Science Fiction Inventions That Could Make The Future Very Interesting

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By Joe Burgett - October 11, 2019

If you’re like most of us, you have been a fan of science fiction and/or fantasy-driven entertainment for years. While movie franchises like Harry Potter sold us on some magical inventions, shows like Star Trek sold us on practical inventions. However, both had things that could be seen in the real world. Science fiction inventions are usually incredible but they do come true. While you can talk about how Nostradamus was able to get a lot of things correct from his future-casting concepts, it seems science fiction entertainment has gotten far more right than wrong about our future.

In fact, people aspire to make some of the things you see from those TV shows, movies, and even books. It could be said that science fiction has led inventors to make the very things they once saw there. When science fiction inventions are at the forefront of an inventor’s ideas and then the right technology comes along for them to make them, why shouldn’t they go for the dream? With that said, we hope you enjoy the 35 science fiction inventions that could make our future awesome!

35. Real Hoverboards

Science Fiction Inventions That Could Make The Future Very Interesting — *Photo Credit: AlexandrBognat/Shutterstock*

Chances We’ll See It: High

We all know that Back to the Future was nearly on the money for a number of cool things. However, the biggest thing they are known for (other than time travel) might very well be hoverboards. So where are those dang hoverboards? Hoverboards are actually around today somewhat.

People have made versions of them that use air compression technology of sorts, jet propellers, etc. to keep them off the ground. There are even some that use a form of magnetism. However, these boards are often made by random people and they are sadly not up for sale. We’re likely a few years away from the type we know and love.

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34. Instant Translation Machine

Chances We’ll See It: Already Exists

Technically, there are several pieces of technology that can translate languages in an instant for us. Google Translate, and several other science fiction inventions in this world are quite notable today.

Skype Translator works well with this too. With it, you can wear a Bluetooth headset that will allow you to have a translation of what someone is saying on the other end of the call. This may not be exactly like the science fiction inventions on translation, but it’s close.

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33. The Elysium

Chances We’ll See It: Medium Possibility

Elysium, a movie that stars Matt Damon, follows a man who tries to reach something known as “The Elysium.” It is a place that exists in low orbit where the rich and powerful live their lives in a beautiful landscape where the best tech of the time is featured. The biggest tech present is a machine that can find what sickness or injury a person has and can completely fix it.

This place is quite possible, as the rich and powerful may one day seek to leave Earth as it is now and head toward a place mostly off-world to themselves. The problem is the actual place itself, as it appears to be quite an undertaking that would have to use multiple different forms of gravity and anti-gravity tech to even be remotely possible.

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32. Smart Wallpaper

Chances We’ll See It: Very High

A book called Oryx and Crake, written by Margaret Atwood has one of the coolest science fiction inventions ever. It is referred to as “smart wallpaper.” Today, we can make something quite similar to smart wallpaper. Atwood’s description of wallpaper in her book was interesting but baked in more fiction than science.

She basically mentioned the use of it would be to change the color of your walls to fit your mood. A good energy source would be needed for it to work. Yet the way to do this is with LEDs layered about that can be lined up to form something like wallpaper. The image on the LED boards can be changed up with ease too.

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31. City Expressways

Chances We’ll See It: Low to Medium

The great Isaac Asimov wrote Robots & Earth books that involve one of the most interesting yet useful science fiction inventions ever. Called “City Expressways,” they work a lot like those airport walkways you see today. They are glass-walled and work on a railed moving strip. They move at speeds of 60 MPH and higher, allowing you to get to places faster.

You can step on or off of them at any point by jumping through a series of parallel strips that will accelerate or decelerate your speed. This is technically possible as we already have things like treadmills that can reach high speeds. The speed is not the hard part, it’s the jumping on and off that is difficult to do. The only way for this to be possible today is to remove that portion of the invention.

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30. Weather Control

Chances We’ll See It: High

Weather Control is somewhat possible today. We can do this with something called “cloud seeding” that has actually been done a lot more than some assume.

It is accomplished by using a rocket or plane to emit a laboratory-made combo of dry ice, silver iodide, and salt power to clouds that force rain or increase precipitation. Although the ability to start and stop rain, sun, cold, and heat is not quite possible… yet.

