If it's really "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it." then why don't we still have all the cool futuristic stuff from popular movies?

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Technological advancements leave us in awe, especially when thinking about the impact it creates in our lives. Usually, they are made for the improvement of living qualities and to make some tasks simpler. However, technology can also be used in creating entertainment and providing an experience that aims to be better than the ones that came before.Virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality are just some of the technology we now have that integrates a whole new dimension into a reality that people can experience. It helps to move people into a different reality and experience entertainment like never before. Aside from the fun side these technologies offer, they can also be used for more practical things and have applications in several fields. All of these sound promising and interesting already. One might not even be aware that these technologies now exist. But what more could we add to fully transform the experience of a different reality? The answer might just be in holograms. Holograms are mostly present in sci-fi films we all loved to watch. Remember Princess Leia’s message to Obi-Wan Kenobi that was delivered by R2-D2 in Star Wars: A New Hope? How about the Holodeck in Star Trek as well as Futurama’s Holophonor? These are just some of the notable examples of holograms or better termed as holo-stuffs. Science fiction shows holo-stuff as items integrated very well into daily life and activities. This is where the holograms that we have today differ from holo-stuffs in the sci-fi world. The holograms we have today require a setup to allow the virtual images to be generated by a screen surface. This is very different from holo-stuffs which doesn’t require a similar set-up and integrates hologram technology into the actions of people. Having holograms generates a unique experience for people and the closest technology that we have is VR or AR. However, they require headgear and other devices to allow a user to fully immerse themselves in a new reality whereas holo-stuffs allow holograms to be integrated into reality itself. Although current technology shows that Star Wars or Star Trek level holograms are not yet available, it is not impossible for this type of holograms as well as other holo-stuffs to be available in the future. After all, VR, AR, and MR are technologies that we all thought to be something to exist only in science fiction but here they are now, fully functioning and available in the real world.

Here we go again. This time, the question we are looking for an answer is: why don't we still have the holograms...  Or do we have them? In a way.

Can we have holograms like in the movies in the future?

Why don't we still have holo-stuffs from Star Wars?

Hoverboards, lightsabers and laser weapons. Why are these wonderful designs created for Hollywood still not in daily use?

Why Don't We Still Have It? Videos | Interesting Engineering Original Videos

Do you think 12 years is a short time to create a new technological product? Especially when it comes to dreams that we have worked hard to make sense of since the earliest times…

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How does one distinguish a dream from reality? Well for most of us, dreams are something that we see when we sleep and reality refers to life as we know it.However, a person’s definition and perception of a dream may vary from time to time. Aside from the powerful images generated during sleep, dreams can also be referred to as the grandest ideas that a person may have in their mind. It can also manifest as something that a person aspires to achieve in life.The reality on the other hand mainly remains to be the life that people have upon waking up. Sometimes, dreams do happen in real life. Think about achieving your goals or maybe the strange feeling of déjà vu.Regardless of how people perceive dreams and reality, these two concepts are often intertwined and spark interesting conversations about the topic. One example of a sci-fi favorite that features these two concepts is the film Inception. The 2010 sci-fi film directed by Christopher Nolan explores the boundaries between dreams and reality with the film focusing on how lucid dreaming works. This dream phenomenon occurs when the person is aware that they are dreaming and may even have control over how their dream would be. Sounds cool right? In the film, Somnacin is a chemical that induces lucid dreaming and this can be administered using the PASIV Device.  The Portable Automated Somnacin IntraVenous Device (PASIV device) allows the chemical to induce lucid dreaming and can be used to connect two or more people in a dream. Imagine being with your friends in the same dream and having a good time by controlling the dream according to how you guys like it. It would definitely give people an adventure and experience like no other. Even if the film was released in 2010, the things and concepts featured including the PASIV device still remain to be a work of science fiction. A dream machine like the one in the film is still not available in the present day. Now, if we are talking about sleep and dream research, the “Dream Team” from MIT’s media lab has Dormio. It&#39;s not exactly the same as the PASIV device, but this product works to unlock new paths for human creativity by accessing information from semi-lucid sleep states. Although dream sharing or controlling dreams might sound fun, the film itself also shows how it could have negative impacts. With that said, maybe it&#39;s best that we still don’t have it now and that it should be carefully studied if ever a PASIV device would be available in the future.

