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I feel like that really depends on how you view futuristic.
I think things with colored e-ink displays, USB C chargeable AA batteries, handheld emulators, 2230 NVMe drives, and USB C power portable displays are really cool but I feel like their availability these days has made them lose a bit of their futuristic luster. They would have blown my mind when I was a kid.
More niche products like Meshtastic and ESP32 Marauder devices are things I view as futuristic (and can be found for under $100).
I think this is really the best answer. The future is decentralisation, to me. Stuff like meshtastic could take the best parts of the internet and make it local and community owned.
In fact, I think there are a bunch of things you can get for free which to me represent the future. Linux, Lemmy, FOSS in general. Physical technology is only a small part of the puzzle nowadays.
Yeah I feel like having control over the things you use is definitely a big part. Something that really hampers my enthusiasm for AI is that so much of it is out of my control and generally disconnected from me.
Having AI that I can modify and run locally on my devices seems a lot more sci-fi than something that can relies so heavily on the Internet and rigid responses.
Absolutely! Running local LLMs is way more exciting than something I need to figure out an API and billing for. Tedious corporate bullshit? No thank you. A robot that I have trained to enthusiastically denounce capitalism? That's more like it!
The thing about meshtastic is the walking distance range and limitation to text messages.
Though I don't know if it is possible to integrate a LoRAWAN concentrator with a nice collinear J-pole antenna to mount on the top of your house to move to a double digit range where it could be useful as a neighborhood mesh with multiple channels. (With the added benefit of using lorawan devices like pet trackers and things).
Still Lora smart (but local) home agriculture, water collection, etc... Is a really cool technology for large properties.
I find it's a lot of those ideal use cases I find futuristic. The RISC V architecture and Briar are kind of similar. They're really neat and I could see some cyberpunk style uses for them but the drive for their adoption and the level of it just doesn't seem to be there yet.