Real things once only in the realm of Science Fiction

Awhile back I used the letters "SF" to designate "Science Fiction" when making a post. One of the others (Malsua) asked what I meant by SF (because it wasn't very clear in my remarks).

Basically my phrasing was to denote that many things in Science Fiction become true (I don't remember the precise phrase I used now) and was unclear in the use of two letters (which Might have stood for "Special Forces" or "San Francisco" or even "Silly Fools"....)

So to make up for my lack of proper language I thought I'd start this thread to show that there are plenty of things mentioned in Science Fiction which were once only in that realm and all not either proven things, or have been done.

The next article contains a listing of 27 Science Fictions that Became Facts.

As time goes on I'll attempt to post others as well. All are welcome to contribute to the thread.

27 Science Fictions That Became Science Facts In 2012

We may never have our flying cars, but the future is here. From creating fully functioning artificial leaves to hacking the human brain, science made a lot of breakthroughs this year. posted on December 19, 2012 at 11:19am EST
http://s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/use...5-54_large.jpg Donna Dickens BuzzFeed Staff



1. Quadriplegic Uses Her Mind to Control Her Robotic Arm




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At the University of Pittsburgh, the neurobiology department worked with 52-year-old Jan Scheuermann over the course of 13 weeks to create a robotic arm controlled only by the power of Scheuermann’s mind.


The team implanted her with two 96-channel intracortical microelectrodes. Placed in the motor cortex, which controls all limb movement, the integration process was faster than anyone expected. On the second day, Jan could use her new arm with a 3-D workspace. By the end of the 13 weeks, she was capable of performing complex tasks with seven-dimensional movement, just like a biological arm.


To date, there have been no negative side effects.
Source: gizmodo.com

2. DARPA Robot Can Traverse an Obstacle Course

Once the robot figures out how to do that without all the wires, humanity is doomed.
DARPA was also hard at work this year making robots to track humans and run as fast as a cheetah, which seems like a great combination with no possibility of horrible side effects.


Source: jwherrman

3. Genetically Modified Silk Is Stronger Than Steel

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Photo Courtesy of Indigo Moon Yarns.
At the University of Wyoming, scientists modified a group of silkworms to produce silk that is, weight for weight, stronger than steel. Different groups hope to benefit from the super-strength silk, including stronger sutures for the medical community, a biodegradable alternative to plastics, and even lightweight armor for military purposes.
Source: bbc.co.uk

4. DNA Was Photographed for the First Time

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Using an electron microscope, Enzo di Fabrizio and his team at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa snapped the first photos of the famous double helix.
Source: newscientist.com / via: davi296

5. Invisibility Cloak Technology Took a Huge Leap Forward

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British Columbia company HyperStealth Biotechnology showed a functioning prototype of its new fabric to the U.S. and Canadian military this year. The material, called Quantum Stealth, bends light waves around the wearer without the use of batteries, mirrors, or cameras. It blocks the subject from being seen by visual means but also keeps them hidden from thermal scans and infrared.
Source: toxel.com

6. Spray-On Skin

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ReCell by Avita Medical is a medical breakthrough for severe-burn victims. The technology uses a postage stamp–size piece of skin from the patient, leaving the donor site with what looks like a rug burn. Then the sample is mixed with an enzyme harvested from pigs and sprayed back onto the burn site. Each tiny graft expands, covering a space up to the size of a book page within a week. Since the donor skin comes from the patient, the risk of rejection is minimal.
Source: news.discovery.com

7. James Cameron Reached the Deepest Known Point in the Ocean

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Cameron was the first solo human to reach the bottom of the Mariana Trench. At 6.8 miles deep, it is perhaps more a more alien place to scientists than some foreign planets are. The 2.5-story “vertical torpedo” sub descended over a period of two and a half hours before taking a variety of samples.
Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

8. Stem Cells Could Extend Human Life by Over 100 Years

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When fast-aging elderly mice with a usual lifespan of 21 days were injected with stem cells from younger mice at the Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Pittsburgh, the results were staggering. Given the injection approximately four days before they were expected to die, not only did the elderly mice live — they lived threefold their normal lifespan, sticking around for 71 days. In human terms, that would be the equivalent of an 80-year-old living to be 200.
Source: news.nationalgeographic.com

