10 Times Movie Gadgets Turned Into Real Technology

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Throughout history, the visionary power of science fiction has repeatedly transformed into science reality. Countless times, the creative minds of writers, artists, and filmmakers have shown us possible futures long before technology could catch up. This often happens decades before, and occasionally even longer. For example, in his 1865 novel “From the Earth to the Moon,” Jules Verne calculated the precise mathematics of a lunar trajectory a full century before Neil Armstrong made his inspiring ‘small step’ speech. Similarly, Hugo Gernsback accurately predicted car phones, robot tanks, and home shopping among a plethora of other predictions with remarkable accuracy and detail throughout his writing career.

Whether we talk about science-fiction novels, comic books, or Hollywood movies, these time gaps between imagination and implementation prove that humans envision concepts long before we engineer them. This journey from fiction to fact clearly isn’t just about technology — it’s also about humanity’s remarkable ability to imagine its way into a very real future.

However, taking these innovations onto the big screen can often be more challenging than writing down thoughts and ideas, and not all hit the mark. Those “Blade Runner” spinners might be iconic sci-fi vehicles, but we’re still dreaming of sky-high commutes and scenic taxi rides above the clouds. Yet, for every flying car, there’s a piece of tech that has leapt from the silver screen into our daily lives. Here are some movie gadgets that did become reality.

Metropolis’s videophone

A videophone is a phone equipped with a camera and screen that enables you to see the person you’re talking with. The fact that Fritz Lang envisioned one in the first ever feature-length sci-fi movie, “Metropolis,” just one year after the invention of the television in 1927 is quite remarkable. Moreover, his videophone was notably more modern than John Logie Baird’s weird contraption and was just one aspect of the German silent movie that showed astonishing foresight. The videophone was wall-mounted and had a multiple-dial control system that enabled audio-visual communication. This calling system was somewhat more rudimentary than today’s sophisticated smart displays and tablets that require just a tap or two and a decent Wi-Fi connection.

Contemporary video-calling technology also exceeds what the film imagined, with particular regard to portability. Fritz’s machine was big and clunky, as most envisioned machines of the time were. We can now boast compact videophones in our pockets, as well as advanced smart displays that do a whole lot more than just make calls. However, despite its bulky design and all the precise tuning it took to make a call, the accuracy of the prediction is undeniable. The screen also displayed sharp text similar to a caller ID. Moreover, the fact that the caller could see his recipient before answering might have hinted at the privacy concerns of video-calling today.

The Jetsons: The Movie’s household robot

In 1990, Hanna-Barbera released “The Jetsons: The Movie.” It was the last installment in the animated television show that ran from 1962 to 1963 and later from ’85 to ’87. Unfortunately, the feature-length movie didn’t achieve much in terms of commercial success or critical appreciation, nor did it introduce many more futuristic gadgets. The original show had already brought so many weird, wonderful, and often visionary creations that sparked children’s imaginations.

While predictions like flying cars, automated hygiene machines, and cloud-based buildings with moving walkways everywhere haven’t quite proved to be so prophetic, the cartoon did get a lot right. It accurately showcased video-calling on wall-mounted flat-screen displays, internal medical cameras, drones, and smart ovens and fridges, among others.

One other prescient prediction was Rosey the Robot. On her first appearance in episode one, she announced, “I may be homely, but I’m S-M-A-R-T, smart.” While today’s major robot mop and vacuum brands don’t offer models that match the Rosey aesthetic or have arms to hold their cleaning tools and the ability to interact vocally with homeowners, our smart home helpers do offer some of her capabilities. Companies like iRobot that consistently deliver progressive machines, including the Roomba Combo 10, have successfully automated Rosey’s floor-cleaning functions.

Goldfinger’s GPS Navigation

When James Bond appeared on the big screen for just the third time in 1964’s “Goldfinger,” he did so in his iconic Aston Martin DB5. This model is the spy’s original Aston Martin and simply the best Bond car of all time. It was equipped with an extraordinary array of gadgets, from an ejector seat to revolving number plates. These gadgets were so entertaining that Q, the character responsible for their research and development, would become a permanent fixture in the series.

However, one particular gadget that caught the eye was a mapping system remarkably similar to today’s GPS navigation devices. Bond’s car had a screen on the dashboard with a detailed map that displayed the position of his target, Auric Goldfinger, with a beep and a light as they wound through the Swiss mountains. There may not have been any monotone voice to indicate when the next exit approached, but this device is one that is now very familiar to modern drivers.

