Top 6 Pieces of Tech Predicted in Fiction |
Posted: February 22, 2018 |
If you could travel into the past and ask them about what technology they expected to see in the future you may be surprised at what answers you would get. We do however get some very strong hints about the answer to that question from literature, films and TV around in the past. These articles of fiction have lead to the creation of the technology we see today and some of them remain to inspire the technology of the future. If you could travel into the future you would be amazed more so about what we have achieved. Luckily, there are resources that can tell us what technology we can expect to see in our own lifetime. Here are the top seven technologies predicted in fiction: and where they are now. 1) Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence has been a wildly popular concept in films for generations, films such as Ex Machina, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, I-Robot, Terminator, Tron, Bicentennial Man and more. There has been a variety of artificially intelligent technology with various levels of intricacy. Now artificial intelligence is becoming the norm, with built in personal assistants often built into our phones and devices such as Cortana, Siri or Alexa. Smart systems also allow AI to turn on and off lights and devices in the home, search for the latest recipes and book appointments on our behalf. 2) Mega Geo-Engineering Project There are a number of films that predict mega geo-engineering projects to reverse the impact of humans on the world. The Snowpiercer film was based off of a graphic novel called Le Transperceneige shows a world affected by the factors of climate change after attempt to use geological engineering t goes horribly throwing the world into an ice age instead. In real time there a three major and notable mega geo-engineering projects ongoing to save the world from climate change. This includes Carbon-sucking fans in Switzerland, these fans suck carbon out of the air and use it to feed vegetable gardens. They estimate that the fans will suck around 900 tons of carbon out of the air per year at a cost of $600 per ton. Another project includes Solar geo-engineering. Releasing aerosols into the atmosphere that will reflect sunlight back out into space, which would alter the planets atmosphere to keep the planet cool. Another includes feeding iron to Phytoplankton as these such carbon out of our atmosphere, though some scientists worry that this would cause more harm than good to the world. 3) Genetic Modification There are many films about genetic modifications, notably I Am Legend in response to an epidemic and Splice who splice human DNA with animal DNA. X-Men is a family favourite and The Fly is about a man who accidentally alters his genetics whilst attempting to travel through time. In real time CRISPR to edit genomes allowing researchers to easily alter DNA sequences and modify gene functions it also allows them to cut out exogenous DNA. 4) Lab-Grown Organs and Meat Star-Trek and Space Invaders predicted the growing of lab grown food resources on the mission to explore space, now the fiction is well on its way to becoming a reality. 5) Bringing Back Extinct Animals Jurassic Park probably went a bit to the extremes in the endeavour to bring back extinct animals but this is something that has actually been achieved multiple times. 6) Killing Robots Obviously, the Terminator films are one of the biggest predictors of this tech coming into fruition but the concept was discussed in many fictional books prior to the films being released. The theme crops up multiples times in series like Extant and other films such as I-Robot. The technology to creating killing robots is already here and many scientists and general public are pushing to have them banned before they become an issue that humankind cannot step back from. As AI’s capabilities are likely to benefit and hinder the human race depending on its moderation.
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