11 Mind-Blowing Inventions That Prove The Future Is Already Here
Quit complaining about how you don't have self-tying Nike Mag gym shoes yet, or how you're sick of waiting for a self-driving car. Because those things are thisclose to being a reality.
Plus, you know what? 2015 has actually been an amazing year for breakthroughs in futuristic technologies that are getting us one step closer to living in a magical cyberworld of our imaginations.
Here are 11 inventions from this year that blew our minds and made us feel like we're about to jack into "The Matrix" any minute now:
Hoverboards
Thanks Canada, for Catalin Alexandru Duru, who flew over 900 feet on his Omni Hoverboard.
3-D Printed Body Parts
Pizza, medicine, drones, musical instruments, prosthetic limbs and even human ears and cells -- you can't 3D print almost anything these days.
X-Ray Vision
Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab have developed "RF Capture," a device that uses x-ray vision-like WiFi signals to "see" through walls and track human movement.
CO2-Sucking Trees
Climate change has progressed so far that the obvious answers are kind of obsolete, so scientists are trying to hack nature for answers. On solution is to extract CO2 from the air using giant artificial "trees" that grab the Co2 and store it be used later as fuel.
Tractor Beams
Ph.D. candidate Asier Marzo has invented a sonic tractor beam that uses sound to levitate objects. NBD.
Robots That Can Build Other Robots
Cambridge University scientists created a "mother robot" that can build her own baby, which they then observe and create even more evolved baby robots from.
Microchips That Act Like Human Organs
Organs-on-Chips are microchips with little tubes lined with human cells that can mimic the "structure and function of complete organs," making them a great technology to test new medicines and cosmetics and provide an alternative to traditional animals testing.
Sex Robots With A.I.
Ever feel like your sex robot is just kind of... not that with it? Well True Companion's $7,000 sexbot Roxxxy can also, you know, socialize and interact in addition to her other special functions. Creepy.
Drones That Do... Everything
Not just for annoying your neighbor, fast, light drones will soon be used to deliver disaster relief, keep an eye on endangered species, fight fires, protect the environment, deal with nuclear waste and build skyscrapers.
Robots That Act Like Humans, Bodily Functions And All
As long as we're on the subject of robots, how about one that can bleed or poop? Robots, they're just like us. Check out SynDavers, high-tech synthetic cadavers that breathe and bleed, and which medical students use in their studies.
A Hydrogen-Fueled Honda That Can Power A House
Honda showed off its Clarity Fuel Cell sedan this week, the first-ever hydrogen-powered commercial car from the Japanese giant, with a range of more than 434 miles on one charge. Combined with the external Power Exporter 9000 device, the car's fuel cell stack is reportedly so strong that it could produce enough electricity to power an average home for a week.