List of hypothetical technologies

Short description: Technology that could exist in the future

Hypothetical technologies are technologies that do not exist yet, but that could exist in the future.[1] They are distinct from emerging technologies, which have achieved some developmental success. Emerging technologies as of 2018 include 3-D metal printing and artificial embryos.[2][needs update] Many hypothetical technologies have been the subject of science fiction.

The criteria for this list are that the technology:

1. Must not exist yet
2. Is credibly proposed to exist in the future (e.g. no perpetual motion machines)
3. If the technology does not have an existing article (i.e. it is "redlinked"), a reference must be provided for it

## Contents

* 1 Biology
* 2 Engineering and manufacturing
* 2.1 Computing and robotics
* 2.2 Megastructures
* 2.3 Nanotechnology
* 2.4 Transport
* 3 Minds and psychology
* 4 Physics
* 4.1 Nuclear energy and weaponry
* 4.2 Space
* 5 See also
* 6 References

## Biology

* Acne vaccine[3]
* Anti-evolutionary drug[4]
* Antiprion drug
* Artificial gametes[5]
* Artificial gill
* Artificial "super" mitochondria[6]
* Caries vaccine
* De-extinction
* Dyson tree
* Ethnic bioweapon
* Female sperm
* Flying syringe
* Hair cloning
* HIV vaccine
* Humanzee
* Life extension
* Liquid breathing
* Male egg
* Nanochondrion
* Prime editing
* Respirocyte
* Synthetic epigenetics[7]
* Universal flu vaccine
* Universal snakebite antidote[8]

## Engineering and manufacturing

* Chitin-cellulose composite[9]
* Diamond trees
* Exoskeletal engine
* Mezoelectronics[10]
* Microfactory
* Piezer[11]
* Tectonic weapon
* Vertical zoo[12]
* Wearable generator

### Computing and robotics

* Dentifrobot[13]
* Hypercomputer
* Plant-based digital data storage
* Quantum memory
* Quantum money
* Robotoid
* Roll-away computer
* S-money[14]
* Virtual cell[15]
* Universal memory

### Megastructures

* Cloud Nine (tensegrity sphere)
* Globus Cassus
* Seascraper
* Shellworld
* Vertical city[16]

### Nanotechnology

* Bush robot
* Claytronics
* Grey goo
* Mechanosynthesis
* Molecular assembler
* Nanocomputer
* Nanomatrix skyscraper[17]
* Programmable matter
* Santa Claus machine
* Utility fog
* Wet nanotechnology
* Zettascale computing[18]

### Transport

* Bering Strait crossing
* ET3 Global Alliance
* Flying submarine
* Gravity train
* Gravity-vacuum transit
* Transatlantic tunnel
* Vacuum airship
* Water-fueled car

## Minds and psychology

* Artificial general intelligence
* Brainwashing
* Cortical modem
* Digital immortality
* Endoneurobot[19]
* Eradication of suffering
* Gliabot[19]
* Global brain
* Infomorph
* Intelligence amplification
* Isolated brain
* Matrioshka brain
* Memory editing[20]
* Mind uploading
* Moral enhancement
* Simulated reality
* Superintelligence
* Synaptobot[19]
* Technological singularity
* Thought recording and reproduction device
* Universal translator

## Physics

* Anti-gravity
* Antimatter weapon
* Non-rotational artificial gravity
* Brownian ratchet
* Cloaking device
* Computronium
* Electrogravitics
* Faster-than-light communication
* Femtotechnology
* Gravitational shielding
* Gamma-ray laser
* Monopolium[21]
* Muon collider
* Neutronium
* Phased-array optics
* Picotechnology
* Plasmonster[22]
* Room-temperature superconductor
* Space-time cloak[23]
* Sphalerizer[24]
* Tachyonic antitelephone
* Teleforce
* Teleporter
* Time machine
* Tipler cylinder
* Tractor beam
* Wet workshop

### Nuclear energy and weaponry

* Cold fusion
* Fission fragment reactor
* Fusion torch
* Gas-cooled fast reactor
* Gas core reactor
* High-temperature superconducting stellarator[25]
* Inertial fusion power plant
* Magnetic fusion power plant
* Microfission bomb[26]
* Muon-catalyzed fusion reactor[27]
* Nuclear bullet[28]
* Nuclear clock
* Nuclear fusion–fission hybrid reactor
* Nuclear fusion bomb power plant
* Nuclear isomer bomb/Pure gamma-ray bomb[29]
* Nuclear pulse-powered X-ray laser
* Nuclear-powered car
* Nuclear-powered cruise missile
* Nuclear-powered aircraft
* Nuclear-powered locomotive[30]
* Nuclear-powered tank
* Nuclear shaped charge
* Pure fusion weapon
* Reduced moderation water reactor
* Subcritical fission bomb[26]
* Supercritical water reactor
* Supercritical carbon dioxide reactor[31]
* Transplutonic fission bomb[26]
* Traveling wave reactor
* Very-high-temperature reactor

