50 Fictional Technologies We Wish Existed

As Seen In: Minority Report (2002)

Minority Report's vision of the future was particularly convincing and influential. The film pre-dates multi-touch, iPads, transparent LCD screens and augmented reality. So we're not totally crazy to pine for the day when we can interface with our computer by simply gesturing with our hands at a holographic image. We emailed Steve Jobs about it and he said he's down, but "no porno."

As Seen In: Caddy Shack (1980)

This reportedly heavy-as-a-bag-of-rocks accessory served one important purpose: Getting the party started. In Caddyshack it contained a stereo that played 80's dance anthem "Any Way You Want It." We'd update it: Put "All of the Lights" on.

As Seen In: Judge Dredd (1995)

We're not as gung-ho on gun laws as Mayor Bloombeg, but we do think the gun problem in our country does need to be reeled in. What better way to do that than with guns that can only fire if paired with the right DNA sequence? Granted, these may open up a whole slew of new problems, but it's better than the free-for-all we currently find ourselves in, no?

As Seen In: Doctor Who (2005)

This all purpose tool can unlock any door, interface with any computer, and control other electronic devices. One gadget to rule them all? Yes, please.

As Seen In: Inspector Gadget (1983)

While not exactly a style statement, the inspector's hat was mad useful, deploying everything from propellers to an umbrella to a giant mallet at just the right time. We have more uses for a giant mallet than you might think.

As Seen In: Futurama (2000)

Have you ever ridden the subway?

As Seen In: Inspector Gadget (1983)

Penny always saved her uncle with a super computer disguised as a book. When we were in school, we had to settle for comic books disguised as books.

As Seen In: Star Trek

A commuter's holy grail, the transporation beam dematerializes a person, then puts 'em back together at another location. We wouldn't be early adopters to a gadget like this (don't want to lose an arm on the way to work), but pencil us in for the third version.

As Seen In: Blade Runner (1982)

Fossil Fuels? Really, America? It's 2011and we're still putting around on the ground churning pre-historic plant remains into planet-killing CO2... while stuck in traffic. Bring on the days of tailgating, road rage and speeding through yellow lights IN THE SKY.

As Seen In: Gattaca (1997)

Playing God? Probably. But hey, so is plastic surgery. Who wouldn't give their right arm to prevent their kids from contracting genetic diseases or being born with a cleft pallet?

As Seen In: "Snow Crash" (1992)

Smartwheels are a kind of automotive intelligence where the wheels adapt to the terrain. Annoying potholes would no longer pose a threat, and we wouldn't even need government contractors.

As Seen In: Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

The cool thing about this game, playable on board the Millenium Falcon, is that you play it on a surface in front of you via a three dimensional holographic playing field -- no flat screen needed. It combines the gather-around social elements of a board game with the high-end digital graphics of a console.

As Seen In: The Dark Knight (2008)

Yes, using the 3D sonar machine Lucious Fox built would be a major invasion of privacy if ever used, but I'm sure we could find at least one good use for it. Using mobile phone signals to map out locations and pinpoint certain conversations is effing genius. It may have been too much power for on man to handle, but maybe the government could use it to find Osama, or whoever shot Biggie and Tupac.

As Seen In: Futurama (2000)

The holophonor is a musical instrument resembling a flute that projects holographic images corresponding to musical notes. In Futurama, Fry used it to compose his magnum opus and win Leela's heart. We can't play a lick, but if this thing existed, we'd actually show up to rehearsal.

As Seen In: Die Another Day (2002)

The Sonic Agitator was a ring that James Bond could use whenever he was in a jam: Once activated, glass in his immediate surroundings would shatter and he could make an escape. We'd probably deploy it in board meetings.

As Seen In: Minority Report (2002)

While not a flying car, this future Lexus was incredibly sexy. We wanted to get our hands on the prototype, but we heard Toyota recalled it.

