Written By: Brandon Engel
Sci-Fi fans are forever wishing for their favorite fiction technology and gadgets to become reality, and none more so than Star Wars fans. While lightsabers are unfortunately still firmly ensconced in the fictional side of that universe, there are several examples of Star Wars technology which have become or are in the process of becoming a reality. From the original trilogy to the extended universe and beyond, there are plenty of opportunities to find examples of fictional technology inspiring real life technology.
When fans were first introduced to the universe in 1977, such things as artificial intelligence, communicating robots and self-driving cars were either very rudimentary or pure fantasy – but today we have Apple’s Siri and Tesla’s driverless cars. In honor of The Force Awakens in the canon and of science fiction becoming science fact, the following are just some of the fun gadgets found in the Star Wars universe that have since become part of our very real lives.
Bionic Limbs
When Luke lost his hand while fighting Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back, he got a brand-new robotic hand that looked and felt just like a real one. While we haven’t yet reached the point of being able to replicate the nerve endings in artificial limbs, technology is remarkably close thanks to Touch Bionics, a company behind a product called the I-LIMB Pulse Bionic Hand. In addition to taking direction from electrical pulses in the arm it’s attached to, it can also be controlled via Bluetooth or computer technology, which allows the end user to tweak the programming for greater sensitivity.
Artificial Assistants
C-3P0 may have been the ultimate robotic butler and valet from the movies, but today’s technology has brought us our own version of the computerized assistant in such forms as Apple’s Siri and Amazon Echo’s Alexa. Now, not only can you control your mobile devices with voice recognition software, but your devices can answer your questions, provide directions, and make suggestions all thanks to advanced artificial intelligence.
Advanced Power Cells
While we still don’t have actual lightsabers powered by diatum power cells (but it’s in the works!), we do have the ability to power our existing devices for many more hours than was previously possible with standard batteries just a few years ago. Advanced lithium batteries can be stored longer, used longer, and remain viable at more extreme temperatures. It’s a poor substitute for the lightsaber, but for now, it’ll have to do.
Aero-X Hoverbike
Inspired directly by the speeder bikes in Return of the Jedi, Aerofex is expected to have their hoverbikes ready for the public as early as 2017. Intended to be able to hover about 12 feet off the ground and move at speeds up to 72 miles per hour, these machines will also be fairly expensive at about $85,000 each, and are initially targeted for use in the agricultural industries and within the military or border control professions. Still, we can all hope they’ll also be made available for recreational use to anyone willing to pay for them.
Holographic Images
Why bother with written messages when you can send a holographic plea for help as easily as we now send e-mails and text messages? At the time of the original Star Wars, the holographic means of communicating seemed as science fiction as it could get, but today we’ve perfected the use of highly realistic-looking holograms that serve a variety of informational and entertainment purposes following Australian scientists having a breakthrough with graphene-based materials. Sadly, those purposes don’t yet include replacing our more conventional means of communicating.
As one of the largest science fiction franchises, Star Wars has come to span video games, TV shows like Star Wars Rebels and Lego Star Wars (more info here and here), and a number of comic miniseries spin offs. With such a rich universe easy to get lost in at their disposal, fans everywhere will continue efforts to make such screen tech a reality. In addition to the above, other fiction-turned-fact technologies from the franchise include the heads up display now available on certain high-end automobiles and our own version of military-developed and computerized battle droids. Going forward, it’s reasonable to assume that the science fiction of Star Wars will continue to inspire science fact for a long time to come.
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Writer Brandon Engel has made a name for himself submitting film-related essays to various websites, and is a frequent contributor to PopcornMonster.com. For more of his work you can visit the following links:
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