The future starts here

Emerging technologies will affect our lives. What choices do we have as citizens to influence their development?

On June 28, 2016, Facebook completed the first successful test flight of Aquila - a solar-powered drone that aims to beam internet technology to remote parts of the world and eventually break the record for the longest unmanned aircraft flight. Big as that milestone was, Facebook envisages a fleet of Aquilas flying together at 60,000 feet, communicating with each via lasers and staying aloft for months at a time - something that's never done before. It's all part of the digital behemoth's mission to connect the world and help more of the four billion people who aren't online to access the myriad opportunities the internet provides.

Indeed, the world of tomorrow is shaped by the designs and technologies emerging today. From smart appliances to satellites, the exhibition The Future Starts Here, at London's Victoria & Albert Museum, brings together more than 100 objects (either newly released or in development) that point the way toward where society might be headed. Although some may seem straight out of the realm of science fiction, they're all real, produced by research labs, universities, designers' studios, governments and corporations.