Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Nine pieces of Star Wars future technology that are now a reality. These devices will blow your mind!
Science fiction makes dreamers out of us all, and Star Wars has been an inspiration now for over 40 years, more than long enough to spur on real developments in technology. While we’re still holding out for lightsabers, faster-than-light hyperspace hopping and Wookiee companions, we’re pretty happy with many of the tech that is now available or coming our way soon.
Like smart beds, which may or may not come with bacta tanks in the future. It’s hard to get a good night’s sleep on a cargo freighter. Oh, and is it really future tech if it’s from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away?
Airspeeders
“Ever since the XP-38 came out, they just aren’t in demand.”
Who hasn’t dreamed of zipping over dunes on Tatooine or through the descending levels of Coruscant in a personal airpseeder? Ever since Luke sold his and hopped aboard the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: A New Hope, we’ve been more than a bit jealous.
Now, however, we can live the dream thanks to the Moller Neura 200. This personal hovercraft has all the bells and whistles (minus any armaments) of a Star Wars airspeeder. Though, we doubt everyone’s favorite farmboy could afford the sticker price.
Moller M200X
Speeder Bikes
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
“Where did you get that speeder?”
If a standard airspeeder looks more like a minivan to you, and you need some extra thrust while dodging trees and Ewoks, then a speeder bike from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi is the answer. Modern speeder bikes owe much to the hovercraft design of airspeeders, but it’s hard to deny the appeal.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
As with airspeeders, we’re still working the kinks out, but Aerofex has a model that seems to deliver almost everything we desire. It might even have a keyed lock to prevent space princesses and cannibal teddy bears from slicing our rides.
Jetpacks
“I’m not quitting now. Not when I’m so close.”
Our first real look at a jetpack came courtesy of Boba Fett in Return of the Jedi, and many of us have been in love ever since — mostly with the jetpack, I think. The idea of jetting around in a one-man flying machine has some real appeal that calls to some primal need in all of us. Having a rocket mount on the back is just the icing on the meiloorun.
Jetpack Aviation is making all of these dreams come true with its JB11 JetPack, no longer content with water-pumping hydro packs, this is the real deal. Once they get the controls into a handy wrist-mounted unit, we’re founding Death Watch on the moon.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
“I want every gun we have to fire on that man. Do it.”
Turbolasers
Giant, ship-mounted laser weaponry is one of the definitions of power in the Star Wars galaxy. These are the ship-to-ship weapons designed to take on other large vessels, even if they don’t track quickly enough to stop fighters at close range.
Turbolasers are one of the most iconic sights to see on a fleet vessel, and now the United States Navy has their own version. The Navy deployed its first active duty laser unit on the USS Ponce amphibious transport ship, and we’ve got to say, it does not disappoint.
Bionic Hands
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
“Moving stones around is one thing, but this is… totally different!”
Loss of life and limb is, unfortunately, a major theme in the Star Wars saga. When Luke loses his hand in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, it’s hard not to think that he’ll never wield a lightsaber again. At least not using the same arm, but medical tech from Star Wars gave us hope of bionic limbs and functioning prosthetics, and advancements in medical science delivered in spades.
We can now control bionic limbs with just our minds. Companies like Touch Bionics are creating new and innovative replacements to deliver hope and mobility to someone each and every day.
Deflector Shields
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
“The shield must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted.”
Worried about missiles and explosive devices ruining the finish on your new freighter? Need to set a trap for some cocky rebels? The deflector shield is your best friend. Whether integrated into ships, used as a man-portable device during the Clone Wars or as a standalone installation able to protect a sizeable moon, the deflector shield has you covered.
Electric Armour APC
Modern day science
Now, thanks to modern science, the shield also has armored personnel carriers, and tanks of Great Britain’s Ministry of Defense covered, according to reports released by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory. The “electronic armor” devised by the gearheads at the MOD uses an electrical grid to disperse incoming explosives and projectiles. Impressive. Most impressive.
“As a token of my goodwill, I present to you a gift. These two droids.”
Six billion forms of communication, and it still took C-3PO three movies to figure out how to tell a decent story. R2-D2 has been useful since before Sheev Palpatine envisioned the Clone Wars. That is enough to make the pair of droids worth picking up at any second-hand Sandcrawler. Droids do almost everything in the Star Wars galaxy. From ferrying data to lifting loads and even fighting wars, they’re an indispensable part of life (excepting some grumpy cantina owners).
Modern droids, like Honda’s ASIMO, can now open doors, do backflips and even gently carry eggs. Once we combine our favorite droids with artificial intelligence, we’ll finally get the C-3PO of our dreams. Or General Grievous —more likely Grievous. Man and machine, what horror. I think I want a droid detector now, too.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
“Well, there are two banthas down there, but I don’t see any — Wait.”
Macrobinoculars
Need to check out what’s going on over the next dune? Trying to spot enemies in the sky? Not happy with the 2D images you get from electrobinoculars? Try macrobinoculars! Two lenses mean 3D vision, even over great distances.
Sony Macrobinoculars
And Sony has got you covered in the real world. Their DEV-50V binoculars let you record 3D movies and scenes with incredible zoom rates. This is one of the most true-to-film implementations of Star Wars tech. They even look similar.
Moisture Vaporators
“What I need is a droid that understands the binary language of moisture vaporators.”
Perhaps the most true-to-film Star Wars tech to come out the last few years is the least sexy. It’s not lightsabers, or blasters or even mind control with the Force. But it may have the biggest impact on life in this galaxy. In one of the most significant developments since the harnessing of solar power, an inventor in Australia has created real, working vaporators.
They produce water out of the air, giving way to irrigating harsh climates and making desert planets livable. The moisture vaporators could pave the way to grow vegetables and be feeding hungry populations or terraforming in space over time.
Next: Solo: A Star Wars Story Funko Pops reveal secret spoilers
Just don’t forget to pick up a droid that can speak with the evaporators. Oh, and Bocce, it also needs to speak Bocce.