Telstra chief technology officer Dr Hugh Bradlow explains the bizarre ideas set to become reality

HE SCOURS the globe for new gadgets as the "world's most expensive tyre kicker". Here's how Telstra's technology boss thinks we'll be living and working in the future.

A smart baby outfit monitors baby's vital signs and analyses data for p...

HE'S been described as the "world's most expensive tyre kicker" with "the coolest job in the business".

Telstra's chief technology officer Dr Hugh Bradlow's role is to scour the globe for the hottest technology and make it happen in our everyday lives.

Having just been at the world's largest Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, he spoke to news.com.au about how we'll all be living and working in the future. Here are his predictions:

Gadget mania

Don't have a smartwatch yet? You will soon, as Dr Bradlow said fitness trackers and smart watches are about to go "berserk".

"The space that has gone berserk is wearables. One type are the fitness trackers and fuel bands, the other is smart watches ... those things are just all over the place and clearly people are going to be using them," he said.

Whimsical products created by technology savvy entrepreneurs who wanted to fulfil a specific niche were also popular, like the product invented by one man who's "girlfriend had got sick of filming him on the beach so he invented a robot to do it for her," Dr Bradlow said.

The result is a tripod camera mounted with a robot that films people while they move, a product that could have huge implications for athletes, video journalists and classroom teachers.

The Pebble Steel smartwatch has LED lights and waterproof coating. Picture: Supplied.

Everything can be analysed

If you've got a sore neck and don't know why, your days of wondering are over. Dr Bradlow said the healthcare sector is about to get a major overhaul thanks to new technology poised to provide information on everything from breathing to gait to how well you sleep.

"The thing that got me the most is an insole to a shoe. What's clever is it has pressure pads, connected via Bluetooth to a phone and it analyses posture and gait," he said.

The device tells the wearer whether they need to stand up straight, address their posture and transmit the information to a doctor."

Beds will also get a makeover, with built-in units to measure heart rate and breathing.

"It's $8000 but if could be amazing because sleep deprivation is a major problem for many people," Dr Bradlow said.

Sony tennis rackets with bluetooth has vibration and motion sensors to analyse swing, speed and spin rate and relay it to a smartphone. Picture: AFP.

Get friendly with your phone

If you think your smartphone runs your life now, wait until you see what's coming.

Dr Bradlow said the "connected home" was a big theme with lots of different devices you can put in your house and different ways of linking them. At the centre of it all is the smartphone, which will tell people everything from when to feed their pets to what their spouse is doing.

"It's going to be the thing that gives you everything you need about all the information in your life ... It's going to be the centre of your life and not just the thing you talk on," he said.

Want to chat to your fridge online? This LG device lets you communicate it via text message. Picture: AFP

Goodbye office

Commuting could be a thing of the past with people able to recreate their entire office at home. Dr Bradlow said imagine a "digital wallpaper" that is actually a high definition TV screen, combined with high-speed broadband, cameras and surround sound, which can make people feel as if they are looking at the office without actually having to be there.

"The workplace becomes irrelevant, it becomes wherever you are. The human need is the question ... Does that solve the human need of being together? I don't know. Is it possible? Yes."

Users can make their own candy using 3D printers. Picture: AFP

Never lose the remote again

Dr Bradlow said fights over the remote will become a "thing of the past" in a few short years, as people use their hands, eyes and voices to tell their increasingly smart devices what to do.

"The combination of voice and gesture technology is staring to transform the way we interact," he said, adding that Microsoft displayed an Xbox that users could talk to without having to silence other noise in the background.

"It will recognise your speech despite the noise of the TV. That's very sophisticated because it's picking your voice and cancelling other sound. That changes the level of usability, you don't have to be pressing buttons, shouting and so on."

There are also "green shoots" of eye tracking technology where people can be driving and simply flick their eyes at their phone to answer it or perhaps blink to ignore it.

A smart baby outfit monitors baby's vital signs and analyses data for parents.

However, despite the amazing things that can be done, Dr Bradlow said Telstra had to take a sceptical view and try and break the technology as "99 times out of 100 it's not what it claims to be".

He said the company would first test things in a lab, then ask focus groups of people questions.

"Do you want it? Do you find it useful? We do this on a rigorous basis for everything we adopt now," he said.

"Sometimes we don't get it right. You can test things on a couple of dozen people but it's not the same as the market. The ultimate test is in the marketplace."

What is the one piece of technology you would like to see invented? Continue the conversation on Twitter @newscomauHQ | @Telstra | @Victoria Craw

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