Three decades ago, we would have never guessed that touchscreen phones and video calling would be a norm and literally every major device in our homes could be linked to the internet. But, people like us are able to use that technology because revolutionary scientists didn’t just invent these gadgets, they also made them affordable.

Of course, human conquests didn’t end with high-speed Wi-Fi and augmented reality which makes Snapchat filters possible. We are constantly working on new technologies that can revolutionize the way we live. We have seen it happen before, and it is easy to assume that it will happen again.

But there comes a point where we have to stop and think, how far is too far? Do we really need a supersonic robot army and have a Word War III? Do we really want to find an alien colony in the space and poke the lion? Do we really want AI personal assistants who understand us so well that they could easily take over our life?

Today, we are discussing all the stupid things that humans are trying to achieve with technology. Though remember, the people working on these technologies are not stupid; they are real and intelligent scientists who are doing all this in the name of mankind.

15. 3D printers in every home

3D printers were all the rage last year, and why wouldn’t they be? After all, you can literally create anything from these printers, if you have the right specs. While scientists are trying to create more affordable 3D printers and specs for a variety of products, we have to remember that they can cause a major disruption in the manufacturing industry and even cripple the economy.

Manufacturing is still the backbone of many national economies all around the world, and if people start printing most of the products from the comfort of their homes, they wouldn’t want to buy the manufactured products anymore.

Also, with no screening at home, people can print almost anything including bombs and rifles.

14. Digitally integrated home appliances

Imagine going back to your home after a long day at work – the garage door automatically detects your car and opens the shutter; as you get out of the car, the lights get switched on, and your main door opens as well. As you enter the house, you find a warm coffee and toast, and chicken in the oven, which started cooking as soon as you left the office.

2015 and 2016 have been about Internet of Things (IoT), and we have seen integrated devices like the iWatch and Alexa. But researchers are trying to integrate every home appliance together.

13. Artificial trees and rain

No matter how much some people try to oppose the idea, climate change and global warming are real. The ice is melting near the poles, temperatures are soaring all around the world, and humans are not helping by cutting down forests.

Instead, they have decided to use technology and build artificial trees and rain to normalize the environment. With the help of bioengineering, scientists have found ways to reverse the effect of carbon emissions, but they don’t have the support of the government yet. Though it is safe to say that 50 years from now, kids might be enjoying the fake rain.

12. Robot with a license to kill

There are many cases where the technology shown in movies became a self-fulfilling prophecy even though they made no sense at all that time. Touchscreen and video screen chats were a part of many movies back in the day, and humans finally made it happen.

Robot soldiers have also been a common denominator in many sci-fi movies, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that the prophecy will eventually come true. Even though people are already campaigning to stop robots with a license to kill, militaries all around the world won’t hesitate to work with robot soldiers if they can spare human life.

11. Algorithms to predict the future of mankind

From psychics to astrologers, we will do anything possible to find a way to predict our future. But now, people have taken this to a whole new level by using technology to predict the future of mankind.

There are many projects which aim at putting together terabytes of data and processing it in a supercomputer with high speeds to find the future of the people on this Earth.

But our future is changing every day, with the change in the environment, economy, and government strategies. Depending on a machine to take in all these changes and predict an accurate future is just as unlikely as a Magic 8-ball.

10. An immersed virtual reality

Virtual reality might have some practical applications like medical surgery and teaching, but mostly people are looking forward to using it for gaming and porn. In fact, the porn industry is calling virtual reality ‘the next big thing.’

At this point, we really need to step back and ask ourselves – Do we really need immersive virtual reality which is so advanced that we cannot tell the difference between the two worlds? It will be like living in the West World, full time.

Not to mention, psychologists are concerned about human behavior and how it will change the way people socialize with each other.

9. Cosmetically changing eye colors

There was a time in the world when people had to be satisfied with whatever color eyes they had. Then, as the technology grew, we got introduced to contact lenses, and people started poking their eyes with them to change their eye color for a fleeting second.

But it seems like that wasn’t enough because now scientists are trying to find a way to cosmetically change eye colours. To be more specific, doctors are working on prototype technology to change eye color to a more stunning blue. Of course, as one eye color is launched, it will be followed by many other colors and cosmetically changing eye colors will soon be the new Botox.

