To be honest, the editor of this text sometimes forgets that he lives in a world that people in the past could only dream of. Submarines, smart homes, electric cars, even robots that make your own coffee while you browse the news or memes. Recognize that we now treat technological progress as a given rather than as a wonderful thing. But every invention has its own story, and everything, as is usually the case, begins with an idea.
Once upon a time, and even now, the fantasy genre attracts new readers and viewers with its unusual plots and interesting interpretations of the future or parallel realities. And a special place in this track record is occupied by inventions that the authors seem to have taken from their own heads. But ideas are often material, and many of the devices that seem like fantasies on paper have become reality over time. And today we decided to remember which predictions of science fiction writers have become our reality.
Facial scanning to pay for purchases
Many authors have repeatedly mentioned in their works the scanning of one’s face when entering a building. Remember all those spy movies where the main characters infiltrate the boss’s office wearing silicone masks and steal important documents? Now scanning parameters has become a completely familiar routine for smartphone owners. But progress does not stand still and it is now possible to shop in stores and travel on public transport using biometrics.
By the way, Moscow public transport is currently running a great promotion where you can get a cashback of 10 rubles when you pay for travel using biometrics. To connect to the service and pay for travel expenses in person, you need to register in your personal account in the Moscow Metro application, upload your photo and link your Mir bank card.
To pay for travel expenses using biometrics, the passenger simply goes to the turnstile and looks at the camera. The doors will open and the fee will be automatically deducted from the linked bank card. And in a few minutes a nice cashback of 10 rubles will be returned to your Mir account. Currently the offer is valid at all metro stations, MCC and regular river transport.
Virtual Reality
It is worth starting with the main authors of the genre: Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. Science fiction stories “Sprey Things of the Century” describe an object codenamed “sleg”. To activate it, the hero had to insert it into the radio, and then lie down in the bathroom – this was the only way to enter the conditional “illusory existence”. If you are confused and do not understand what radio has to do with it, we will explain. “Sleg” are virtual reality glasses. Now, of course, you don’t need to go to the bath, but let’s take into account that the work was written in 1965.
laptops
We’re not leaving the Strugatskys yet, but we’re moving on to another job. The heroes of the detective story “The Bug in the Anthill” use “video phones”. This is a small device with a screen and keyboard that is comfortable to carry on your lap. As you can already guess, the science fiction brothers predicted and described (albeit not in such detail) a modern laptop. Thus, he was three years ahead of William Moggridge, who made the first analogue of the laptop.
androids
In 1920, Czech science fiction writer Karel Capek created the game RUR, describing useful machines that were intelligent and practically no different from humans, although they were made of a different material. The author himself called them robots (by the way, he is the creator of the term that we still use today). It would be more accurate to call his invention an android just because they fit the description best.
solar panels
In 1865, Jules Verne, in his book Directly from the Earth to the Moon in 97 Hours and 20 Minutes, describes the solar sails used by the first space travelers. To this day, the idea has not been preserved in its entirety, but has been divided into two – solar panels, which we use as an alternative source of generating electricity, and sails on spaceships.
Advert. JSC “NSPK”, TIN: 7706812159, source: Kra23vBFa
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Errol Villanueva is an author and lifestyle journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a passion for exploring the latest trends in fashion, food, travel, and wellness, Errol’s articles are a must-read for anyone interested in living a stylish and fulfilling life.
