Technology Inspired by Science Fiction

Any sufficiently advanced technology is equivalent to magic. This summarizes the idea of real technology inspired by the science fiction genre. Technology is the use of scientific knowledge to achieve a strong goal and create applications that are used in daily life. In other words, the tools obtained by using science that make our lives easier are the tools of technology. Technology is all around us. Be it bikes, cars, mobile phones, televisions, etc. There's been an evolution of technology from the ancient period until today's modern era. It has become an integral part of our lives. We can't imagine our lives without it. I have always been fascinated by sci-fi and technology since my childhood.

It is the curiosity of human beings blended with science that gave us technology. Human curiosity plus science is the perfect recipe for the science fiction genre. Many scientists and researchers have acknowledged the immense impact of sci-fi in developing new technology. It has helped common people show a keen interest in science and technology. Science fiction and innovation have been interlinked since Sci-Fi's origin.  From video chatting to driverless cars to space flights, There has always been science fiction and science reality.

Sci-fi has its roots dating back to the 19th century. When industrialization was in full swing. In 1865, Julien Verne published "From Earth to Moon, a sci-fi novel that revolves around the gun club members who launched themselves from cannons in projectile motion to reach the Moon. It was a bit cartoonish to think about as of now. However, NASA's Apollo 11 mission module showed striking similarities. The fictional shell was hollow and made up of aluminum. It was crewed by three people. It was launched from Florida and splashed into the Pacific Ocean. Just like the novel, the Apollo 11 mission module took place a century later.

When we talk about communication, the technological development of communication in context has undergone an enormous change. Today, communication technology. Sci-fi was influential in developing the technology for communication. The films and TV shows are based on sci-fi genres like Star Wars, Star Trek, 2001: Space Odyssey, Jetsons, etc. showing mobile phones, video chatting, and robots back in the time of "radio. Decades later, Skype was introduced in 2003 as a video chatting platform. Now, we can video call with whomever we want by using apps like What's App, Google Duo, Skype, etc. Similarly, AI-led tech was shown in the 1968 film '2001: Space Odyssey '. An early AI scientist, Marvin Minsky, at MIT, USA, advised the director of the film to include "HAL 9000, an AI bot that could speak, play chess, and make plans.

Today, we have similar AI technology around us in the form of chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini and voice assistants like Google Assistant and Alexa. Sci-fi writers have not only introduced new technology but have also prototyped the world in which they existed. As sci-fi imagining becomes reality, there will be more innovation in the next few years or decades. Maybe we'll get tele olfactory, i.e., digitizing the smell with audiovisuals in virtual reality; maybe we'll get the inbuilt fans in mobile phones' cases. Maybe we'll overcome the 'plastic crisis'. The possibilities are endless. Thus, with technology, we can achieve the unimaginable.

- Yash Patil