likeliest decade: the 2020s
A small prizeBusinesses pay; no seller keeps muchas a model judges it
Why
A small prize. A lighter-than-air craft is slow and carries little beside aircraft and trains, so it stays a niche; this one runs to a timetable for the public.
Who is paid. The carrier or fleet operator that runs the airship line buys it and charges riders, and any workshop could build it, so no seller keeps much.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is not very sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Steam-Propelled Moving Houses
The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century, Jane Webb Loudon · 1828
Homes on wheels that travel from town to town under their own engine power.
not yet built · AI models' likeliest decade: the 2020s
A small prizeHouseholds pay; existing firms keep the restas a model judges it
Why
A small prize. A home that drives itself from town to town suits travellers and holidaymakers, which is a modest trade.
Who is paid. Owners buy it, and it is easy to copy, so the vehicle makers that already have factories and dealers collect.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is fairly sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Express Dolphin
Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be), Emile Souvestre · 1846
A pleasant vehicle for travelling quickly beneath the sea surface.
not yet built · AI models' likeliest decade: the 2020s
A small prizeHouseholds pay; no seller keeps muchas a model judges it
Why
A small prize. Fast and pleasant travel under the sea is an outing or a ferry on a few routes, since most people have no need to go beneath the surface.
Who is paid. Passengers pay fares, and I assume once such a vessel works any shipyard could build it, so no seller keeps much.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is not very sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Passenger-Carrying Mortar
Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be), Emile Souvestre · 1846
Firing travellers across a river from a gun instead of using a boat or bridge.
not yet built · AI models could not judge when it may arrive
A small prizeBusinesses pay; no seller keeps muchas a model judges it
Why
A small prize. Being fired across a river is a stunt where a bridge or boat would do.
Who is paid. I assume a ferry operator would run it, and a launcher of this kind is simple to copy, so no seller keeps much.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is not very sure of this one.
Energy and power · 1
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Bio-Energy
Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift · 1726
Pulling electrical or usable power out of plant and other living matter.
built in 1895, 169 years after it was imagined
A large prizeBusinesses pay; existing firms keep the restas a model judges it
Why
A large prize. Usable power from plants and other living matter is worth an industry, though the real thing turned out a modest extra fuel.
Who is paid. Fuel sellers and vehicle fleets buy it, and since the processing is easy to copy those who already own the farmland collect.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is fairly sure of this one.
Exotic physics · 1
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Laputa
Gulliver's Travels, Jonathan Swift · 1726
A massive landmass that hovers and travels through the sky.
not yet built · AI models judge it not physically possible
A large prizeA government pays; existing firms keep the restas a model judges it
Why
A large prize. A flying land that can travel gives its ruler new territory and command over everything below.
Who is paid. A state would pay for it as a public work and a means of rule, and its established builders would be paid to make it.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is not very sure of this one.
Society and economy · 1
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
Forced Scholars
Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be), Emile Souvestre · 1846
Children pushed through intensive schooling to become intellectuals early.
not yet built · AI models' likeliest decade: the 2020s
No prizeNothing is soldas a model judges it
Why
No prize. Pushing children through hard schooling is a practice of parents and schools; I assumed no particular teaching device is meant.
Who is paid. Nothing is sold, so nobody pays and no seller keeps anything.
A model's judgement, not a reading, of the idea as if it worked the way its story promises. The model is not very sure of this one.
Illustration made with AI image generation; not evidence.
