We are often surprised by the futuristic stories and gadgets portrayed in science fiction films. Be it 'Inspector Gadget's' helicopter hat or the Neuralyzer worn by Agents K and J in the 'Men in Black' series; Science fiction never fails to excite us. Although these are purely fictional works of art and are developed with no intention of adding realism, you may be surprised to know that sometimes researchers and scientists take inspiration from these works to turn imaginative ideas into something practical.
There are countless technologies used in our daily lives that have been featured in some films, such as intelligent personal assistants in Star Trek or biometric technology in the Back to the Future series. However, here we will enumerate some sci-fi gadgets and concepts that are currently being worked on and are on their way to reaching the masses in a fully commercialized form.
1. Exoskeletons
Actor Robert Downey Jr. posing in Iron Man armor (Image courtesy: HLN)
From Iron Man to Aliens and the Mobile Suit Gundam animated series to the highly popular game Crysis, powered exoskeletons have always been represented as an indispensable gadget for fighting enemies. However, the technology is not truly fictional, as we can see many advances by researchers in the USA, Europe and Asia. Nowadays people are not just working on prototypes, but some companies have already released the final product.
Argo Medical Technologies ReWalk Exoskeleton (Image courtesy: Inhabitat)
However, unlike movies and animated works of art, these powered exoskeletons are used for military purposes, to lift heavy weights. Additionally, many researchers have developed full-body exoskeletons for patients suffering from paralysis and other medical conditions in order to help them increase strength. For example, Argo Medical Technologies' 'Rewalk Device' is worth $150,000, detects the user's weight change and makes use of motors and knee joints to allow free movement.
2. Smart wearables
Back to the Future shoes worn by Marty (Image courtesy: YouTube)
In 'Back to the Future II', Marty is seen wearing a self-adjusting jacket that also dries on its own. And how can we forget their electric-lacing Nike Mags, which had flashing lights and could lace up. While we may not have even thought about it back then, today wearables have become a fad among the masses. From fitness tracking bracelets to baby tracking sheets and onesies, we've come a long way.
Nike Auto-Lacing HyperAdapt 1.0 (image courtesy: Uncrate)
When it comes to Nike Mags, Nike designed self-lacing sneakers called HyperAdapt 1.0 for the general public. The shoes are packed with sensors that automatically adjust the fit according to the wearer's size. It also has two buttons to tighten and loosen the fit. However, instead of launching in retail, the brand offers it through sweepstakes and exclusive purchase options in online stores.
3. Invisibility Cloak
Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak (image courtesy: traveldownthescale.info)
The entire Harry Potter series is full of magical props, chants and activities. However, the invisibility cloak that Harry receives from Dumbledore as a Christmas present is one of the most unforgettable elements of the series. In the film, several characters are seen using the invisibility cloak to disappear, but can this really happen? Well, it's not exactly possible to have a cloak that makes things invisible, but something similar has been developed.
Stealth-Wear counter-surveillance clothing by Adam Harvey
A designer named Adam Harvey developed a line of stealth clothing. These clothes won't make you disappear, but they will certainly protect you against modern surveillance involving thermal imaging and facial recognition. The items are made of silver-plated synthetic fiber, highly flexible and thermoreflective. The fabric line consists of hijabs, burqas and hoodies.
4. Driverless cars
Johnny Cab in Total Recall (image courtesy: TheSurge.com)
In the film Total Recall (1990), Arnold Schwarzenegger is seen riding in the robot-controlled Johnny Cab. He received instructions to start the tour along with the destination address and would head to the desired location. Although real driverless cars don't contain any robotic figures inside them, the technology is quite identifiable.
As far as reality is concerned, we are witnessing the use of driverless cars for commercial purposes, such as Google Self Driving taxis, in some countries. Although many companies are developing vehicles with a certain degree of automation so that the human driver can take control whenever necessary, the day is not far away when the world will have fully autonomous cars. The market is already flooded with cars that can perform a wide variety of functions just by receiving instructions.
5. Conveyor
Star Trek Transporter (image courtesy: scifi.stackexchange.com)
The Transporter, which first appeared in the pilot episode of the Star Trek series titled “The Cage,” is a fictional teleportation machine. It converts a person or object into an energy pattern and then beams it to a target where it is converted back into matter. Inspired by this fictional machine, some German engineers managed to build a real-life transport vehicle called “Scotty”, taken from the name of the chief engineer of the starship Enterprise.
