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A few days ago, I wrote an article about how science fiction has always inspired and keeps on inspiring real world technologies and how it always seems impossible until it is actually done. If you haven’t checked out the article, you can do so here. 

This is a part 2 in the series and I bring to you more examples of technologies that we use today and are very familiar with that were only stuff of imagination in a writer or a film maker’s mind. 

I can’t help but wonder what great, life changing ideas, today’s movies and fiction will inspire into the next generation of innovators and visionaries. But for now, let’s look at some that are already here.

1. Smartwatch

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Smartwatches are fairly new to the world and they are only getting started in terms of their processing power, abilities (health tracking, calls, notifications) and battery capacity, but they were once a part of science fiction. 

Perhaps one of the most popular examples of smart watches in sci-fi is that of Dick Tracy, which was a 1930s comic strip. Star Trek, with the wrist communicator, also popularised the idea of having a tech device at all times on your body, at a time when the word ‘wearable’ was probably only being used for a piece of cloth.

Today, smartwatches are quickly gaining popularity in the mainstream as the increase on their abilities and computing prowess allows people to do more and fast while on the move. We can actually make phone calls right from the wrist, which in itself is so futuristic! 

2. Language Translators

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There are roughly 6500 spoken languages in the world, so you can only imagine how much a language translator device might come in handy especially if you travel abroad a lot. Even if you don’t, it can be really useful while surfing the internet and you come across a foreign language. 

Today, there are apps from Google and Microsoft which allows for instantaneous translation of text from one language to another. They have covered most of the popular languages of the world and are adding more every year. In fact, Google’s app even has the ability to translate text from a picture or sign boards which is just super useful.

The idea of translators, however, is not new at all. In fact, Murray Leinster’s novel, First Contact, was one of the first to showcase this tech in 1945. Douglas Adams included the concept of a universal translator in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in the form of babel fish. 

3. Tasers

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We have all seen tasers being used in the movies to shock unsuspecting criminals. Maybe some of you have seen them being used in real life too. They are a very effective way to take control of a situation by incapacitating violent people.

A Taser works by delivering a high voltage electric current to a person’s body which causes the person to lose voluntary control of his muscles. It is very easy to not even think about how such high voltage can be packed into a handheld device but at one point of time this ability was very futuristic, one taken right out of the movies.

The inventor of the Taser, Jack Cover, was inspired by the science fiction stories which were published by Stratemeyer Syndicate. He believed that he could replicate the electric rifle that were heavily featured in the stories and the rest is history.

4. Holograms

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OK, I know ‘true holograms’ (the ones that appear in thin air) are yet to be a reality but it was worth mentioning them because of all the research that is being done in this field and because we have already achieved some sort of holographic capabilities. 

We have all witnessed the true awesomeness of interacting with holograms in mid air. Tony Stark doing tonnes of cool stuff with them and being able to do just that is everybody’s dream. We’ve also seen holographic projections in most futuristic movies because apparently that’s the direction we are going. From Star Wars, to TV shows like ‘Westworld’, holograms are touted as the next big computing revolution in our lives.

And I think that is true. We already have concerts where instead of live people, we get to see holograms performing (singing, dancing). Also, Microsoft has HoloLens in the works that will take us one step closer to interacting with holograms which will revolutionise how we interact with computers or what we mean by computers in the first place.