Nowadays, the line between science fiction and reality has become almost microscopically thin, our newfound abundance of resources and knowledge having led to the creation of some truly dazzling gizmos and gadgets. So here’s a list of the top five most amazing sci-fi gadgets we’ve come up with that won’t lead to super-smart killer robots, because I spend, way, way too much time on those. (Although I wouldn’t if inventors didn’t seem to think we’re going for a Terminator-inspired and not a Star Trek/Wars-inspired future, but we’re already getting off track).
First in line, we have:
5. The Sigmo:
What’s that little square do, you ask? That, dear friends, is reality’s first Universal Translator, inspired by the Star Trek gadget that allowed the show’s creators to neatly explain why all alien races spoke and understood English. Simply put, the Sigmo uses a Bluetooth connection with your smartphone to translate your words into over 25 languages. Just speak into the square, and it will record your voice, send it up into the cloud (where a service like Google Translate will translate your words), and then play that translation only seconds later. While it won’t translate any alien languages, it’s a good first step. It also only costs 50 bucks, making it my favorite kind of gadget: useful, easy to use, and cheap. You can figure out how to buy it here.
4. Scanadu’s Scout :
This year’s CES convention revealed yet other Star Trek-inspired devices: Scanadu’s medical scanner, the Scout. Based on Star Trek’s medical tricorder—that little box thing Bones is always waving around people that lets him know they’re pretty much dying—the Scout was developed as a sophisticated sensor that’s capable of measuring our vital signs. If you hold it up to your temple for ten seconds, the Scout reads and records your health statistics and sends the data to your smartphone, where you can do whatever you like with it. You can’t buy this yet, as it still has to be field-tested and FDA-approved, but it’s pretty cool. Let’s hope its field test in March is successful; Bones would be so sad without his tricorder.
3. iOptik Smart Contact Lenses:
Ever want to just blink, and have information like driving directions, texts, emails, or videos just appear in front of your eyes? Get ready to be shocked: iOptix smart contact lenses do just that. Honestly, I geeked out over these things immediately. They use rings in order to route light in different ways on your retinas, which allows wearers to focus on near and far away visuals in a manner the normal human eye just isn’t capable of. The system was shown off at this year’s CES show in Vegas, and requires a secondary pair of glasses to work, but just the mere fact that they were invented is mind-blowing to me. Texts by blinking, guys. Texts by blinking .
2. MC10 Biostamp:
MC10 is one of those companies that came out of nowhere with a dramatically life-changing idea: their Biostamp is a stretchable electronic that’s stuck on your skin, developed to measure biopotential such as ECG, EEG, and EMG, as well as strain and body temperature. It sits neatly on the skin and uploads it’s data to your smartphone—or it will, once it becomes functional. It reminds me of thebarcode tattoos in this children’s book set in 2025, where everyone’s information is stored on this unobtrusive barcode on their arms. The Biostamp is designed to measure one’s health, but the tech could be developed for other uses. It’s still a prototype at this point, but MC1O is working hard to make it a reality. Hopefully it will be one before 2025; 11 years is a long time to wait.
1.Katia Vega’s Makeup:
Yep, eyelashes. Not the #1 gadget you were expecting, was it? Those are the eyelashes Katie Vega invented as part of her Beauty Technology Project—which can activate a whole slew of electronic devices through the power of blinking.
That’s right, somebody invented eyelashes that can control your tech. That’s better sci-fi than sci-fi. Be impressed. Not only that, but Katia Vega also created conductive eye makeup, nails embedded with RFID tags, and Winkymote, an infrared remote control for quadriplegics hidden in makeup, which they can use to control TVs and other tasks. Be more impressed. If you want to learn about some of Vega’s other projects—which you should—you can visit her website here.
There you have it—five gadgets we’ve invented this year that give me hope I will eventually become a space pirate, instead of a human rebel fighting for humanity against the machines.
Advertisement
