The Back to the Future trilogy is near and dear to the hearts of anyone who’s seen them. As you may know, Back to the Future Day was October 21, 2015, and for fans, it was certainly one to celebrate. The movie showed us its prediction of what technology would look like in the future. Reality can be a different story, especially as we all know we didn’t get those hover boards (yet!). There were a few things Back to the Future 2 did get right about technology, though, so let’s take a look.
The Smart Home
When Marty and Doc Brown go to the future to change Marty’s kid’s path for the better, we get a glimpse into what the producers thought Marty’s future house would be like. At first, the house looks rather unremarkable, but when Future Marty walks in, the house recognizes him. Our homes might not talk to us when we walk in, but with geo-fencing technology they certainly know when were home. We also have smart door locks (August), lights (LiFx), and appliances to simplify our lives.
Biometrics
The biometric system integrated into the McFly’s future home is another piece of technology that BTTF2 got right. We don’t necessarily need fingerprint scanners to access our homes like Marty’s future wife did, but we do for our iPhones and laptops! The new HTC One A9 will feature a fingerprint scanner as well as the new Surface Pro 4’s keyboard. We also use biometrics to authorize purchases with payment systems, such as Apple Pay.
Video Glasses and Voice-Operated TV
In BTTF2 , Future Marty’s son and daughter are both sporting JVC video glasses while in the kitchen scene. Though not really in vogue anymore, you can imagine you’re in the movie with glasses like the Vuzix Wrap 1200DX. Taking things a step further are headsets such as the oft teased Microsoft HoloLens that can augment reality. In this case, I think our future is better than theirs!
When the movie came out in 1989, there weren’t voice-controlled home entertainment systems, so you imagine what people thought of Marty Jr. selecting channels using his voice. Thanks to the new Apple TV you can now ask Siri to search for your favorite genre or actor. That there, is living through technology.
Video Calls
There is a scene in BTTF2 where the future Marty receives a video call from Needles who is a co-worker of his, who ultimately convinces Marty to authorize use of his card for some shady dealings whilst getting him in trouble. Skype introduced the era of video calls, but no one has made this tool easier than Apple with its FaceTime. The feature is seamless, free, and can be used via Wi-Fi or 4G; we truly are living in the future.
Power Laces
We all remember the incredibly rad Nikes that Doc Brown gave Marty so that he would look like his son. He steps into the shoes and the laces tighten accordingly to Marty’s feet. Fast forward to 2011 when Nike released the Air Mag, sans the power laces.
They were only meant to hold us over, but Nike promised that the shoes would have working laces by October 21, 2015. The company delivered the first pair to an amazed Michael J. Fox and the remaining Nike Mags will be auctioned off for charity. I’ll take two please.
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