The Fourth of July is all about fireworks, barbecuing and block parties, but it didn’t begin this way. As a country we have advanced from rodeos, to parades with floats, to hot dog eating contests and everything in between. With the hundreds of technological advances happening every year, who knows what the future of 4th of July holds?
We’ve got some bold, yet (maybe) realistic predictions.
AWKulus Rift
We’ve all sat down in a field gazing at the stars and fireworks on the Fourth of July. It’s #classic. Imagine a field of people wearing virtual reality, Oculus Rift-like devices watching their own display of fireworks. Fireworks are often cancelled or postponed due to inclement weather. With a virtual firework display, you can watch fireworks in any weather, at any time of day, anywhere. You could be in someone’s yard in Georgia watching virtual fireworks that replicate an extravagant Japanese display. Sounds a little ridiculous and awkward but hey, that’s the future for you.
Drones. Are. In.
Everybody is raving about drones. Kevin Gambold and our friends at Unmanned Experts have already explained how drones can save lives in areas impacted by natural disasters.
Could we one day see drones being used as a device to get closer to the action of a firework display? Sounds kinda ballsy to be flying near huge, flammable explosives. As long as you keep your drone a good distance from the action, you should catch a great bird’s eye view of any fireworks display on Independence Day.
SuperSphero
“What about Sphero?!” is a question we may be asking a lot more in the future. This little ball/robot is already leaving an indent in the world of robotic toys. It’s basically the coolest little ball out there and it was created right in Boulder. Will we one day see the Sphero control a fireworks display with the flick of a wrist? Or will a Sphero light show out-do fireworks sometime in the future?
What about Sphero, indeed.
But First, Let Me Take a Selfie
Let’s go out on a limb here: What if fireworks could take selfies? Maybe not of their own explosion, but of the ground below or other fireworks as they blow up. How about a special GoPro case that can survive high heat, rapid speeds and an exploding firework? After the BOOM, followed by “Oohs” and “Ahs” from the audience below, the GoPro would travel safely back to earth with a parachute like a model rocket. Crazy, yet innovative.
Recycle, Recycle, Recycle
In a world where it costs about a grand for a cell phone, we’re always looking to save money. What if the future holds reusable fireworks? If not reusable, then reloadable fireworks, where you save money by refilling these explosives instead of buying new ones every year. I’m imagining multi-use fireworks where you can track their landing sites using an app. There’s (soon to be?) an app for that.
Beam Me Up
Are you a parade person? Do you wish you could attend the biggest Fourth of July parades across the country, getting a glimpse at a variety of red, white and blue floats and costumes and feel like a true corn-fed, red-blooded American? According to Hollywood, teleporting has a place in the future. Imagine teleporting from the East Coast to the West in time to catch different parades and firework displays this Fourth of July. Well, this weekend might be out of the question, but who is to say about future Independence Days to come?
So much has changed since the early Fourth of July traditions. Can you believe people enjoyed hearing the Declaration of Independence read to them every year? I’m falling asleep just thinking about it. Traditions were broken in the past, so it’s almost guaranteed the future will break today’s traditions, too.
Maybe American traditions aren’t being broken at all, but instead they are advancing the same way technology advances.