9. 3-D Printer Creates Full-Size Houses in One Session

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The D-Shape printer, created by Enrico Dini, is capable of printing a two-story building, complete with rooms, stairs, pipes, and partitions. Using nothing but sand and an inorganic binding compound, the resulting material has the same durability as reinforced concrete with the look of marble. The building process takes approximately a fourth of the time as traditional buildings, as long as it sticks to rounded structures, and can be built without specialist knowledge or skill sets.
Source: gizmag.com

10. Self-Driving Cars Are Legal in Nevada, Florida, and California

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Google started testing its driverless cars in the beginning of 2012, and by May, Nevada was the first state to take the leap in letting them roam free on the roads. With these cars logging over 300,000 autonomous hours so far, the only two accidents involving them happened when they were being manually piloted.
Source: en.wikipedia.org

11. Voyager I Leaves the Solar System

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Launched in 1977, Voyager I is the first manmade object to fly beyond the confines of our solar system and out into the blackness of deep space. It was originally designed to send home images of Saturn and Jupiter, but NASA scientists soon realized eventually the probe would float out into the great unknown. To that end, a recording was placed on Voyager I with sounds ranging from music to whale calls, and greetings in 55 languages.
Source: space.com

12. Custom Jaw Transplant Created With 3-D Printer

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A custom working jawbone was created for an 83-year-old patient using titanium powder and bioceramic coating. The first of its kind, the successful surgery opens the door for individualized bone replacement and, perhaps one day, the ability to print out new muscles and organs.
Source: telegraph.co.uk

13. Rogue Planet Floating Through Space

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Until this year, scientists knew planets orbited a star. Then, in came CFBDSIR2149. With four to seven times the mass of Jupiter, it is the first free-floating object to be officially defined as an exoplanet and not a brown dwarf.
Source: sciencenews.org

14. Chimera Monkeys Created from Multiple Embryos

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While all the donor cells were from rhesus monkeys, the researchers combined up to six distinct embryos into three baby monkeys. According to Dr. Mitalipov, “The cells never fuse, but they stay together and work together to form tissues and organs.” Chimera species are used in order to understand the role specific genes play in embryonic development and may lead to a better understanding of genetic mutation in humans.
Source: bbc.co.uk

15. Artificial Leaves Generate Electricity

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Using relatively inexpensive materials, Daniel G. Nocera created the world’s first practical artificial leaf. The self-contained units mimic the process of photosynthesis, but the end result is hydrogen instead of oxygen. The hydrogen can then be captured into fuel cells and used for electricity, even in the most remote locations on Earth.
Source: sciencedaily.com

16. Google Goggles Bring the Internet Everywhere

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Almost everyone has seen the video of Google’s vision of the future. With their Goggles, everyday life is overlaid with a HUD (Head’s Up Display). Controlled by a combination of voice control and where the user is looking, the Goggles show pertinent information, surf the web, or call a loved one.
Source: heraldsun.com.au

17. The Higgs-Boson Particle Was Discovered

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Over the summer, multinational research center CERN confirmed it had discovered a particle that behaved enough like a Higgs boson to be given the title. For scientists, this meant there could be a Higgs field, similar to an electromagnetic field. In turn, this could lead to the scientists’ ability to interact with mass the same way we currently do with magnetic fields.
Source: forbes.com

18. Flexible, Inexpensive Solar Panels Challenge Fossil Fuel

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At half the price of today’s cheapest solar cells, Twin Creeks’ Hyperion uses an ion canon to bombard wafer-thin panels. The result is a commercially viable, mass-produced solar panel that costs around 40 cents per watt.
Source: extremetech.com

19. Diamond Planet Discovered

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An exoplanet made entirely of diamonds was discovered this year by an international research team. Approximately five times the size of Earth, the small planet had mass similar to that of Jupiter. Scientists believe the short distance from its star coupled with the exoplanet’s mass means the planet, remnants of another star, is mostly crystalline carbon.
Source: io9.com

20. Eye Implants Give Sight to the Blind

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Two blind men in the U.K. were fitted with eye implants during an eight-hour surgery with promising results. After years of blindness, both had regained “useful” vision within weeks, picking up the outlines of objects and dreaming in color. Doctors expect continued improvement as their brains rewire themselves for sight.
Source: telegraph.co.uk

