b'Switching on Tomorrows WorldI remember as a young child watching science-fiction programmes like Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, Thunderbirds and especially my two favourite programmes, Star Fleet and Space: 1999. In the days before the internet, YouTube and streaming, I had to set my alarm to make sure I did not miss an episode. These programmes were all essentially about the same thing: mankind of the future, people living in space bases on the moon, intelligent robots, and everyone flying around the universe in spaceships, undertaking all sorts of intergalactic adventures wearing a variety of multi-coloured jumpsuits, to do battle against all sorts of evil aliens. No matter what sort of pickle humankind found itself in, we always prevailed in the end.If you watch any of these programmes now, you would maybe wonder why I loved them so much. My answer at the time would have been because I loved the special effects, most of which involved either a puppet on non-invisible wires or a person in an alien or robot outfit; and I loved the idea that the future of mankind would be so amazingly different from what life was like for me at the time.But what was life like at the time?I have looked back at some of the projections that Tomorrows World was making in 1985 about life in 2025, to see how much more accurate this properly scientific As I have already said, there was no such thing as theprogramme was compared to my favourite fantasy sci-fi programmes.internet, as difficult as that may be to envisage in todays Tomorrows World in 1985 envisioned a future where flying cars would be world, but so many other things werea common mode of transport, allowing people to bypass traffic and travel different too. Such as: quickly between destinations. While we have seen advances in drone Telephones at home were attached to thetechnology, and some prototypes of flying cars, they are not the worlds corner of the lounge by a wire. most common form of transport!Telephones outside were in a big red boxAnother prediction was that robots would perform household chores that usually smelt worse than the schooland complex tasks. While robots are used in manufacturing and some toilets, probably because more peopledomestic settings, the humanoid robots imagined are still largely in had urinated on the floor in them than indevelopment. AI, however, has advanced significantly recently, with school toilets. virtual assistants and smart devices becoming integral to our daily lives.TVs were not lightweightThe show predicted that humans would have established colonies flat screens that youon Mars and possibly other planets. Whilst space exploration has could attach to a wall progressed, with missions planned for Mars and the Moon, and the they were huge boxesInternational Space Station orbiting our planet, we are nowhere near that weighed as muchto reaching this milestone. as my whole family. TheT omorrows World predicted that surgeons would use holograms TV had three, then four channels; programmes stopped atto perform remote operations with high precision. While traditional midnight; and changing the channel required a short walkholographic surgeries are not yet commonplace, augmented reality (AR) across the living room. Sadly, I never knew the name of thesystems now assist surgeons by overlaying digital images on to real-world most famous young person on TV or her companion on theviews, enhancing precision and efficiency.test card, and to this day I still do not know who she was. The show foresaw significant advances in genetic engineering, potentially But maybe someone can tell me now. curing genetic disorders, and enhancing human capabilities. We have seen What about music? Well, that was easy.progress in this field, with CRISPR technology allowing for precise genetic As you strode out of the house in a pairmodifications, though the ethical and practical challenges remain ever present.of Reebok Pump basketball boots, you The TV show predicted that the internet would become a supernet would simply clip your Walkman to yourcontrolled by banking barons, leading to cyber riots and digital terrorism. belt and slap in your homemade mixtape,While the internet has indeed become a central part of our lives, it remains painstakingly recorded from Sundays Toplargely free, though cybersecurity threats have become a significant 40 on Radio 1.concern.Some things were the same, in that at Tomorrows World envisioned people using implanted microchips to pay for school if you did not have a Casio calculator,shopping and perform other daily tasks. While this technology exists in some then you had clearly taken a wrong turnforms, such as contactless payment systems and biometric identification, somewhere in life. It was a life-changing momentwidespread use of implanted microchips is not yet a reality.for me when my dad gave me his Casio fx-19While many of Tomorrows Worlds predictions for 2025 were calculator. As you all know, no one messes withambitious and imaginative, some have come closer to reality you if you are packing a Casio fx. than others. The advances in technology, medicine, and space Maybe you can better understand and explainexploration have been remarkable, though not always in the to me why I loved the fantasy future of theways predicted. The future continues to surprise us, often in sci-fi programmes I so loved. In my heart, Iways we could not have imagined.did not really believe that I would be travellingWhat are your predictions for what life will be like in 2050? Do you the galaxy in 1999 in a spaceship that lookedthink you may be living in a bubble at the bottom of an ocean, or like it was made of Meccano. There wason the moon or another planet? Will your best friend be a human one programme, however, that gave you theor an AI robot? Will you try to explain to your children what social truth about what future technology would bemedia like Instagram and WhatsApp were? The only thing I can like, and that was Tomorrows World. Thispredict with confidence about 2025 is that you should always programme was serious, with scientists dealingpack a Casio fx.with hard facts based on proper researchthis programme was for grown-ups! Mr Kafai, Deputy Headteacher5'