During the workshops, the individuals were asked to believe about this innovation from the point of view of IFGs, to think of how this technology may be embraced in the future, and to assess its future potentiality.Processes of manufacturing using hydrothermal technology. Credit: Hara K, Miura I, Suzuki M, Tanaka T, Assessing Future Potentiality of Technologies from the Perspective of “Imaginary Future Generations”– a Case Study of Hydrothermal Technology, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 202, 123289, 2024 Imagining a Sustainable Future”The future the individuals thought of was quite various from the future as seen from the viewpoint of the current generation,” describes Toshihiro Tanaka, senior author. Credit: Hara K, Miura I, Suzuki M, Tanaka T, Assessing Future Potentiality of Technologies from the Perspective of “Imaginary Future Generations”– a Case Study of Hydrothermal Technology, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 202, 123289, 2024 The participants were surveyed between workshops and asked to rank indications related to the future potentiality of the innovation.”We saw that when the “imaginary future generations” method, which has actually been shown to be efficient in helping with long-term thinking, was embraced, individuals perceived the expediency of this innovation in a different way, and their adoption circumstances changed accordingly,” states Hara.The research study suggests that the simple act of putting ourselves in the position of future generations may offer new point of views on issues of sustainability and technology, helping us to rethink our top priorities and set new directions for research study and development.Reference: “Assessing future potentiality of technologies from the point of view of “fictional future generations”– A case study of hydrothermal innovation” by Keishiro Hara, Iori Miura, Masanori Suzuki and Toshihiro Tanaka, 29 February 2024, Technological Forecasting and Social Change.DOI: 10.1016/ j.techfore.2024.123289 The study was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
Credit: Hara K, Miura I, Suzuki M, Tanaka T, Assessing Future Potentiality of Technologies from the Perspective of “Imaginary Future Generations”– a Case Study of Hydrothermal Technology, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 202, 123289, 2024 Imagining a Sustainable Future”The future the individuals envisioned was quite various from the future as seen from the viewpoint of the present generation,” explains Toshihiro Tanaka, senior author. Credit: Hara K, Miura I, Suzuki M, Tanaka T, Assessing Future Potentiality of Technologies from the Perspective of “Imaginary Future Generations”– a Case Study of Hydrothermal Technology, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 202, 123289, 2024 The participants were surveyed between workshops and asked to rank signs related to the future potentiality of the technology.”We discovered that when the “fictional future generations” method, which has actually been proven to be efficient in assisting in long-term thinking, was adopted, participants perceived the expediency of this innovation differently, and their adoption situations changed accordingly,” states Hara.The research study recommends that the simple act of putting ourselves in the position of future generations might offer new viewpoints on problems of sustainability and technology, assisting us to reassess our concerns and set new directions for research and development.Reference: “Assessing future potentiality of technologies from the viewpoint of “imaginary future generations”– A case study of hydrothermal innovation” by Keishiro Hara, Iori Miura, Masanori Suzuki and Toshihiro Tanaka, 29 February 2024, Technological Forecasting and Social Change.DOI: 10.1016/ j.techfore.2024.123289 The research study was moneyed by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
