The future has arrived – 2014 put us in touch with some of the world’s most amazing new technologies and we’re reflecting on the start of something great.
There were several complaints on social media at the beginning of the month in the form of memes questioning the whereabouts of the prophesied hover boards, which featured heavily in the sophomore Back to the Future outing, way back in 1989.
The fact is, if we’re to believe that science fiction inventions are to actually be realised by the dates that these films are set in, Blade Runner’s Replicants should soon be on the scene.
What these posters don’t realise, however, is just how far along technology really is. 2014 actually saw the emergence of some astonishing inventions.
Samsung Gear VR
If you’re into your technology, you’ve probably heard of the Kickstarter financed Oculus Rift, a virtual reality (VR) headset that should be hitting shops sometime this year. Of course, tech giants Samsung are not the kind of people that like to be outdone by independent developers, and have decided that they’d like to eat up some of the market. With a larger team, they’ve actually managed to release their headset ahead of the Oculus Rift and because it works alongside their tablet (the Galaxy Note 4 Phablet, to be precise), they didn’t even need to release a development pack for their games – it already has a smorgasbord of games at the ready.
Google Drive
Nope, not the Cloud-based storage system, but Google’s Driver Automation system for cars. There is something that seems intrinsically dangerous about the idea of letting your car do the driving for you. It allows your car to go driverless by scanning the surrounding area and using knowledge it gleans from Google Maps to get about.
Of course, the drawback is just how much this will cost you, and the fact that it is only currently available to those of you that drive an Audi A4 or S4.
Lumo Lift
Slouching has become a big problem. In the workplace, in front of the TV, whilst we’re standing at the bus stop. Enter the Lumo Lift, it’s a little chip that simply clips onto your clothes and analyses your spine’s position. Every time you lean in too close to the computer or let your body slouch in the couch, the Lumo Lift will buzz and remind you that you’re being naughty.
This is one of the more affordable gadgets on the list – at just $100, you could see this as an excellent investment in your future physical health.
And for the Back to the Future Fans
Obviously, as a homage to the sci-fi, time travelling trilogy, Nike has opted to go ahead and create those clumpy self-lacing boots that were so mind-blowing at the time. To be honest, the idea is still a little mind-blowing now.
This is something that was rumoured throughout 2014, but the big cheese at Nike has finally confirmed that this is happening, with release dates for the coming months inbound. Still, it’s not a hoverboard, is it?
Oh, and Actual Hoverboards
Despite the rather in depth prank played on us all by Laugh or Die last year, Hendo Hoverboards have gone ahead and actually created a hoverboard. So, admittedly this piece of gadgetry is not exactly lightweight, or cheap, or even very good at hovering. Well, that’s unfair, it hovers fine, but only maybe a centimetre of the ground. Either way, it’s a great revelation to what we hope is a continuing development. Now we expect there will be a rousing demand for a flying Delorean that leaps through time. Well, you never know.
