Science Fiction in Reality
This September I went to San Francisco, and while waiting on the street corner at 9 P.M. for the bus to arrive, I saw a car crest a hill without anyone in the driver’s seat. Until then, I didn’t know that self-driving cars existed outside of dystopian future movies like I, Robot. It made me think, what other technologies exist in real life that science fiction predicted?
It turns out that many of the technological advancements we have today were not only imagined but inspired by science fiction. These technologies often take the name of the terms created by the writers themselves, such as “credit cards” and “metaverse.” Conversely, writers often consult with researchers about technology that already exists or is in the process of being researched for more accurate depictions of futuristic technology. This two-way influence often revolves around these topics: modifications to and extensions of the human body, human-computer interactions, human-robot interactions, and artificial intelligence.
Below is a less-than-exhaustive list of science fiction predictions broken into three categories: ones that have already come true, ones that are in the process of coming true, and ones that may never come true (or at least are very far off from doing so).
Correct Predictions
Technology: Uranium Explosive Devices
Science Fiction Prediction: In 1914’s The World Set Free, author H.G. Wells mentions a hand grenade of uranium that “would continue to explode indefinitely” for days, weeks, or months as degeneration perpetually radiated energy and created mini-volcanos.
Reality: An atomic bomb, using uranium and nuclear fission, was first used during WWII on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
Technology: Credit Card
Science Fiction Prediction: Edward Bellamy’s 1887 novel Looking Backward which takes place in the year 2000 mentions a “credit card” (described as a “piece of pasteboard”) that is for purchases rather than a form of currency. However, because it was a utopian society, all citizens had equal “credit” from the national’s annual product on these cards, rather than money they earned themselves.
Reality: The first “credit card” was the Diners Club Card, a cardboard card that could be used at various participating restaurants, that debuted in 1950 in New York City. In 1951, a “general-use” card was issued by Franklin National Bank in Long Island. The first charge card by American Express was released in 1958 and became plastic a year later. A national market of credit card users was established in the ‘70s.
Technology: Cell Phone
Science Fiction Prediction: Communicator device on Star Trek: The Original Series (1966)
Reality: Martin Cooper made the first public cellphone call in 1973. It was on the Motorola DynaTAC, which weighed 2.5 pounds, measured 9 inches tall, and required 10 hours of charging to power a 35-minute conversation. In ’83, this cellphone was finally put on the public market. In 1996, the first flip phone (named the Motorola StarTAC as a nod to its inspiration) was released.
Technology: Video Calling
Science Fiction Prediction: Analog videophone on a wall in Metropolis (1927 film), video calls on a TV monitor in The Jetsons (1962 TV series), video calls on large phone units in 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968 film), video calls on tv monitors in Back to the Future Part II (1989 film)
Reality: The earliest version of video calling was introduced in 1927, then again in 1964 at the NYC World Fair. Picturephone rooms were created but failed to gain momentum in the ’70s, and the same with video phones in the ’80s and ’90s. It wasn’t popularized until Skype introduced the feature on PCs in the early 2000s, and then FaceTime was unveiled with the iPhone 4 in 2010.
Technology: Smart Tablet
Science Fiction Prediction: The PADDs (Personal Access Display Devices) with touchscreen interfaces for controlling the spaceship on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Reality: Apple launched the first smart tablet, the iPad, in 2010.
Technology: Virtual Reality and the Metaverse
Science Fiction Prediction: Stanley G. Weinbaum’s short story “Pygmalion’s Spectacles” in 1935 introduces a pair of goggles that enabled “a movie that gives one sight and sound” as well as the other senses. In 1992, Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash entailed people using digital avatars of themselves to explore the internet’s virtual-reality successor, which he coined “Metaverse.”
Reality: In 1956, cinematographer Morton Heilig created the Sensorama, which was the first “VR machine” in the form of a booth that fit four people. He combined various technologies to create an immersive experience, including full-color 3D video, audio, vibrations, smell, and atmospheric effects like wind. It’s quite similar to a 4D movie experience today. In 1960, Heilig also created the first head-mounted display. Over the years, various flight simulators emerged, and these military-funded projects were partially responsible for the extent of VR’s continuous innovation. It wasn’t until 2010, however, that there was renewed interest in VR, thanks to 18-year-old Palmer Lucky creating the first Oculus Rift headset prototype with 90-degree field of vision. Since then, countless virtual reality headsets by a variety of technology companies have emerged and for a variety of tasks, such as gaming, education, psychological treatment, and travel. In fact, one of our lab’s specialities is in VR and we have a variety of related projects ranging from IDEA VR’s workplace training, to Hidden No More’s highlight of scientific work, to Endurance VR’s educational sea experience, and more.
Close, But Not-Quite-There-Yet Predictions
Technology: Self-Driving Car
Science Fiction Prediction: Paradise and Iron (1930 book), “Sally” (1953 short story), Imperial Earth (1976 book), I, Robot (2004 film)
Reality: There is no fully autonomous vehicle for sale, but most cars manufactured after 2020 have driver-assistance features like lane-centering steering, adaptive cruise control, hands-free steering, and adaptive braking. Tesla is at the forefront of such advanced features, but its autopilot has been involved in over 736 crashes and has been implicated in 17 deaths since 2019. Waymo is the closest automobile to being fully autonomous, but it’s used for ride-hailing and delivery services, rather than for sale. It’s also only available in Phoenix and San Francisco with Los Angeles and Austin coming soon.
