Futures of the Scientific Imagination | NSF

Some of the greatest ideas in science and engineering started out as sketches on paper napkins and notebook margins. Some call these sketches science fiction. At the National Science Foundation (NSF), we see them as possible futures.

Fantastical thinking, grounded in real, NSF-funded science and engineering research, helps shape tomorrow’s technologies. Imagination, science and technology together will inevitably change our lives.

Sharing a family meal across continents, surpassing the limits of our bodies, growing communities within tree-like buildings–these are all imaginary scenarios rooted in today’s fundamental research. In three, four or five decades, we may make them real. Future technologies are bound only by our imaginations.

Find your inner mini medic

Deploy a mini medic inside your body, able to adapt and treat a variety of ailments. Researchers have already created micro-organisms that can clean water or generate energy, but in the future, these will lead to tiny “factories” that can not only scrub your vital systems clean of pathogens, but also engineer bacteria in your gut that can boost the immune system or deliver relief from diabetes. Able to sense the body’s needs, these little factories will be the ultimate health monitors. And all you’ll have to do is sprinkle a few onto your morning meal, or pop them with your daily vitamin. Download PDF.

Grow up along with your living buildings

Population growth demands new infrastructure models for communities, so cities will grow upward instead of outward. Future “living” buildings made of biomimetic, organic material will grow on engineered scaffolding. Safer, cheaper and offering better protection from the elements, these materials will be designed for human comfort and economic needs. Advances in basic materials science and engineering will lead to structures that manage heat by catching rays on cold days or shedding solar energy on hot ones. Built-in air and water purification and recycling capabilities will ensure these stay sustainable for life. Download PDF.

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Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations presented in this material are only those of the presenter grantee/researcher, author, or agency employee; and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

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