Yep, the day is finally here – it’s Back to the Future day! Somewhere in Hill Valley, California a strange looking DeLorean DMC-12 is about to appear (at 4:29pm). Well it would if Hill Valley actually existed but let’s imagine it does. Did the cult film from 1989 get anything right? Fax machines aside, was Back to the Future 2 radically wrong? Let’s take a look at some of the modern realities Marty would have discovered.
Photo by: Claudio Divizia/Fotolia
What did Back to the Future 2 get right?
Fingerprint ID
This is available on new smartphone models and laptops but we’re not quite at the point where we can pay for taxis by scanning our thumb in the way Biff did. Apple Pay is moving towards this but there’s still a little way to go yet. Interestingly, this futuristic suggestion of paying by fingerprint was also used in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s film from 2000, The 6th Day.
Photo by: Petrovich12/Fotolia
Fingerprint technology is certainly moving forward quickly and it’s now common to have your prints taken electronically at airports so who knows, maybe it was only a couple of years out.
Video Calls
Back to the Future was pretty darn close with this one. In the film, Marty takes 2 calls via a video phone which doesn’t look dissimilar to Skype. If anything, the film underestimated how far we’d advance this type of software but they still get top marks!
Modern translation software enables us to hold real time conference calls in different languages and translate foreign text through photographs or video.
Flat Screen TV’s
OK, Jaws 19 never happened (I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or not) but the film was pretty accurate when it suggested we’d have large, flat screen TV’s. Whilst Jaws 19 was 3D, it’s unlikely the scriptwriters would have thought we’d have 3D TV’s in our homes so again, they underestimated us.
Hoverboards
Bear with me on this because they do exist, they’re just not common. Last year, a firm in the States created and released a hoverboard that works through magnets. Similar to a Maglev train, it relies on a magnetic track to follow but it shows we’re heading the right way. Just give us a few more years Marty as Lexus are working on the issue.
Drones
According to one of the screenwriters drones were put in as a joke, but it appears the joke’s on them. Drones are fast becoming an everyday gadget used around the world to get fantastic photos or capture news footage. Take it a step further and they’re armed Predator’s (see what I did there?) used by the US military and the RAF to tackle terrorism.
Photo by: 14ktgold/Fotolia
Pepsi Perfect
To be fair, Pepsi are only making Pepsi Perfect as a tribute to the film but you can buy a limited release bottle if you’re quick. $20 gets you one of 6,500 bottles so best get shopping now!
Wearable Technology
The film sees the McFly children wearing headsets to watch TV and take calls. Google Glass set the bar a few years ago and a new offering from Microsoft, the Hololens, looks awfully similar to those in the film.
What it got wrong…
Flying cars, robot waiters, self-tying shoes, automatic petrol stations, rehydrated food, and no paper books. Oh well, can’t get everything right I suppose.
What about you? Have you ever made any predictions for the future or thought flying cars would be a reality in your lifetime? If so, let us know below. Also, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and Facebook and sign up to our newsletter for all the latest travel news and tips.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Want our blogs emailed direct to you? Sign up below to get updates featuring our blogs and car hire top tips. Receive the best deals on car hire straight to your inbox.
