Movies and TV shows often miss their mark when it comes to predicting the future. We still don't have flying cars or time traveling devices, for instance. Having said that, there are several visionary films like Minority Report and 2001: A Space Odyssey that have managed to predict some aspects of technological innovation correctly.
You could assert that many of these revolutionary films and TV shows had a direct influence in turning science fiction into science fact. Regardless, from predicting VR to self-driving cars, here are movies and TV shows that were ahead of their time. We've ordered them chronologically in the following gallery.
1. Space Travel - A Trip to the Moon (1902)
Not only did writer and director Georges Méliès depict us traveling into space all the way back in 1902, but his black and white film showcased humans traveling to the moon. In the silent short, explorers get blasted into space via a cannon-propelled capsule and return to Earth by dropping into the sea. Sound familiar?
Humans wouldn't fly into space until 1961, however, when Russian Lt. Yuri Gagarin became the first person to orbit the Earth. And it wouldn't be until 1969 when Neil Armstrong would first set foot on the moon.
2. Robots - The Grim Game (1919)
The first robot made its debut on film before the term "robot" was even coined. In the Harry Houdini black-and-white silent film The Grim Game, we see a humanoid-looking "automaton" named Q.
We've since had numerous robots throughout history, but one relatively recent one that caught the attention of many is Sophia. The human-looking robot was developed by Hong-Kong company Hanson Robotics. She was activated in 2015 and is capable of speech coupled with 62 different facial expressions. The Saudi Arabian government thought she was so lifelike that they made her an honorary citizen in 2017.
3. Robot Vacuum - The Jetsons (1962)
Considering we have smart lights and speakers, The Jetsons was really ahead of its time with the concept of a smart home. The futuristic Hanna-Barbera cartoon portrayed machines that could produce meals with the press of a button and briefcases that could transform into flying cars. While we still don't have those technologies, it did accurately predict the advent of little robot vacuums. Now we have roaming Roombas that keep our floors clean and startle our cats.
4. Smart Watch - The Jetsons (1962)
Roombas weren't the only invention The Jetsons accurately predicted. The cartoon also conveyed a smartwatch that allowed you to watch videos on your wrist.
Apple would release its Apple Watch 53 years later in 2015. Now we have a plethora of smart watches from companies like Google, Samsung, and more.
5. Video Chatting - The Jetsons (1962)
Before there was Skype, The Jetsons depicted video chatting in 1962. Skype would help popularize video conferencing when it came out in 2003. Now we have numerous video applications including Slack, Google Hangouts, and more.
6. Cell Phones - Star Trek: The Original Series (1966)
Spoiler warning: Like The Jetsons, Star Trek predicted several technological innovations. One of the most notable ones involves the hand-held Communicator, which allowed Captain James T. Kirk and crew to call the USS Enterprise whenever they explored alien planets on foot.
Motorola would later experiment with wireless calls in the early 1970s, but cell phones wouldn't hit the consumer market until 1983.
7. Electronic Translators - Star Trek: The Original Series (1966)
To communicate with aliens throughout the galaxy, Star Trek crew members used a universal translator, which had hundreds of languages programmed into a device that did real-time language translations.
While we still don't have something quite as robust, Google did launch Google Translate in 2006. Coupled with smartphones, the translating app offered voice support in 2010. In 2017, Google released its Pixel Buds. The bluetooth earbuds offer near real-time translations with its built-in microphone. Accuracy of translations with the device are known to vary, however.
8. Tablet - 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2001: A Space Odyssey is another sci-fi classic that predicted numerous technological innovations. In the 1968 film, we see protagonist Dr. Dave Bowman watching videos on a tablet as he's eating a meal aboard a space station.
Apple began popularizing the tablet form factor when it initially released the iPad in 2010. Now we have several computing tablets from Google, Samsung, Microsoft, and more.
9. AI Voice Assistant - 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
HAL 9000 is one of the greatest characters in sci-fi history. The AI assistant was capable of speech, facial recognition, and more. Oh, and it was hellbent on killing humans.
Apple famously released its own voice assistant in 2011 with the launch of Siri on iPhones. Now we have Android's OK Google voice assistant and Amazon Alexa. The verdict is still out on whether these AI assistants will try to end us, however.
10. Cloning - Sleeper (1973)
In the comedic movie Sleeper, Woody Allen's character wakes up in the year 2173 after being cryogenically frozen. While we don't have the technology to safely freeze people yet, when Allen's character wakes up in the future, he finds out that cloning is a thing and is tasked with re-creating an entire human being using nothing more than remnants of a nose.
While the jury is still out on whether or not we've attempted to clone humans, animals have been successfully cloned. Dolly is perhaps the most famous example. The female sheep was cloned in 1996 with scientist taking a cell from another sheep. More recently, actress Barbra Streisand revealed that she made two clones of her dog.
11. Digital Billboards - Blade Runner (1982)
The 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner is greatly revered for its evocative, neon depiction of the future. Massive digital billboards playing videos were prominent throughout the movie's cyberpunk world.
Flashforward to today and you have neon digital billboards littered in areas such as Times Square in NY and Dotonbori in Japan.
