Science fiction has always been a space for creative and futuristic imagination. It’s where science and technology that are still in the realm of theory—or even yet to be discovered—are brought to life.
And though the genre often uses existing technology as its base, sometimes technology’s imagined capabilities actually end up becoming real. There are a number of real-life technology that were predicted or inspired by fiction.
Sci-Fi Technology in Real Life
Sometimes sci-fi writers can shape the future with their imagination. For example, Mary Shelley explored the idea of reanimating bodies before the invention of the defibrillator. Jules Verne imagined traveling to space before the technology to do so even existed.
Below is a list of technology from science fiction that came to be in real life. While it’s difficult to know whether these fictional technologies really influenced their real-life counterparts, we can’t deny the similarities between them.
1. Automatic Doors
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 engineer, created a mechanism that opened temple doors using a combination of water and fire.
Wells’ automated doors, however, are perhaps the earliest and closest description of the tech that we know today. In 1954, Dee Horton and Lew Hewitt invented automatic doors that opened on either side of an entryway.
It’s not the only technology that Wells predicted, though. A passionate futurist, he foresaw the invention of space travel, nuclear weaponry, tanks, airplanes, and even Wikipedia.
2. Mobile Phones
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 Enterprise currently in orbit, while he’s stranded miles below on the surface of some planet.
It inspired Martin Cooper, then the head of Motorola’s communications systems division, to invent the mobile phone.
In 1973, Cooper and his team demonstrated the capabilities of this new technology to the public. The team watched as Cooper dialed competitor Joel S. Engel’s (of At&T) number and spoke the words, “Joel, this is Marty. I’m calling you from a cell phone, a real handheld portable cell phone.”
The original design was clunky, with only 30 minutes of talk time and a 10-hour recharge. It’s been refined over the years into the sleek and compact devices that have become an essential part of our daily lives.
3. Credit Cards
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 credit to do whatever they wish:
"a credit card issued him with which he procures at the public storehouses, found in every community, whatever he desires whenever he desires it. This arrangement, you will see, totally obviates the necessity for business transactions of any sort between individuals and consumers."
This is in contrast to modern credit cards, which are used as lending facilities with a set amount of money you can borrow. You have to admit, it’s a pretty close description of what card transactions have become.
4. Food Machines
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 Kids had this microwave that could hydrate food from blocks.
Now Columbia University’s making strides in 3D printing food. But unlike the ones mentioned above, their technology still needs prepared ingredients. Still, the ability to create food from molecules might soon become a reality.
5. Robot Helpers
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 Nanny, where a robot takes care of a family so well that they refuse to buy a new one. These kinds of robot helpers are frequently found in sci-fi novels, movies, and TV series.
Domestic robots are still a far cry from these fictional versions. The most common ones are single-purpose machines with little to no artificial intelligence. Still, robotics is rapidly advancing to a level seen in science fiction.
6. Virtual Reality
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:
"Through the use of electronic mirrors inside the computer, this beam is made to sweep back and forth across the lenses of Hiro’s goggles, in much the same way as the electron beam in a television paints the inner surface of the eponymous Tube. The resulting image hands in space in front of Hiro’s view of Reality…. So Hiro’s not actually here at all. He’s in a computer-generated universe that’s drawing onto his goggles and pumping into his earphones."
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 smell to the overall experience soon.
7. Tasers
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 to the novel’s title: Thomas A. Swift’s Electric Rifle. The initial “A” was added to produce a more pronounceable word compared to “TSER.”
8. Intelligent Cars
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.”
"Much effort will be put into the designing of vehicles with "Robot-brains"—vehicles that can be set for particular destinations and that will then proceed there without interference by the slow reflexes of a human driver. I suspect one of the major attractions of the 2014 fair will be rides on small roboticized cars which will maneuver in crowds at the two-foot level, neatly and automatically avoiding each other."
These kinds of cars have appeared in many science fiction stories. One of the most popular examples is K.I.T.T. from the 1982 TV series Knight Rider. Even James Bond frequently sported cars that had some form of driverless functions.
In 2009, Google started the Self-Driving Car Project, which has since been rebranded to Waymo, a company that offers driverless taxi rides to the public. Tesla is currently developing their autopilot system, and countless other automakers and tech companies are racing to create fully autonomous vehicles.
9. Combat Information Center
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 fiction as early as 1900’s The Struggle for Empire: A Story of the Year 2236. And according to Rear Admiral Cal Laning (who helped develop the CIC), the idea was “specifically, consciously, and directly” taken from the Lensman series by E.E. Smith. It was further influenced by the works of his friend, Robert Heinlein, one of the “Big 3” of science fiction.
10. The Waldo
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 of Heinlein’s ingenious idea, real life remote manipulators have become popularly known as waldoes. A company called The Character Shop later trademarked the word “Waldo” for their data-capture input devices that they use to control their puppets and animatronics.
Science Fiction Technology Predictions
Science and technology are rapidly growing in today’s age. And even though both have exploded over the course of the past century, people are still pushing them to further heights. There’s no telling where they take us, for better or for worse.
Science fiction envisions what these heights can be. In fact, many science fiction writers have backgrounds in the fields of science and technology themselves. Isaac Asimov was a biochemist, Carl Sagan an astronomer, and Liu Cixin is a computer engineer. It makes sense why their predictions are so accurate about what the future can be like.
And as ideas from science fiction come to life, writers are able to push through the boundaries of their imaginations to visualize what is higher up. They replace these now-real technologies with endless scientific possibilities.
Who knows, 20 years from now you might be sitting at the back of a fully driverless car, eating 3D printed food, while reading about a strange, newly conceptualized technology from your favorite sci-fi writer.
What do you think of these sci-fi predictions? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