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29. Sentient Machines with Self-Awareness

Chances We’ll See It: Very High

Older movies like The Terminator show up a dystopian future that has to be prevented. The science fiction inventions of robotic, sentient beings should not ever reach the light of day. However, sentient machines with a version of self-awareness are already in the process of being made. However, this does exist now through a being known as Sophia the Robot.

She was made by a Hong Kong company called Hanson Robotics and is actually be capable of conversation with humans. She can even sing. Saudi Arabia made her the first robotic citizen in world history and she even spoke at the United Nations. Sophia is not completely self-aware but she’s close to this and many would call her sentient, at least the closest we’ve actually come to. If this is our present, imagine our future.

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28. The Lazarus Pit

Chances We’ll See It: Relatively Low

While we are somewhat cheating using this, it will make sense in our explanation. The Lazarus Pit comes from DC Comics and it’s used by the villain Ra’s al Ghul. The Pit is used by Ra’s and others to not only help them heal from life-threatening injuries or diseases but even bring people back from the dead. How does it relate to science fiction inventions? DC uses the pit as something randomly found in various places all over the world. This makes it a magical thing rather than an invention in DC.

However, some stories include machinery like it such as “The Fountain of Youth” for a story purpose. However, can this be made in real life? Technically yes. We already have medications that help life expectancy as well as creams and plastic surgery to help keep youthful appearances. If we were to combine them into a liquid form for people to bathe in, then we would have created our very own Lazarus Pit. Yet this type of thing may be several decades away.

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27. Corporation of an Entire City

Chances We’ll See it: Incredibly High

In the Robocop TV show and film universe, a dystopian future has come where Detroit, Michigan is on the verge of financial collapse due to mismanagement and a major crime rate. The city then decides to sign a deal with a major corporation to run the city’s police department. They use Robocop to help keep the peace.

This is something that is very likely, not just in the United States but in many nations all over the world. There is this assumption that private companies can run things better than the government, which isn’t always true. If we are already allowing private prisons to exist and if we continue to see problems with the police force in certain cities, it would not be shocking to see a corporation run an entire city. Nor shocking to see the use of robotic policemen.

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26. Harvesting Organs From Clones

Chances We’ll See It: Low to Medium

In a movie called The Island, one of the most compelling science fiction inventions was thrown out to consider. Would you be cool with clones being made of you and being used to harvest organs for you? In this film, that is roughly what occurs as they harvest organs from clones to help the original copy.

The movie takes place in the Mid-21st Century but the chances of it happening are quite low. If we’re able to completely clone an entire human being, wouldn’t we be able to use portions of someone’s DNA to simply make organs when they needed them? Why make an entire living clone? Organs can grow without being connected to others.

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25. Hallucinogenics

Chances We’ll See It: They Exist Today

When people think of hallucinogenics, they think of movies where a person is drugged where they have random visions of things that are not present. Most of the time, the way they are used is pretty much BS. There are hardcore drugs like LSD, DMT, and PSP which can make people hallucinate but the type you see in science fiction is often in gas or shot-form.

These do roughly exist, but their use of them is HEAVILY restricted and only the likes of the armed forces have access to them. Hospitals have access to several drugs that can possibly make someone hallucinate. Again, these are drugs and not gas or shot version hallucinogenics. Science fiction inventions like this were not made for the most upstanding reasons anyway.

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24. The Warp Drive

Chances We’ll See It: High

Star Trek made a lot of interesting pieces of technology but one of their biggest is the warp drive. This allows them to travel faster than the speed of light across the universe. At one point, scientists felt this is one of those science fiction inventions that’ll never come true. The reason is due to the speed of light being so dang fast!

However, now scientists say that in the fabric of space, space-time is not limited by the speed of light. Therefore, we can technically make the warp drive. The issue is that scientists claim you’d need a big energy source to reach warp speed, but if you have it, the tech is possible to make.

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23. Self-Driving Cars

Chances We’ll See It: They Already Exist

Self-Driving Cars are the future, far more than many of the science fiction inventions you may see. People already use things like Uber. Whether that is due to needing someone to help them get to a hospital or drive their drunk selves home after a party. Why are they not on the road today? The problem isn’t the technology, it’s most likely your respective government.

