Singapore (CNN)Given the terrifyingly airline seat patents filed in recent years, the future of flying often looks bleak.
But last week's Singapore Airshow injects hope for an aviation world that we can actually look forward to.
The biggest airshow in Asia this year put emphasis on emerging technologies, with forums and a whole exhibition zone dedicated to the topic.
We asked the industry experts in attendance what we can look forward to over the next few years.
3D printed planes?
More than 1,000 pieces of this plane is made by 3D printer.
Airbus's development of the A350 struggled to keep pace with deadlines in its early days.
To fix the problem, it turned to 3D printing.
More than 1,000 parts of the A350 are now made by 3D printing -- more than on any other commercial aircraft.
That's a trend that's going to keep on growing.
"First it'll be the spare parts on an airplane that require replacement from time to time, like handles," says Ido Eylon, general manager of Stratasys in Southern Asia and Pacific.
"It's already happening but on a smaller scale. We'll expect more interests from other sectors as well."
In addition to non-critical plane parts, tools used in aviation manufacturing can also be printed.
"By 3D printing, it significantly reduces the complexity to make some of the parts and save cost and time," says Eylon.
It also saves weight.
Parts created by 3D printing are 30-55% lighter and use 90% less raw materials than those made by traditional methods.
Can we 3D print a whole plane?
Still a wild dream at the moment, says Eylon.
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