21. Wales Barcodes DNA of Every Flowering Plant Species in the Country

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Photo Courtesy of Virtual Tourist.
Led by the National Botanic Garden’s head of research and conversation, a database of DNA for all 1,143 native species of Wales has been created. With the use of over 5,700 barcodes, plants can now be identified by photos of their seeds, roots, wood, or pollen. The goal is to help researchers track things such as bee migration patterns or how a plant species encroaches on a new area. The hope is to eventually barcode both animal and plant species across the world.
Source: walesonline.co.uk

22. First Unmanned Commercial Space Flight Docks with the ISS

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SpaceX docked its unmanned cargo craft, the Dragon, with the International Space Station. It marked the first time in history a private company had sent a craft to the station. The robotic arm of the ISS grabbed the capsule in the first of what will be many resupply trips.
Source: nytimes.com

23. Ultra-Flexible “Willow” Glass Will Allow for Curved Electronic Devices

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Created by New York–based developer Corning, the flexible glass prototype was shown off at an industry trade show in Boston. At only 0.05mm thick, it’s as thin as a sheet of paper. Perhaps Sony’s wearable PC concept will actually be possible before 2020.
Source: bbc.co.uk

24. NASA Begins Using Robotic Exoskeletons

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The X1 Robotic Exoskeleton weighs in at 57 lbs. and contains four motorized joints along with six passive ones. With two settings, it can either hinder movement, such as when helping astronauts exercise in space, or aid movement, assisting paraplegics with walking.
Source: news.cnet.com

25. Human Brain Is Hacked

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Usenix Security had a team of researchers use off-the-shelf technology to show how vulnerable the human brain really is. With an EEG (electroencephalograph) headset attached to the scalp and software to figure out what the neurons firing are trying to do, it watches for spikes in brain activity when the user recognizes something like one’s ATM PIN number or a child’s face.
Source: extremetech.com

26. First Planet with FOUR Suns Discovered

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Discovered by amateur astronomers, the planet closely orbits a pair of stars, which in turn orbit another set of more distant stars. It’s approximately the size of Neptune, so scientists are still trying to work out how the planet has avoided being pulled apart by the gravitational force of that many stars.
Source: io9.com

27. Microsoft Patented the “Holodeck”

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The patent suggests Microsoft wants to take gaming beyond a single screen and turn it into an immersive experience — beaming images all over the room, accounting for things like furniture, and bending the graphics around them to create a seamless environment.

Space travel was written about long before we sent people into space (Jules Verne).

Space Stations have been mentioned by many (Asimov, Heinlein, et al) A permanent station is in orbit now. 2001: A Space Oddessy (Arthur Clarke) made use of such a station for launching the folks who were aboard "Discovery" and all of whom except Dave Bowman died.

Ion engines (NASA has one now, and they have been mentioned for years - http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/fs21grc.html).

Robots. Technically, Robots have been around for... well, a couple thousand years. The "automaton" is a type of "robot". China, Greece, Egypt, and others have created "self operated machines". In the 1700s there were steam powered devices as well. But Robots were predicted to behave more like humans by "SF" writers. But, they exist now and they are even "human like" in some cases. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...l-warfare.html and also http://singularityhub.com/2012/12/14...manoid-robots/)

Lasers and death rays: Invented in 1960, became a defacto standard for later SF stories, which then begat things like "pulse weapons" and other sorts of "death rays". H.G. Wells used a "death ray" in his book "War of the Worlds" as early as 1898 (when he wrote the book). But you have to remember that xrays were discovered around that time period as well.

Powered armor and fighting suits. Yep... they have them now. They have made it into a series of stories from various authors (including me). NASA has a suit of armor... more accurately, an "exoskeleton" now. It will be used in the future, on the trip to Mars (eventually, if that ever happens) and likely by miners who mine asteroids. (http://www.nasa.gov/offices/oct/home...oskeleton.html).