While satellite tracking began in the Sputnik era in the mid-60s, GPS, as we know it today, didn’t become fully operational until 1993. Modern drivers might take this Bond gadget for granted today, but in 1964, it was a visionary piece of equipment with an often-overlooked ingenuity.

Thunderball’s Jetpack

Ostentatious gadgets like jetpacks may be a ridiculous idea in the real world regarding espionage. Any spy worth their salt wouldn’t want to attract attention to themselves with something so blatant and noisy. However, this is James Bond we’re talking about, and he can get away with more than most. The jetpack Sean Connery used in “Thunderball” sparked imaginations back in the 60s and had everyone thinking about the possibility of a future with personal flight technology.

Since then, movies like “The Rocketeer” and the jetpack-equipped police officers in “Minority Report” have kept the gadget popular. But it’s really this fourth James Bond movie everyone thinks of when you talk about this technology. The British spy controlled his pack effortlessly. However, the truth in the real world is somewhat different. Power and safety constraints still make flight times relatively short, while precise engineering must balance weight and stability with the short fuel span.

Rudimentary jetpacks actually existed before “Thunderball,” but they couldn’t cover anywhere near the distance or height that 007 managed. Over the decades, inventors like Glen Martin expanded on these early concepts. The Martin Jetpack, which was revealed in 2008, was designed to stay in the air for up to 30 minutes and be more simple to pilot. However, engineering and regulatory hurdles put an end to production, and jetpack technology continues to develop with private companies creating models for niche uses. That said, jetpacks remain out of reach for consumers, at least for now.

2001: A Space Odyssey’s Newspad Tablet

In 1968, legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and British science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke gave audiences a glimpse into the future. “2001: A Space Odyssey” featured a space station, an AI assistant, personalized in-flight entertainment, and commercial spaceflight companies, among other visions. However, the movie clearly delivered the first sighting of what can only be described as a modern-day tablet. With it, we experienced video conferencing and the now-familiar ritual of eating breakfast while watching the news on a small personal screen beside our coffee mugs.

The newspad, as Arthur C. Clarke named it in the original novel, featured a prominent, flat display with a minimal frame housed in a slimline casing. Its design was so prescient that it was cited in a 2011 legal battle between Samsung and Apple. The Korean tech giant used the film’s depiction of the newspad as evidence that its design of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 predated Apple’s patents. However, the design wasn’t exactly the same. Most notably, it had different dimensions, with its 9-by-16 ratio. Almost everything else is remarkably similar, although there was no glimpse of a user interface decorated with colorful app icons and the display was definitely no higher than a standard 480p. Still, the latter isn’t too bad, considering the ship was “80 million miles from Earth.”

Star Trek’s Communicators

In 1966, the “Star Trek” TV show predicted that phones would boldly go where no phone had gone before, which was, of course, into pockets. The crew’s communicators were pocket-sized devices that enabled handheld communication and clearly resembled early real-world flip phones. These communicators weren’t the only gadgets accurately predicted by “Star Trek.” Gene Roddenberry, the show’s creator, envisioned tablets, heads-up displays (HUDs), and 3D printing, among many other technologies.

However, it was the iconic flip-open design of the “Star Trek” communicators that would later have an enormous impact on real-world mobile phone development. In fact, Martin Cooper, the inventor of the very first handheld mobile phone in 1973, went as far as saying that Captain Kirk’s communicator served as his inspiration. By the time 1979 came around, “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” had introduced wrist-worn communicators. This was because the ‘old’ flip-open devices of the 1960s series no longer seemed futuristic enough. Yet raising wrists to mouths obscured the actors’ faces and proved to be impractical, and the handheld devices returned in later movies without explanation.

Years later, in 1996, Motorola, whom Cooper worked for at the time of his invention, released the StarTAC in homage to the series. It mimicked the communicator and proved to be so successful that other manufacturers adopted the style. Smartphone technology may now have surpassed that of “Star Trek,” but after something of a comeback, there are plenty of affordable and practical flip phones available even today.

Back to the Future Part II’s Power Laces

Some might say the predictions made by “Back to the Future 2” rival those of more intellectual movies like “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Among its many visions that have become real tech are wall-mounted flat-screen TVs with multi-screen viewing, dog-walking drones (yes, they exist!), voice-activated lights, holograms in entertainment, motion-controlled gaming, video calling, and AR glasses, while hoverboards are in the process of becoming a reality. The movie even gave us an almost bang-on prediction of the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series.

