Remember when James Bond escaped with a jet pack in Thunderball? Or Captain Kirk asked the computer to put a call "on screen" in Star Trek? Fictional worlds have long inspired real-life technology. Let’s explore some of the most fascinating examples of imaginary gadgets and concepts that have become our reality.
One of the things people love the most about the James Bond films is how our hero escapes the jaws of death. One of our favorites is the jet pack Sean Connery sported in Thunderball back in 1965. Though jet packs existed before this movie, Bond no doubt fueled interest in developing a version for the military. Fast forward to today and real jet packs can reach speeds of over 200 mph!
In the same movie, Bond innovation materialized as the "rebreather" diving device. This recycles exhaled air underwater - no bulky oxygen tank required. Rebreathers now allow divers, astronauts, and the military to stay submerged longer. And throughout the movies, who could forget Bond's smart glasses and rings? These handy devices served communications, security, and spying needs. Today smart wearables are becoming mainstream for everyday users. Yet Bond isn't the only fictional spy to inspire new technology. Star Trek and its spin-offs have brought many concepts to life through the power of imagination. Just think about automatic doors like those on the Enterprise. These motion-activated wonders started appearing in grocery stores not long after the show aired in the 1960s.
Star Trek's famous communicators also exposed us to the future of flip phones and today's mobile devices. In fact, Motorola even created a replica Star Trek flip phone! I wonder if it chirped like it did on the show. Today the Universal Translator that allowed the crews to understand alien languages? We now have real-time translation apps like Google Translate. Habla, Klingon?
In the movie Star Trek: Far from Home, fan favorite Scotty traded a formula for transparent aluminum. Today, aluminum oxynitride (ALON) provides transparent armor for military jets. This futuristic material is lightweight, durable, and three times stronger than glass. Currently the Air Force is testing it for use on planes, space vessels will soon follow, in the next generation.
Star Trek also introduced us to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). All Star Fleet vessels, of course, had computers. You can access these computers via two ways, a PADD, or Personal Access Display Device, and via voice. The PADD was introduced in the Next Generation as a way to access and display various types of data, such as crew manifests, duty rosters, diagnostic reports, personal logs, library computer systems, and more. The PADD is still in use in more recent series, such as Picard. Most commonly though is the voice. Starting with the original series, the computer was most times accessed by starting the process with “Computer, tell me…” Today, many of us have in our houses or on our phones a way to hear information or do a task. We of course start it by either saying “Alexa” or “Siri” depending on our choice.
Of course, Siri and Alexa use an AI interface like the crews of the Star Trek series did. By the 22nd century, when the series Star Trek: Enterprise takes place, AI is commonplace and accepted by everyone. Today, acceptance is slowly happening except for the smart businesses. Adoption of AI is quickly becoming a determination between success and failure. Of course, the successful businesses are finding ways to use AI to communication with customers efficiently with chatbots, using applications to input large data sets and find answers and overall looking for ways to incorporate AI so that an employee can focus on tasks that will better serve customers and the bottom line.
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Fictional tech from movies and shows like James Bond and Star Trek has bridged the gap between imagination and reality. Engineers and inventors found inspiration watching 007 escape with proto-jet packs and Captain Kirk chat with computers. This has led to inventions making our lives more convenient, efficient, and even safer.
So next time you use a real-life "gadget" like automatic doors or voice assistants, think fondly of the fictional worlds that may have provided a spark. The creativity of science fiction has pushed innovation forward, bringing the fantastic technology of the future closer every day. And who knows what more is possible as we boldly go onward!
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