It's October 21, 2015: The Future is Here

Part of the fun of watching movies that are set in the future is actually seeing if any of the predictions came true in real life. It’s great to think and debate on which gadgets in the movie will become reality versus those that remain in the fantasy world. In some cases, it’s fun to go back and laugh at predictions gone wrong (I’m thinking Predator 2, set in 1997, and the portion of Demolition Man that was set in 1996).

That brings us to October 21, 2015, the date when a flying DeLorean arrived in downtown Hill Valley and we got a fleeting glimpse at what our future might be like. For many, the experience was so rich that they’ve set out to take ideas from this trip to the future and make them a reality.

On an even more improbable note, this inspiration has extended into the world of sports. In a case of life imitating art, the film predicted that the Chicago Cubs would win the 2015 Major League Baseball World Series. Well, the real-life Cubbies actually have a shot at winning their first championship since 1908 – although their chances are pretty slim being down 0-3 to the Mets. Hey, even Nostradamus couldn’t get everything right. Win or lose, wish I could go back in time and put some money on the Cubbies to simply make the playoffs…

After that digression, lets bring our focus back to the future or is it the present? However you define it, the below infographic (click the image to view) explores some of these products that have made the transition from wild prediction to real product – including many favorites like drones, augmented reality, flying cars and, of course, hoverboards.

What future gadget are you waiting for? A suitcase car? Robot butlers? Do you have a favorite cool product from sci-fi that came true? eReaders? Flatscreens? Dog treadmills? Let me know in the comments. Personally, I just want Gray’s Sports Almanac…