10 Star Wars technologies that actually exist

September 27, 2016 Comments (0) Trends, TRIBE Social Magazine Like

Star Wars is a cross-generational phenomenon that actually made fans dream, having fights with blows of guns and lightsabers, who have spent their childhood pretending to act like a Jedi (miming the pew-pew sound and other surrounding effects).

Maybe it’s not the case of lightsabers, but some of Star Wars technologies could really become a reality: science and fantasy have never been closer to themselves than today.

The Cancrizans gathered 10 examples of Star Wars technologies that actually exist, and they look like they just came out of the Star Wars Universe.

#1 Tractor beams

In Star Wars, tractor beams are devices with the ability to attract one object to another from a distance, and they are used by some spaceships to attract or move other ships or objects, without opposing resistance. In 2014, the Australian National University has realized a laser beam able to move very small particles from a distance of almost 20 centimeters.

#2 Probe droids

The Empire, in Star Wars, sends thousands of probe droids, best known as probots, in order to retrace the location of the Rebel base. The company MLB actually built an air device called “V-Bat”, recently integrated with the addition of a mechanical arm which can get closer and interact with the final goal.

#3 Display Heads Up

In Star Wars, a navigation data visualization system is used in order to facilitate the fight, driven by a sensor projected directly into the visor. Today some cars are equipped with display heads up on the windshield that allow to know the speed and other navigation data.

#4 Remotes

Remotes are small spherical droids, able to fly at a given height from the soil, that are used for different purposes, such as military training. In the real world, MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) students actually created remotes-inspired droids, performing general operations in no-gravity conditions.

#5 Droids

RD-D2 and C-3PO are the most famous droids in the entire Star Wars Saga, known for their human-like intelligence and social interaction. In this case, we really are not distant from reality: walking and moving humanoids already exist, and they can also recognize faces and sounds.

#6 Battle Droids

Battle Droids, in Star Wars, are a type of droid designed for combat, opposite to the Clone troopers. In 2005 the quadruped combat robots called “BigDog” were created, which look more to AT-ATs, even though these are vehicles. BigDogs were not used anymore because of their loud sound.

#7 Ologrammi

In Star Wars, holograms are a common communication media. In the Earth we can reproduce images in holograms: a lot of companies have created 3D effects, and an Arizona University Professor managed to send the first holographic message.

#8 Laser cannons

Laser cannons are the typical weapon in the Star Wars Universe: its purpose is to annihilate its goals shooting energy beams. The US Navy has installed a laser cannon in the USS Ponce to destroy drones and small ships, a technology which, moreover, costs less than a standard missile.

#9 Motospeeder

In Star Wars the Motospeeder, also known as hover bike, is an open, propulsive and levitate vehicle for one or two passengers. Aerofex company built a tandem prototype, a flying motorbike which can hover up to 10 feet and get to a 44 mp/h speed.

#10 Cybernetic arms

In Star Wars, cybernetic arms not only do substitute hands and arms, but also are sensitive organs, like the other parts of the body, if not stronger. Even our prosthetic limbs are more and more developing: connecting the interfaces directly into the patients nerves, humans will be able to control their prosthetic arms as they do with normal ones.