4 November 2026, London – From holidaying on the moon to a T-shirt that monitors your health, a panel of the UK’s leading engineers have imagined how the next generation could make life on Earth healthier, greener and more exciting, while helping humanity reach further into space.
These insights come as new research shows that engineering innovations make Brits* positive about the future, with the following innovations topping the list of potential breakthroughs that would make people optimistic for the next 50 years:
- The advancement of cures for incurable diseases (53%)
- The prospect of clean and affordable energy being produced more abundantly (40%)
- Food being grown more sustainably with far less land and water being used (36%)
- Using technology to help people live longer, healthier lives (31%)
- Developing technology that significantly reduces the impact of climate change (28%)
The nation were more sceptical about our chances of heading to the Moon, with almost half of Brits (44%) thinking space travel will not be commonplace in the next 50 years, according to a new poll of UK adults testing people’s hopes for the future, both on Earth and in space.
Despite this, the challenges associated with making life on the Moon possible proved interesting; 38% are very interested in how fresh food could be grown, 36% wonder where water will come from and how it will be recycled, and a quarter (26%) want to know how people will live and move in low gravity.
With space travel re-capturing the public imagination in 2026, the Royal Academy of Engineering – which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year – has revealed these findings as part of its annual National Engineering Day campaign, picturing what Space Age life might look like in 2076; and who will have the skills to build it.
Working with The National Space Centre as a knowledge partner, the Academy invited leading British engineers working across a wide spectrum of industries to imagine what life could look like by 2076. This resulted in fascinating insights including:
- Fashion, on Earth and in space: Second-skin t-shirts tracking our heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels could become the norm, with sensor-enabled smart fabrics that are self-cleaning to make them more sustainable.
- Beauty, on Earth and in space: Circular beauty systems take on a new meaning as our hair and nail clippings are transformed into keratin treatments, while DNA sequencing could enable truly personalised skin and dental routines made just for you.
Vision of the Future 2076
- Food, on Earth and in space: Land and water scarcity both on and off world could reshape our diets. Growing cereals may be difficult in low gravity, so while bread might become a luxury, aquaculture could lead to an uptick of fish consumption. Innovative, indoor, controlled environments such as vertical farms will be essential for growing and producing food.
- Homes in space: As more humans venture off Earth, space habitats could evolve from empty metal rooms that provide the bare survival essentials into homes built for comfort and wellbeing, complete with lighting to trigger our circadian rhythm, plants, artwork and even pets.
- Health & wellbeing, in space: May be designed into our environment, rather than dealt with only when we become ill, from buildings designed around breathing, light and sleep to food that supports the gut microbiome.
- Entertainment, on Earth and in space: VR TV and gaming with in-brain feeds could keep us entertained, or artificial gravity technology could birth new Lunar sports with their own loyal fans.
- Communications in space: Holographic technology and AI will combine to allow families to feel close to loved ones, even when the distance would make real-time conversation impossible between Earth and the Moon.
This vision has been developed after a historic year for space exploration in 2026, as NASA’s Artemis II crew became the first humans to orbit the Moon in more than 50 years, and travelled further away from Earth than any of the previous Apollo missions. Engineer Christina Koch became the first woman to travel to the Moon and over 27 million people watched Artemis II return to Earth at a record re-entry speed of more than 25,000 mph.
With over a fifth (21%) of those polled believing engineers will have some of the most needed jobs in 2076, the Academy has launched a “future recruitment campaign” to spotlight the engineering roles that could exist in 50 years’ time, including:
- Lunacycle Creator (inspired by transport experts) - this role will build bicycles that will defy gravity helping us get around on the Moon.
- Life Systems Architect (inspired by our building expert) – this role will create liveable spaces off-world with breathable air, clean water and constant warmth.
- Smart Skin Vanguard (inspired by our beauty & personal care experts) – this role will build smart skincare intelligence which reads your skin in real-time.
You can view more of these futuristic job ads here.
Dr Rhys Morgan, Senior Principal Consultant for Education and Skills at the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: "This year humans travelled around the Moon for the first time in more than half a century, and it reminded us how quickly the impossible becomes real. The engineers who will shape what we eat, what we wear and where we live in 2076, here on Earth and beyond, are starting school today, and most of those children have no idea engineering could be for them. What’s more, we need engineers now, with almost two hundred thousand extra people needed in exciting, creative, high-paying jobs in engineering over the next five years.
Whatever your child loves, whether it’s food, fashion, sport or gaming, there's an exciting engineering job out there for them."
To further engage the engineers of the future, The Royal Academy of Engineering have sent ‘Mission to Mars’ to over 200 schools across the UK; a resource box for primary and secondary schools to inspire young people to think differently about engineering and to use their engineering habits of mind.
To explore the engineering jobs of the future, visit the A–Z of Engineering at thisisengineering.org.uk/ai-z-of-engineering
*Based on a UK-wide, representative poll of 2,000 adults.
Notes for editors
What our expert engineers expect by 2076:
Fashion & Textiles
Rocket Women founder Vinita Marwaha Madill, who helped develop a skinsuit worn by astronauts on the International Space Station, says: "By 2076, our clothes could be doing the job of a doctor. T-shirts could track our heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels, while compression garments - like the skinsuits astronauts have already tested on the International Space Station – help protect our bones and muscles in low gravity. Step outside a habitat and we'll need an engineered second skin that helps us breathe, move and regulate our temperature. Fashion off world won't just be about how we look, but about keeping us alive."
