BT: 18% of us want powered exoskeletons by 2012

Will we all be Ironman in 2012? (picture Paramount Pictures, Marvel Studios)
Will we all be Ironman in 2012? (picture Paramount Pictures, Marvel Studios)

A study by BT has shown that 18% of people would like always on cloud computing by 2012, the same number as would like to be using a powered exoskeleton.

BT's survey – in which consumers were polled on many similar questions as a 1998 questionnaire – throws up a number of strange and bizarre results, along with some more predictable answers.

Interestingly more of us are keen on communicating face to face than we were ten years ago – perhaps a backlash to our current always on electronic communications.

In fact 68% of people preferred face to face communication compared to 1998's 51% - 1% (the idiot fence sitters) didn't know what kind of communication they preferred.

What do we want by 2012

But it is the look at what people want by 2012 that is perhaps the most fascinating survey, with 16% wanting one (presumably convergent) communications device, 13% keen to track their kids' location at any time and 21% wanting less chargers.

When asked what they aspire to do in 2012 (in tech terms) we find that 28% would like to drive H2O powered cars or motorbikes, 18% want powered exoskeletons and on-demand access to personal media on any device and 17% would like a robotic housekeeper. 13% would like to be able to 'do WiMAX'…right.

Which, if any, of the following would you like to be able to do in 2012

28% H20-powered cars/motorbikes

18% On-demand access to personal media on any device

18% Powered exoskeletons

17% Robotic assistant/housekeeper

13% WiMAX

13% Unlimited storage cameras i.e. online storage

11% Gesture/thought controlled appliances

10% Photo-realistic satellite navigation devices

8% Holographic interactive displays

5% Folding displays for e.g. electronic newspapers

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.

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