8. Lab-grown organs and meat

We are now on the cusp of a biotechnology revolution, and the biologists are exceedingly close to generating differentiated tissues from our own stem cells. This could, in turn, lead to scientists replicating organs when we need an organ transfer, and there would be no waiting for a donor to pop up.

While that does sound incredibly helpful, some scientists are trying to use that technology to create lab-grown meat. But just like spam is not actual meat and powdered milk isn’t really milk, lab-grown meat will also not be the same. Not to mention, it costs $18,000+ to get a plate of meatballs made with fake-lab meat.

7. Record and replay dreams

The unconscious human brain has always been an interesting subject for us, with Freud calling it an iceberg. Even after so many years of research, we don’t know as much about our unconscious self as we would want to.

We see dreams when we are in a deep sleep, and it’s said that our dreams are our unconscious mind trying to tell us something. But don’t you hate it when you forget all about your dreams just a few hours after waking up? Scientists are now trying to find ways to record our dreams and make it possible to play them back, whenever you want.

6. Self-driven cars

Google, along with many other companies, is trying to launch self-driven cars. In fact, the company has already put its self-driving car to the test. Though the company claims these cars would help disabled people and avoid any cases of ignorant or drunken driving, most people are still not sure about these cars, including the government.

Currently, Google’s self-driven cars are being tested thoroughly in California, but the state government only allows these cars on the road if there is a licensed driver at the wheel who could take over if needed. Take your time, Google, not many are that psyched to be in a car with no one at the steering wheel.

5. Find aliens on other planets

While we aren’t holding our breath to meet aliens, it’s certainly interesting and enticing to think there might be a whole other civilization light years away. Aliens have been the subject of fascination for many decades now. In fact, there have also been claims that the ancient Egyptians made contact with aliens as well.

But scientists are constantly using innovative technologies to find life on other planets. In fact, that is the reason why most space programs are so much focused on Mars, as it is the most similar planet to Earth.

Though, what they don’t realize is, there might be an alien race far superior to mankind and they might not be as friendly to us as we expect.

4. Live on Mars

Elon Musk and SpaceX have already declared that their goal is to take people to Mars by 2022. It will cost you $200,000 for a round trip to Mars, and it will take three months to get to the red planet from our home planet. Even with that much money, you won’t fly business class. You will be in coach with 99 other passengers.

When you reach there, you will be kept in an artificial environment dome replicating Earth’s atmosphere, and you will only be able to get out of the dome wearing astronaut-like helmets. Of course, it will take another 3 months to get back to Earth. Again, why do we want to live on Mars?

3. Interplanetary internet

Interplanetary internet, because what else would you do on Mars all day? No, we don’t know if Musk will be able to reach Mars by 2022, but whoever gets to the red planet first and whenever he gets there, the first thing he will do is set up an internet connection. And of course, if people do start living on Mars they would need the internet to keep up with who is destroying the Earth this time.

After all, going to a different planet doesn’t mean we should stop updating our Twitter or Instagram account. We can live without natural oxygen for six months, but there is no way we can live without the internet and still stay sane.

2. Robot Personal Assistants with AI

Artificial personal assistants are a trend which started with Clippy and continues to revolutionize with Siri and Alexa. But scientists are now trying to create personal assistants with artificial intelligence that can fully respond to the natural language including personal idiosyncrasies and colloquialisms.

So you can expect these advanced personal assistants to have a complete conversations and they will know everything about us including our preferences, tendencies, behaviors, and the way we respond in certain situations. They will be able to do everything for us, perform menial tasks, predict our needs, and book appointments. Now let’s just hope they don’t take over our life.

1. Achieve immortality

Immortality is a concept which has plagued many people for centuries. There are disappointing tales of people who went on a lifelong journey just to find a solution to immortality, wasting their entire life while they could have been enjoying it. But it doesn’t feel like humans will give up so soon.

It wasn’t long ago when scientists discovered a jellyfish who Benjamin Button-ed and turned back to an embryo in order to heal itself. Though that is just the tip of the iceberg, scientists are also trying to create technologies that can clone people and organs. But we can’t help but wonder what would happen to world population and resources if we do achieve immortality.