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Science fiction stands as one of the most ancient literary genres, with its origins stretching all the way back to mythological times. Sci-fi is often fantastical, extreme, and sometimes seemingly outlandish, but unlike fantasy, it frequently builds on technologies that might one day be possible.
This doesn’t mean you’ll be enlisted for a lightsaber duel on Mars anytime soon, but history has shown that real science often draws inspiration directly from the concepts found in sci-fi. For instance…
10. Autonomous Self-Driving Cars
The 2002 movie Minority Report showcased futuristic sci-fi at its most stylish. A standout feature was the self-driving car: simply activate autopilot, and it smoothly glides along with the flow of traffic. We saw this concept again in I, Robot, and it's one real-world innovation we've eagerly anticipated for quite some time.
The Google Driverless Car marked the first significant real-world effort that gained broad public attention, despite the viral videos of it running over traffic cones. Google asserts that its small fleet has now covered over 300,000 miles without human input, with at least 12 vehicles on the road at any given moment.
In a similar vein, Volvo has recently tested its own 'platooning technology,' where a convoy of autonomous vehicles follows a lead car, stopping, turning, and accelerating together. Essentially, the lead car electronically pulls the others, allowing drivers to 'focus on other activities while driving,' a luxury many would argue is already happening.
9. Invisible Bicycle Helmets
This might not have appeared in any sci-fi films, but it certainly should have. This invention is a mobile airbag designed to replace the usual bulky bicycle helmets. Worn as a scarf around your neck, it inflates upon impact, forming a protective cushion around your head.
The Invisible Bike Helmet was developed by Hovding, a Swedish tech company. Above is a video showcasing the airbag helmet in action.
8. Shark Repellent
While the Batman franchise is not typically categorized as science fiction, a closer look reveals that it shares many elements with the genre. From the gadgets to the vehicles, to the supervillains – all the hallmarks of sci-fi are present. In the 1966 Batman film, we were introduced to one of the most iconic gadgets of all time: shark repellent. When Batman is attacked by a shark, he reaches into his utility belt and pulls out a can of shark repellent spray. It was a cool moment, but one that seemed like pure fantasy… until now.
Chemist Eric Stroud has created a device that successfully repels sharks and sends them swimming away. Using magnetism (no spray cans involved), it overloads the sensors, known as ampullae of Lorenzini, which sharks rely on for hunting and feeding. Biologists believe that sharks navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field, and by spinning a magnet near them, it overwhelms their sensors, guiding them to calmer waters.
In the future, this magnetic shark repellent could be used to prevent sharks from entering fishing nets or to create 'no-shark' zones for swimming. And yes, Stroud is also developing chemical shark repellents. Let's hope they come in an aerosol can.
7. Data That Lasts Forever
In the 2002 film The Time Machine, Alexander Hartdegen (played by Guy Pearce) builds a time machine and inadvertently travels to the year 802,701 AD. There, he uncovers the ruins of a building containing a hologram from 800,000 years earlier, and many viewers dismissed the notion that any form of data storage could possibly endure for that long.
Or could it? The Japanese company Hitachi has developed a data storage medium that can retain information – wait for it – forever. This tiny square of quartz glass is only 0.08 inches thick and 0.8 inches on each side. It stores up to 40Mb of binary data in the form of minuscule dots, which can be read using a microscope or any device that understands binary – which is, of course, every machine.
Additionally, quartz glass is resistant to water, chemicals, and radio waves, and can endure temperatures up to 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours. In other words, it’s the Terminator of data storage compared to hard drives, CDs, books – basically any storage medium we use today. It’s incredibly close to being indestructible, able to survive even the catastrophic events that will eventually destroy the building it was created in. And speaking of Terminators…
6. Androids
Androids are a key element in sci-fi, and although we’ve made impressive strides in creating highly detailed robots, designing one that can walk upright on two legs remains a major challenge. Balance is a significant hurdle, and for a robot to be functional, it must navigate autonomously, avoid obstacles, and traverse difficult terrain – tasks that we take for granted but are incredibly complex at even the most basic level of robotics. The classic dilemma: Do I walk around the kitten, or trip over it?
Well, according to DARPA, the answer is probably 'DESTROY ON SIGHT.' Take a look at their Pet-Proto robot. If this video doesn’t make you scream and run for cover, you might be legally deceased (in which case, visit this website).
For those who can’t view the video, it showcases a walking robot that can make autonomous decisions. Not only can it step over obstacles, but it also has reflexes. At one point in the video, it steps up onto a bench, loses its balance, and then uses its robotic arms to steady itself.
And in comparison, that's already old news. DARPA’s forthcoming Robotics Challenge will let competitors test their androids against similar challenges. The ultimate aim of the competition is to develop robots capable of entering hazardous environments and using human tools and vehicles.