### Space

* Alderson disk
* Alcubierre drive
* Antimatter rocket
* Artificial universe[32]
* Asteroid laser ablation
* Beam powered propulsion
* Bernal sphere
* Bias drive[33]
* Bishop ring
* Black hole starship
* Bracewell probe
* Bussard ramjet
* Dean drive
* Dipole drive[34]
* Dyson sphere
* Dyson–Harrop satellite
* Enzmann starship
* Field propulsion
* Fission sail
* Ford-Svaiter mirror[35]
* Fusion rocket
* Gas core reactor rocket
* Gravity tractor
* Halo drive[36]
* Information panspermia
* Isotropic beacon
* Krasnikov tube
* Laser broom
* Laser propulsion
* Launch loop
* Lightcraft
* Liquid core nuclear propulsion
* Lunarcrete
* Lunar space elevator
* MagBeam
* Magnetic sail
* McKendree cylinder
* Momentum exchange tether
* Muon-catalyzed fusion propulsion[37]
* Nano electrokinetic thruster
* Nanoship[38]
* Non-rocket spacelaunch
* Nuclear electric rocket
* Nuclear lightbulb
* Nuclear photonic rocket
* Nuclear pulse propulsion
* Nuclear salt-water rocket
* Nuclear thermal rocket
* Pulsed nuclear thermal rocket
* Radioisotope rocket
* O'Neill cylinder
* Orbital ring
* Ouroboros habitat[39]
* Photon rocket
* Photonic railway[40]
* Pitch drive[33]
* Plasma bubble[41]
* Quantum telescope
* Quantum vacuum thruster
* Quasite[42]
* Ringworld
* Reactionless drive
* RF resonant cavity thruster
* Rocket sled launch
* Rotating wheel space station
* Self-replicating spacecraft
* Skyhook
* Solar thermal rocket
* Space coach[43]
* Space dock
* Space elevator
* Space fountain
* Space gun
* Space mirror
* Space tether
* Space tug
* Spomified asteroid
* Stanford torus
* Starlifting
* Starseed launcher
* StarTram
* Statite
* Stellar engine
* Sun scoop
* Terraforming
* Terrascope[44]
* Thermonuclear micro-bomb engine[45]
* Topopolis

## See also

* List of emerging technologies
* List of existing technologies predicted in science fiction
* List of fictional aircraft
* List of fictional artificial intelligences
* List of fictional cars
* List of fictional cyborgs
* List of fictional doomsday devices
* List of fictional galactic communities
* List of fictional robots and androids
* List of fictional gynoids
* List of fictional space stations
* List of fictional spacecraft
* List of fictional vehicles

