It’s 2015 and we still don’t have floating cities or interstellar space travel. Life today isn’t too much different than it was back in the 1980s, when it comes to technology, of course. Sure, we have our differences and every decade has its life-changing inventions, such as debit cards, longer-lasting batteries, GPS systems, and affordable mobile phones, to name a few. But when we take a glance back from the ‘80s and look to the future, it seems we expected more than what we currently have.
Who’s to say we didn’t try? Below are some inventions and ideas from the ‘80s that never really took off, but back then might have seemed like they could possibly become something.
Gull-wing doors
Image via cartalk.com
Everyone knows that gull-wing doors are ridiculously cool looking, so just about every imagined car of the future had them. After all, these doors were seen on the De Lorean DMC-12 in the Back to the Future trilogy. However, motorists today open their car doors outwards, not upwards, because there are more gull-wing door cons than pros. These type of doors make it nearly impossible to strap objects on the roof, and there’s also the risk of becoming trapped inside the car in the event of a roll-over. It's nice to dream, though.
Speaker vest
Image via Popular Science
Wearing headphones while riding any kind of bike can be dangerous, but the ‘80s had a solution for that: the speaker vest. All you had to do was plug your portable stereo into the Stereo Sound Vest and you were set for any adventure. It also came with zip-off sleeves so you could look the part.
Convertible car
Image via Popular Science
Ital Design envisioned a world where a car manufacturer could focus construction efforts on one model of car (which is in fact several models). Much like Inspector Gadget’s car, this vehicle could become a van for transporting bulky objects one day, and a sports car to show off with the next. Although the idea never took off on a large scale, cars with interchangeable components can be seen on the road today.
Electric doormat
Image via Popular Science
This German invention from the early ‘80s was a fancy and expensive alternative to wiping your feet on a doormat. The electric doormat’s anti-tripping technology were belts looped over separate pulleys, alternatively mounted on counter rotating drums on each side of the mat. Most people agreed that the low-tech version was good enough.
Vibrating sauna
Image via Popular Science
This crazy-looking device from Vibrosaun International combined a home entertainment system with an air conditioner and massaging chair, all housed within a personal sauna pod. Its purpose was to keep the user’s head cool while the rest of their body basked in the dry heat of up to 170°F. The $5,995 sauna included a face fan, a built-in stereo system, and an adjustable vibrator. Lots of luck trying to relax in that thing.
The Ulticard
Image via Popular Science
Also known as the everything card, this prototype from Smartcard International featured a battery powered two-line LCD screen with a 10-key alphanumeric keypad. It was designed to one-up the credit card, including the functions of a bank card and security access card, and it could also be used with payphones and parking meters. Better yet, it could store fingerprints, medical records, and keep track of your calorie intake. It was a great idea, and now our mobile phones are quickly performing these functions for us today.
Briefcase alarms
Image via Popular Science
Crime was an issue in the ‘80s, so it was only right that briefcase alarms came along. Many business-type people worried about their briefcases being stolen right out of their hands while walking the streets. But if your briefcase was stolen while you had a briefcase alarm, all you’d have to do (after calming down) was punch a code on your transmitter and vision-clouding red smoke would emerge from the case and ear-piercing shrieks would sound. That’ll teach that crook.
Do-all system
Image via Popular Science
Its name says it all. The Do-all system came equipped with an AM-FM stereo, a microcassette recorder-player, a calculator, and a digital clock with a wake-up alarm, and the best part was that it fit in your hand. Today a device like this is obsolete, thanks to our modern smartphones.
Ideas via Popular Science.
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