Mining asteroids. Notable in many short stories and even trilogies as a method for collecting scarce minerals and such from space (after Earth has been depleted for instance). NASA is planning to send ships to investigate, capture and perhaps eventually mine asteroids. Currently a Seattle based company is planning to be the first commercial venture to mine an asteroid. (http://www.planetaryresources.com/)

Warp Speed: Postulated by Star Trek as a method through which a ship (star ship) could effectively avoid Einstein's General Theory of Relativity by using a "loophole" in the math to travel faster than the speed of light. (in general relativity, as an object having mass approaches the speed of light, it's mass also approaches infinity and according to the theory nothing with mass can exceed the speed of light). However it is known that space and time can be distorted by gravity, light can be bent by gravity and that space could actually be "folded upon itself" bringing two distance spaces "together" making travel from one area of space to another possible in a short time, and avoiding the time dilation that would occur otherwise. The Alcubierre warp drive is still theoretical for now, but, there exists the possibility of being able eventually to move a large ship to a distant solar system for exploration.... if they can prove the theory works. A possible "fuel" for a "warp drive" might be found here.

Food replicators (ala Star Trek): Technically the "replicator" is a device that uses matter transporter technology and computers to recombine other molecules (say air mixtures or inert matter) into something else. While THIS is not yet precisely possible it is possible to recombine or rearrange atoms into various things at the sub-molecular level. (http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/9...ecule-18-atoms and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scannin...ing_microscope) There is a push by NASA to use "3 D printing" to print food (http://www.examiner.com/article/repl...ed-space-pizza)


Nanotechnology: 1956, Arthur C. Clarke, The Next Tenants postulated micro-millimeter scale technology. Nanoscale technology would be even smaller (billionth of a meter for example) Nanotechnology is already being pursued (see Food replicators above). Not more than a few days ago I posted an article about nanotech synthesized antibodies to prevent a disease. There are attempts to replicate or synthesize specific anti-body like compounds that will stop various viruses without having to create a weakened or dead virus in a serum which is grown in eggs. Of course there's this tid bit. (http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/s...atitis-c-virus)

Space is great in concept...the idea of a ship that can step across the cosmos is wonderfully entertaining.

Actually getting in a tin can and going there? Holy crap, that's frightening. If something goes wrong, you're dead. No reprieve. No "If I stabilize the warp core captain, we can get to Rigel 5 in 3 hours". It's more like "I'm getting a message here that the engine is.............." And that's it. Everyone is dead.

Pretty much Mal.

But... remember human history?

There's evidence that even the Egyptians with nothing more than a few strings and reeds created vessels that traversed the Atlantic or Pacific to find South America.

Even today the ocean is a big, big place (I've been on it, flown over it many times and traveled much smaller distances thus far than did the ancient explorers who set out to "map the known universe" which for them was the Earth).

Many of them died too. They had no radio, no way to get home sometimes, had to "go with the winds" and they had to be completely self sufficient.

But they did it.

Some day it will happen in space. Might not be exactly as we envision it on television and movies, but it will happen if we don't get splattered by an asteroid first or destroy the planet in a nuclear conflagration.

Yes, people will die.

Just as they did centuries ago exploring the Atlantic and Pacific.

There is a big difference between Ocean travel and space travel.

You could theoretically get fish or other proteins from the sea in transit.
In space, if you get lucky, you might get some Andorian mold on the windows that you can eat.

On the ocean, if you spring a leak, you can bail out the boat.
In Space, if you spring a leak, you can suffocate, or maybe just suffocate. Either way, you suffocate.

On the ocean, if you run out of water, you can distill ocean water and drink it.
In Space, if you run out of water, you can recycle your own piss until you're dried out.

On the Ocean, if it gets hot, you can take a dip, if it gets cold, you can use a blanket.
In space, if it gets hot, you cook, if it gets cold and your heater breaks, you turn into a popcicle.

On the Ocean, if you need to take a leak, you can whizz over the side.
In Space, you whizz in a bottle in case you need to drink it later.

On the ocean, you can poop over the side.
In Space, you poop in a bag in case you need to eat later.

lol

http://www.gizmag.com/space-diving-iron-man-suit/27659/

Iron Man meets Star Trek: Space diving suit in development

By Colin Dunjohn
May 29, 2013


http://images.gizmag.com/hero/space-...-star-trek.jpg Space diving - extreme sport of the future (Photo: www.mondoart.net)
Image Gallery (7 images)



Science fiction may well become reality with the development of a real life Iron Man suit that would allow astronauts or extreme thrill seekers to space dive from up to 62 miles (100 km) above the Earth‘s surface at the very edge of space, and safely land using thruster boots instead of a parachute. Hi-tech inventors over at Solar System Express (Sol-X) and biotech designers Juxtopia LLC (JLLC) are collaborating on this project with a goal of releasing a production model of such a suit by 2016. The project will use a commercial space suit to which will be added augmented reality (AR) goggles, jet packs, power gloves and movement gyros.

