Some people have openly stated an opinion which was once uttered by a former head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: “Pretty much everything that can be invented already has been.” Maybe it was a frustrating day filled with morons trying to patent a four-sided figure or maybe there was a large amount of alcohol involved, but that idea has obviously been proven wrong. He said that in the 1920s, before cloning, before DNA splicing (and before we even knew of the existence of DNA), and before we launched satellites and people into space and onto the moon. In the next world, that guy is probably never going to hear the end of his errant statement. However, for the people who are still alive, it is just silly to parrot such a sentiment. But is there really anything new coming down the pike?
On the one hand, yes, there are tons and tons of new things being thought up every day. Companies such as InventHelp, Davison Design and Development, and Everyday Edisons receive hundreds to thousands of new invention submissions every year (and possibly even every month), and the number is unlikely to ever slow down. The human mind is always feeling around, looking for a way to improve on what already exists, and to devise a new way to accomplish a particular end result.
However, what can we actually consider to be “new” anyway? If something is round, like the wheels our cave-dwelling ancestors invented, is it new? Or if it involves the use of an LCD or LED screen, such as those which have been available for decades even at the consumer level, can it still be considered new? In the sense of something which has had no precursor at all, there is probably no such thing as genuine newness. However, in the sense that we can continue putting old ideas to work in different ways, newness may never die.