Interest in personalised healthcare, mental health and holistic wellness regimens had been gaining traction steadily. With Covid-19 dramatically accelerating these pre-existing transitions, Futures Platform’s futurists anticipate that many of the pandemic-induced changes to the healthcare and wellness industries will be here to stay post-pandemic.

The sudden spike in the number of patients combines with the shortage of medical supplies and PPE for healthcare workers could lead to the collapse of the healthcare system. Can the healthcare system handle the crisis during the pandemic?

We always seem to be playing a cat-and-mouse game for all of our scientific advances. A bacteria or virus appears, and we develop antibiotics or antiviral drugs to deal with it. One worry is that our overprescribing of antibiotics will continue to lead to an increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria, with possibly devastating consequences.

The last time you went to the doctor, how long were you stuck sitting in the waiting room? Unfortunately, for many the answer is usually, “Too long!” You can only read so many 5-year-old magazines before losing patience… However,, thanks to telehealth, this tradition of long wait times might soon come to an end.

Robotics is changing the future of healthcare. From restoring people's lost abilities to highly precise surgical operations, the potential is enormous. But robots in healthcare can be small too. So small that they can reach almost anywhere inside your body and deliver a highly targeted cure.

Depression is a serious illness. More than "the blues," it is a mental condition that, if left untreated, can have serious consequences. It doesn't just affect one's activities in his or her daily life. It can result in severe mental and physical issues in the long term. And, for many people, it's a reoccurring disorder. And despite it being so common, we still struggle to fully understand it and treat it. Now virtual reality is helping us do both.

Exoskeletons exist all around us. Animals such as grasshoppers, cockroaches, and lobsters all have them. For them, exoskeletons provide protection and support, among serving other functions. What if we could allow human beings to experience the same benefits, while at the same time increasing their strength, precision, and power?