49 Things That Look Like They're From The Year 3000 But Actually Exist Right Now — Just Not In The US

    Every mall in the US should have an epic slide to ride down to lower floors.

    1. Copenhagen has little houses for your dogs to chill in outside grocery stores while you're shopping.

    Little dog houses

    2. In Australia, there are tunnels with lights that move at the speed limit so you can get an idea of your speed and try your best to match the limit.

    A driving tunnel

    3. You can rent a sleep pod in the Beijing airport if you've got a long layover.

    Sleep pods in the airport

    4. You can also do karaoke at the Beijing airport.

    A small karaoke bar in an airport

    5. This Japanese train has chairs facing out so travelers can enjoy the scenery.

    Train seats facing the windows

    6. There are crosswalks in Singapore where you can request a longer crossing time if you have limited or slow mobility.

    Buttons to cross in Singapore

    7. There's a mall in Prague where you can take a slide down a level instead of an escalator.

    A slide in the mall in Prague

    8. Toronto has pay-as-you-fill grocery carts. You scan them as you go and then pay right on the cart — then just walk right out of the store!

    A grocery cart that you can pay for groceries on

    9. Farmers plant flowers at the ends of their fields in the Netherlands for biodiversity — and also provide a QR code so you can pay for the flowers you pick.

    A QR code to pay for flowers you pick

    10. This supermarket in Ireland has an evening specifically for people with autism (or anything else that might make them hypersensitive to sound and light).

    A sign for autism awareness at a store

    11. This elevator in Argentina doesn't just tell you the weight limit like any old elevator — it actually shows you how close you are to reaching it.

    A sensor on an elevator displaying the weight

    12. This bathroom in Sweden has lights on each of the doors to indicate if the bathroom is occupied or not.

    Toilets in Sweden

    13. Apparently, there are desserts-only McDonald's in South America, and I'm legitimately mad we don't have them in the US. I bet the Frosty machine's never broken there.

    A McDonald's dessert stand

    14. Scotland has mobile cinemas.

    A mobile cinema in Scotland

    15. This hotel in China gives out cards to give taxi drivers for when you need to get back.

    A card to give to taxi drivers

    16. This Parisian hotel shows exactly what languages people at the front desk speak.

    A guide for hotel guests to know what languages the staff speaks

    17. This UK library has a section for borrowing items like toolkits.

    A library that has items and tool kits to check out

    18. In the arrivals area of the Amsterdam airport, there's a machine to print banners so the person you're picking up can easily spot you.

    A machine to print banners when picking up people from the airport

    19. The elevators in this Osaka office building light up with little umbrellas if it's raining out, so you know on your way out of work what to expect.

    An umbrella light in an elevator

    20. Also in Osaka, there are tiles showing which direction is north when you exit a train so you can easily orient yourself.

    An arrow pointing north

    21. This post office in Vancouver has a fitting room — so if your online shopping haul doesn't fit, you can send it straight back without going home first.

    A fitting room in a post office

    22. There's a restaurant in Prague that delivers drinks by trains.

    A drink train in a restaurant

    23. Germany has tiny self-driving buses.

    A tiny self-driving bus

    24. Iceland has geothermally heated water pipes under their sidewalks to keep them clear of snow.

    Warm sidewalks

    25. Denmark has rails for bikers to lean on (along with footrests!) at red lights.

    A rail for people on bicycles to lean on

    26. Some buses in Madrid have built-in carseats.

    A car seat on a bus

    27. This Japanese hotel has a heated mirror that won't fog up while you shower.

    A bathroom with a heated mirror

    28. Incheon Airport in Seoul has robots that help you check flight info.

    A robot at the airport

    29. Buses in Finland have buttons just to tell the bus driver "thank you" and "good job."

    Buttons on a city bus

    30. In the Netherlands (and Denmark), you can get postage online and just write the codes on the envelope rather than getting a physical stamp.

    Envelopes with codes written on them instead of stamps

    31. The metro in Copenhagen has buttons for kids to play with to pretend they're driving.

    Buttons for kids to play with on the metro

    32. There's a train station in Paris where you can use an exercise bike to charge your phone.

    A phone charter that's propelled by a bike

    33. And in Canada, money has braille on it so blind people can tell which bill it is.

    Canadian money with braille

    34. Crosswalks in Tokyo have paths specifically made for blind people.

    A sidewalk path for blind people

    35. There are 3D models of cathedrals next to the actual cathedrals in Poland, so that blind people can experience them, too.

    A 3D model of a cathedral

    36. This hotel in Switzerland has napkins you can use to hit on people or make friends.

    Napkins with questions and fill-in-the-blanks

    37. In Denmark, many trash cans are angled so that it's easy for bikers to throw stuff away while riding.

    A trashcan in Denmark

    38. Bus stops in Paris have a place to charge your phone.

    A phone charger at the bus stop

    39. This bar in Cape Town uses repurposed kegs as urinals.

    Urinals made out of used kegs

    40. Hong Kong uses scaffolding made of bamboo.

    Scaffolding on a building

    41. And Amsterdam uses their scaffolding to create images of the building underneath.

    Scaffolding on a building to look like the building

    42. You can refill your detergent bottle at stores in Czechia.

    A detergent refilling station

    43. Some McDonald's in Paris use reusable containers.

    A reusable container at McDonald's

    44. Singapore crosswalks have separate crossing lanes and lights for bikers and pedestrians.

    Bike lanes in Singapore

    45. Madrid has literally the entirety of Don Quixote on the walls of its metro, so you can read it while you wait.

    A book's pages on the metro walls

    46. Relatedly, Seoul's subway cars have libraries on board so you can read while traveling.

    A library on a metro train

    47. You can literally get socks from vending machines in Korea.

    Socks in a vending machine

    48. And you can get salmon (???) from vending machines in Singapore.

    Salmon in a vending machine

    49. And finally, this one may be less functional than the others, but I still just think it's so cool: It's a Korean cafe designed to appear two-dimensional.

    A Korean cafe with a 2D design

    H/T: r/mildlyinteresting