Will Technologies Shape the Science Fiction Films in the Future?

Hollywood screenwriters have a long tradition of utilising predictive technology in science fiction storytelling. The scenes from films like 'Minority Report,' 'Matrix' and others, where actors' technology tools, left the audience in awe. Many of these techs are part of our daily lives now.

These are the sci-fi technologies making their way into the real world:

Power Loader

Fans of the Alien movies franchise all remember the power loader suit displayed in the James Cameron-directed sequel released in 1986. Although there is no certainty that today's technology can help defeat xenomorphs, full-body powered exoskeleton suits offer similar functionality to the power loader suit and are already being installed in industrial applications around the world.

Brain implants

In the 1995 cyberpunk thriller set in 2021, Keanu Reeves plays the title character 'Johny Mnemonic,' a data courier with a cybernetic brain implant for securely storing the information in his head. The idea of a brain implant might sound like one of the bizarre and seemingly far-fetched on the list, but it's turning into a reality because of Elon Musk. The ambitious billionaire's company Neuralink has lately developed a brain-computer interface meant to be implemented under the skull. Though currently only demonstrated with a live pig. Musk and his team hope to see a human demonstration within a few years.

3D Printing

3D printing is seen in Darkman. Darkman's protagonist is a scientist working on 3D printed skin who finds himself the ruthless criminals' target. Ultimately becoming a crime-fighting vigilante, he relies on his creation to masquerade among his enemies. As per the latest scientific literature, the ability to similarly 3D print organs, including human skin, is set to become a real possibility in the future. It's a promising breakthrough, especially if we're one day able to custom-make new hearts, lungs, and other internal organs for patients suffering from an otherwise deadly disease affecting these parts of the body.

Gene Editing

Gene Editing was observed in Gattaca. The 1997 dystopian film Gattaca was praised for its approach to the concept of human genetic engineering and depiction of a dark world where the quality of their genes judges people. While the current state of gene editing science is far from how it's portrayed in this award-winning film, laboratories in china are fast underway towards developing similar reproductive technologies. The ethical, moral, and philosophical questions arising from this new science remain to be answered, giving modern science fiction writers plenty of material to work with for the next few decades.

Virtual Training

The Matrix is another classic sci-fi movie that starred Keanu Reeves. In The Matrix, characters are portrayed going through combat simulation training via virtual reality. While the near-instant acquisition of expert-grade knowledge is still the stuff of science fiction, virtual training helps aviators, engineers, and other professionals rightly gain experience without putting themselves or others at risk.

Many science fiction films have depicted an incredible array of fantastical technologies over the years. While most still elude us, some have become a reality. It's a fantastic turn of events that shows truth can be just as exciting as fiction, if not more.