## References

1. ↑ Andersen, David; Dawes, Sharon (1991). Government Information Management: A Primer and Casebook. Prentice Hall. p. 125.
2. ↑ "You'll want to keep an eye on these 10 breakthrough technologies this year" (in en). MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/lists/technologies/2018/.
3. ↑ Unknown (August 29, 2018). "On the horizon: An acne vaccine" (in en). sciencedaily.com. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180829115522.htm.
4. ↑ unknown (November 19, 2018). ""Anti-Evolution Drugs" Could Offer New Strategy against Antimicrobial Resistance Crisis" (in en). genengnews.com. https://www.genengnews.com/news/anti-evolution-drugs-could-offer-new-strategy-against-antimicrobial-resistance-crisis/.
5. ↑ AJ Newson (January 1, 2005). "Artificial gametes: new paths to parenthood?" (in en). jme.bmj.com. https://jme.bmj.com/content/31/3/184.
6. ↑ Andrés Caicedo (July 2, 2017). "Artificial Mitochondria Transfer: Current Challenges, Advances, and Future Applications" (in en). hindawi.com. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/sci/2017/7610414/.
7. ↑ Tomasz P Jurkowski (March 4, 2015). "Synthetic epigenetics—towards intelligent control of epigenetic states and cell identity" (in en). Clinical Epigenetics 7 (1). doi:10.1186/s13148-015-0044-x. PMID 25741388.
8. ↑ Unknown (May 28, 2014). "Universal antidote for snakebite: Experimental trial represents promising step toward" (in en). sciencedaily.com. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140528105256.htm.
9. ↑ Natalie Parletta (July 26, 2018). "Can crab shells and trees replace plastics?" (in en). cosmosmagazine. https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/can-crab-shells-and-trees-replace-plastics.
10. ↑ Ryszard Romaniuk (June 1, 2010). "Electronics and telecommunications in Poland, issues and perspectives Part II: Science, Research, Development, Higher Education" (in en). researchgate.net. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234054011.
11. ↑ Bill Christensen (August 19, 2005). "Homeland Security Orders Modern Version of Jules Verne's Leyden Ball" (in en). livescience.com. https://www.livescience.com/395-homeland-security-orders-modern-version-jules-verne-leyden-ball.html.
12. ↑ BuBa Arquitectos (February 15, 2015). "The Vertical Zoo: A wild greenery-wrapped tower that provides refuge for animalia" (in en). inhabitat.com. https://inhabitat.com/the-vertical-zoo-a-wild-greenery-wrapped-tower-that-provides-refuge-for-animalia/.
13. ↑ Neetha J. Shetty (January 17, 2013). "Nanorobots: Future in dentistry" (in en). ncbi.nlm.nih.go 25 (2): pp. 49–52. doi:10.1016/j.sdentj.2012.12.002. PMID 23960556.
14. ↑ Cambridge University (May 7, 2019). "S-money: Ultra-secure form of virtual money proposed" (in en). phys.org. https://phys.org/news/2019-05-s-money-ultra-secure-virtual-money.html.
15. ↑ "Why AI Companies Are Racing to Build a Virtual Human Cell" (in en). Time Magazine. October 14, 2025. https://time.com/7324119/what-is-virtual-cell/.
16. ↑ Kayla Matthews (December 2, 2018). "Vertical Cities: Can Mega-Skyscrapers Solve Urban Population Overload?" (in en). planetizen.com. https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/101788-vertical-cities-can-mega-skyscrapers-solve-urban-population-overload.
17. ↑ Shahar Polachek (September 22, 2017). "Nanomatrix Skyscraper" (in en). evolo.us. http://www.evolo.us/nanomatrix-skyscraper/.
18. ↑ Tiffany Trader (December 6, 2018). "Zettascale by 2035? China Thinks So" (in en). hpcwire.com. https://www.hpcwire.com/2018/12/06/zettascale-by-2035/.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Frontiers in Neurosci (March 29, 2019). "Human Brain/Cloud Interface" (in en). ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 13. doi:10.3389/fnins.2019.00112. PMID 30983948.
20. ↑ Rachel Riederer (February 20, 2017). "Memory Editing Technology Will Give Us Perfect Recall and Let Us Alter Memories at Will" (in en). vice.com. https://www.vice.com/en/article/memory-editing-technology-will-give-us-perfect-recall-and-let-us-alter-memories-at-will-v24n1/.
21. ↑ L.N. Epele (June 3, 2008). "Monopolium: the key to monopoles" (in en). The European Physical Journal C 56 (1): 87–95. doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-008-0628-0. Bibcode: 2008EPJC...56...87E.
22. ↑ Kristin Lewotsky (July 1, 2007). "The Promise of Plasmonics" (in en). spie.org. http://www.spie.org/news/spie-professional-magazine/2007-july/the-promise-of-plasmonics?SSO=1.
23. ↑ Clay Dillow (November 16, 2010). "Metamaterial 'Space-Time Cloak' Conceals Not Just Objects, But Entire Events" (in en). Popsci.com. https://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-11/metamaterial-space-time-cloak-doesnt-just-conceal-objects-entire-events/.
