bionic duckweed, noun
An as-yet-non-existent innovation, hyped with the aim not to sell it or to invent it, but simply to put a stop on or stalling the actually-existing competition.
In its broader sense, bionic duckweed can be thought of a sort of unobtainium that renders investment in present-day technologies pointless, unimaginative, and worst of all On The Wrong Side Of History. […] A a sort of promissory note in reverse, forcing us into inaction today in the hope of wonders tomorrow.
from Bionic Duckweed: making the future the enemy of the present.