5. Nanodrones
What could be more unnerving than a human-shaped robot? How about nanodrones – tiny flying drones the size of mosquitoes that can take pictures, record audio, and even collect DNA samples from you without your knowledge.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and particularly their use by governments, have been under public scrutiny for years. You’ve probably come across news reports about the Predator drones.
Evidence for MAVs (micro aerial vehicles) has not been made publicly available to the same extent, but some claim that the government has been using them for domestic surveillance for years. It may not be as outlandish as it sounds: A MAV with a wingspan of just 3cm was revealed at the 2007 International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, and reports of dragonfly-shaped MAVs surfaced from an antiwar rally that same year.
A photo of a mosquito drone capable of injecting viruses through skin has been circulating for some time, but the existence of this particular drone remains unverified.
4. A Conversation With a Man in a Coma
Science fiction writers have been intrigued by the human mind for centuries. While we know much about the human body, the mind remains largely unexplored. In the medical field, comatose patients have always been subjects of intense study. What’s happening inside their minds? Do they dream? Can they hear what’s being said around them?
Professor Adrian Owen from the Brain and Mind Institute has revealed that people in a coma can not only hear their surroundings but can also respond.
Scott Rouley, a 39-year-old man, was in a coma for over 12 years following a car accident. Thanks to fMRI, a technology that measures brainwave activity, he can now communicate by activating specific areas of his brain through thought, which illuminates targeted regions.
This breakthrough began in 2010 with Professor Owen, who asked patients in comas to imagine playing tennis, which sparked activity in one area of their brains, and walking around their home, which activated another part. One thought symbolized 'Yes' and the other signified 'No.' Of the 54 patients, 5 were able to answer correctly. These patients were comatose and had no motor function. While they may not be writing novels yet, the future may not be far off.
3. Face Scanners
Among all the dystopian sci-fi scenarios, the most terrifying might be the government having the power to monitor everyone all the time. With cameras at every intersection, a colossal database linking each face to a record, and no place to hide, law enforcement in California saw this vision and thought, 'Why not?' As a result, the San Diego police now use facial recognition technology that can instantly analyze any image or video feed and compare it against 4 million potential matches per second.
Developed by FaceFirst, this technology allows law enforcement to track individuals in a crowd, analyzing each face captured by a camera in real-time, all while processing matches simultaneously. According to Joseph Rosenkrantz, the CEO of FaceFirst,
“In just a few seconds, the necessary parties receive an email with all the relevant details about the identified individual, including a video clip of them passing the camera, allowing them to approach and take action immediately.”
Imagine this: you walk past a traffic camera, and within five seconds, your face, along with an extensive history of your life, is sitting in someone's inbox. A minute later, a police officer stops you, arresting you for a candy bar you stole when you were 12.
Honestly, perhaps it’s better to live without all this technology.
2. A Supervirus That Can Kill Everyone
There’s nothing quite as terrifying as the idea of a supervirus capable of wiping out billions of people. This concept has often been relegated to the realm of James Bond villains and dark corporate conspiracies in films. At least, that was the case until 2011, when Ron Fouchier, a Dutch virologist, revealed that he had actually created a virus with this very potential.
The virus in question is a genetically modified version of H5N1, more commonly known as the avian flu, which is deadly for birds but has caused only around 500 human infections since 2002 (for perspective, the seasonal flu claims about 3,000 lives each year).
By making a few modifications to the virus, Fouchier and his team managed to make it both far more lethal and vastly more contagious, killing nearly 50% of the ferrets used in their tests. Ferrets are commonly chosen for such studies due to the similarity of their respiratory systems to those of humans.
In the experiments, the virus was initially spread manually between the ferrets, but after 10 generations, it adapted to become airborne and spread effortlessly to the entire population. And remember, this serves as a working model of how it could affect humans. Now, imagine if this kind of virus fell into the hands of bioterrorists. Oh wait, people already have – this has sparked one of the biggest controversies in the virology world, as Fouchier had plans to publicly share his entire methodology.
1. Immortality
The idea of transplanting a human brain into a robot doesn’t just sound like science fiction – it sounds like the worst kind of science fiction. Yet, Russian inventor Dmitry Itskov claims this is precisely what he’s working toward. Although this technology isn't available right now, Itskov hopes to have it ready within the next decade – well ahead of the time when many billionaire baby boomers will be nearing the end of their lives.
The plan involves uploading a person’s consciousness, essentially transferring their mind like a computer program, into the robot’s artificial “brain.” The project, ambitiously titled “Avatar,” aims to create lifelike humanoid robots by 2015 and fully transfer human consciousness by 2020. DARPA is pursuing a similar concept of thought transference, investing $7 million into a project (also named Avatar – sigh…) that will enable soldiers to control robots on the battlefield using nothing but their minds.