Have you ever had moments when you were not sure if it was reality or a dream?

Why don't we still have PASIV device from Inception?

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Dried fruits, instant noodles, microwavable popcorn, and instant mashed potatoes from powder. These are just some of the instant foods that we have today. From freeze-dried produce to food products that need nothing more than hot water to prepare, food technology definitely helped in creating meals that provide nourishment and are definitely convenient. Much has improved in the production of these foods and all aim to make the meals easier to prepare and appetizing. Aside from these instant meals, we also now have robots and machines that can prepare meals with minimal preparation and assistance, thanks to modern technology. However, even with the improvements we now have in preparing food, it still kind of feels not enough, don’t you think? It&#39;s not that what we have now is not appreciated but there are just moments where you sit on the couch and wonder: “Why don’t we still have the pizzas in Back to the Future 2?” You know, the ones that come in the size of a cookie and then expand into a full-sized pizza in less than 2 seconds?These futuristic meals are something that would really elevate the way we see food. Aside from the dehydrated cookie-sized pizza, there are other future meals featured in several sci-fi films that make people wonder when will these things become a reality. One of the most notable devices would be the replicator in Star Trek. Imagine being able to produce any meal or literally anything that you need by using pure energy. That would be something that everyone would want to have, of course. Although technology in creating future meals as presented in sci-films is still far from reality, the closest thing we have to that are the meals that astronauts have. The early generations of space food are found in the form of bite-sized cubes, freeze-dried powders, and semi-liquids in tubes.These food items resemble future meals like food pills in films but it is important to note that the early version of space foods are unappetizing and has been improved since then. The key to achieving future meals might just be found in molecular gastronomy, which is a branch of food science. Scientists and researchers predict that our foods in the future might be sourced from GMOs, lab-grown products, and other interesting outcomes of food research. For now, don’t get your hopes up that a Star-Trek replicator will be available anytime soon. Maybe it&#39;s better to assume that a cookie-sized dehydrated pizza will come first *fingers crossed*.

That's Why We Don't Have Dehydrated Pizza in Back To The Future Movie

Will we be able to fill our stomachs without wasting time?

Why don't we still have pan galactic gargle blaster from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

The method is actually used as a treatment for severe depression, but it may be possible to adjust it as a memory erasure method in the near future.

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Scientists and medical experts are working on ways how to improve our memory. Whether it&#39;s to address a specific medical concern or just to simply give our minds a boost, some methods are already out and are continuously being tested and improved. Now, what about doing the thing in reverse? Are there any ways for people to make them actually forget something and erase it from their memories?It may be a cringy experience from the past or memories of a broken heart but whatever it may be, there are just some things that we might want to erase from our memories. Sci-fi films feature memory erasure in the form of new technologies or as a medical procedure. Popular examples include Joel’s aim to forget all memories in the 2004 film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. We also have the amazing neuralyzer from Men in Black Films which is a portable device that can erase certain parts in the memory of the person who witnesses that iconic white flash. A question comes to mind: How far are we exactly in having a method to erase memories? Of course, it is undeniable that we are still far from having a portable device like the neuralyzer anytime soon. That device is just a bit trickier and more complex to produce in real life. What can we have soon is related to what was done in the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.In the 2004 film, Memory erasure was depicted as a medical procedure, in which the sleeping protagonist wore a device while doctors work on erasing the memories. There is a method called Transcranial Magnetic Simulation which is used in treating severe depression but may be adjusted for memory erasure purposes in the future. However, it still won’t be like how it was presented in the film as erasing selected memories would still be extremely difficult. There are still a lot of things that we don’t currently have, and one of these things is memory erasure. Aside from the complex process of actually developing a method to erase a person’s memories, there can be conversations about how it will impact our society whether it would be for the better or the other. With memory erasure not around just like in those sci-fi films, some of us might need to hold on to these memories we want to erase for a little while. There is also an option to just wait until we actually won’t remember them. In the case that actual memory erasure becomes possible, will you be doing it?

In the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, memory erasure was a medical procedure under a doctor's supervision.

Why don't we have a neuralyzer from men in black?

A world with flying cars has been a popular fantasy for more than a century. And this is a possibility thanks to today's superior technology. So what's stopping us now?