Google has already made a self-driving car, which can mostly run on Google Maps technology. However, the only way to make sure it does run into any issues is to set up microchips all over the roads for them to connect to digitally. The cost for the chips is about a penny a piece, but many governments do not want tech companies to have this kind of access to roads.

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22. Space Tourism

Chances We’ll See It: Incredibly High

In the book known as 2001: A Space Odyssey, we see space tourism used heavily. At the time the book was written, one could see this as something used for entertainment purposes. However, it’s likely going to be possible in our lifetime. We have companies like Space X already working on ways for mankind to get into space travel once more.

The founder of Space X, Elon Musk, wants to make space tourism a reality as soon as possible. His plan is to make it possible for not only the rich but anyone who wants to do it. The issue was the cost of flying into space as rockets are usually made for one-time use. However, Space X recently made a rocket that could land itself remotely on a platform, then come back, which offered a rocket that could be used several times. Thus making future tourism less expensive.

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21. Death Star-Like Laser Cannons

Chances We’ll See It: Medium to High

Normal lasers are rarely used to destroy, rather for things like aiming and even surgeries. However, when people think of lasers, they think of the big laser cannon from Star Wars. Could a Death Star-like laser cannon ever exist? Technically, yes.

Lasers can be weaponized. Therefore, we could make an incredibly large one. However, the overall physics is difficult. Not only how one would get it into space but also how you’d keep it in place, how to aim it, etc. As far as laser cannons that are smaller go. Yes, those are possible and some versions already exist. But shhh… the military doesn’t want you to know that.

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20. Technical Immortality

Chances We’ll See It: Quite High

We truly want to emphasize the “technical” part of this. While we have wonderful science helping humans live longer than they ever have before, one day our bodies will give out on us and we will die. Yet science believes consciousness does not need a body or brain to operate.

If you could map someone’s brain completely, thereby using everything they know along with their personality, beliefs, etc. Not only can you create a being similar to the person who died, but you would get nearly the exact same person. One would just need to get their consciousness transferred into a robotic body or computer, and they could technically live forever. This is already being worked on right now too.

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19. Mission Impossible Face Mask

Chances We’ll See It: Partially Already Have It

Mission Impossible is known for more than just the absolutely insane Tom Cruise stunts. The science fiction inventions used in the movies have steadily been growing as the series of films have continued. Yet one of the hallmarks of the series has been their face mask tech where they can basically become anyone they want, even people of another sex, skin color, or size.

Is this possible? Yes and no. Today, spies do have access to realistic-looking face masks, with former CIA and FBI operatives admitting it. However, changing your size takes a bit of extra work and changing your voice to fit someone else’s would still be hard to do.

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18. Real-World Memory Recall Video

Chances We’ll See It: Very High

Having a video-like memory would be awesome, right? In some films, this is often done with glasses as well as helmets and even bionic eyes among others. Some people thought this sort of thing would never be seen, literally. Most of us do not have amazing, photographic memories, but we may not need them to help with memory recall for much longer.

These science fiction inventions are now becoming a reality that could soon be literally seen everywhere soon. The most popular among them are contacts that can film your daily life. There is even a name for them, “Smart Contacts.”

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17. The Living Computer Program

Chances We’ll See It: Technically We Already Have It

If you remember seeing the original Matrix films, it is quite likely you know all about living computer programs. The type that has people technically live in a simulated life outside of the ones they actually are part of. This is sort of used in movies like Inception as well. The question we may need to ask ourselves is, will these living programs become a reality?

Perhaps you’re currently in a simulation right now. Of course, most of us know there are 3D video games as well as video games overall that allow us to take part in a simulated universe. However, what we’re referencing is one you can literally take part in where everything comes off as completely real. Technology is actually underway now that can manage this. Don’t believe us? Maybe that’s what the simulation is telling you to believe.

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16. Truth Serum

Chances We’ll See It: Medium

Despite what many might assume, “the truth serum” was just a case of one of the more interesting science fiction inventions not being possible. Supposedly, it is able to make you tell the truth whether you want to or not. However, despite what you might be thinking, it does not exist. At least, it doesn’t in the way you might be thinking.

We do have some things that help with suggesting or pulling out information such as hypnosis. However, we also have drugs like sodium amytal and sodium thiopental. They are psychoactive drugs that help with getting out information by tricking the mind but they do not operate like the truth serum you know from science fiction.

