The 1989 film Back to the Future II provided a highly ambitious prediction of what technology would look like in 2015.
In the second part of the Back to the Future time-travel science fiction trilogy, the movie features Marty McFly, a young man who must travel into the future to 2015 to save his future family.
Much of the action takes place in 2015, 26 years after the movie was made, so director and writer Robert Zemeckis had to predict what 2015’s technological landscape would look like. He made some spot-on guesses, but he had some pretty outlandish ideas as well.
What follows is a comparison between the film’s 2015 technology, and what current technology looks like.
1) Rehydrated food
In Back to the Future II, the McFly family enjoys eating rehydrated pizza. Although we’re not cooking up meals in ‘hydrators’ quite yet, the concept of creating food that lasts for long periods of time and cooks quickly is not uncommon today. Be it dried, dehydrated, or frozen food, nowadays we’re all for fast, convenient meals.
According to a NASA press release from May 23, 2013, a 3-D food printer is in the works, aiming to create meals for astronauts in space, and possibly impoverished areas on earth.
2) Flying cars
The preferred method of travel in Back to the Future II is flying car. Although we have made great strides with improving air travel since 1985, flying vehicles are not available to the public.
However, Terrafugia, a small American aviation corporation is working to make flying cars a reality by 2015. According to a May 5 press release, Terrafugia is trying to bring a flying car that will carry four passengers, fit in a single car garage, and run on electricity to the mass market.
Until then, you’ll have to rely on your boring, old terrestrial automobiles.
3) Handheld tablet computers
Back to the Future II features a scene in which a canvasser is trying to convince Marty McFly to sign a petition electronically on a handheld computer. This prediction was spot on, as traditional desktops and laptops are quickly being replaced by their smaller, flat counterparts—tablets.
“While there will be some individuals who retain both a personal PC and a tablet, especially those who use either or both for work and play, most will be satisfied with the experience they get from a tablet as their main computing device,” said Carolina Milanesi, vice-president (research) at Gartner in a press release from April 4, 2013.
“As consumers shift their time away from their PC to tablets and smartphones, they will no longer see their PC as a device that they need to replace on a regular basis.” The traditional PC market of notebooks and desk-based units is expected to decline 7.6 per cent in 2013, according to the press release.
It may not be long before tablets replace the traditional personal computer.
4) Wearable technology
When Marty McFly spies on his family eating dinner in 2015, he sees his future kids wearing glasses similar to the new Google Glass. The phone rings, and his daughter immediately knows who it is because the caller ID shows up on her glasses. His son is distracted throughout the meal as he watches TV on his glasses. Zemeckis’ prediction of wearable tech was incredibly accurate.
5) Video conferencing
When the future Marty McFly answers a phone call, it isn’t just your average voice-to-voice call—it is a video conference. It seems that video conferencing has completely replaced the traditional phone call, as is slowly happening now with video calling services like Google Hangouts, Skype, and FaceTime.
Although video calls are not as common as voice-to-voice calls right now, they soon will be as technology continues to get better, making video calls easier, clearer, and cheaper.
6) Trash as fuel
In Back to the Future II, Doctor Brown uses compost to fuel his flying car with a gadget called “The Time Home Energy Reactor”—an eco-friendly and limitless alternative to using natural gas. Although this isn’t common practice today, the idea known as biorefining is developing. The Canadian Department of Natural Resources outlines this process as refining biomass–fibrous plant matter–into fuel, power and heat. Biomass and biofuels can be refined into bioenergy from biological material, such as human waste.
7) Hoverboards
The popular way for young people to travel in Back to the Future II is via hoverboard. Unfortunately, this has yet to come to fruition, but maybe someday we’ll see teenagers zipping around on flying skateboards.
8) Self-adjusting clothing
When Marty McFly arrives in 2015, Doctor Brown gives him some ‘modern’ clothes to put on. The selection included self-lacing sneakers and a jacket that shrinks to fit the wearer. Oh, and inside-out pants, but hopefully that one never exists. While we don’t have these innovative clothes just yet, we have seen some pretty out-there getups—from Lady Gaga’s meat dress to practically all of Nicki Minaj’s outfits.
While we’re still waiting on a few of Zemeckis’ innovations from Back to the Future II, there are many predictions that were surprisingly accurate, considering they were made in 1989. There’s no telling what’s in store technologically for us in the future!
