If the way and manner in which essential products are produced does not seriously change in the coming years, then consumers will be faced with a dilemma of scarcity, huge price increases and potential economic instability throughout the world.

The RoboScooter – is a lightweight, folding, electric motor scooter. It is designed to provide convenient, inexpensive mobility in urban areas while radically reducing the negative effects of extensive vehicle use – road congestion, excessive consumption of space for parking, traffic noise, air pollution, carbon emissions that exacerbate global warming, and energy use.

Gravity powered lamp – essentially, it works similar to an hourglass that captures the energy of a falling mass and uses it to output light equivalent to a 40-watt bulb. Imagine being the first person in the neighborhood to get one of these – it would certainly be a conversation starter at a dinner party.

Designer Clay Moulton acknowledges that the current state of the art isn’t sufficient to actually build the lamp. The news release should have said: “based on future developments in LED technology.”

The Air Cars – you’ve heard of running like the wind, but what about air powered cars? No, this company is not suggesting a wind powered vehicle, but rather using compressed air to power the engine and deliver comparable performance to current vehicles.

Here’s another link that describes a prototype being produced in India. The article says the car can go as fast as 68 mph with a range of 125 miles. All this with zero emissions.

The City Car - Stackable Electric Cars – electric two-passenger vehicle. The City car utilizes fully integrated in-wheel electric motors and suspension systems called, “Wheel Robots.” The wheel robots eliminate the need traditional drive train configurations like engine blocks, gear boxes, and differentials because they are self-contained, digitally controlled, and reconfigurable. Additionally, the wheel robot provides all wheel power and steering capable of 360 degrees of movement, thus allowing for Omni-directional movement. The vehicle can maneuver in tight urban spaces and park by sideways translation. This technology is patented-pending and under design development at the MIT Media Lab.