The folks at Popular Mechanics have put together a collection of 16 high-tech materials that we could find in future products. Of that group, we have selected some of our more obscure favorites.
Ceramic Cloth: Cloth knit from ceramic fibres can provide protection from extreme temperatures. It is easy to see the benefit for military personnel and firefighters.
Temperature Sensitive Glass: Remember Hypercolor shirts? Picture the same sort of thing happening with the glass tiles in your shower. The water will cause the tiles to morph into all kinds of trippy colours. Finally, burnt out hippies will have a reason to wash up.
Flavour Changing Additives: Imagine food that changes flavours repeatedly over time. These additives contain nanospheres encapsulated in larger microspheres that burst with with new flavours in succession. It could turn everything you eat into a Gobstopper.
Conductive Hook and Loop Velcro: The Velcro pictured here can conduct electricity and complete a circuit when the hook side comes in contact with the loop side. This could result in a soft switch for clothing, backpacks, etc.