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
Make us preferred on Google

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 America Giphy

"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

Couple in France having drinks during riots
@CNN/TikTok

Couple Appears Completely Unbothered By Burning Rubble And Riots Just Feet Away From Paris Café

Protests are continuing across Europe in response to rising costs of living and declining resources and public services, and it's a constant thought lingering on the minds of many Europeans, wondering if the unrest will come to their city next.

But that was as far from the truth as possible for one couple in Paris who decided they were going to have a cup of coffee, in peace or not.

Keep Reading Show less
Kaia Gerber; Presley Gerber
Scott Kirkland/FX via Getty Images; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Kaia Gerber Opens Up About Brother Presley's Death At 27 With Heartbreaking Tribute: 'I Was Born Loving You'

Actor and model Kaia Gerber has opened up about the tragic death of her brother Presley Gerber last month.

Gerber, the daughter of model Cindy Crawford and businessman Rande Gerber, penned a heartfelt post for Instagram in which she mourned her beloved "prez."

Keep Reading Show less
woman's hands on a Bible; school children with lunch trays
Tetra Images/Getty Images; Westend61/Getty Images

MAGA Christians Rage After Being Asked Why They're Against Free School Lunches

With Christianity so closely tied to Republican President Donald Trump, the GOP, and Trump's MAGA movement, a person might assume a government controlled by MAGA Republicans would try to enact legislation based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Things like feeding the hungry, housing the unhoused, caring for the sick and the poor, welcoming the immigrant, and loving their neighbors. But MAGA is a manifestation of White supremacy and Christian nationalism, so MAGA Republicans at all levels of government have embraced the greed of the Evangelical Christian "prosperity gospel" that glorifies the rich and vilifies the poor.

Keep Reading Show less
Melania Trump and Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump's Awkward Kiss With Melania After Dig About Her Signature At Rose Garden Event Sparks Flurry Of Jokes

Social media users couldn't help commenting after First Lady Melania Trump turned her head to the side and away from President Donald Trump when he leaned in for a kiss in the White House Rose Garden after signing an executive order to establish a task force and a National Institutes of Health division for women.

Trump admired his signature for a moment—"Oh, that's a good one!"—before motioning for the first lady to sign her name as well, only to joke:

Keep Reading Show less
Jan Crawford; Abdul El-Sayed
CBS; Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

CBS News Reporter Sparks Backlash After Deleting Post Attacking Abdul El-Sayed

CBS News chief legal correspondent Jan Crawford sparked backlash and was forced to apologize after praising a town hall attendee who questioned Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed about disavowing the Muslim Brotherhood.

The since-deleted response featured footage of an encounter between a heckler identified as "Tommy" and El-Sayed. Tommy raised an allegation promoted by El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, suggesting the candidate had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, a subject discussed in previous coverage.

Keep Reading Show less