Designer and entrepreneur David Rose says smart phones are a dead end. What comes after could be technology that feeds our deep desire for magic.
In particular, Rose says there are six magical human desires that show up over and over again – in legends, myths, fairy tales, and science fiction. Here’s how he thinks technology could address those:
1. Omniscience: Today's internet-connected mobile devices put the world's collective knowledge at our fingertips. Google Glass might put it right in front of our faces. But Rose says both of those options put us in a filter bubble, where our view of the world is different from everyone else around us. He would rather see all that knowledge embedded in objects where everyone could see it.
2.Telepathy: A second timeless desire is the wish to connect effortlessly with others. The most interesting work in communication is not in wearables, but fixtures. Harry Potter's friends, the Weasleys, had a FourSquare-like grandfather clock to track the status of their large family. And Rose has a "portal" in his home bookcase that enables his children to video call their grandparents without a computer and Skype. Is that telepathy or teleportation?
3. Safekeeping: Post-vietnam there was a particular interest in exploration without desecration. To “boldly go where no man has gone before,” without annihilating the natives. The fantasy then was to set phasers on stun.
4. Immortality: It's not the Fountain of Youth, but Rose says people might live a lot longer if they actually took their medicine as prescribed. That's why he's invented a cap for pill bottles that notifies you when it's time to take your medicine or refill your prescription.
5. Teleportation: "Beam me up!" Imagine eliminating commutes and 12-hour trans-oceanic flights. Rose says true teleportation isn't on the horizon, but simply knowing the wait-time for public transportation would decrease stress and dramatically increase ridership.
6. Self Expression: Love Guitar Hero? Enchanted instruments like Guitar Hero and Rock Band, also invented at MIT, invert the learning curve. You can start performing at near-mastery and work your way up to learning a real guitar. What a delightful way to enjoy music and learn to play.