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Future Tech in Movies that Are Becoming Reality

May 2, 2016 No Comments

Featured article by Jeremy Sutter, Independent Technology Writer

One of the reasons we all love sci-fi so much is the incredible tech. Even when a space movie is a total bust, no one can resist the awe of a full-fledged spacecraft equipped with all the amenities we have here on Earth. There’s just something about the technology we see in future-based films that intrigue and inspire; we become hungry for innovation and excited for what lies ahead.

Well, there’s some good news for all you future junkies. The future really is now. Every year brings incredible new advancements; some are environmentally friendly, others are just for our pure entertainment. Either way, take a look at these inventions from some of the top future movies that are slowly becoming our new normal.

Hoverboards

Alright, so we don’t exactly have a hoverboard per se, but the same term has been coined for the rolling mechanical boards mass-produced in Asia and found on just about every teenager’s Christmas list. There has been some major controversy around these gadgets, most specifically regarding their potential to spontaneously combust (?!).

No fear. If a Segway/skateboard hybrid isn’t what you had in mind when you saw Marty McFly in “Back to the Future II”, there’s hope. The first proper hoverboard called the Hendo launched in October 2015 and this one actually levitates. The good news is this advancement puts us much closer to zipping through the streets just like McFly did. The bad news is that this first model costs $10,000, only lasts for 7 minutes and doesn’t really get that far off the ground.

But hey, it’s a start.

Self-Driving Cars

In “I, Robot” self-driving cars had us all wishing we had our own smart-minded vehicle that could get us to work freehanded. Well, leave it to none other than Google to come up with the dominating self-driving car tech. To date, the fleet of modified Google vehicles have driven over 1.5 million miles and are currently navigating streets in California, Texas, Washington and Arizona.

Of course, no technology is perfect and these Google street cars have had their fair share of interesting mishaps. That being said, you may want to look into some defensive driving courses until the future of self-driving cars is perfected.

Transformers

They aren’t mega-morphing automobiles, but the M Blocks are still pretty darn awesome. They’re able to flip and assemble themselves into specific shapes and the researchers of the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at MIT think that they’ll be perfect for sustaining structures like damaged bridges. Not exactly as exciting as the Transformers in the movie, but still an innovative piece of tech nonetheless.

iPad

Yeah, we know, this is pretty humdrum nowadays, but back in 2001’s “Space Odyssey”, everyone’s favorite public transport companion were exactly what the tablet a man eating his breakfast and watching the news on looked like. And how many of us scarf down our cereal and morning cup of Joe with our iPads handy? Future!

Virtual Reality Headsets

VR is one of the hottest trends in the gaming world right now and there are plenty of movies over the years that have shown people slipping on glasses and entering a new world. The boxy headsets of today may not be as sleek as portrayed on film, but be patient. As the VR industry evolves, it’s inevitable that we’ll soon be able to look cool and be slaying monsters low-key with our Ray Bans.

Getting to the Future

We may not exactly have all the flashiest tech we hoped for when we were kids watching “Star Wars”, but there’s still plenty of time. And the great news is that technology has never evolved faster than it is now. With smartphones as powerful as laptops and 3D printers that have the ability to save lives, we’re surely only a couple decades away from being a living, breathing sci-fi film.

 

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