15 Things We Wish Someone Would Invent

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15 Things We Wish Someone Would Invent
For some folks, technology isn't moving fast enough. Take the 95 CEOs and other executives we've interviewed over the past two years. We asked each one to name the one device they wish somebody would invent. The results range from the highly imaginative to the mundanely useful. Teleporter

The problem: Everyone wants to get where they're going, faster, with less time in airplanes and security lines. The solution: Make like Spock and beam yourself there. Ten-year odds: Vanishingly small. Yes, scientists have managed to teleport information using the principles of quantum physics. These techniques could one day transform communications, but they won't transport a human. A Go-Anywhere Phone

The problem: Dropped calls. Lack of network coverage. Incompatible systems from country to country. The solution: A phone that works everywhere. Ten-year odds: Very high. If you have the bucks, you can already use satellite phones pretty much anywhere you can see the sky--but good luck in the London tube or downtown Manhattan. The closest thing currently in existence is probably Thuraya's combination satellite/GMS mobile phone, which rolls over from one system to the other depending on your location. But so far, its service doesn't extend to the Americas, East Asia or Australia. Electronic Paper

The problem: Paper everywhere--but you can't download the news (or search the Web) on it. The solution: Electronic paper as light, readable and flexible as regular paper, but with the capabilities of a computer.

Ten-year odds: Fair. Companies including Xerox, E-Ink, Philips, and Apple are rumored to be working on it. Companies have supposedly been "working on it" for more than decade. A Household Chores Robot

The problem: No one wants to clean house. The solution: Robots. Ten-year odds: High. There's already the Roomba, iRobot's automatic vacuum cleaner. So how hard can it be to invent one that also makes the bed, does the dishes and scrubs the toilet? The Universal Gadget

The problem: Too many gadgets to juggle. The solution: One that does it all. Ten-year odds: Very high. Apple's new iPhone, for one, promises to roll a music and video player, e-mailer, telephone, Web browser and camera into one. Smart Head Implants

The problem: Our brains may be creative, but they lack the power and speed of computers. The solution: Implant chips in your brain. Ten-year odds: Very low. Scientists have implanted chips in rat brains, but we are very far from "jacking into the net" like the cyber-punks of science fiction. The Bubble

The problem: The noise, dirt and hassle of daily life. The solution: Travel in a protective bubble. Ten-year odds: Low. A Universal Language Translator

The problem: You're in Beijing this week and Berlin the next--and you just haven't had time to master both Mandarin and German. The solution: A simultaneous, all-language text and sound translator. Ten-year odds: Middling. Translation programs exist, and they are getting better, but we are still a very long way from an electronic version of the Babel Fish. A Convenient And Inexpensive Water Desalinator

The problem: One in five humans has no access to safe drinking water. The solution: Turn the oceans into clean drinking water using desalination techniques. Desalination exists, but it is expensive and energy-intensive. A cheaper method could hydrate vastly more people and crops. Ten-year odds: Middling. The science is advancing year by year. Advanced Autopilot For Cars

The problem: Paying attention to the road can be so dull and time-consuming. The solution: Sophisticated autopilot. Tell the car your destination and it handles the rest--while you nap, read or answer e-mails. Ten-year odds: Depends on what you mean. Cars are getting more automated, spurred in part by competitions like the DARPA Urban Challenge, which is drawing university robotics teams. For ordinary consumers, door-to-door driverless service is a distant dream, but we may soon have cars that can communicate with other vehicles or pilot themselves along stretches of sensorequipped "smart highways."

A Physical Search Engine

The problem: You lose stuff. The solution: A "physical" search engine. Ten-year odds: Low. It could work if everything you owned had a chip installed (perhaps RFID). But the technical hurdles are huge. Plus, how much would you really pay to be reminded that your car keys are under the sofa cushions--again? A Time Machine

The problem: You made an egregious mistake yesterday. The solution: Go back in time and redo the day without the blooper. Ten-year odds: Zero. Backward time-travel is impossible according to our current understanding of physics. Automatic Weight-Loss Belt

The problem: Losing weight takes so much dieting and exercise. The solution: Jiggle it off while you watch television or work. Ten-year odds: Poor. The closest thing we have to "automatic" is plastic surgery. Perfect Vision Correction

The problem: As your eyes get old, they play tricks on you, and trifocals are no fun. The solution: A corrective procedure that restores your eyes to 20-20 vision. Ten-year odds: Middling. LASIK surgery can already correct basic near- and far-sightedness, but surgeons can't yet solve all problems related to aging eyes.

Youth Pill

The problem: Your youth and beauty are fading fast. The solution: Take a pill and stay young forever. Ten-year odds: Vanishingly small. There are plenty of ways to fake it cosmetically, but that's not really the same thing. Look on the bright side: Life expectancy is getting longer.

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