14 Gadgets That Were Straight Out of Sci-Fi Fiction

The other day I was thinking about my smart phone. It's such a ubiquitous part of daily life these days, but it made me think – how did we transition from clunky, wall-hung landlines to these thin, powerful devices in our pockets? Which made me curious and shipping my brain a bit of a shockwave into the past, rummaging through old sci-fi TV programs and books to see if any or all of these vision-named titles predicted our current day technologies. And lo and behold, I was surprised by one particularly strong connection between today's technology-reliant tools and those inspiring visions from so many decades past. This short research journey uncovered a roll call of devices that were each independently motivated by sci-fi books, from Jules Verne to Star Trek. If you have something to say, please don't hesitate to weigh in and give your two cents!
Science fiction is not just an entertainment source; it also often motivates real-world technological innovation. Many inventors have openly credited novels, movies, and science fiction TV shows as sources of ideas for their innovative devices. Below is a list of 14 devices inspired by sci-fi directly.

1. Mobile Phone (Star Trek - Communicator)

Inspiration: Star Trek (1966)
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? The inventor of the world's first cell phone, Motorola DynaTAC, Martin Cooper, was under testimony to have borrowed his inspiration from the Communicator on Star Trek. As he first demonstrated the wireless telephone in 1973, Captain Kirk and his crew were what crossed his mind.

photo: wikipedia.org

2. Tablet Computers (Star Trek - PADD)

Inspiration: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? Apple engineers like Steve Jobs openly acknowledged that the PADD devices in the series inspired them to develop the iPad.

3. Smartwatches (Dick Tracy - Wrist Radio)

Inspiration: Dick Tracy comic strip (1946)
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? Smartwatches like Apple Watch and Samsung Galaxy Watch were inspired by detective Dick Tracy's wrist radio, and many Apple engineers identified it as an inspiration.

4. Wireless Earbuds (Fahrenheit 451 - Seashell Radios)

Inspiration: Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? Wireless earbuds manufacturers have frequently referenced the "Seashell Radios" used by characters in the book as an early prediction of contemporary Bluetooth headsets.

5. 3D Printers (Star Trek - Replicator)

Inspiration: Star Trek (several series and films)
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? NASA engineers and additive manufacturing researchers have frequently credited the Star Trek Replicator as an inspiration for developing 3D printers.

photo: unsplash.com

6. Video Calls (2001: A Space Odyssey - Videophone)

Inspiration: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? Developers of early implementations of video communication (Skype, FaceTime) recognized borrowing ideas from the videophone concept in Kubrick's film.

7. Virtual Reality (Snow Crash - Metaverse)

Inspiration: Snow Crash (1992) by Neal Stephenson
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? Mark Zuckerberg and the Metaverse development team acknowledged that Stephenson's concept had inspired virtual worlds to be created.

8. Robot Vacuums (I, Robot - AI Robots)

Inspiration: I, Robot (1950) by Isaac Asimov
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? Companies like iRobot, which makes Roomba, have attributed Asimov's robots as an inspiration for autonomous household appliances.

9. GPS Navigation (From the Earth to the Moon - Jules Verne)

Inspiration: From the Earth to the Moon (1865) by Jules Verne
Who Confirmed the Inspiration?
GPS technology was not copied directly from Verne's books, but some engineers admitted that his concept of precise navigation inspired the development of satellite guidance systems.

10. Smart Contact Lenses (Minority Report - Biometric Devices)

Inspiration: Minority Report (2002)
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? Google and other tech companies developing smart contact lenses have cited this film as one of their inspirations.

11. Automatic Doors (Star Trek)

Inspiration: Star Trek (1966)
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? Although automatic doors existed, they became incredibly popular after Star Trek, and many designers admitted to utilizing them after seeing them on the show.

12. Drones (Star Wars - Droids and Flying Cameras)

Inspiration: Star Wars saga (since 1977)
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? Drone engineers have repeatedly stated that they were inspired by the flying droids in Star Wars.

13. Electric Cars (Blade Runner - Futuristic Vehicles)

Inspiration: Blade Runner (1982)
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? Elon Musk mentioned that the future appearance of electric cars in the film inspired Tesla car designs.

photo: IMDB.com


14. Smart Homes (Ray Bradbury - Automated Homes)

Inspiration: There Will Come Soft Rains (1950) by Ray Bradbury
Who Confirmed the Inspiration? Product designers like Amazon Alexa and Google Home have reported that they found inspiration in the automated homes in Bradbury's work.

Conclusion
These examples prove that science fiction is not just a product of imagination—it also unlocks possibilities of real-life innovation. From mobile phones to virtual reality, science fiction authors have more often than not predicted the technologies we use today on a daily basis. Who knows? In the future, we might see even more advanced AI systems or fully integrated smart cities that will dissolve limits between the digital and the real worlds.
If anyone knows of any additional examples, please feel free to mention them in the comments.