10 Fantastic Movie Inventions That Came to Reality

While science fiction writers and sci-fi directors are painstakingly designing the face of the future, inventors are inspired by their ideas and make our life better. In this article, we have collected the most iconic technologies that first appeared in books and films and only then migrated to reality.

1. Video calling

When telephone communication was already invented, people wanted to supplement it with an image so that relatives who were far from each other could see each other. For the first time, such a device called "telephonoscopeThomas Edison described. However, scientists had a lot of work to do to create a technology similar to modern video services.

Something similar started testing in the 1920s. This happened just at the moment when the film was being prepared for release.metropolisabout the city of the future.

The plot in it was built around the relationship between Mary, a girl from the poor stratum of the population, and Freder, the son of the ruler of the city. Among the futuristic technologies that the hero possessed was a wall-mounted video phone.

Its shape is likely inspire inventor Georg Schubert - literally 10 years later, similar devices appeared in Germany, created according to his layouts. They stood at the post office, and anyone could video contact another station.

2. Laser gun

War of the Worlds is a novel and movie of the same name about a Martian attack on Earth. The action takes place in California in the middle of the 20th century. A trained alien army can easily break through the planet's defenses in a couple of days. Their main weapons are laser cannons mounted on spaceships.

This technology quickly caught on with sci-fi filmmakers, and laser guns began to appear in almost every sci-fi movie. For example, you may have seen them in Star Wars andThe men in black».

However, not only the film industry was inspired by the "War of the Worlds". Invention from this work served a prototype for a real laser weapon. We are talking about the American Laser Weapon System (LaWS), which was first used in 2014. During the tests, she was able to burn a car and shoot down a drone in just a couple of seconds.

3. Clamshell phone

Western in space - so "Star Trek"Described the creator of the project, Gene Roddenberry. This long-running sci-fi franchise is dedicated to the employees of the United Federation of Planets who solve problems on a cosmic scale.

As planned, the action takes place in the future, when technology has reached its peak. And fantastic gadgets used in films have inspired many inventions by scientists. The most famous of these is the flip phone.

The legendary communicator became the prototype for the Motorola model. In 1996, the company released the StarTAC, a phone similar to the Star Trek device. He became not only first mobile "clamshell", but also the first device with vibration. It was also the smallest and lightest among its counterparts.

4. Tablet

2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 science fiction film by Stanley Kubrick that is still considered one of the cult classics. The plot tells about a series of meetings of people with mysterious black monoliths that influence the course of history. It was in this tape that the audience first saw how it can work artificial intelligence and cryogenic chamber.

Special mention deserves a newspaper reader - a rectangular interactive screen built into the ship's table. Now we would call such a gadget a tablet. Some considerthat it was "A Space Odyssey" that inspired the inventors to create it.

The film was even dragged into a 2011 trial. Apple is suing Samsung for stealing the tablet idea. As an excuse, the defendant's lawyers showed a scene from "space odyssey", dated 1968. Apple had to give in.

5. Holography

This technology British physicist Denesh Gabor described back in 1947, and later received the Nobel Prize for it. But it was only in 1964 that the first ever laser hologram was demonstrated. She depicted a toy train and a bird.

However, the general public was really inspired by this invention later, in 1977, thanks to the film "Star Wars: New Hope".

Then the image of the three-dimensional Princess Leia left an indelible mark on the souls of the audience. For example, the young inventor Lei Wang was so impressed with the painting that he decided to transfer the technology to reality. Unlike previous analogues of holographic devices, it managed create a tiny device that can even fit in a smartphone.

Gavin Smith, another scientist involved in the development of holographic products, also calls Star Wars the most inspiring film. “There were many technologies that created the illusion of a picture in space. But there were no devices that could generate a true 3D image that you could walk on and look at from any angle without a headset.” said Smith.

His team has succeeded in creating such a technology - soon it will be used in some hospitals and universities in the United States. It was also acquired by companies involved in the creation of video games.

6. smart glasses

In Back to the Future 2, McFly's son dine on smart glasses that double as a modern smartphone. Inside the glasses are displays that create supplemented reality.

We now understand that this idea may have inspired the creators of Google Glass. In 2013 the company introduced new smart glasses that could record video and partially performed the functions of a smartphone. The user interacted with them using voice commands. After the phrase “Ok, Glass,” you could ask them to complete a task.

Google Glass was supposed to provide three actions at the same time: create augmented reality, go online, and also make it possible to keep a video diary. The developers are still improving their invention and working on a headset for people with low vision.

Now glasses are used mainly in large industries, where employees can operate the device hands-free. And although Google Glass did not become commercially successful, who knows what the future holds for the gadget.

7. Digital billboards

«Blade Runner”, released in 1982, is one of the first films in the cyberpunk genre. He tells the story of a search replicantswho illegally left the space station and arrived on Earth. The main character, Rick Deckard, is tasked with finding out the motives of the fugitives and destroying them.

The cyberpunk aesthetic presented in the film is very futuristic: lots of neon and skyscrapers with huge digital billboards. In reality, such devices for outdoor advertising appeared only in 2007 in the United States. thanks to Watchfire Signs. And they were most likely inspired by the movie.

8. flying drones

Now we are already accustomed to the fact that drones are called flying devices. However, one of the first samples did not have wings and was made in the form of a small radio-controlled boat. His created famous inventor Nikola Tesla in 1898.

Only later Charles Kettering did "air torpedo" - an aircraft that at the right time dropped its wings and fell like a stone on the enemy's head. Then the technology improved and drones quickly began to be used for military purposes.

IN "terminatorThis idea was developed even further: for example, in the flashbacks of Kyle Reese, who arrived from the future to save Sarah Connor, SkyNet unmanned aerial vehicles appear - the enemies of people.

However, now we are increasingly seeing how drones are used for civilian purposes: they are used for filming, delivering food and mail. If desired, they can even be sent to walk the dog, as in the movie "Back to the Future - 2".

And although this and the previous films did not serve as a source of inspiration for the creation of drones, they clearly popularized their idea. Now a flying robot that brings you a package no longer seems like something unusual. For example, in France, the postal company enjoys like this since 2016.

9. unmanned vehicle

Total Recall takes place in 2084. People's entertainment has changed: now you can not go on vacation, but simply record artificial memories of a great time in your memory. Douglas Quaid decides to use the services of Rekall to go on a "journey" to Mars. However, during the implantation of the "new memory", something unexpected happens and the protagonist loses his real memories.

Before the appearance of such services, we, most likely, are still far away. However, another technology, also featured in the film, already exists. We are talking about self-driving cars. So, once in a taxi, instead of a real person behind the wheel, Douglas sees a mannequin figurine. The car drives itself.

In 1990, this idea looked too much futuristic. However, today, thanks to researchers from Google, Tesla and Ford, the self-driving car fantasy is becoming a reality. In China, For example, you can already order a taxi with such management.

10. Computer with gesture interface

«Special opinion” is a 2002 film about the latest technology for crime prevention. Thanks to her, police officers can see the murders that will happen in the near future. The system gives out the names of criminals, their victims and the time of the commission of illegal actions.

Of course, such technology can hardly be invented. But the gesture-activated computer already exists. In reality, such interaction between the PC user and the machine is possible with the help of motion sensors.

The pioneers in this field were Nintendo and Xboxwho created touch panels that connect to game systems and capture human gestures, transferring them to a virtual avatar. Thanks to this, there are, for example, dancing games, in which the characters completely repeat the actions of the gamer in reality.

And recently, Leap Motion released a device that connects to a USB port and allows you to control your computer with your hand movements.

What inventions from films or books do you remember? Add your ideas in the comments!