Perhaps this one is being done already, but a efficient way to make flying robots is to make it fly like a bee. Take two 'fan blades' and make them row, like a row boat.
Angle: /
Direction: ->
then
Angle: \
Direction: <-
Restaurant:
I'm sure you have seen those water fountains that have a pipe going up the center, then have the water flowing out to make a mostly fully enclosed bubble. Super size this, put the pipe up over the bubble (so it is outside the bubble), and make a restaurant inside. Even better, make the inside floor glass (floating!) and put an aquarium underneath. Then to get in or out, you can have an elevator (made of glass) to move in and out, or you can have an oversized breathing glass like divers used to use many years before, to hold a bubble above the riders, as they go under the water and under the bubble.
One benefit of the bubble, is the air inside the restaurant is always filtered and cooled. Also, noise from outside will be muted/dampened. Similarly, rain from outside will be caught in the bubble.
Auto drive cars:
RFID embedded in the signs and in the center of the lanes would allow cars to drive themselves. If you also add RFID/radio to the cars for one type proximity sensor (as well as cameras and radar), your vehicle could tell when a vehicle is going slower than yours and respond accordingly. Also, when the road forks, the RFID chips in the road can inform of this and how far the vehicle needs to turn, so the GPS can decide which route to take. Furthermore, traffic conditions that are broadcast can be received and the GPS can plan the re-route.
One of the problems obviously is security. If people hack the signs or lanes, that would cause issues. Another issue is cost. While RFID chips can be had for pennies, when you consider that (in the USA alone) there are over a million miles, then the pennies add up, especially when you factor in the embedding costs and the re-embedding/re-programming costs for construction. Yes it could be rolled out over the next decade, but until all the roads have it consistently, it will be just a neat idea, not a practical one.
Stove/Microwave/etc clocks auto set:
Honestly, with Atomic clocks and wireless internet so prevalent, why do I still have to set my stove and microwave clock whenever the power goes out? And why do I have to set it back/forward for Daylight savings? Radio and/or wireless chips for determining the time and setting it are only a few dollars, and for items like that, it isn't much to add, especially for the feature of "Never set your time again".
I will post more ideas as I get them.