The machine uses 2 3D printers, where one scans the object through a camera and destroys it while the other receives the details of the object's structure transmitted digitally over the internet. Therefore, the result is an exact replica of the object created by the second 3D printer. Another important development in the field of teleportation is quantum teleportation, which involves sending information about atomic locations between two points.
6. Replicator
Star Trek Replicator (image courtesy: Popular Mechanics)
In the Star Trek Universe, the replicator is used as a device that can produce any object from a digital blueprint. However, not much thought and logic was put into designing the device for the show, as it could replicate almost anything (even food).
Inspired by this gadget, in real life we have 3D printers that can create a 3D version of any object. Although the material used is mainly plastic and real food cannot be printed, the concept is almost the same. As the prices of 3D printers decrease, their use and accessibility will also become more widespread.
7. Jetpacks
James Bond's Rocket Belt in Thunderball (image courtesy: jamesbondwikia.com)
Jetpacks have been featured in several films, but one of the most unforgettable can be depicted in the 1965 film called Thunderball. In the film, actor Sean Connery, who plays James Bond, is seen using a Jetpack while escaping from two armed men after killing Jacques Bouvar. It is a device that is attached to the user's back and helps them propel themselves into the air using jets of gases or liquids.
Although the first prototypes were tested in the late 1950s, followed by the Bell Rocket Belt developed in the 1960s, Jetpacks are not commonly available for commercial sales. Several models have been developed so far, but with regard to range and price, the concept is still far from being used as shown in the films. If we talk about the JetPack Aviation product, it can fly up to 10 minutes and reach speeds of 60 mph.
8. Digital Mind Transfer
Digital Mind Transfer in Film Transcendence (Image courtesy: YouTube)
In the novel Altered Carbon, human personalities can be stored digitally, downloaded into new bodies, and even transmitted to other planets. A similar concept is shown in the film Transcendence, where Johnny Depp plays the character of a scientist whose consciousness is stored in a quantum computer and connected to the internet after being hit by a bullet.
In reality, humans have not yet achieved the real solution, but many futurists believe that in the near future it will be possible to transfer human minds to computers. However, the fact is that neural engineering is making significant advances in modeling the brain and developing technologies to restore or replace some of its biological functions. Thus, if not completely, at least a part of the biological elements would be stored.
9. Hoverboards
Back to the Future Skateboard (image courtesy: news.digitalmediaacademy.com)
A fictional skateboard that levitates above the ground made its fictional debut with 'Back to the Future Part II' in 1989. People have been crazy about hoverboards ever since. Although we now have hands-free scooters, they run on wheels instead of levitating.
In fact, a board called the Hendo was developed by a company called Arx Paz, which is worth $10,000. Another similar product was launched by Lexus that uses superconductors for levitation. However, both hoverboards can only work on conductive surfaces. So if you dream of using them like Marty did in the movie, that still seems like a distant reality.
10. Humanoids
Humanoid shown in Metropolis (1927) (Image courtesy: Pinterest)
One of the first representations of human-like robots was made in the film 'Metropolis', released in 1927. It shows a mad scientist who transforms a robot into an exact replica of another character called Maria. Coming to implementation, there are various types of robots ranging from toy robots to artificial animals and even humanoids. Humanoids are the type of robots that look like humans and can even talk to a person based on their programming. However, when we talk about their functionality, they simply follow instructions without using much logic on their own.
Most of them can act as social robots to accompany elderly citizens or as domestic helpers; some are even designed with artificial skin and hair to look like humans. But when compared to films like The Terminator, we are still far from a world where robots could replicate someone else's behavior or save us from our enemies.
Conclusion
Science fiction is the most exciting genre for most of us and it's not just movies about future technological predictions, but even cartoons, TV series and novels. The list mentioned above contains 10 science fiction technologies that are actually real, but there are many other science fiction concepts such as the aerial touch screen featured in Minority Report, the Robot Maid from the Jetsons, the Futurama Smell-O-Scope, etc. .
These works of art inspire us to live in a world that is purely magical and full of impossibilities. But often these creations help us create what has never been created before, thus leading to surprising inventions.