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

Donald Trump; a Domino's Pizza location
Saul Loeb/Pool/AFP via Getty Images; Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

White House's Attempt To Piggyback Off Of A Domino's Pizza Meme Backfires Spectacularly—And The Jokes Are Delicious

The White House was mocked almost immediately after its social media team repurposed a tweet from Domino's Pizza to promote President Donald Trump and his administration.

The UK division for Domino's recently shared a viral post in which it declared something—namely its pizza—"starts with D and never disappoints."

Keep Reading Show less
Eva Mendes; Ryan Gosling; Johnny Depp
Gotham/GC Images/Getty Images; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Hoda Davaine/Red Sea International Film Festival/Getty Images

Eva Mendes Slams AI-Generated Image Of Husband Ryan Gosling And Johnny Depp—And We're Obsessed

Hitch and 2 Fast 2 Furious star Eva Mendes isn't going to let anything slide when it comes to husband Ryan Gosling's reputation, and she's not going to let AI slop go by undetected, either.

Last weekend was San Diego's giant annual Comic-Con, with big reveals about what to expect next in the entertainment industry, including Ryan Gosling's official casting as Ghost Rider in an upcoming Marvel film, which was announced during the MCU panel centered around Avengers: Doomsday in Hall H.

Keep Reading Show less
Glen Hansard
Luciano Viti/Getty Images

Celebrity Tributes Come Pouring In For 'Once' Star Glen Hansard After His Tragic Death In Motorcycle Accident—And Fans Are Heartbroken

Irish musician and Oscar-winning performer Glen Hansard has tragically passed away at the age of 56 after a motorcycle accident in Dublin, Ireland.

Hansard was best known for the 2007 Oscar-winning film Once, which went on to win eight Tony Awards for its Broadway adaptation. He also received an Oscar for Best Original Song for his single "Falling Slowly."

Keep Reading Show less
Keira Knightley; Donald Sutherland
Vanity Fair; Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Resurfaced Video Of Keira Knightley's 'Funny' Story About Working With Donald Sutherland Sparks Debate

Keira Knightley, despite having major roles in films like Pirates of the Caribbean, Atonement, and Pride & Prejudice, has spent most of her career operating under the radar when it comes to controversy.

That's changed now that a clip from an interview opposite Rosamund Pike for Vanity Fair resurfaced last weekend.

Keep Reading Show less
Kaitlan Collins; Donald Trump
Taylor Hill/WireImage; Eric Lee/Getty Images

Kaitlan Collins Describes What Trump Is Really Like During Oval Office Press Conferences—And We're Nodding Hard

In an appearance on The Daily Show, CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins made revealing comments about President Donald Trump's conduct during Oval Office press conferences, saying she doesn't let his personal attacks stop her from asking "challenging" or "critical" questions.

Collins said she's had "the same model the entire time" she's covered the president, saying she's "never had a back and forth with him" and has "always brought it back to the question."

Keep Reading Show less