{"id":76959,"date":"2015-01-12T00:40:27","date_gmt":"2015-01-11T22:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=76959"},"modified":"2015-01-12T00:40:27","modified_gmt":"2015-01-11T22:40:27","slug":"the-future-has-arrived","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/trending\/76959\/the-future-has-arrived\/","title":{"rendered":"The future has arrived"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Nike has confirmed that its futuristic &#8220;self-lacing&#8221; shoes seen in Back to the Future Part II will be hitting the markets in 2015 as predicted.<\/p>\n<p>The Nike MAG shoes, made famous by Marty McFly in 1989&#8217;s sci-fi hit, featured a funky futuristic design which had some flashy lights and laces that could tie themselves.<\/p>\n<p>Nike has since dubbed the auto-tying tech &#8220;Power Laces&#8221;, and has confirmed they will be hitting the shelves this year.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre we going to see Power Laces in 2015? To that, I say yes,\u201d said Nike shoe designer Tinker Hatfield at a recent show.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no exact\u00a0release date set for the shoe tech just yet.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/28Wa5L-fkkM\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The Nike shoes were only one of many futuristic and fanciful technologies shown in the movie&#8217;s universe set in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Here are some of the other technologies featured in the movie&#8217;s fictional future that either hit the nail on the head, or at least threw a line in the right direction.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Hoverboard<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The fantasy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the movie, hoverboards were widespread among the youth and made by a variety of manufacturers. They weren&#8217;t all-terrain, and worked off user momentum or rocket propulsion.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_76973\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-hoverboard.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76973\" class=\"size-full wp-image-76973\" src=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-hoverboard.png\" alt=\"Back to the Future hoverboard\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-hoverboard.png 600w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-hoverboard-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-76973\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Back to the Future hoverboard<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>The reality<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While there&#8217;s no way all the hip kids will be hovering across town on an affordable and commercially viable hoverboard this year, the fanciful item certainly exists.<\/p>\n<p>In late 2014 engineers in North California developed the Hendo Hoverboard, which floats about an inch off the ground, powered by four magnetic disc-shaped engines.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, the board needs a special surface to hover over, and the ride only lasts 7 minutes.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/plwX5NtF530\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Video glasses<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The fantasy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The movie depicted these fashion items as devices which allowed wearers to watch TV and video phone other people.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_76969\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-glasses.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76969\" class=\"size-full wp-image-76969\" src=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-glasses.png\" alt=\"Back to the Future glasses\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-glasses.png 600w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-glasses-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-76969\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Back to the Future glasses<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>The reality<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Google Glass, which has been around for a couple of years, does the job. The device allows for video feedback, phone calls, voice activation, and a whole lot mroe.<\/p>\n<p>The only thing that failed to match the movie is the pervasiveness of use. Currently the full commercial launch of the gadget is unknown.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4EvNxWhskf8\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Hovercam<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The fantasy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The movie depicted hovercams as robotic cameras that would fly to the scene of events and film the happenings for broadcast purposes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_76967\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-hovercam.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76967\" class=\"size-full wp-image-76967\" src=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-hovercam.png\" alt=\"Back to the Future hovercam\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-hovercam.png 600w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-hovercam-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-76967\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Back to the Future hovercam<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>The reality<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Drone technology has opened the door for this exact kind of coverage. While perhaps not as advanced yet, <a title=\"http:\/\/money.cnn.com\/2014\/06\/23\/media\/drones-news-research\/\" href=\"http:\/\/money.cnn.com\/2014\/06\/23\/media\/drones-news-research\/\" target=\"_blank\">CNN is definitely looking into it<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Real-world use of drones also extends beyond reporting and capturing footage, such as the use in delivery of goods. There are a number of regulatory hurdles that still need to be dealt with, though.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/98BIu9dpwHU\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Holographic billboards<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The fantasy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The movie showed holographic technology being used in advertising &#8211; most notably the &#8220;holomax&#8221; (like today&#8217;s 3D, perhaps?) release of Jaws 19, which is thankfully not being released this year.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_76971\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-billboard.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76971\" class=\"size-full wp-image-76971\" src=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-billboard.png\" alt=\"Back to the Future billboard\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-billboard.png 600w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-billboard-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-76971\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Back to the Future billboard<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>The reality<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We&#8217;re still a while away from seeing widespread commercial use of holographic tech in things like marketing &#8211; but the technology has brought dead musicians such as Michael Jackson and Tupac Shakur\u00a0&#8216;back to life&#8217; for concert appearances.