In an interview with the Standard, the author and leading physicist said imminent scientific breakthroughs will also lead to faster and more efficient transport. Professor Hawking predicted there will be huge developments in the area of “high temperature superconductivity” in the next 10 years.
Super conductors allow the efficient transport of energy, so electricity will travel through power lines with minimal wastage, leading to cheaper energy bills. When super conductors are combined with magnetic fields, there could be further benefits to the way we live.
Because superconductors lose little energy, they can be used to create huge magnets which could, for example, make Maglev-style trains — which float above, rather than run on, rails — more efficient and able to go faster using less energy.
The 72-year-old, named by the Evening Standard last week as one of London’s most influential people, also predicted developments in the area of nuclear fusion — replicating what happens in the sun.
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