A man receiving a haircut from a robotic barber lies relaxed in a chair, firefighters using remarkably agile wingsuits descend on a blaze, a maid directs a multi-armed cleaning robot that’s busily sweeping the floor.
These might sound like the fever dreams of a Silicon Valley billionaire, but the origins lie much further back in time. In 1899, French illustrator Jean-Marc Côté depicted how 100 years of scientific advances might shape the future. The result of this incredible future-gazing? A series of beautifully illustrated cards entitled ‘En L’An 2000’ or ‘In the Year 2000.’
From underwater seahorse racing to a mechanical tailor that spits out custom made suits, it’s fair to say that some predictions rang a little truer than others.
In the present day, 3D body-scanning technology can take thousands of precise measurements in seconds to ensure an exceptional fit on your next pair of jeans, so whilst foreseeing the future is understandably hard, here Côté wasn’t too far off the mark.
For decades, writers and scientists have tried to come up with ways to measure the rapid pace of tech acceleration. The most lauded of these benchmarks is Moore’s Law, which acknowledges that the number of transistors in a computer chip will likely double every two years. Others have predicted a tech ‘singularity’ where an AI could rapidly improve itself and leave humanity behind, but it’s not all scary news.
Côté’s cards envisioning the far-flung future were originally found in cigarette packets, which is rather apt considering the tobacco industry finds itself at the forefront of embracing futuristic-feeling technology.
It goes without saying, but the best choice anyone who smokes can make is to quit tobacco and nicotine entirely. However, those adults who choose not to may want to explore the science and innovation behind smoke-free alternatives in more detail. Products like e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and nicotine pouches, whilst still addictive and not risk-free, are a better alternative for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke.
The fundamental difference between smoke-free products and their traditional counterparts is the delivery of nicotine without combustion or burning. You may not be aware, but smoke contains over 6,000 chemicals, around 100 of which have been classified by health agencies as causing smoking related illnesses. The high levels of harmful chemicals found in cigarette smoke are the primary cause of smoking-related diseases. When you remove the combustion process and subsequent smoke, the levels of harmful chemicals can be significantly reduced compared to cigarettes.
The most exciting thing about smoke-free technology is how quickly the category is evolving. Just as you’d expect to see a new range of mobile phones each year, advances in science allow for the continued evolution of ground-breaking smoke-free alternatives.
No one knows what the future will bring, tomorrow or a hundred years from now, but there’s hope that these new innovations will point us in the direction of a completely smoke-free future. Who knows, perhaps in the not-too-distant future, we’ll look back on cigarette smoking in the same way we look at the penny-farthing. As a strange anachronism we gladly left behind.
This article is brought to you by Philip Morris Misr.