Technology: 3D Food Printer
Science Fiction Prediction: The Jetsons (1962 TV show) and Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989 TV show)
Reality: Rather than making an object out of plastic or silicone, 3D printers can use an edible resin (paste-like or malleable foodstuff), to create intricate shapes layer by layer. However, while it’s edible, it’s used by manufacturers to help control the shape, nutrition, and taste characteristics of a product, rather than to replace traditional meal creation, let alone in the quick manner televised on shows. It’s used by tech-health startups, including by some to treat dysphagia (a condition that makes it difficult to swallow), NASA for nutrient-rich meals for astronauts while in space, as well as sustainable food companies as a means to combat traditional farming.
Technology: Holograms
Science Fiction Prediction: Star Wars franchise (1977-present), Back to the Future Part II (1989 film), Total Recall (1990 film), Blade Runner 2049 (2017 film), Iron Man 2 (2010 film), etc
Reality: Holograms exist in a variety of forms, but they’re not as advanced — in visual optics, scale, or interactivity — and certainly not as widely available as science fiction predicted. Pepper’s Ghost is an illusion technique used in theater, cinema, amusement parks, museums, concerts, and more that was created in 1584 and perfected in the 1860s. A transparent surface is placed at an angle to reflect the image from a hidden room onto a brightly lit “stage,” creating “holographic” images. The Microsoft Hololens creates a realistic display, but it’s just a hands-free form of augmented reality. The 3D Hologram LED Fan Display, which was implemented in the Atlanta airport to display a sign about guns not being allowed, works on a small scale and the fan blades are sometimes visible through the image. The Voxon 3D Volumetric Display is high-definition, real-time, and can be seen from any angle without using illusions or special glasses, but it exists within a confined container (essentially a glass cube).
Technology: Hoverboards
Science Fiction Prediction: Back to the Future Part II (1989 film)
Reality: Most “hoverboards” are simply robotic, electronic skateboards that can be controlled via remote or foot pressure. They’re called “hover” not because they float, but because of the sensors that help riders maintain their balance. Omni is a device you stand on that moves through the air, but it flies using tiny helicopter blades, rather than “hovering” above the ground using magnetic levitation. Think of putting a wood plyboard atop a couple of drones. ArcaBoard is essentially the same thing, but it fully covers the inside parts in a 57-inch-long, 6-inch-thick rectangle. Hendo has hoverboards that closely resemble skateboards, only the mechanisms that make it “hover” stick out on all four sides, and that was released in 2015. One of our lab’s most popular projects is Loomo, a semi-autonomous rover that captures smooth 360-degree video content and can be used as a robot journalist. Unfortunately, he too cannot really “hover” so much as roll.
Technology: Laser Weapons
Science Fiction Prediction: Earthlight (1955 book), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951 book), Star Wars franchise (1977-present)
Reality: While lasers themselves have existed since 1960, laser weapons are novel and certainly don’t resemble the ones seen in science fiction, which utilize plasma in the form of colorful handheld devices like ray-guns and lightsabers. The US Navy LaWS (Laser Weapon System) “uses an infrared beam from a solid-state laser array which can be tuned to high output to destroy a target or low output to warn or cripple the sensors of a target,” but it’s not widely implemented, having only been installed on the USS Ponce since 2014.
Technology: Flying Cars
Science Fiction Prediction: The Jetsons (1962 TV show), Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car (1964 book), Blade Runner (1982 film), etc.
Reality: Many designs, prototypes, and attempted flights have occurred since the start of the 20th century, but none were successful enough to move forward. However, Alef Aeronautics announced in June of this year that its “Model A” became the first flying car to receive legal approval to fly from the U.S. government. According to the company, the model has a 200-mile driving range and a 110-mile flying range. Production of Model A is expected to begin in late 2025, and the “Model Z,” a four-person sedan, is expected to debut 10 years later. However, questions arise about how this car’s flying feature would be utilized by normal civilians, and its $300,000 price tag is certainly more than the general public can afford.
Highly Unlikely Predictions
Technology: Conscious Artificial Intelligence
Science Fiction Prediction: I, Robot (1950 book), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968 film), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968 book), Neuromancer (1984 book), Her (2013 film), etc
Reality: Thankfully, no. In the past couple of years, AI has been popularized in natural language processing (voice recognition and digital assistants like Siri and Alexa), digital art creation, and more, but it can’t do anything it isn’t programmed to do, and it certainly hasn’t gained the ability to think for itself. AI is another one of our specialties at Blue Sky, used in projects like volumetric capture (creates peoples’ likenesses in VR, AR, and Metaverse applications) and health greeter kiosks (employed during the height of COVID to tell if individuals were wearing masks), but again, it only does what our talented developers program it to do.
Technology: Teleportation
Science Fiction Prediction: To Venus in Five Seconds (1897 book), The Fly (1958 book), The Stars My Destination (1956 book), The Twilight Zone (1963 TV show), Star Trek franchise (1966–2016), etc
Reality: To the knowledge of the general public, no.
Technology: Time Travel Machine
Science Fiction Prediction: The Time Machine (1895 book), All-Star Comics (1942 comic series), A Sound of Thunder (1952 book), Slaughterhouse-Five (1969 book), etc
Reality: Also to the knowledge of the general public, no.
Technology: Med-Bays (can cure anything from cancer to radiation poisoning to AIDS)
Science Fiction Prediction: Elysium (2013 film)
Reality: Unfortunately, no. We haven’t yet discovered how to cure any of those inflictions, let alone in a tanning-bed-like device with a mere click of a button.
This list doesn’t even come close to covering all the technologies that science fiction has predicted (find a more comprehensive breakdown here). It’s clear that the connection between science-fiction and actual science/technology isn’t random, but rather innovators find ideas in books, TV shows, and movies that conceptualize the future, and transform them into reality. Be sure to check out our website to see our take on some of science fiction’s correct, soon-to-be correct, and incorrect technological predictions.
