Toys of the Future? Uh Oh!

What will toys be like in the year 2029; maybe a little scary? At least that’s my take away from a July 25, 2009 New York Times front page article entitled: "Ay Robot! Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man."

The article is actually not about toys of the future. It is about the growing concern among scientists that robots actually could become intelligent to the point that they may be able to do whatever they want without direction from a human being. 

As I read the article, however, I could not help thinking of "Moore’s Echo" which states that what is cutting edge technology today will be a toy in twenty years. Versions of these scary concepts could become toys in two decades.

The article names a number of technologies currently in use or ready for use. Here are a few that were mentioned: 

Self driving cars

Predator drones

In home service robots

Any of these technologies, at least according to Moore’s Echo, could be toys in 20 years. So, bottom line, someday you may have to worry about your child or grandchild firing on your neighbor’s self driving car with his toy predator drone while he takes advice from his toy in home service robot. Bratz seemed pretty tame compared to that vision of the future.