Science Fiction: Today's future not right now, but yesterday

While cinema audiences continue to sit goggled-eyed at the amazing gadgets in films such as Minority Report, they might be even more astounded to learn that many of the gizmos beloved of science fiction directors are already science FACT.

Incredibly, scientists have already proved themselves years ahead of our present future. Take the Minority Report jetpack. In 1961, US firm Bell produced the first working example, although it was known as the rocket-belt at the time. Forty years later, the only impediment to its widespread deployment as the personal transport device of choice is its cost, instability and tendency to kill the user.

Still, US firm Solotrek has persevered with the idea, and is confident that almost everyone on the planet will be commuting to work on a jetpack by 2012. "It's an absolute fact that everyone on the planet will be commuting to work on a jetpack by 2012," confirmed a company spokesman.

Fans of Bladerunner might previously have imagined that they could only dream of one day owning a flying car like those seen in the film. Now that dream is set to become a reality, as several manufacturers vie to be the first to mass-produce a viable flying car. In fact, flying cars have been around since the 1940s, when they were literally cars with wings which flew. Sixty years on, the only thing standing in the way of their widespread adoption is their cost, unreliability and tendency to crash, thereby killing the user.

Nevertheless, US firm Moller has remained true to its dream of having 70 per cent of the world's population using a flying car at weekends by 2042. "It's certain that 70 per cent of the world's population will be using a flying car at weekends by 2042," said a confident company spokesman. "We see it as a viable alternative to the jetpack."

But, if there's one dark cloud on the horizon for the flying car, it must be the devastating potency of the sonic weapon, which could reduce the aerial commuter of the future to atoms in a matter of seconds. And, when Steven Spielberg dreamt up the idea of knocking down opponents using soundwaves, little could he have known that scientists having been knocking down opponents using soundwaves for years.

Indeed, such an idea has been around since the 1960s, when boffins discovered that low-frequency waves might be used to bring down buildings and disorientate humans. Forty years on, the fact that the military is not already using such a weapon is its cost, reliability, and the fact that it does not actually work.

No matter, says US firm American Technology, which has perfected a hand-held sonic disrupter and predicts that 56 per cent of everyone on the planet will be using one to shoot at their neighbour's flying car by 2056. "Yup, you got it — we're going right out on a limb here and predicting that 56 per cent of everyone on the planet will be using one to shoot at their neighbour's flying car by 2056."

So, the next time you're marvelling at a jet-pack borne Tom Cruise firing at cyber criminals with his sonic cannon, remember this: You're not seeing today's future right now, you're looking at yesterday's future reality which is, incredibly, already science fact!