11 future technologies that never arrived

7/31/2019 11 future technologies that never arrived

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Anyone who grew up in the 90s would have heard the tales; how the dawn of thenew millennium would herald the widespread use of devices that took you inside cyberspace, orhow wed all have computer enhanced bracers that could do everything and more. Heck, evenour soldiers were going to become cyborgs armed with exoskeletons!

Well, its 2012 now. Our last year of existence according to the Mayans. There are neither anyflying cars around nor any robots doing our bidding. Ladies and gentlemen, weve been had.

1. Virtual reality goggles

>> The claim

Anyone here ever watched The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest? Remember those cool headpieces the shows cast would wear, the one that projected a sweet energy beam across the eyesand warped them into cyber space? Hanna Barbaras adventurers werent the only ones tossingthe idea around. Whether you were a part of the television, gaming or even military industries,everyone was thinking of cyberspace, and how one day we would actually walk within its digitalhalls by simply wearing a pair of funky shades.


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>> The reality

While gaming and graphics tech has certainly evolved to a quite frankly terrifying level, we stilldo not have the virtual reality that everyone thought we would. While we do have 3D goggles

and other headsets claiming to be VR glasses, fact of the matter is we still rely on the humblemonitor and television screen to get a peak inside a digital world. [Note: Google Glasses, if youwere wondering, works on the principles of augmented reality and not virtual reality.]

2. Wearable computers


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>> The claim

Countless sci-fi novels and shows depicted their respective cast as wearing a wristwatch orbracer that was in fact a computer. These computers aided the characters in everything from

communication to weather prediction, and even blowing up other people (dont be shy, thatability is something you always dreamed of having, admit it). Often times the bracer would havean inbuilt projector and even remote vehicle piloting app (more on that later).

>> The reality

Wearable computers as a concept seemed to die down some time between 2000 and now.Googles Glass project does kind of fit in here, but frankly, its over ten years late, and still onlyin early prototype mode. US military forces have some cool eyepieces too, but eventhose arent the game changers that were predicted, nor are they the standard of human existence.


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3. Remote controlled vehicles

>> The claim

Tomorrow Never Dies featured a scene where everyones favorite spy used his cell phone todrive a car past a mob of angry gunmen. The idea of piloting a car or even an aircraft via aremote device was floating around for a quite a while, and it really does seemawesome, doesnt it? After all, we have been using the old fashioned steering wheel for way toolong at this point. Its time for a change, right?

>> The realityFor whatever reason, remote controlled vehicles are not the norm. The US military doescurrently use them for piloting drone aircraft, but that tech is still seen as something of amystery. Forget the fact that few other militaries in the world have such things, remote controlledvehicles are practically unheard of in the civilian sector, let alone vehicles that can seatpas sengers. Were still sitting behind an obnoxious wheel device like the cave men we claim tobe evolved from.


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4. Laser guns

>> The claim

If you dont understand the claim by simply reading the title, I dont even want to talk to youanymore

>> The reality

Deadly death ray guns simply do not exist yet. Even the most advanced military powers of the

world are still throwing metal at their targets.

5. Artificial intelligence


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Speaking of termination, fun fact; the original Terminator specified that by the year 1997, suchan artificial intelligence would in fact come into existence. Harlon Ellisons I Have No Mouthand I Must Scream was less specific ab out the time, but suggested it would be around the era of the Cold War.

>> The reality

Video games still display amazing feats of stupidity on the part of their villains behavior duringa play session, while actual AI that is, intelligence not based on scripted behavior is yet to befully realized. Occasionally well read about a university or research group boasting about howtheir computer is learning and adapting to some basic situations, but we are still very, very, veryfar away from making SkyNet (which for a chance, is probably a good thing).

6. Robots will do all the work


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>> The claim

Somewhat related to point 5, but less about actual intelligence and more about how wed all haverobots bringing us martinis and doing all the stuff wed rathe r not do.

>> The reality

Its currently a massive achievement for a research group to get a robot to even walk, let aloneclean our glasses and shine our shoes. Lets not even talk about fight our wars. To be fair, mostof our factories (well, in the west at least) are mechanized with machines that run on some basic(scripted) AI, but we havent seen many practical bipedal bots yet.

7. Solar power will replace fossil fuel

>> The claim


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Exactly what it says; solar power was slated to be the energy of the future, with more or lesseverything running on some form or the other of it. The Sun was supposed to be all of humanities personal power plant!

>> The reality

Look outside your window and count how many cars are running on solar power.

Okay, that ones mean, so lets make it easier; look around your house and count how manydevices run on solar power. If you can list with photographic proof even five such things inyour home, my next article will come with a tribute video to you.

8. Hovering cars

>> The claim

Wheeled vehicles will be phased out in favor of cars that hover. Most aircrafts will be VTOLs(Vertical Take Off and Landing). Well even have hover boards that replace skateboards!


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>> The reality

Again, look outside. No, this one does not come with a special prize for those of you who canfind something to the contrary (because current day hover crafts just dont fit the bill).

9. Colonies in spaaaaaace!!!

>> The claim


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Humanity will have outposts on the Moon, Mars, and a bunch of other planets. Space travel willbe as routine as airplane travel.

>> The reality

Simply landing on the moon is still an amazing accomplishment, and space travel remains anexpensive and very dangerous endeavor. We havent even landed on Mars, let alone establisheda colony on its surface (no, rovers do not count).

10. Jetpacks

>> The claim

In the future, we will have access to backpacks that let us soar into the sky!

>> The reality


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Besides the fact that a jetpack is a bit of a flawed idea in itself, there havent ev en been any signsof a variation there of.

11. Exoskeletons and powered armor

>> The claim

We will either pilot giant robots or wear mechanized suits that let us accomplish superhumanfeats like lifting heavy objects, flying and more. Soldiers will wear powered armor that can resisteven direct missile hits and helmets that have lag and distortion free video and audio feeds, as

well as complex targeting systems.

>> The reality

A wireless exoskeleton is still a long way from showing up in any practical form. For themoment, Iron Man continues to exist exclusively in movies and comics.


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Powered armor is also nowhere to be seen, though we do have helmets and eyepieces that can beused for video feeds and targeting solutions.

Basically, so sum everything up, everyone was right, reality really sucks.

11 future technologies that never arrived

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