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DéjÃ* vu anyone?

So where have we seen this before? If you are a Trekker, you will remember the scenes from 2009's Star Trek (The Future Begins) where James T. Kirk, Hikaru Sulu and Chief Engineer Olson performed a space dive to the Narada's drill platform. They jumped from a shuttle craft above planet Vulcan wearing high tech suits and used parachutes to land on the rig. “Super” Trekkers will also know about the space dive scene cut from the 1998 Star Trek Generations movie and the holodeck simulated "orbital skydiving" in Star Trek Voyager (Episode 5x03), also in 1998.


More recently the Iron Man movies have highlighted Tony Stark, a fictional comic book hero, who invents and uses a powered exoskeleton-like armor that defines him as the super hero “Iron Man." The key elements of Stark’s suit are the jets situated in the boots and the repulsors located in the gauntlets. The repulsors in the 2008 movie are used as a form of propulsion and as steering jets, though they can also be used offensively. The helmet, with projected holographic heads-up display (HUD) and HAL-like artificial intelligence butler JARVIS (Just a Rather Very Intelligent System), tops off the outfit.


In real life we have Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver, daredevil and BASE jumper who set a world record for skydiving an estimated 24.24 miles (39 km), reaching a speed of 843.6 mph (1,357.64 km/h), or Mach 1.25, on October 14, 2012. His jump from a helium balloon in the stratosphere set the altitude record for a manned balloon flight, parachute jump from the highest altitude and greatest free fall velocity. His suit was designed to provide protection from temperatures of -90° to +100° F (-68° to 38° C) and was pressurized to 3.5 pounds per square inch or roughly equivalent to the atmospheric pressure at 35,000 feet (10,668 meters).
The challenges of space diving

The scientists and developers at Sol-X and JLLC are working on a suit that will enable space divers to jump from the Kármán line, which lies at an altitude of 62 miles (100 km) above sea level. This will involve descending through the vacuum of space, which is quite a different challenge than a dive that begins in the relative thickness of our planet’s lower atmosphere.


In order to achieve their goals, the team must overcome many technical difficulties. The suit must be protected against hostile temperatures, pressures and lack of oxygen. At the heights involved, low pressure may cause decompression sickness or ebullism. There is also the possibility of a suit breach which would cause the space diver to lose both oxygen and protection. Even though supersonic speeds will be achieved, more oxygen must be carried for a longer descent even if not needed.


The suit must be capable of withstanding the heat of re-entry and supersonic and hypersonic shock waves. Furthermore, G-forces are also in play. As the space diver slices through the thin atmosphere to the denser air below, it is possible they would experience positive or negative G-forces from 2-8, which may cause pressure-related complications or even black-outs. Spinning out of control, which actually occurred for roughly 10 seconds during Felix Baumgartner’s descent, can cause blood to pool in the extremities, possibly causing hemorrhages or unconsciousness.
RL MARK VI Space Diving Suit

According to Sol-X, its RL MARK VI Space Diving Suit would allow high-altitude jumps from near-space, suborbital space, and eventually low-Earth orbit itself. The acronym RL recognizes Major Robert Lawrence (RL) from the United States Air Force. He was America’s first African-American astronaut and was killed on December 8th, 1967 in a test flight at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

http://images.gizmag.com/inline/spac...tar-trek-1.jpg

The yellow real-life prototype Iron Man suit alongside Felix Baumgartner's Red Bull Stratos suit (Photo: Blaze Sanders/Solar System Express/Red Bull Stratos)



Sol-X intends to commence in similar fashion to the Red Bull Stratos jump by first testing the suit with lower-altitude jumps and parachute descents, but the final goal is far more ambitious. Through the use of wingsuit technology and specially-designed boots with miniature aerospike engines attached, the space diver will end his spectacular jump with a glide to Earth and a power-assisted vertical landing. At least, that's the plan.


