Science Fiction turned Science Fact

In case you're just joining, November is Sci-Fi month! I'm part of a bunch of blogs that are putting the spotlight on science fiction, hosted by Rinn Reads. Today's post takes a look at elements of science fiction that have now become a reality.

1. Jetpacks - We don't have the kind that can power off and take you across the country yet, but we did develop the Bell Rocket Belt in the 1960s, a jetpack that is powered by hydrogen peroxide. Unfortunately you could only fly for 20 seconds at a time. Currently there's a Martin Jetpack, developed by Glenn Martin from New Zealand, which can fly for half an hour. The catch? It weighs over 100 pounds.
2. Cell phones - Star Trek featured futuristic hand-held communication devices to talk to people all over the world. And now cell phones are a reality! It's hard to imagine that they were ever even the stuff of fiction.
3. Teleportation - Like the jetpack, we technically have the technology for teleportation - just not the way you're used to imagining it. In the 1990s, scientists were able to teleport data using photons, but the photons were absorbed when they hit any surface. We can currently teleport individual atoms using quantum entanglement (whatever that is...), but we probably won't ever be able to teleport human beings or anything else macroscopic.
4. Scuba Diving - Another one of those things that is hard to imagine as fiction. Jules Verne thought this up in 1870 for his famous novel, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
5. Genetic Engineering - Aldous Huxley thought of genetic engineering and purposeful mutation in his novel Brave New World in 1932.
6. the iPad - Yup, the idea of an iPad existed in science fiction way before anyone created one. HG Wells thought of a flat screen device that would scroll pictures and images in 1899!
7. Flying cars - The Terrafugia Transition is a flying car that can cruise at 115mph. And it's legal!

Thanks to this video from Huffington Post and this page from the UK's Telegraph for the information!