In the twentieth century, Ray Bradbury predicted the future. Here are 9 things that have come true

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Scientist foresaw the emergence of not only some modern technologies, but also related social problems.

In the 1950s, Ray Bradbury created several works in which he predicted technologies and trends in the future with surprising accuracy. Every year more and more inventions described in his books are being implemented. Here are a few of them.

1. Virtual reality

In Veld, Bradbury describes an immersive room. She can create images, sounds and smells, and also, judging by the events of the plot, also affect material objects.

Smooth two-dimensional walls. In front of George and Lydia Headley's eyes, they, softly buzzing, began to melt, as if going into a transparent distance, and an African veld appeared - three-dimensional, in colors, like a real one, down to the smallest pebble and blade of grass.

Ray Bradbury "Veld"

Modern technologies of virtual reality are not yet capable of simulating smells, but tricking the brain with sounds and pictures is quite. Interaction with the material world is also close: there are already developments that allow you to "feel" virtual things using gloves HaptX Gloves Launch Video - Realistic Touch for Virtual Reality with tactile feedback, controllers that change Tactical Haptics' Shapeshifting VR Controller shape in the user's hands, or electrical impulses supplied to the muscles Haptics for walls & heavy objects in virtual reality using electrical muscle stimulation.

2. Unmanned vehicles

In the story "Pedestrian" and other works of science fiction, there are cars that drive by themselves, and also know how to conduct a dialogue with people.

- Get in.

- I protest!

- Mister Mead!

And he walked unsteadily, as if suddenly drunk. Passing the windshield, I looked inside. I knew it: no one in the front seat, not even in the car.

Ray Bradbury "Pedestrian"

Today's self-driving cars are not yet ideally oriented on the roads, and they have not yet been able to meaningfully talk to people. But they will probably grow wiser soon: the fields of computer vision and artificial intelligence are developing by leaps and bounds.

3. Bluetooth headphones

Fahrenheit 451 describes "shells" radio transmitters that fit snugly around the ears and reproduce sound wirelessly. These are poured Bluetooth headphones like AirPods.

In her ears are tightly inserted miniature "shells", tiny, with a thimble, radio receivers-plugs, and the electronic ocean of sounds - music and voices, music and voices - washes the shores of her waking brain in waves.

Ray Bradbury "Fahrenheit 451"

4. ATMs

Also in the novel "Fahrenheit 451" you can find a description of another modern technology - round-the-clock ATMs. They look a little different from what the writer imagined them, but they are, in fact, robots too.

Montag walked from the metro station, the money was in his pocket (he had already visited the bank, which was open all night - he was served by mechanical robots).

Ray Bradbury "Fahrenheit 451"

5. Smart watches and cellular communication

In the story "The Killer" in 1953, the science fiction writer predicted the emergence of devices that would allow one to talk to each other at a distance without wires. In his view, these were radio bracelets - small devices in the form of a clock with a built-in microphone and speaker. It turns out that Bradbury foresaw two technologies at once: cellular communications and smart watches. For example, you can make calls from your Apple Watch - exactly as described in the book.

The psychiatrist, purring something under his breath, put on a new radio bracelet, clicked the selector, talked for a minute …

Ray Bradbury "The Killer"

6. Smart home

Several of Bradbury's stories feature smart homes. They can understand voice commands, prepare food, clean, wash, even wash and dress the owners. Modern systems can only change the settings of the air conditioner, open the door and turn on the light, music or TV, but with the development of the Internet of things, the list of their capabilities will certainly expand.

They walked down the hallway of their soundproof house, like "Everything for Happiness," which became them thirty thousand dollars (with full furnishings) - a house that clothed them, fed them, nursed them, rocked them, sang and played them.

Ray Bradbury "Veld"

7. The sensationalism of the media

One of the most exciting moments in Fahrenheit 451 is when a mechanical bloodhound chases the main character and is broadcast live on television using helicopters with cameras. Through this and similar situations in other books, Bradbury condemned the sensationalism of television and the media in general. TV channels, according to the writer, are capable of arbitrarily immoral acts, just to keep the viewer's attention.

The science fiction's ideas turned out to be strikingly prophetic: for example, in the early 1990s, American channels came up with Television: Live coverage of pursuits is the latest trend in local news, but some critics say the coverage is not always newsworthy to broadcast police chases live. To do this, they use helicopters with cameras on board. Often, viewers see criminals injuring other people, police officers, and even killing themselves. Fox News apologises over live suicide in Arizona.

If television cameras catch him in their lenses, then in a minute viewers will see twenty million running Montags on the screens - like in an old vaudeville with policemen and criminals, chased and pursued, which he saw a thousand times.

Ray Bradbury "Fahrenheit 451"

8. LCD TVs

Huge TV walls are one of the most important technologies in the world "Fahrenheit 451". With the help of them, the state provides the population with content that does not burden the brain. Nowadays, there are no screen walls yet, but there are huge flat LCD TVs. Including the size of a wall.

It seemed to him that he, too, turned into one of the strange creatures living between the glass partitions of the TV walls.

Ray Bradbury "Fahrenheit 451"

9. Social isolation

In many works of science fiction, the theme of the isolation of society is encountered. Due to the development of technology, people communicate less and less with each other live ("Fahrenheit 451"), do not pay attention to loved ones ("Veld"), and sometimes do not even leave the house for years, because the world around them is replaced by television and robots ("Pedestrian").

Even though technology hasn't turned people into hermits by 2019, the problem of social isolation is still relevant. Designed to unite users from all over the world, the Internet works for many single people in the exact opposite way, reinforcing The Internet and Social Isolation: Does Correlation Indicate Causation? their isolation and worsening condition.

Everyone now closes in at evenings in houses like crypts, he thought, continuing his recent play of imagination. The crypts are dimly lit by the reflection of television screens, and people sit in front of the screens like the dead; gray or multi-colored reflections glide over their faces, but never touch the soul.

Ray Bradbury "Pedestrian"

Ray Bradbury was able to predict many inventions and trends of the future. But the main message of almost all of his works - that the development of technology will turn people into brainless and soulless biomachines - has, fortunately, not yet come true. Hi-tech, rather, helps to solve the problems of humanity, rather than creates them.