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15. Full 3D Printing Capability

Chances We’ll See It: Very High

It used to be that 3D printing was just a random imaginary concept. Today, we know that is not only possible but it has been done quite often. One of the most popular things created with 3D printers is things like weapons, with guns being the most prominent. However, there is a drawback to 3D printing. Do you know how you need paper to print something off at home?

In order to print something to be like the normal model of something else, you need the same supplies that the very thing is created with. This can be added to the machine where it’ll print out whatever it is that you need. That is the hard part of 3D printing from science fiction fame. If you have the supplies needed, 3D printing fully is possible right now.

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14. Bionic Humans

Chances We’ll See It: Quite High

We have seen a lot of interesting Bionic Human types in science fiction. This is often assumed to be life-like robotics or artificial intelligence. However, we do not mean this type of Bionic Human. We’re talking about humans like what you might see with Cyborg from DC Comics. A man who becomes bionic.

We already replaced body parts like hips with metal or hardened materials. Even things like pacemakers are considered a form of bionics. This makes anyone using these things technically part machine. But in the case of someone like a Cyborg? We’re likely decades away from something like that but it is possible to do, up to a point.

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13. Crime Prevention Identifier

Chances We’ll See It: High

A movie by the name of The Minority Report informs us of a futuristic world where crime is nearly impossible due to policing that prevents anything from occurring. Essentially, the software used in the film is made to accurately predict when a person is going to commit a crime. They run it through simulations and find if the crime is possible or likely.

Yet the software does not consider context nor hiccups in its programming. Therefore, people are being arrested for a crime that they have not committed. Is something like this possible? Sadly, we already have predictive software in use now. The type you see from Minority Report is several years away but it’s already in development. Thus, it may be used one day.

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12. Nanobots

Chances We’ll See It: We Already Have A Version Of It

Nanobots have been a debated topic for several years. The reason is due to what is believed they are capable of versus what they can do at the present time. This falls under a large window referred to as “nanorobotics.” We already have nanobots currently in use in multiple different areas.

The biggest area they are hopefully going to be part of is medicine. The plan is to use them to deliver medications directly to a person, remove cancer cells and even cancerous tumors. Nanorobotics has already proven in mice that they can remove tumors due to a study in March of 2018. We’ll likely see nanobots used in medicine often within the next 10 years.

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11. Mind Erasing Technology

Chances We’ll See It: Really High

You may know about the Men in Black’s Neuralyzer, which they use to wipe your recent memory of a certain event. It makes sense to think that the government would absolutely LOVE to have access to something like this.

We actually do have some stuff like it, with brainwashing being somewhat possible already. However, a random light that can make you forget and then be capable of believing a suggested event like that of MIB fame? It’s not quite possible to do this just yet. Scientists have been trying to make one like it for years now, but so far, no major success.

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10. Flying Cars

Chances We’ll See It: They Kinda Already Exist

Flying cars have been one of the biggest science fiction inventions seemingly every writer who wrote about the future told us we’d have by now. So where the heck are they?!? We can tell you that flying cars already exist as they have already been invented by several different people.

However, often the ones made were simply not reliable. Others are basically planes, thereby not appearing like actual cars. Yet there are some such as the AeroMobil 4 & AeroMobile 5 prototypes that can expel wings in flight and collapse as well as bring the wings in when you’re on the ground. It’s uncertain what fuel these types of vehicles will use on the regular though.

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9. Invisibility

Chances We’ll See It: High

When people think of invisibility, they often assume something like the Invisibility Cloak from Harry Potter fame. Yet we have already found ways to do something thought of as one of the best science fiction inventions ever. The best way to do it is through, well, mirrored camouflage.

Essentially, a ship or something would be covered in mirrors that can turn out when needed. With this, it mirrors what is seen in front of it. In addition, you can use LEDs that will allow you to use a camera that will view the environment around you. Thereby displaying this and making you invisible, roughly.

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8. Lightsabers

Chances We’ll See It: Medium

Lightsabers are insanely popular science fiction inventions notable for their time in the Star Wars Universe. Are they actually possible? Today, we can make stuff like them but not to the same effect. It’s easy to make a sword that can display a laser-like sword. However, it won’t often be a cutting laser. The reason it is so hard is that containing the light of the laser is difficult.