24. ↑ Max Tegmark (August 29, 2017). "Superintelligence: a space odyssey" (in en). Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/31176c28-8bea-11e7-9084-d0c17942ba93. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
25. ↑ Xu, Guosheng; Lu, Zhiyuan; Chen, Dehong; Wan, Baonian (2024). "A promising approach to steady-state fusion: High-temperature superconducting strong-field stellarator with precise omnigenity". The Innovation (Elsevier BV) 5 (1). doi:10.1016/j.xinn.2023.100537. ISSN 2666-6758. PMID 38089564. Bibcode: 2024Innov...500537X.
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Gsponer, A.; Hurni, J. (2010). "The physical principles of thermonuclear explosives, inertial confinement fusion, and the quest for fourth generation nuclear weapons". https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-physical-principles-of-thermonuclear-explosives-Gsponer-Hurni/ea9afae0b773dc0696260c72cc74137d3547011f.
27. ↑ Tajima, T.; Eliezer, S.; Kulsrud, R. M. (1988). "AIP Conference Proceedings". 181. AIP. pp. 423–434. doi:10.1063/1.37884.
28. ↑ Andre Gsponer (February 2, 2008). "Fourth Generation Nuclear Weapons: Military effectiveness and collateral effects". arXiv:physics/0510071.
29. ↑ David Adam (August 14, 2003). "US military pioneers death ray bomb" (in en). The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/aug/14/usa.davidadam.
30. ↑ Waite, Thornton (1996). "Dr. Borst's X-12: The Atomic Locomotive". Railroad History (Railway & Locomotive Historical Society (R&LHS)) (175): 37–55. ISSN 0090-7847.
31. ↑ Wu, Pan; Ma, Yunduo; Gao, Chuntian; Liu, Weihua; Shan, Jianqiang; Huang, Yanping; Wang, Junfeng; Zhang, Dan et al. (2020). "A review of research and development of supercritical carbon dioxide Brayton cycle technology in nuclear engineering applications". Nuclear Engineering and Design (Elsevier BV) 368. doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2020.110767. ISSN 0029-5493. Bibcode: 2020NuEnD.36810767W.
32. ↑ Zeeya Merali (June 19, 2017). "Creating a Universe in the Lab? The Idea Is No Joke" (in en). blogs.discovermagazine.com. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2017/06/19/build-a-universe-in-the-lab/.
33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Marc G. Millis (July 16, 1996). "The Challenge To Create The Space Drive" (in en). ntrs.nasa.gov. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19990023236.pdf.
34. ↑ Robert Zubrin (May 18, 2019). "Robert Zubrin has new propellantless space propulsion concept – Dipole Drive" (in en). nextbigfuture.com. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/05/robert-zubrin-has-new-propellentless-space-propulsion-concept-dipole-drive.html.
35. ↑ Jillian Scharr (June 26, 2013). "Why Warp Drives Aren't Just Science Fiction" (in en). Space.com. https://www.space.com/21721-warp-drives-wormholes-ftl.html.
36. ↑ David Kipping (March 11, 2019). "The Halo Drive: fuel-free relativistic propulsion of large masses via recycled boomerang photons". arXiv:1903.03423 [gr-qc].
37. ↑ PRIMEAU, G. (1991-06-24). "27th Joint Propulsion Conference". Reston, Virginia: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. doi:10.2514/6.1991-2535.
38. ↑ Michio Kaku (March 15, 2011). "Physics of the Future" (in en). Doubleday.
39. ↑ Dattatreya Mandal (October 19, 2015). "MIT's conceptualized Mars habitat makes use of 'native' silica on the alien planet" (in en). hexapolis.com. https://www.hexapolis.com/2015/10/19/mits-conceptualized-mars-habitat-makes-use-of-native-silica-on-the-alien-planet/.
40. ↑ Young Bae (January 1, 2015). "The photonic railway" (in en). researchgate.net. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/298090729.
41. ↑ "Plasma bubble could protect astronauts on Mars trip" (in en). newscientist.com. July 17, 2006. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn9567-plasma-bubble-could-protect-astronauts-on-mars-trip/.
42. ↑ David Kipping (July 10, 2019). "Transiting Quasites as a Possible Technosignature" (in en). iopscience.iop.org 3 (7): p. 91. doi:10.3847/2515-5172/ab2fdb.
43. ↑ Mike Wall (March 25, 2011). "Water-Powered Spaceship Could Make Mars Trip on the Cheap" (in en). Space.com. https://www.space.com/11230-water-powered-spaceship-mars-solar-system.html.
44. ↑ David Kipping (August 1, 2019). "The "Terrascope": On the Possibility of Using the Earth as an Atmospheric Lens". Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 131 (1005): 114503. doi:10.1088/1538-3873/ab33c0. Bibcode: 2019PASP..131k4503K.
45. ↑ Brian Wang (March 19, 2013). "Thermonuclear Micro-Bomb Propulsion for Fast Interplanetary Missions by Friedwardt Winterberg" (in en). nextbigfuture.com. https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2013/03/thermonuclear-micro-bomb-propulsion-for.html.

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