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Technology in science fiction is a crucial aspect of the genre. [1] [2] As science fiction emerged during the era of Industrial Revolution, the increased presence of machines in everyday life and their role in shaping of the society was a major influence on the genre.
- The mobile phone. All About Space. From: "Star Trek: The Original Series" It's something that almost everyone has in their pockets. Mobile phones have become a necessity in modern life with a plethora of remarkable features.
- The universal translator. From: "Star Trek: The Original Series" While exploring space, characters such as Captain Kirk and Spock would come across alien life who spoke a different language.
- Teleportation. From: "Star Trek: The Original Series" The idea behind "beaming" someone up was that a person could be broken down into an energy form (dematerialization) and then converted back into matter at their destination (rematerialization).
- 3D holograms. From: "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" Not long into the first Star Wars movie, Obi-Wan Kenobi receives a holographic message. By definition, a hologram is a 3D image created from the interference of light beams from a laser onto a 2D surface, and can only be seen in one angle.
Apr 5, 2018 · Many researchers acknowledge the role that science fiction has played in triggering their interest in science and inspiring breakthroughs. Indeed, there are many examples of fictional...
- Automatic Doors
- Mobile Phones
- Credit Cards
- Food Machines
- Robot Helpers
- Virtual Reality
- Tasers
- Intelligent Cars
- Combat Information Center
- The Waldo
In 1910, author H.G. Wells published When the Sleeper Wakes. In it, he describes two men walking through an apparently solid wall. As they approach, the wall “rolled up with a snap” to allow access before closing again. To be fair, the concept of automatic doors have been around since the classical age. Heron of Alexandria, a mathematician and engi...
Star Trek envisioned a handheld device that was used for communication. Known as a “communicator,” it was capable of communication at absurdly long distances—such as Captain Kirk contacting the Enterprisecurrently in orbit, while he’s stranded miles below on the surface of some planet. It inspired Martin Cooper, then the head of Motorola’s communic...
In 1888, writer Edward Bellamy published a utopian novel entitled Looking Backward. In it, he uses the term “credit card”to describe a slip of plastic that is used for purchase. His concept of it works more like a modern debit card, where citizens use it to spend their dividends from the government. In the book, people receive the same amount of cr...
Machines that can create food are a staple in science fiction. The Jetsons had a machine that could instantly create full meals. Star Trek had a “replicator,” which could produce food out of thin air. And the movie Spy Kidshad this microwave that could hydrate food from blocks. Now Columbia University’s making strides in 3D printing food. But unlik...
In 1920, Czech author Karel Čapek wrote the play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots). There, he introduced the term robots, though it more closely described what would be known as androids later on. These are synthetic people who are emotionless and efficient workers incapable of self-thought. In 1955, Philip K. Dick published a short story entitled...
The 1982 film Tron introduced a digital world that humans can interact with. In 1992, Neal Stephenson released Snow Crash, which describes virtual reality as: It’s extremely similar to how virtual reality is today. Currently, googles, haptic gloves, and headphones are used to experience an alternate world. We might even be able to bring taste and s...
In 1911, several writers under the name Victor Appleton released the novel, Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle. It details a young inventor who creates an electric gun that shoots out “a powerful current of stored electricity.” The idea inspired NASA engineer Jack Cover to create his own version of the gun, the taser. The name itself is a reference t...
In a 1964 article for the New York Times, Isaac Asimov speculated on what the world would be like in 50 years. One of the many predictions he had (which were all eerily accurate) was the invention of a car with a “robot-brain.” These kinds of cars have appeared in many science fiction stories. One of the most popular examples is K.I.T.T. from the 1...
A combat information center (CIC) is a room in a warship that functions as a tactical hub, quickly processing and providing information to flag and commanding officers, as well as to other control stations. In other military commands, rooms that serve these functions are also called command centers. The idea of such a room appeared in science ficti...
In 1942, Robert Heinlein published a short story entitled Waldo. It chronicles the journey of a mechanical genius who overcomes his skeletal muscle disease by inventing a device called “Waldo F. Jones’ Synchronous Reduplicating Pantograph.”It lets him control a much larger, remote mechanical arm simply by moving his hand and fingers. In recognition...
Apr 4, 2024 · From communication devices to advanced medical breakthroughs, science fiction has predicted and influenced the development of various technologies that have changed our world.
- Daniel Arenson
Sep 19, 2022 · Science fiction, popularly shortened as sci-fi, is a genre of fiction that creatively depicts real or imaginary science and technology as part of its plot, setting, or theme. The fiction part of science fiction means, of course, that it’s a fictional story—not a real-life account.
Oct 16, 2020 · Stanley Kubrick's 1968 sci-fi film, "2001: A Space Odyssey" was loaded with advanced tech that would ultimately become reality, including smart tablets which the spaceship crew use to watch...