As Seen In: GoldenEye (1995)

Where are all the lasers anyway? This one would come in handy for vanquising foes and opening stubborn electronics packaging.

As Seen In: Thunderball (1965)

James Bond's rebreather was impossibly compact and minimalist, which we think makes a great improvement on the bulky, cumbersome scuba equipment that exists in real life. Gadgets are always getting smaller, so we don't see any reason why divers should have to be stuck in the '60s.

As Seen In: Futurama (2000)

The What-If Machine lets you see what your life would be like if you'd done things differently. Roads not taken, words not said: We get all choked up with existential melancholy just thinking about it.

As Seen In: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

The Holodek is a room that creates holographic images and simulated environments. We're thinking of a tropical getaway right in our living rooms. THAT's a stay-cation we can get behind.

As Seen In: Tron: Legacy (2010)

The slickest, quickest thing on two wheels. The new light cycle has a sexy, aerodynamic design and day-glo accents that make us drool not only for the bike, but the world it comes from. And speaking of drool, we wouldn't mind having Olivia Wilde on the back of ours, either.

As Seen In: Transformers (2007)

Much like the movies, this would just be cool to look at. And unlike Michael Bay, our rides wouldn't turn into jive-talking sambos.

As Seen In: Demolition Man (1993)

This stuff instantly fills your car after a heavy collision, acting as a sort of high-tech air bag. The foam is soft enough not to cause harm, but solidifies into a form that's secure enough to keep you from careening dangerously around the cabin. If you've ever read about the collateral damage caused by air bags and seat belts, you know how welcome an advancement this would be.

As Seen In: Aeon Flux (2005)

In the movie based on MTV's popular cartoon, Aeon suffers a nasty gash and instead of reaching for a band-aid ('cause that would be too old-school), she gets a skin-colored patch and places it over the cut, instantly healing the wound. Scars build character, but sometimes less is more.

As Seen In: Star Trek (1967)

The Tricorder's scanner provides data on unknown planets, life forms and technologies. So basically it's like Google without having to, you know, google. If that's not the future, we don't know what is.

As Seen In: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

We can think of a few (former) acquaintances we'd like to strap into one of these.

As Seen In: Predator (1987)

For those times when you just want to disappear.

As Seen In: Iron Man (2008)

Tony Stark's jet-propelled, titanium-built suit of choice is the ultimate in ass kicking accessories. But if we had our druthers, we'd opt for the darker chrome version rocked by War Machine. Gotta stay fly.

As Seen In: Stargate (1994)

The Stargate enables travel to distant galaxies and alternate dimensions. Maybe one of them doesn't have Glenn Beck?

As Seen In: Star Trek (1967)

This device can translate any language, allowing people of all cultures to communicate effortlessly. The Trekkies used it to for encounters with alien life forms, but we think it could do wonders in New York.

As Seen In: Doctor Who (1963)

The TARDIS is basically a British-style telephone booth with the ability to go anywhere in time and space. It's got a deceptively compact exterior, but inside it's spacious, allowing you to kick your feet up while time traveling. Beats Jet Blue.

As Seen In: Sleeper (1973)

This is an elevator-like machine that rapidly induces orgasms in its occupants. On second thought, maybe there are some things man-kind isn't ready for.

As Seen In: Inception (2010)

This movie was more convoluted than Nas's tax returns, but the idea of going into someone's dream is pretty cool. Hopefully there would be more to do than run around generic cityscapes with a lot of dudes wearing their serious faces.

As Seen In: I, Robot (2004)

A personal robot to assist you with your every whim? What's not to love? We didn't see the end of this movie, but we assume Will Smith met a robot with a heart of gold and everyone lived in human-robot harmony forever. What?

As Seen In: The Jetsons (1962)

Call it the microwave of the future. This thing can whip together hot meals in no time flat. And it won't even give you ball cancer. Probably.

As Seen In: Casino Royale (2006)

This gadget, from the esteemed James Bond catalogue, can check your vitals and relay them for diagnostic testing. Call it late-night-bender insurance.

