Dubai: From flying cars to flying houses; AI-powered robot-teachers to smart school uniform; to time travel and teleportation machine; to protecting the environment and having renewable energy in every home — there is really no limit to the imagination of a young mind.
Gulf News spoke to some kids in the UAE and asked them to use their imagination to see how the nation will be 50 years from now. They said more Emirati astronauts will be sent to the space and the UAE will successfully have a colony in Mars.
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A lot will be different but some will remain the same, particularly in preserving the Arab heritage and culture as the UAE will become a stronger centre of peace, happiness, and tolerance.
Autonomous vehicles and hyperloop will become the norm for intercity and cross-country travel. There is also an option for flying cars and flying taxis in the UAE.
Towering skyscrapers, reaching at least 1,500 meters or about the length of 15 city blocks, will dot Dubai’s skyline. The kids also see the UAE as a world leader in environmental causes by having the cleanest streets and waterways while in every home, renewables will become the main source of energy.
There could be another virus that could spring up but the UAE and the rest of the world will be much prepared because of high-tech health equipment and advanced medical breakthroughs.
More ideas were shared by the kids. We list a few of them below. And if we pay close attention to their thoughts, we will realise that it’s not just their imagination at play here. They are developing their capacities to help them understand the world and learn to solve the challenges as they create new possibilities for the UAE and the rest of the world.
Salama Faisal Al Zaabi, 8
Salama Faisal Al Zaabi
We will be using technology a lot. There will be a self-driving bus to bring students to school and robots will serve as assistants. School uniform will be a black jacket that will have a USB port and it will also send us messages and remind us about our school schedule, break and when it’s time to go home. There will be no teachers but robots will teach in labs. There will be a magic pen that will write whatever we think about on smart boards. We will be using glasses to transfer us virtually. For example if we are studying about Australia we will see through this glasses that we are in Australia playing with kangaroos.
Mariam Al Nuaimi, 11
The UAE will have flying cars and flying houses. Buildings will go taller and taller. All houses will have a cinema TV. There will be robots instead of teachers in school and the school bell sound will be like music sound.
Haya Bu Ali, 16
The UAE will become a highly advanced nation where technology is everywhere — from being more energy-efficient to flying cans and robots. I also believe the UAE will become even more sustainable as places like Masdar City will expand throughout the entire country. Homes will go from being ordinary homes to being smart homes or even underwater homes. I can imagine driverless cars with robots and machines, holograms being used for long-distance communication, people using jet packs to get from one place to another, more metros being built both underground and above the ground. Futuristic-looking buildings and structures will be everywhere. Plants and trees will be everywhere to help the environment.
Hamdan Sanad Saif Fadhl, 11
The UAE will continue to be the centre of peace, happiness and tolerance. The country will send more astronauts to space and will also be a leader in technology and AI (artificial intelligence). It will also become number one in education, health, security, industry and so on.
Mira Jassim Said Mohammad Al Mamari, 10
There will be a machine that can get you frozen in time and after 10 years you can come out of it. There will also be a teleportation machine to get you to places faster. The UAE will be close friends with a lot more countries. Also, the mission to Mars will succeed. A lot more artists will be noticed and cheered; scientists will discover a lot more exotic and magnificent creatures and even bring some extinct creatures back to life!
Bernardo Zembruski, 10
We can use flying taxis to take us to places and carry us different emirates in less than an hour. Also, the hyperloop will be very popular because it can take us from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in less 10 minutes. There will also be taller skyscrapers, reaching at least 1,500 metres. There will be self-driving cars and self-driving planes too.
Kinda Elhattab, 9
In 50 years, many things will change but some will look the same. Heritage and culture will still be a big part of the UAE. Al Ain will have taller buildings like those in bigger cities like Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Travel will be faster across emirates and transportation will no longer produce any pollution.
Ian Bradford, 10
The UAE will definitely be more modern. A lot of tourism will be offered in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah and other heritage sites. Transportation will be faster. Schools will work together and there will be better collaboration in learning.
MSufiaya , 10
We will have a bright future. The oceans will be sapphire blue and the amount of plastic pollution that would be made is just one per cent of what it used to be. Everyone would be recycling, and solar energy will be powering the world. Almost every car would be electric. There would be many greenhouses with plants and trees and no air pollution.
Adam Hassan, 10
There will be cars hovering in the air and internet is free around the UAE. Old buildings will be replaced by taller and stronger structures.
Alex Mansoor, 9
The UAE will lead the way in creating a paradise for us all, including animals. But to do that, I really hope everyone will think about how to help our planet so we can have a good, clean, future. We need to stop doing all the negative things so we’ll end up with a good future.
Mira Al Mamlouk, 9
There will be more advanced materials used in buildings. There is also going to be more trees for a better life and more oxygen, using renewable sources of energy. I think there will be self-driving cars because the sun has a lot of energy. Fossil fuels will be gone and I think there will be taller buildings because of the number of people living is increasing rapidly.
Roxana, 10
In 50 years, I think the UAE will be the first country in the world to be pollution free. We will be the world leader in environmental causes and have renewable energy in every home. We will have the cleanest streets, cities, air and waterways in the world. The UAE will continue to advance technology and solve world poverty. The UAE will continue to be a great place to live and people from all over the world will live here.
Alyazya Al Nuaimi, 13
I believe that 50 years from now, the UAE will have lots of changes. Sustainability will grow allowing people to protect the environment. Everyone will do recycling and technology will make everything faster and cheaper. Robots will be used for most of the menial things, including cleaning, washing, etc.
Maha Ahmed Aldhaheri, 10
In the future we will have robots as assistants. They can be charged by the sun to reduce the use of electricity. Scientists will find a cure for every virus and we will discover new living creatures that are amazing. For me, I want to learn how to speak Spanish and I also want to learn more about space.
Aisha Mohammad Rashid Alnaqbi, 15
The UAE will be one of the most developed countries. The UAE has already accomplished many projects — launching a rocket into space and succeeding at it, having the tallest building in the world. More projects will be accomplished and live will be more than extraordinary.