New York-based Final Frontier Design is working with Sol-X on a customized version of its low-cost Intra-Vehicular Activity IVA 3G spacesuit, successfully crowd funded last year through an online Kickstarter campaign. Lightweight layers of aerogel and Space Shuttle-like flexible insulation blankets will serve as the spacesuit’s outermost protective thermal layer, with Sol-X currently in talks with several wingsuit manufacturers to assist in merging their technology with the RL MARK VI Space Diving Suit .
Juxtopia’s AR Goggles

Juxtopia’s AR Goggles work on the principal of “Optical See-Through," similar to the HUD on a fighter jet, with numerical information and other visual data overlaid on the pilot’s outside views. Similar also in function to Google Glass, the AR Goggles are first and foremost intended to provide the space diver with a constant stream of vital information to assist in course direction and maintaining the dive within the specified safety parameters.


Real-time dynamic analytics keep the diver advised of heart rate, respiration and internal/external space suit temperatures. The display will provide data on rates of acceleration and deceleration, GPS location, and elevation, plus an FAA radar display of the local airspace. The design of the goggles includes voice control to turn the RL MARK VI’s systems on and off, eject spent hardware components from the diver’s body at different altitudes, manipulate suit cams and lighting, and to control verbal communications to ground control.
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Mock up HUD display of the hi-tech augmented reality goggles (Photo: Blaze Sanders/Juxtopia)

Gyroscopic boots and power gloves

The gyroscopic boots will perform two vital functions. At 62 miles (100 km) high there are no aerodynamic forces acting upon the diver’s body that will assist them in stabilizing the dive. The gyroscopes built into the boots will provide a stabilizing mechanism to maintain a balanced and optimum attitude during descent from the thermosphere down to the stratopause. A further safety feature known as a “flat spin compensator” will kick in if the diver loses control of his attitude for more than five seconds.


The other main function of the diver’s gyroscopic boots will kick in as he nears the surface of the Earth and he fires off his miniature in-built aerospike thrusters to gently descend to the ground for a feet-first perfect landing. The controllers for the gyroscopic boots will be built into “power gloves” for ease of access.
http://images.gizmag.com/inline/spac...tar-trek-3.jpg
Preliminary CAD design of the RL MARK VI "rocket boots" (Photo: Blaze Sanders/Solar System Express

Gravity Development Board

A Gravity Development Board (GDB), a proprietary piece of hardware designed by Sol-X, will serve as the main interface between the MARK VI’s three major components and will control all critical systems.
According to Blaze Sanders, Chief Technology Officer of Sol-X, “The GDB will be the first space-rated open hardware electronic prototyping board, enabling any type of person to create space qualified hardware. The GDB will replace the Arduino Uno as the preferred high-level prototyping environment."
The final frontier

Testing the suit at altitude should begin around July of 2016 with 1.25 mile-high (2 km) parachute jumps from a helium balloon and tethered tower. No firm dates have been set for suborbital and orbital testing, but initial plans call for the use of a robot (under development) supplied by Juxtopia to be used as the test subject for the first few jumps. Thrill-seeking adventurers will just have to enjoy their "orbital skydiving" via the big screen for a while longer.
The following video highlights space diving's potential.
Source: Solar System Express



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German Startup Successfully Tests Flying Electric Car That Can Be Used as a Taxi

© Photo: Youtube/Lilium
Life19:03 22.04.2017(updated 21:53 22.04.2017) Get short URL
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A flying electric car with a vertical takeoff - Lilium Jet - was successfully tested in Munich, making it possible to travel without traffic jams.

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© AEROMOBIL
Where’s My Flying Car? Commercial Model Now Open for Pre-Order

The flying vehicle, created by Lilium Aviation company, is capable of vertical takeoff and landing and is expected to be used as an urban air taxi, The Verge website reported. Lilium Jet can speed up to 300 km per hour. The developers noted that one of the main advantages of the electric car is energy efficiency, since the device consumes much less energy than a conventional aircraft.
The current model is designed for two people, but the engineers plan to increase the number of seats up to five.
The creators of the device hope that their invention could be useful for those who want to travel fast and avoid spending hours in traffic jams.