From Science Fiction to Science Fact

For readers of a certain age, 2015 is a crucial moment. Way back in 1989, Back to the Future Part II used this year to depict ‘the future’. Yep, by Doc Brown’s calculations, we’re now truly futurists now. With technology growing at an utterly exponential rate, it’s hard, sometimes, to shake the idea that we’re living on the cusp of a genuine science fiction-inspired revolution.

Ok, we haven’t got spaceships capable of FTL travel or colonies on Mars – yet. But from a more Earthly point-of-view, we’re certainly leaps and bounds ahead of where we were just 10, or even 5, years ago. Consider the humble mobile phone; it was unthinkable just a few years ago that we might be able to carry around in our pocket a miniature computer – controlled by mere touch, no less. Unthinkable, that is, unless you were a science fiction writer. With the advent of Windows’ Cortana – the intelligent personal assistant that learns the longer it’s with you – you can now control your entire phone with a single push of a button and your voice. Set alarms, call contacts.

Cortana can even figure out where you work and where you live, simply by looking at where you spend most of your time. She’s based on the AI featured in the video games series Halo. In fact, one need only look at video games like Alien: Isolation or Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare to see just how far we’ve come, graphically-speaking – and photorealism is its name. Watch a cut-scene from the latter, and you’d swear you were watching the real Kevin Spacey, not some computer-designed, motion capture mock-up.

How about the resurgence of virtual reality? They tried before, way back in the dark days of the 90’s, and the results were less-than-impressive. Now? Well, it’s set to become big. From video games to retail, and beyond. It’s not hard to imagine one day controlling your PC via your voice, the flick of your head, or even the blink of an eye.

Or drones? Tiny remote-controlled quadcopters were once the preserve of Asimov-esque novels. These days you can pick one up online for around £200. Travel back to Doc Brown’s 1985 and tell the folks there and they’d laugh you out of the room and all the way to the Hill Valley Asylum. And how about wearable technology like Google Glass, which can, with a single look at a company building, give you an augmented reality heads-up display of opening times, menu prices, stock availability.

Ok, we’re not quite there yet. We don’t have flying cars, there’s no sign of a genuine Hoverboard on the horizon, and not everyone jetpacks to work. But we’re certainly hurtling towards a future that, thanks to computer technology, more closely resembles the science fiction we grew up on.

Here at Tristar IT we’re passionate about technology, and love wondering just where it’ll take us. That’s why we IT support in London, to future-proof your business and keep it running well into the future. For more information about our services, please contact us on 01707 378 453 or email sales@tristarsupport.co.uk and our pro team will be more than happy to assist with all of your enquiries.