That said, it failed in most of its smart clothes predictions. We’re still waiting for self-fitting and self-drying jackets. Yet, the self-lacing shoes that surprised Marty McFly became such an iconic piece of movie technology that Nike felt compelled to make them real. In 2011, the footwear giant released limited edition replicas of the Nike MAG, but the “power laces” tech remained fiction.

However, in 2016, Nike created an updated version. It was a limited edition, with only 89 pairs available, but they did feature Adaptive Fit (self-lacing) technology. They were all auctioned off, which raised $6.75 million for Parkinson’s research. Resale prices for these shoes now start at around $24,000, but they can go for over $50,000. Between 2016 and 2019, Nike released the HyperAdapt 1.0 line, which brought the MAG’s self-lacing technology to a wider consumer market. Beyond then, we’ve had the Adapt BB line, which maintained the more affordable pricing.

Dick Tracy’s two-way wrist radio

This futuristic gadget was first introduced by the American cartoonist Chester Gould, creator of the Dick Tracy comic books, back in 1946. After stopping by the workshop of wireless communications pioneer Al Gross, who had previously created the walkie-talkie, Gould was inspired to give his Dick Tracy character a two-way wrist radio based on wearable technology the inventor had shown him.

While the gadget had been a feature of the detective’s adventures since those early comic book days, the 1990 movie “Dick Tracy” brought it to mainstream Hollywood. Warren Beatty’s film probably doesn’t deserve its status as a commercial flop. It did actually make money, and it also left youngsters in the audience desiring a Dick Tracy two-way wrist radio for themselves. Following the film’s release, small portable radios were being marketed as Dick Tracy watches, paving the way for the later development of smartwatches.

Now, over three decades later, many of us proudly sport stylish tech on our wrists. With seriously advanced functions, one such as the Apple Watch Series 10 would have helped the yellow-coated detective escape several sticky situations.

The Lawnmower Man’s VR Headset

1992 saw the release of “The Lawnmower Man.” But rather than being a tale about gardening enthusiasts, this sci-fi fantasy proved to be a prophetic story about virtual reality technology. Specifically, you can see the design of the headset and handheld controllers, as well as the digital world users were thrown into, as specific matches to today’s VR headsets — that is if you can see past the dodgy early 90s CGI.

Pierce Brosnan starred in the film several years before he first played James Bond in “Goldeneye.” However, the technology his character uses in this movie far exceeds anything the British spy had access to. The movie also showcases motion-capture (mo-cap) suits that are used in the real world to digitize physical movements for film, video games, sports analysis, and military training. While we may not yet have full-body mo-cap suits for home VR use, third-party companies have developed haptic gloves that simulate physical sensations for the Meta Quest 2. These gloves may be incredibly expensive and inaccessible to most of us, but the tech is developing and will surely become more affordable for VR users.

The movie also predicted touch and gesture interfaces decades before we had them on smartphones and tablets. Yet, some of the more advanced “Lawnmower Man” technology is still not available, but if you have seen the film, perhaps we shouldn’t wish for it. However, its core vision of using headsets and controllers to enter virtual worlds is now an everyday reality.

Iron Man’s Augmented Reality Glasses

Almost two decades before the Marvel Cinematic Universe hit our screens, Iron Man comics had shifted from Cold War themes to exploring futuristic technologies. Among these were augmented reality and artificial intelligence. These concepts became a part of 2008’s “Iron Man” movie, with Tony Stark’s AR interface captivating audiences. The billionaire playboy’s AI assistant, JARVIS, powered the system and displayed virtual information in his field of vision. The HUD showed Tony Stark everything he needed to know, including threat analysis and system diagnostics.

The tech may have been ever-so-slightly more advanced than today’s AR glasses, and the processing power certainly helped with Stark’s split-second decision-making; however, his HUD ensured real-world AR technology got mainstream attention. The movie captured the public imagination so completely that it even inspired MIT graduate student Natan Linder to win the aptly named Audi-Tony Stark Innovation Challenge. His device combined AR projections, similar to Stark’s technology, with a robotic arm close to the hydraulic limbs DUM-E and U that provided light comic relief in the movies.

Modern AR may not have reached Tony Stark’s holographic interface level of development quite yet. However, the technology is advancing rapidly, with the market projected to reach $96.32 billion by 2029. Meanwhile, AI’s integration with AR enables more natural interactions through gesture recognition and adaptive interfaces, though we’re still far from a JARVIS-level of sophistication.

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