As Seen In: Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Imagine being able to create any non-living object out of thin air. Jordans, iPhones, money—anything you want. Such a machine would completely fuck up the economy and the world it supports, but hey, you gotta take the good with the bad.

As Seen In: Goldeneye (1995)

When we're 50, we'll want these for the same reason we've wanted them since we were 12.

As Seen In: Avatar (2009)

We're not sure what this shiny, precious metal does exactly, but we do know that it's worth deadly serious coin: $20 Million per kilo, in fact. Think about that. PER KILO. We're not saying we'd raze endangered tropical forests and wipe out indigenous, glittery blue cat people to get some, but, as the philosopher Chris Rock would say: We understand.

As Seen In: Clockstoppers (2002)

This Nickelodeon box-office bomb did have one good thing going for it: Hypertime. Enabled by a watch-like gadget, with hypertime the rest of the world appears to stand still while you go on about your business. Perfectly legal and ethical business, of course.

As Seen In: Click (2006)

The great thing about this particular time machine is it lets you fast-forward through an annoying turn of events. Oh, you want to talk about your ex-boyfriend? *Click*

As Seen In: Knight Rider (1982)

Michael Knight's artificially intelligent Pontiac Trans-Am was the coolest thing on wheels. KITT could talk and drive itself, leaving Michael free to play video games and holler at honeys. Real-world so-called "intelligent" driving systems are seriously slacking.

As Seen In: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

This is a concept that seems like it shouldn't be too difficult to actually produce. After all, why must all submersible vehicles look like something out of Jules Verne? Bond had it right, cruising around under water in a facsimile of a Lotus Elise. Even 20,000 leagues under, the guy traveled in style.

As Seen In: Wall-E (2008)

This tech was so good, it made the human race slaves to their own sloth. Wrong to wish for it? Probably. But did you see how COMFORTABLE these things looked?

As Seen In: Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

The coolest weapon of all time. George Lucas gave birth to a million nerd fantasies with this big, deadly glow-stick. Pause.

As Seen In: Futurama (1999)

Ted Williams did this in real life, but... yeah, we don't have much hope for the early adopters on this one. Wake us up after the Palin presidency, but before the zombie apocalypse.

As Seen In: Back to the Future II (1989)

Remember hover crafts? Those big, bloated inner-tubes with a seat strapped on top that only float over water? Yeah, those suck. We want the hoverboards we were promised as kids: The skateboard-sized, levitating dream machines that could carry us away from chores, vegetables and stupid sisters. Come on, Science. We're not angry with you, just disappointed.

As Seen In: Men in Black (1997)

The neuralizer gave the Men In Black the convenient ability to make anyone forget what they had just seen, and replace that memory with a made up version of events of their choosing. This would work magic following any awkward social scenarios."I did not trip and bust my ass on the sidewalk. I was injured heroically stopping a dangerous mugger... who weighed 300 lbs and was carrying a gun... and insulted the honor of an innocent woman." Hey, we're good at this!

As Seen In: Back to the Future (1985)

The DeLorean Motor Company only ever produced one vehicle, but the DMC-12 was more than a vehicle: it was an icon; a distillation of ingenuity and hope that pointed toward an idealized yet practical future. And, oh yeah, it had a time machine in it. Or at least in our minds it did, thanks to Doc Brown and his fantastical flux capacitor. Today, the DMC-12 really is a sort of time machine: It may not let you go back and slip yourself the winning lottery numbers, but its distinctive design is somehow both a blast from the past and perennially futuristic.

As Seen In: Star Trek: Voyager (1997)

A space elevator would lift people and objects from earth to space via an orbiting counterweight. It's not technically feasible yet, but sounds like a better idea than strapping ourselves to 10-ton explosives like we've been doing. With a number of tech entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and Richard Branson fighting to bring regular people into space, a space elevator is just the kind of technology that would take us into the next century.