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Isn’t modern technology supposed to make gadgets of the future a reality? What about those flying cars we have seen in the Blade Runner movies, and the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? When do I get to fly around in my Ford Mondeo? Surely with airplanes of all sizes being a common sight, flying cars can’t be all that hard to make.Syd Mead, an American neo-futurist concept artist, and industrial engineer, created the Spinners featured in the first Blade Runner film released in 1982. These Spinners could be operated as ground-based vehicles; they could take off vertically, hover, and make use of jet propulsion to cruise, just like the VTOL aircraft of today. Isn’t this everything we’ve wanted in our flying cars?If we agree, then you would be overjoyed to know that some good people did work on similar designs. These vehicles, however, feature little wings and take off like airplanes, bringing in the need for runways. Now that wouldn’t be ideal, would it? Just imagine the chaos that ensued from random cars taking off from runways in your neighborhood!Companies are hence focused on designing a flying car that does not require a runway to take off. Although vertical take-off is a feature of the Harrier ‘Jump Jet’, a staple of many air forces around the world, it is still yet to find its place in civilian practice, apart from helicopters. The costs involved to develop, and high levels of pilot training to operate have been an obstacle to its mass adoption.Another desirable feature in our flying cars would be autopilot- modern planes and even Teslas have some form of it. However, the inability of autopilot systems to make correct decisions in unexpected situations renders them too dangerous. This is significant because of the high likelihood of unanticipated events occurring while the vehicle is in the air.  The acoustic impact resulting from flying cars taking off and landing in cities is another significant issue yet to be solved. To prevent cities from becoming uninhabitable, it would be imperative for hundreds of these vehicles to operate in silence. While modern technology has come a long way, we are yet to reach the heights needed to make flying cars a reality. It is a matter of when, rather than if, and until then, let our dreams fly.

What about those flying cars we have seen in the Blade Runner movies, and the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets?

Isn’t modern technology supposed to make gadgets of the future a reality?

Why don't we still have flying cars from blade runner movie

Why don't we still have invisibility cloaks... It's been nearly twenty years since the first Harry Potter movie.

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Remember all those embarrassing times when you sunk low in your seat and wished for no one to see you? Or the tangent spurred on from that moment when you wondered when you would be gifted an invisibility cloak, just like the one Harry Potter did in the first movie? Oh, is it not just me, then? Aha! Well, those cloaks do not exist. Or do they?You see, when Harry first put the cloak on and his body disappeared, it was the Visual Effects Department who applied a green screen effect over this one-of-a-kind cloak made for the movie using a unique velvet fabric adorned with Celtic designs and ancient runes. But what about us peasants living in reality? Do we get one too? Are we wizards now? Or is it just not magic? Oh, is it science? Isn&#39;t that awesome?The purpose of an invisibility cloak is to conceal things under it, and the easiest way to hide things is to bend light. No, we’re not Lightbenders yet, so we need the assistance of metamaterials to create the illusion. Metamaterials are substances that are man-made: they do not exist in nature. Some of these give the impression of invisibility when a cloak is made using them and puts their light-bending properties to use.And if that seems complicated, then you would be pleased to know of Quantum Stealth, a new creation of a Canadian-based company, a thin veil that bends light. It gives an efficient result in all wavelengths of light and bends the light hitting the back towards the observer from both sides, thereby creating a blind spot in the middle. However, objects need to be a certain threshold distance from the material to disappear; they become visible once again should they get too far. Current prototypes give a blurred image to the background, but it is just a matter of time before we marvel at future models that display a sharp image.Perhaps it would take us just a couple more years to get our hands on an invisibility cloak. Now all I have to do is stay clear of embarrassing situations until then.

Why don't we still have invisibility cloaks

Why don't we have invisibility cloaks?

I know we have some awesome replicas and very realistic toys of these lightsabers but let's face it, as a grown man, I can't play with toys. I want to play with an actual lightsaber!

