There is nothing more exciting to the mind of a creative person than the allure of infinite possibilities.  And what sort of novel utilizes infinite possibilities more than science fiction?  There is no genre of literature that has so captivated the mind and so inspired the inventor than sci-fi, as you can see by these 15 inventions inspired by science fiction.  Who would have thought words in a book or images on a screen could drive those clever scientists to create some of our greatest technological wonders?

For example, the cell phone was inspired by the communicators of Star Trek and that e-readers like the B&N Nook were inspired by the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, but those are pretty obvious examples.  I’ve also talked before about power-loading exoskeletons inspired by James Cameron’s movie Aliens.  Did you know that the atomic bomb was inspired by science fiction?  And that the home theater set-ups we love, with wall-sized TVs and surround sound, had their genesis in George Orwell’s 1984?  I didn’t.

That’s what I love about science, and science fiction.  Science fiction says, “Here’s something really cool that doesn’t exist!”  Science responds by making it exist.  I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Tags: inventions, science fiction, sci-fi, real-world inventions inspired by sci-fi, science inspired by literature, fictional inventions made real

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