"Back to the Future," a movie franchise that has entertained guests for 30 years has finally caught up to the future. Wednesday, October 21, 2015 was Back to the Future Day, this was the date that Marty and Doc traveled to in the 2nd installment of Back to the Future. Fans have been waiting for this day since the 1989 release of Back to the Future part II. This movie transported audiences to the year 2015, or the 2015 the directors felt the future would be like. The directors got some things right and some things wrong. Here is a top 10 list of what they got right and what they got wrong.
1. Do we have Hoverboards?
Since the first appearance of the Hoverboard, companies have been trying to create this futuristic skateboard. The thing that is getting in the way is gravity. But there is hope of hover boards becoming a reality. Videos of prototypes have flooded
YouTube, in hope to promote their companies and also show a hoverboard that is functioning and actually hovers off the ground. So per say they do exist… almost. Check out Tony Hawk riding the first real Hoverboard from Hendo Hover
https://youtu.be/HSheVhmcYLA2. Do we have flying cars?
The ones that are depicted in film do not exist. Hover conversions have not been invented yet, but flying vehicles do exist. They aren’t common, but are still in developing stages except for the first ever flying car the AeroMobil. This car can at least travel at little over 400 miles on one trip, but is not for sale just yet. The company of Terrafugia is still working out the kinks and also air traffic control plans need to be sorted out before they hit the roads. Before you know it there will be sky ways jammed with flying car traffic, but until then cars will remain on the ground just to be safe. Want to see this car in action check out
https://youtu.be/mGAimPwLZlk
3. Does Face to Face Video calling exist?
Yes, of course this exists, we have been skyping and Facetiming people for years now. Since webcams were developed we have been able to connect with others over the internet and able to have video conversations live and not prerecorded with people across the world. Skype is one of leading video calling web applications out there. I use skype to call back home which is almost four and a half hours away from where I go to college. I am instantly transported to the comfort of my living room back home without leaving my college
dorm. It’s amazing how much technology has advanced and able to keep us in contact with others that live far away from us or even in another country.
4. Does fingerprint scanning technology exist?
Surprisingly, yes this technology does exist and also just became accessible over the last couple years. Apple released the iPhone 5s a few years back with a fingerprint scanner that can be used as a security function to lock your phone. Apple then released the iPhone 6 which has the same fingerprint software, but also gives the options of locking your phone and also being able to use your fingerprint to authorize purchases made with Apple Pay. You can link your credit cards to your phone and use your phone to purchase items without pulling out your credit card or even forgetting your wallet at home.
5: Can you hydrate a pizza?
This seems very far-fetched, being able to bring home a pizza the size of CD and popping it in a hydrater and comes out looking like a large pizza from pizza hut. This technology does not exist and to be honest I don’t know if this technology will ever exist. We dehydrate food, but being able to take dehydrated food and re-hydrate it in a hydrater sounds like a science equation that doesn’t add up. I mean having a hydrater would beat getting delivery, you could have your favorite delivery pizza without the hassle of getting it delivered or carrying it out. You just have to hydrate it though, which only takes a matter of seconds.
6: Do flat-screen televisions exist?
Flat-screen televisions are a household item that almost everyone owns. Flat-screens have existed since 1964 surprisingly. But since then they have become thinner and lighter over the years to push the televisions that were rather bulky because of the picture tubes they housed off the market. With flat-screens becoming thinner and thinner, the big thing is curving the screens and also the resolution output it has. 4K resolution televisions have been dominating the market for the past year and there is even higher resolution past 4K which is 6K resolution which is trying to be the next “big” television on the market.
7: Do self-drying/self-adjusting jackets exist?
In the movie, Doc gives Marty a jacket that doesn’t fit properly and is too big. By the press of a button this jacket shrinks sizes to properly fit Marty. Later on Marty gets the jacket wet and a blinking light and beeping alerts him to press the button on the jacket. By pressing this button, air shot from the jacket drying Marty and the jacket itself. This technology doesn’t exist, but would come in handy though if it did.
8: Do self-tying shoes exist?
In the movie, Marty slips on Nike shoes that have the ability of self-lacing themselves. These shoes in fact actually exist and yes they do self-lace themselves. On October 21
st, 2015 Nike delivered the first pair to Michael J. Fox. He wore these Nikes in the film and Nike wanted him to have the first-ever self-lacing pair. Want to see these shoes in action? Check out Back to the Future Part II and the video of Michael J. Fox trying them on at
https://youtu.be/zcvbHJ1BZ9s9: Do we have High-tech specs?
In the picture above Marty Mcfly Jr is wearing a pair of High-tech specs that allow him to watch TV at the dinner table. Some of this technology exists and Google Glass is an example of high-tech specs. Google glass was released in hopes that they will become a regular part of our everyday lives. Google glass can take pictures, videos, uses hands-free voice commands and allows the user to interact with their smart phone without pulling it out of their pocket. Another example of high-tech specs is the oculus rift. This is a gaming headset that uses virtual reality and puts the user in the game. This headset takes gaming to the next level and immerses you in your world of fantasy.
If you want to see Google glass in action go to
https://www.google.com/glass/start/ and for the Oculus Rift check out
https://www.oculus.com/en-us/10: Does Time Travel exist?
Doc Brown slipped on his toilet while hanging a clock and the idea of the Flux Capacitor came to him. The Flux Capacitor is what makes time travel possible in the movie. But in reality it’s a box that has blinking lights in it. Time Travel in theory is not possible, but maybe can be possible in the future. The limits are endless and we don’t know what bright minds may discover that it may be in fact possible to travel through time. But for now we can travel through time by watching Back to the Future, Doctor Who, The Flash, and other sci-fi driven programs.
