Over the years, many filmmakers have conjured up all kinds of weird and wacky technologies. But which scientific innovations could actually end up being invented? And which ones are simply going to stay fictional until the end of time? We’ve graded five of the best film techs in terms of how likely they could exist in the future.
Lightsabers – 2/5
Anyone who’s watched “Star Wars” has probably dreamed of having their very own “laser sword” at some point. But will we ever be able to cut up a turkey with a lightsaber? Probably not. Many scientific obstacles would prevent engineers from ever successfully inventing a plasma-based sword.
Giving the hilt enough portable power to even ignite the thing would be a struggle. Not to mention how heavy the saber would probably be. And how could governments even regulate the use of this lethal weapon?
Flying Cars – 4/5
Flying cars have been seen in many movies. But our favorites are the ones that showed up in “Back to the Future Part II,” in which Marty McFly travels to 2015. And yet, that year has come and gone, and flying cars still don’t exist. Robert Zemeckis’ estimations were completely off.
Will we ever see a large traffic jam in the sky? Sadly, the chances are quite high. Slovakian company Klein Vision has developed a prototype for a fifth-generation AirCar. In theory, it could become operational for the masses. As long as there is 300 meters worth of clear road ahead at any given time.
Transporters – 0/5
Who hasn’t wanted to yell “Beam me up, Scotty” at some point in their lives? The idea of teleporting from one place to another would save us so much time. No need to drive or fly anymore.
But consider how “Star Trek’s” Transporter works. This device breaks the user down in a “subatomically debonded matter steam,” which sounds both terrifying and impossible. We have no idea where you would start with this kind of tech.
Cryogenic Freezing – 1/5
In the extremely underrated action flick “Demolition Man,” Sly Stallone and Wesley Snipes get sentenced to a cryogenic prison, frozen indefinitely. However, they both get thawed out, one breaking out of their cryo-prison and the other being released by the police to track him down.
While cryonics already exist, actually freezing a live body for a later thawing period is considered nearly impossible for numerous reasons. These include the potential damage to a body’s cells, extremely low chances of revival, and ethical questions surrounding it.
Invisibility Cloaks – 10/10
No, not Harry Potter’s – the high-tech jacket worn by the Predator to hide himself in plain sight. This technology is actually very close to becoming a real thing.
In 2018, there was a huge development in metalens tech. Scientists used nanofins made out of titanium to tune the speed of light, combining all of the visible spectrum’s wavelengths.