Science fiction is filled with such great ideas. Jet packs, faster than light travel, off world colonies, planet killing weapons, artificial intelligence, mind control… It may surprise you to find out that many of the ideas and concepts in science fiction may well be science fact a lot sooner than you would’ve expected (or in some cases, hoped)! Lets take a look at some of the most exciting developments that are currently being bandied around shall we? Click the title of each section to view the article in full.

Time Travel

As seen in: Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. You know. When Keanu Reeves was still earning a paycheck proportional to his skills?

Time travel is probably one of the most enduring ideas in science fiction. From HG Well’s the time machine, through to the Doctor and his TARDIS, time travel has been a real concept that many people have tried to get behind and make a reality. And the best part of this? It may soon be a reality, thanks to the work of Einstein and Professor Ronald Mallett.

Rail Guns

As seen in: The eraser, Halo (Under the name MAC cannon), EVE online, metal gear solid, and many, many others.

Everyone’s head of rail guns, weapons that use magnetic force to propel rounds to massive speeds. Well, they are no longer the realm of science fiction. The US navy has a number of working prototypes of various powers, and believes in the idea so much, they are pouring massive amounts of funding into the project, and are already drawing up battle plans on his these new, devastating weapons could be used. The days of the tomahawk cruise missile are numbered.

Orbital Weapons

As seen in: Many videogames and anime series.

The idea of weapons in space blasting targets down on the planet has been with us since the cold war. In modern science fiction, we have all sorts of orbital weapons from the ion cannon used by GDI in the command and Conquer video games, to massive orbital bombardments by ships in the anime “Macross SDF”. But in your lifetime, these weapons could soon be a reality. The US government is looking at dropping the bomb on you from orbit even now, and even going so far as to draw up designs for solar weapons that can fry tank divisions to a crisp in moments.

Nano Technology

As seen in: Star trek, Dr Who, Stargate: Atlantis, Metal Gear Solid.

Soon you may well have tiny machines crawling through your body repairing your wounds and keeping you in tip top condition. These same machines could also revolutionize mining and ore purification, as well as water filtering and countless other industrial processes. The age of the nano machine is upon us, and the technology is advancing in leaps and bounds.

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Artificial Intelligence And Quantum Computing

As seen in: Virus, Mass Effect, Halo, a million and one others…

We’ve all heard of artificial intelligence, computers that think and learn like people, that behave with sentience. Well, thanks to the quantum computer, these new life forms may be closer than ever to being born. Computers than work using individual atoms, and robots that learn and grow without human interference.