Images: Shutterstock, Pexels
From novels and movies about galactic empires and super-agent shenanigans to real life, here are some modern-day inventions that were inspired by science fiction.
Smart watches
They were introduced as a “two-way wrist radio” in the 1946 Dick Tracy comic. Subsequently, the concept gained traction in the 1960s with movies like 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Mobile phones
In the 1966 Star Trek movie, Captain Kirk was seen using “the communicator,” a flip-phone-like device. It's said to be the inspiration for the first mobile phone, developed in 1973.
Internet
The 1984 novel Neuromancer introduces the concept of “cyberspace,” a world where computers are interconnected and data is shared globally. It is said to be the inspiration for the Internet.
Ear buds
Fahrenheit 451, a 1953 novel, featured seashell radios tucked into people’s ears, as well as Bluetooth-like headsets which produced “music and talk”, prophesying the wireless earbuds of today.
Taser
This non-lethal weapon, invented by NASA’s Jack Cover, was inspired by the researcher’s favourite book, Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle. Taser is an acronym for “Thomas A Swift’s Electric Rifle”.
Submarine
Simon Lake, the inventor of the world’s first working submarine (1898), was inspired by the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870), which featured a super submarine.
Thanks for reading!
See next