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Who doesn’t want a sword that glows and makes you feel like a Jedi? For many Star Wars fans, it has been a dream to hold a real-life lightsaber in their hands at least once in their lifetime. About 55 years have passed since we got introduced to lightsabers in the first Star Wars film. It seems scientists have all the time in the world to develop robots and rocket engines, but not for a lightsaber. Well, “I find their lack of faith disturbing.”In the Star Wars universe, a lightsaber is defined as a sword made of an energy beam. It contains special diatium power cells that enable the light energy to take the shape of a sword. However, the lightsaber that you see in the movies is mostly camera flashes and special effects. Scientists in the real world consider lightsaber as a beam of plasma held in the form of a sword under the influence of a magnetic field. This plasma beam can slice anything that comes in its way. Plasma is the fourth and least-discussed state of matter which is basically ionized gas made of ions and electrons. It forms 99% of the universe and the glow that you see in stars and auroras is also plasma. On Earth, it is used in neon signs, nuclear fusion reactors, gas cutters, fluorescent lights, and various other applications.  Humans have created a lot of things using plasma but unfortunately, the lightsaber is not one of those. There are many toys, tube-shaped lights, and gadgets available in the market that mimic the looks and sounds of a lightsaber but the truth is none of them are worthy enough to turn you into a Jedi.You may wonder that a lightsaber is basically a laser sword, so if laser lights are easily available why can’t we make a sword out of them? Well, you may have seen a lot of lasers but none of them would have been in a motionless state. There is no way we can hold laser light in the form of a sword unless we use a mirror on top of it.But what kind of mirror would be powerful enough to withstand the power of a lightsaber. Also, did you ever see a lightsaber with a mirror? If you could only imagine how it will look, it’s not even worth trying. Yoda was right  “Do or do not. There is no try.” However, there is hope scientists would consider creating a Star Wars-like lightsaber in the near future. Maybe some of them are already working on it because like Maz Kanata we also believe —- “The belonging you seek is not behind you; it is ahead.”

We believe there is not a single soul on Earth that hasn't seen any of the Star Wars movies yet.

And you know what, it may be possible. How? Let's see!

Why don't we have the Lightsaber from Star Wars

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One of the greatest time travel movies of all time — Back to the Future, gave us a glimpse of many futuristic innovations such as self-lacing sneakers and flying cars. However, there is one particular gadget from Back to the Future II that nobody can ever forget if they have seen the movie —- the hoverboard. Remember the scene in which Marty McFly is seen flying away from Griff Tannen and his gang of other bullies? This is where we got to see on-screen hoverboards for the first time.More than 30 years have passed since Back to the Future II first hit the theatres. In the last three decades, although humans have invented pretty cool things like smartphones and eVTOLs, fans are still waiting for a hoverboard that works exactly like the one they saw in the film. A hoverboard is basically a skateboard that floats in the air. There have been some designs in the past that tried to mimic this concept but the truth is they failed to meet even the basic criteria for being considered a real hoverboard. For example, if you would search “hoverboard” on Amazon, you’ll get to see many boards that hover but with the help of tires. Well, that ain’t a hoverboard, that’s a self-balancing scooter.Wait a minute, so we can make planes fly but we can’t make a skateboard levitate, why? Actually, there are some cool hoverboard ideas as well. An electromagnetic hoverboard, for instance, will float in the air in the presence of a magnetic field powerful enough to overcome gravitational pull and at the same time push away (repel) the electrically charged magnets inside the board. However, electromagnetic hoverboard comes nowhere close to superconductor hoverboard when it comes to the way they fly. A superconductor hoverboard suspends is air above magnets and releases icy vapors while doing so, looking almost magical and back to the futur-ish. There is a catch though.The icy vapors come from the frozen superconductor that is packed inside the hoverboard and is required to be maintained at -200 °C. How would you maintain such freezing temperatures inside a thing that is supposed to stay in motion above the ground? This question still needs to be answered. Another challenge with both the semiconductor and the electromagnetic hoverboard is they can not function in the absence of a magnetic field. Any hoverboard that suspends in the air due to magnetic force demands a magnetically charged surface to function. So if you want to show off your moves on a floating superconductor hoverboard on a busy street. Sorry to disappoint you but you can’t do that unless you turn the street roads into magnetic tracks. There are some other designs that use jet engines and drone propellers that look exciting but none of them has yet managed to give us our “Great Scott!” moment. It’s 2022 and Back to the Future fans are still waiting for their time-traveling DeLorean and levitating hoverboard that they were supposed to see in 2015 — believe me, “this is heavy!”