Food & Agriculture
Food guru Ben Crowther, CTO and co-founder of vertical farming company LettUs Grow, said: "Off-world, every drop of water and every square metre of growing space will be precious. Without the space and light to grow cereal crops, root vegetables could replace many of our staple carbohydrates, animal farming could disappear altogether, and human waste could become fertiliser. The challenge will be to make meals more than just functional, because when you're millions of miles from Earth, flavour and a taste of home bring much-needed comfort.”
Homes & Structures – contributions from Paul Westbury FREng & Abbie Hutty
Today, living structures in Space provide only the bare essentials needed for survival. In 2076, there will be innovations that transform them into homes where we can thrive: lights triggering our circadian rhythm, artwork, plant-life, even pets. We’ll need multi-disciplinary engineers: architects who can design for wellbeing, and structural experts who can innovate with unfamiliar materials in harsh conditions.
Paul Westbury FREng, Royal Academy of Engineering Fellow and structural engineer, said: “As the new space race gathers pace, the biggest gap isn't in our technology, it's in our people. We need brilliant specialists, but we also need engineers who understand enough about other fields to bring those specialists together and create solutions. We’re only one generation away from 2076. The young people who will engineer the future, build life beyond Earth, are making choices about their careers right now, and they need to know engineering offers far more than one narrow path. That's why I'm delighted to support Now Hiring: The Engineers of 2076."
Medical & Human Factors
Eleanor Stride OBE FREng, Royal Academy of Engineering Fellow and professor at the University of Oxford's Institute of Biomedical Engineering said: “Healthy living off world requires input from all sectors of life. Buildings will be engineered for optimum breathing, light and sleep; clothes to protect us from the Sun; food to create the perfect gut microbiome. Health in 2076 may be designed into our environment, rather than dealt with only when we become ill - and that takes a wide range of engineering skills to implement as our environment is built around us.”
Beauty & Personal Care – contributions from Dr Rita Palumbo and Dr Oliver Worsley
With minimal water, personal care will have to be adapted, but not disregarded - instead, shifting from reactive to preventative. DNA sequencing will enable targeted skin and tooth treatments, while engineers and circularity experts will be needed to produce high-UV skin shields and turn hair and nail clippings into useful keratin-rich products.
ESA aerospace engineer and leadership coach Dr Rita Palumbo said: "Living beyond Earth won't just be a technical challenge, it will be a human one too. Off-world communities will face problems no one has had to solve before, so they will need engineers who think broadly, and are able to bring different experiences and perspectives to the table. My own work sits between aerospace engineering and wellbeing, and that mix shapes how I approach these challenges. If we want people to thrive, not just survive, off world, the engineers designing that future need to reflect everyone who'll be living in it."
Entertainment & Technology
Dr Andrew Fitzgibbon FREng FRS, Royal Academy of Engineering Fellow and computer engineer said: “Artistic endeavours thrive in environments with finite resources, and 2076 will be no different. VR could feed movies directly into our brains for a fully immersive experience, while artificial gravity will reinvent sport in Space. Entertaining off-world families’ needs engineers as capable in artistry as in technology.”
Communications – contributions from Wing Commander GRW Jones and Dame Dawn Childs FREng
Signals could take up to 25 minutes to reach Mars, making real-time conversation impossible and forcing humans to rediscover the art of waiting. Conversations will need to be engineered differently – said clearly, in full, the first time – though VR-powered hologram calls mean nobody need feel homesick despite the distance.
Power
Dame Sue Ion FREng, Royal Academy of Engineering Fellow and Trustee, and nuclear engineer said: “Off-world societies will need power for everything: heat, light, communications, life support, drawing on solar power where the Sun allows and nuclear batteries further out. But powering life off world is about managing energy, not just generating it, so we need systems engineers who can conserve finite resources wisely.”
Transport – contributions from Dr Leah-Nani Alconcel and David Mackay
In 2076, most transport will be self-propelled: bikes, scooters and walking, made easier by low gravity - alongside marked routes for rovers and trains. But in emergencies, millions of miles from Earth, quick rides home aren’t an option. Tomorrow’s transport engineers will need a holistic skillset, not just vehicle-building expertise.
Waste Management
Professor Richard Dawson FREng, Royal Academy of Engineering Fellow and Professor in Earth Systems Engineering and Director of Research and Innovation at Newcastle University said: “Nothing can be wasted in an isolated, resource-poor environment: human waste becomes fertiliser, broken equipment is repaired or 3D-printed anew. We need engineers who can keep every material in circulation for as long as possible.”
About National Engineering Day
National Engineering Day is a day that aims to make the UK’s engineers and engineering more visible and celebrate how they improve everyday lives and shape the world around us.
Now Hiring: The Engineers of 2076 is this year's National Engineering Day campaign celebrating the Academy's 50th anniversary by looking 50 years into the future. Through real job ads for roles that don't exist yet, it inspires us to imagine the engineering careers that will build life on the Moon, Mars and beyond, with expert-led visions exploring everything from food and homes to healthcare and fashion in space.
National Engineering Day is funded by the Department for Business, Industry, Science and Trade. National Engineering Day is closely affiliated with This is Engineering, a national campaign which aims to inspire young people to consider a career in engineering, showing how varied, well-paid and rewarding a career as an engineer can be. This is Engineering is made possible by the support of our corporate and academic partners.
About The Royal Academy of Engineering
The Royal Academy of Engineering creates and leads a community of outstanding experts and innovators to engineer better lives. As a charity and a Fellowship, it delivers public benefit from excellence in engineering and technology and convene leading businesspeople, entrepreneurs, innovators and academics from every part of the profession. As a National Academy, it provides leadership for engineering and technology, and independent, expert advice to policymakers in the UK and beyond. The Academy’s work is enabled by funding from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, corporate and university partners, charitable trusts and foundations, and individual donors.