<\/p>\n<p>On the marketing side, digital advertising panels are slowly getting more advanced and finding new ways to creatively capture the consumer&#8217;s eye.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tdQgsmYKxLM\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Bionic implants<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The fantasy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the 2015 of Back to the Future, people could get bionic implants that would augment a wide array of traits, giving extra strength or better sight, for example.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_76965\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-bionics.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76965\" class=\"size-full wp-image-76965\" src=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-bionics.png\" alt=\"Back to the Future bionics\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-bionics.png 600w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-bionics-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-76965\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Back to the Future bionics<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>The reality<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Sadly, we&#8217;re not at the level of digital augmentation that the movie represents, but science is finding new ways to augment our abilities.<\/p>\n<p>And that is on top of major advances in prosthetics &#8211; we now have prostheses which can be controlled by their owners, using nerves, muscles, or even the brain.<\/p>\n<p>A group of Korean and US researchers have even developed a <a title=\"http:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/news\/533106\/artificial-skin-that-senses-and-stretches-like-the-real-thing\/\" href=\"http:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/news\/533106\/artificial-skin-that-senses-and-stretches-like-the-real-thing\/\" target=\"_blank\">type of prosthetic skin<\/a>, which can mimic the elastic and high-resolution sensory capabilities of real skin.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9NOncx2jU0Q\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Thumb pad<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The fantasy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In Marty McFly&#8217;s 2015, people would use thumb pads as a means of accessing their homes and making payments. The pads used thumb prints.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_76963\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-thumb-pad.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76963\" class=\"size-full wp-image-76963\" src=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-thumb-pad.png\" alt=\"Back to the Future thumb pad\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-thumb-pad.png 600w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-thumb-pad-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-76963\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Back to the Future thumb pad<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>The reality<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Biometrics have been around for a while, and are increasingly being incorporated into the technologies we use every day.<\/p>\n<p>While not as wide-spread and used for anything and everything as shown in the movie, with mobile payments seen as the next frontier &#8211; and with the likes of Apple already integrating biometrics into its transactions &#8211; the fantasy is not that far removed.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/88Rjg8gM_DI\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\">Video telephone<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The fantasy<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Video telephones allowed people to converse via their TV screens. A pretty simple concept, by today&#8217;s standards.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_76961\" style=\"width: 610px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-video-call.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-76961\" class=\"size-full wp-image-76961\" src=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-video-call.png\" alt=\"Back to the Future video call\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-video-call.png 600w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Back-to-the-Future-video-call-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-76961\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Back to the Future video call<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>The reality<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Skype has been around for 11 years. Not only can we communicate with people on the other side of the world via our computer screens, video chat is pretty much a given on most smart mobile devices.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/iu1jHtf_oUc\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"my-4\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">More on technology of the future<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong><a title=\"Permalink to South Africa\u2019s police car of the future\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/mobile\/72756\/south-africas-police-car-of-the-future\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">South Africa\u2019s police car of the future<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a title=\"Permalink to What will the search engine of the future be?\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/internet\/72448\/what-will-the-search-engine-of-the-future-be\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">What will the search engine of the future be?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a title=\"Permalink to Google gives a glimpse into the future of self-driving cars\" href=\"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/electronics\/57429\/google-gives-a-glimpse-into-the-future-of-self-driving-cars\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Google gives a glimpse into the future of self-driving cars<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here are some of the technologies featured in Back to the Future Part II that either hit the nail on the head, or at least threw a line in the right direction.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":76975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[9118,9365,7591,26,1107],"class_list":["post-76959","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trending","tag-9118","tag-back-to-the-future","tag-future","tag-headline","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76959","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76959"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":77017,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76959\/revisions\/77017"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}