Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Break Down The Best Futuristic Technologies From Science Fiction

People Break Down The Best Futuristic Technologies From Science Fiction
photography of Astronaut beside satellite
Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Science Fiction has often been a predictor of what technologies might be possible in the future and has occasionally guided scientists in developing new tech.

Efforts to create a Universal Translator are ongoing, though none have yet reached the level of real-time translation seen in Star Trek.


Redditor I-Like-Being-Alone asked:

"What are your favourite examples of advanced technology from Science-Fiction?"

Replicators

"Star Trek replicators"

-sadh*ndjob

"Yep. Any consumable item, at any temperature, perfect everytime."

-Fickle-dill-pickle

"Yes. I want nachos. With cheese, and beef, and beans, and salsa, and tomatoes, and sour cream, and olives."

"I live in Japan, obtaining some of those items is nearly impossible. I weep. Even Taco Bell nachos bel grande would be welcome at this point."

-ClancyHabbard

Infectious Luck

Giphy

"The positive viruses from Red Dwarf - sexual magnetism virus and luck virus"

-Item_Successful

Capsule Corp To The Rescue

"Capsules from Dragonball. We would save so much area just from parked cars alone."

-pvtskittels

"A portable house and car sound amazing"

-Zorro5040

​Instantaneous Travel

"Teleportation; whether we're talking Star Trek, Dr Who, etc. Flying/driving needs to become a leisure activity"

-MrBlusie

"But most forms of teleportation would just bring up The Ship of Theseus Paradox since most forms of teleportation breaks the user down and reconstructs them elsewhere. Are we truly the same person or were we just killed and a clone was placed to replace us?

-ForgottenForce

You Could Be Anything

"The Omnitrix. The fact that you can use this device with millions of alien samples and walk around in their shoes and use their unique traits is pretty cool. Plus you could become a superhero...or a supervillain, whichever you choose lol"

-WrathfulBroly

"All good fun till you turn into something that can't survive in Earth's atmosphere and implodes from the pressure difference."

-Northerleyfire

"Hopefully there would be some form of safeguard to prevent that... But that would depend on the device working correctly, and a competent user... 🤪"

-4rd_Prefect

Really Fast Travel

"Surprised not to see literally any of the multiple forms of FTL tech yet. Warp drive, slipstream, slipSPACE, wormhole tech, stargates…"

-Sawsamurai

"Right. All of the other things are mere convenience. If we can figure out FTL, we can literally control the galaxy."

"Problem is, it's probably not possible. That makes me sad."

-heuristic_al

Instant Big Mac

"This is a silly one... I always wished the microwave thingy from Spy Kids was real. The one where, it looked like a candy bar before putting it in there and then BOOM Big Mac?"

"That's honestly something I think was always pretty cool."

-Storm137

New-Old Tech

"Mine would have to be a particular in Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. Basically, it's a voice-to-text-typewriter. The character misspeaks while dictating to the device and so she has to throw out the paper and start again. I love how the idea of a word processor just didn't come to him. It shows how there's so many innovations that couldn't be easily predicted."

-SmartAlec105

"Like Dick, who imagines robot teachers or super computers that run the world but they all run on tape."

-RavioliGale

It Sonics Things

doctor who television GIF by BBC AmericaGiphy

"The sonic screwdriver"

-SavageCabbageGG

Just So Useful

"A Star Trek's tricorder. A portable device which can tell me what something is or wha's wrong with someone? So good."

-Megidra989

Some of these are certainly fantastical and seemingly impossible, but an iPhone would seem completely absurd to someone from 100 years ago. Anything is possible.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

James Charles
@jamescharleslol/TikTok

YouTuber James Charles Sparks Backlash For Berating Former Spirit Airlines Worker Who Sent Him GoFundMe Link After Losing Her Job

The thing about being a rich influencer is that you're only a rich influencer in the first place because the fans who watch your content made you one.

Makeup content creator James Charles seems to have forgotten this simple fact and has turned himself into the internet's latest Marie Antoinette because of it.

Keep ReadingShow less
bedazzled MAGA hat
Timothy Hurst/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Threads User's Epic Rant Ripping MAGA Fans Who Now Claim They 'Always Had Doubts' About Trump Has The Internet Applauding

As prominent MAGA minions, like QAnon conspiracy peddler and former Georgia Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, have come out against MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, so too are some lesser known individuals.

Whether it's his Iran War, his continuing saga with the Epstein files, his utter failure to keep any of his campaign promises that they banked on helping them, or the abject incompetence of his hand-picked personnel, some members of MAGA are distancing themselves from the cult.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Trump Ripped For Somehow Making His 'Happy Mother's Day' Post All About Himself Without Any Mention Of Melania

President Donald Trump was criticized after he "honored" mothers on Mother's Day by attacking Democrats in a self-absorbed post on Truth Social, never mentioning his wife, First Lady Melania, who is the mother of his youngest son Barron.

Instead of acknowledging her and mothers around the country, Trump gloated about the economy and accused critics of having "Trump Derangement Syndrome," targeting Democrats and Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve Chair he's been trying to push out of his administration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Zach Galifianakis; Donald Trump
Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Zach Galifianakis Expertly Lays Into Comedians Who Refuse To 'Challenge' Trump When He's A Guest On Their Podcasts

Actor and comedian Zach Galifianakis called out comedians who have had President Donald Trump on their podcasts and didn't "challenge" him, noting that they've effectively abdicated their role by not making jokes at Trump's expense or pushing back against things he says.

Galifianakis made that argument during a recent episode of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, where host Conan O'Brien remarked that few, if any, people have challenged a sitting president the way Galifianakis did when he interviewed then-President Barack Obama in 2014 on his satirical series Between Two Ferns.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Sean Duffy
Fox News

Sean Duffy Ripped After Encouraging Americans To Take 'Road Trips' As Gas Prices Continue To Soar

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was called out after he encouraged Americans to take "road trips" as gas prices continue to rise as a result of President Donald Trump's war in Iran.

Republicans have faced pressure from constituents nationwide to address the rising cost of living, but Americans are feeling pain at the pump now that the Iran war, which the Trump administration kicked off in late February, has prompted a spike in gas prices.

Keep ReadingShow less