Buzz
Science fiction has earned its reputation for forecasting technological advancements. Many of the tools and machines that are commonplace today were once envisioned in sci-fi tales years before they became a part of our reality. However, not all sci-fi predictions come to fruition.
10. Tasps: A Unique Pleasure Device
In Larry Niven's *Ringworld*, a device known as a tasp is introduced, which stimulates the brain's pleasure center. Essentially, it’s a gun that triggers intense pleasure in its target. Some characters use this device to manage a hostile alien species, while others employ it for more mischievous purposes. One character describes the sensation of being 'shot' by the tasp as an experience that’s far more fun when inflicted on others, with law enforcement frequently finding 'taspers' in public spaces.
9. Accelerated Learning Helmets
In James Blish's *Cities in Flight*, teachers are replaced with helmets. The ‘schoolrooms’ are depicted as vast, colorless spaces furnished only with couches. Monitors guide the students to their seats and assist them in donning the helmet, which directly imparts knowledge and facts to the brain. At times, students must take anticonvulsants to help their brains handle the overwhelming volume of information being processed.
8. Vibrational Mass Penetrators
Part of the reason this is on the list is due to its incredible functionality, and partly because of its humorously suggestive name, the mass penetrator was a device that enabled people to walk through solid rock. Featured in Harry Harrison's *Rock Diver*, the device is used by a prospector in the story. A steel box, strapped to the waist, vibrates in such a way that allows the wearer to pass through solid matter.
7. Meat Factory
In Clifford Simak's *Time is the Simplest Thing*, the concept of butcher plants is introduced—vegetation that grows massive chunks of protein. While Earth doesn't possess these plants, it learns about them from interstellar visitors. Many characters in the novel are upset by the prospect that farmers and meat market workers would lose their jobs because of this new development.
6. Empathy Box
Given today's technology, filmmakers must go to great lengths, employing intricate camera work and advanced acting techniques to help us feel what the characters in a film are experiencing. However, this isn’t an issue if you have an empathy box. First introduced in Philip K. Dick’s *The Little Black Box*, this device attached to a TV. By gripping both handles, viewers could experience everything the character on screen felt. In Dick’s story, the device became so widely popular that it led to the creation of a new religion.
5. Twist Device
Our brain doesn’t actually see—it relies entirely on sensory signals from the rest of our body to form an understanding of the world around us. The Twist Box, mentioned in Rudy Rucker's *Wetware*, intercepts these sensory inputs, providing the brain with an entirely different perception of reality—making people appear more attractive or causing birds to leave vibrant trails of color as they fly.
4. Living Advertisements
At times, it feels as though a company has trained its employees to act like carbon copies of one another, almost as if they were the same person. In Alfred Bester's *The Stars My Destination*, this is literally the case. In a bid to provide customers with a uniform experience, staff members undergo months of psycho-conditioning and even plastic surgery to transform into the living version of the company mascot. Picture visiting a store to purchase a Monopoly game, only to be served by someone who not only resembles but also behaves exactly like the Monopoly mascot, Rich Uncle Pennybags.
3. Spray-On Apparel
Spray-on clothing is a popular futuristic concept. In *Galactic Pot-Healer*, Philip K. Dick imagines foam that can be sprayed directly onto the body, drying quickly to form disposable clothing. In *Return From The Stars*, Stanislaw Lem envisions a hotel filled with countless cans of sprayable socks, suits, bathrobes, and dresses, allowing women to wear a new outfit every day. Jack Vance describes a green pulp in *Abercrombie Station* that is sprayed on wet and dries into velvet. With so many sci-fi authors predicting this as the future, it’s curious that we still don’t have it.
2. Chairdogs
As mentioned in Frank Herbert’s *The Tactful Saboteur*, certain animals have been genetically altered to fulfill human needs. One of these is the ‘chairdog,’ a dog modified to resemble and function as a chair. Despite this change, the dog retains its sentience, allowing it to respond when called and even recognize your stress, offering a massage if necessary. If you stand too long, the dog will nudge your leg, encouraging you to sit and rest.
1. Hanky Bush
Imagine a plant that could grow meat, but what if it could grow something more practical? What about tissues? In *Sparrowhawk*, Thomas A. Easton explores the concept of a 'hanky bush'—a genetically engineered plant whose leaves grow into white, oblong shapes that can easily be torn off and used as tissues. While carrying a plant around may not be the most convenient option, the characters note that scientists are working on similar plants that could grow useful items for the kitchen and bathroom.