12. Body Scanners That Can See You Naked - Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
Comedic movie Airplane II: The Sequel most likely didn't intend to accurately predict the future in any meaningful way when it released in 1982, but it showcased an airport body scanner that's capable of seeing through clothes.
Real-life backscatter X-ray machines, nicknamed "naked scanners", were widely implemented in the US with the FAA Modernization Reform Act of 2012.
13. Military Robots - Short Circuit (1986)
In the 1986 movie Short Circuit, a tech company prototypes robots for the U.S. military and ends up creating "Johnny 5." The robot ends up getting struck by lightning, providing it a form of sentience.
While robots may not be sentient (at least not yet...), there are companies like Boston Dynamics that are designing robots for the U.S. military. Recently, the tech company released a video that went viral, which showcased a man trying to hold back a dog-like robot from opening a door. Despite some tugging from the man, which lead to minor robo dismemberment, the robot persisted until it accomplished its mission. Cool, or creepy?
14. AR - RoboCop (1987)
After being shot up, police officer Alex J. Murphy finds himself on the brink of death in RoboCop. He's saved when the government revives what's left of him and augments his body with machinery. Among his enhancements is a visor that augments his vision. It displays grids, which help bolster his aim and provides additional info like mission objectives.
Today we have augmented reality glasses like Google Glass and AR visors like HoloLens and Magic Leap that are in development.
15. Self-Lacing Shoes - Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Back to the Future Part II showcased self-lacing Nike shoes. Fast forward to today and you have Nike shoes that look and function nearly identical to the ones in the movie. Okay, so maybe this is a case where a movie directly influences an invention. This is especially evident when you consider that Nike only produced 89 of them (to coincide with the 1989 release of the movie). All of the proceeds also went to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
Nike actually started working on the shoes in 2005, but the battery technology wasn't ready at the time and it required bulky motors. As mobile technology improved, Nike resumed work on the shoes in 2012 before releasing them in 2016.
16. Hoverboard - Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Just about everybody wanted a hoverboard after Marty Mcfly rode one in Back to the Future Part II. Well, we have them now, kind of. Tech company Hendo successfully funded its Hoverboard Kickstater by raising over $500,000 through the crowd funding site. It works, too. I've tried it. The only caveat, and it's a major one, is that it uses maglev technology and thus requires a conductive metal floor. So unless you have access to a copper skate park, you probably won't get to ride one any time soon.
17. Self-Driving Cars - Total Recall (1990)
In Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger's character rides in a self-driving Johnny Cab. The sci-fi taxi featured a talking robot driver. While that's not a thing today, self-driving cars are very real. Google has been testing them since 2009, and as of June 2016, the tech giant's self-driving vehicles drove over 1.7 million miles. Many companies such as Nvidia, Tesla, and Uber are now working on self-driving car technology aimed at the mass-market.
18. VR Headset - The Lawnmower Man (1992)
In the 1992 film The Lawnmower Man, Dr. Lawrence Angelo (played by Pierce Brosnan) experiments on a simple-minded gardener named Jobe Smith (played by Jeff Fahey) by strapping him to a virtual reality headset. The VR contraption dramatically improves Smith's cognitive abilities, which eventually allows him to learn Latin in two hours. It also inadvertently gives him telepathic powers. An evil mastermind subplot ensues.
While we've yet to discover telepathic capabilities, we do have VR headsets like the Oculus Rift, PSVR, and HTC Vive. In addition to gaming, VR headsets are also helping autistic people developer better social skills and are assisting patients overcome psychological issues like PTSD.
19. Widespread Genetic Testing and Engineering - Gattaca (1997)
Gattaca depicts a future where genetic testing and engineering are pervasive parts of our culture. In the 1997 sci-fi film, job interviews are determined by genetic tests and babies are engineered to near perfection before they're born. In the movie, DNA tests are so accurate that they not only indicate what diseases individuals might be susceptible to, but can even predict cause and time of death.
Today 23andMe allows you to conduct your own genetic testing at home. For a fee, the Biotech company will send you a vial that you can deposit your saliva into and mail back to get test results that will tell you what diseases you might be susceptible to.
In addition, recent breakthroughs in the biotech world have given scientists the ability to make precision edits to DNA. This is a technique known as CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. In 2015, scientists were able to use CRISPR to cut the HIV virus out of living cells from patients in a lab. Scientist also assert that CRISPR could allow babies to be born without many common genetic disorders in the near future.
20. Motion Sensing Input Devices - Minority Report (2002)
In the 2002-released movie Minority Report, actor Tom Cruise waves his hands and fingers in the air to control a gesture-based UI. Roughly eight years later in 2010, Microsoft would release the Kinect with an infrared projector that would allow the Xbox 360 to track user limbs in three-dimensional space. More advanced, subsequent devices like the Leap Motion and Microsoft's very own second-generation Kinect would later add higher-fidelity finger tracking.
21. Personalized Advertisements - Minority Report (2002)
Minority Report wasn't only right when it predicted motion-tracked gestures, but it also showcased personalized ads. In the sci-fi film, you see Cruise's character getting served ads tailored to his interests and purchasing history. This is now a very crucial component to websites like Facebook, which came out two years after Minority Report.
Companies are also beginning to roll out billboards that use recognition technology to detect people's hair length, height, and more to deliver targeted ads in public.
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