Last week, The Princess Royal was hosted at the Institution of Engineering Technology, (IET), at Savoy Place as it celebrated its re-opening earlier this year after two years of a significant refurbishment.
The venue added two new auditoriums that can hold a combined capacity of 600; there was also a second lecture theatre added and an enlarged riverside suite; boardrooms and a roof terrace. In the front of the building, a ‘sesame lift’ was added to allow the stone steps to retract to allow for easy wheelchair access.
Whilst there, the Princess Royal, who is an honorary member of the IET, sealed a time capsule containing predictions from children from all over the United Kingdom who predicted the technologies we could use half a century from now.
Their predictions included:
– Robots that do chores, housework and read minds
– An indestructible rocket that can travel to space and a space village
– Credit cards under the skin and instant shopping
– Cars that can time travel, fly and turn into jets
– Roads and bridges that repair themselves with a self-healing material
– A microchip to fight cancer
– Sunglasses that can record anything you see
Artifacts marking technology’s past, present, and future were also placed in the capsule.
IET’s President, Jeremy Watson, said: “Engineering and technology is all around us – it’s at the heart of almost everything we do and this is an extraordinary and exciting time for our profession. However, if we want engineering to continue to keep advancing society and economic growth, we need to inspire the next generation. This activity has been a brilliant way to get children thinking about the future of engineering – as well as demonstrating to them how creative engineering can be.”
The Queen’s daughter also unveiled a plaque, met IET staff, volunteers and members before taking a tour of the facility. She saw Faraday Centre and the Riverside Room.