Once it goes out, something has to stop it from continuing. If that is present, it means the laser cannot be as strong as it is in Star Wars. They are capable of cutting through nearly anything. We do have something like them presently though. The U.S. Armed Forces were given something called the “Metal Vapor Torch,” which looks exactly like a lightsaber in 2012. Tons of other types of these things have been seen since.

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7. Matter Replication

Chances We’ll See It: Medium

Star Trek has one of the more popular science fiction inventions often referred to as a Matter Replicator. Other futuristic shows or films have had similar. Essentially, they are capable of making anything needed that is made of matter. It’s in the name, people.

How possible is this? We do already have 3D printing possible. This is just slightly flawed for now but once it is perfected, then something like matter replication overall seems like the next best step to take. How far off is this? Likely a few decades sadly.

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6. Made For Order Organs

Chances We’ll See It: Incredibly High

Movies like Repo Men among others have referred to a future with biomechanical organs. However, we are actually already working on a process far better than biomechanical products. While Stem Cells are often used to grow organs in labs, as well as portions of things we can use to replace damaged parts of an organ.

Overall, we have already seen a complete bladder grown in a lab and put into someone using their own DNA in order to accomplish it. Meaning, organ donation will eventually be nonexistent. Organs grown in labs using our own DNA and blood make them safer for adding anyway. We’re less than 10 years away from “made-to-order organs” becoming a legitimate thing.

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5. Teleportation

Chances We’ll See It: Medium

Teleportation is one of those science fiction inventions we all really want to come to pass. The question is, how can it happen without killing us? Decades ago, it was rumored that famous inventor Nikola Tesla did find out a possible way to teleport objects. Though it was over a short distance, it was at least possible. Of course, this is still baked in rumor to this day.

Is teleportation possible? Somewhat. The way it has to be done is by breaking down every single atom and molecule and sending them to another place. Everything has to reform back to the state they were in before the teleportation. Scientists claim although difficult, it may be possible one day.

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4. Iron Man Suit

Chances We’ll See It: This Technically Already Exists

It may be a shock to people, but the infamous Iron Man suit is actually possible to make in real life. As a result, the U.S. Armed Forces use something quite similar to it today. They call their version of this the “HULC exoskeleton.”

It offers extra protection, super strength, and allows people to bend over like normal and even squat. In fact, Mythbusters star Adam Savage built his own Iron Man suit in June of 2019. Science fiction inventions like that of the Iron Man suit were always going to be possible with access to the right technology.

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3. Stark Trek Holodeck

Chances We’ll See It: High

The Star Trek Holodeck is really impressive but back when it was used for the first time, technology had not caught up to make anything like this possible. Today, we have seen various science fiction inventions that are similar to real life.

From the invention of 3D to use in the mainstream to both Virtual and Augmented Reality. We have even had success with making holograms you can see without any special eyewear. That said, we’re literally all around what the holodeck happens to be. Therefore, we’re likely not too far off when it comes to making something just like it.

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2. Genetic Engineering

Chances We’ll See It: This Technically Exists Already

When you think about genetic engineering, people think of something like Halo or Captain America where someone is injected with something to make them a super-soldier. However, that part of genetic engineering is not exactly possible. At least how it’s described.

The kind that we can do right now involves children before they are born. Have a heart problem that runs in your family? We can actually help to track this down in the DNA of sperm and eggs and remove what might cause it. While we’re in the early stages of genetic engineering like this, it has already proven to work. We’re likely going to be even further with it in ten years.

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1. Time Travel

Chances We’ll See It: Low to High (depending on the version)

Time Travel might be the biggest of all science fiction inventions that people want to see. The issue with this is that doing the type of time travel you see in films is likely never going to happen. However, we already have a form of time travel where we can go further in time. Sadly, we do not have anything where we can go back yet.

Space-Time offers us the ability to leave Earth and go into a place like Space as well as other planets where time differs. In fact, two twins were studied where one went into space while another stayed on Earth. The “space twin” came back to Earth looking younger than his Earth-staying twin. Time moved the same but the twin, as far as his body is concerned, went forward in time without aging like his brother to do so. This proved that technical time travel using Space-Time is possible.

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