Businesses Where Sci-Fi is Reality
The world has been through several huge changes in the last 50 years. Technology has advanced in leaps and bounds, making the impossible suddenly possible. What was once sci-fi has become our reality as many of the innovations we saw in movies in the 80s are now commonplace technology. The good news is that the real-life versions are even more advanced than was depicted and offer the potential for further developments and upgrades. Below are some of the businesses and industries that have taken the idea of “futuristic tech” and have applied hard science to it, thus making life more convenient, efficient, and enjoyable.
Retail
While retail is not what immediately comes to mind as an advanced industry, there have been noteworthy developments that are far beyond e-commerce services. It is doubtful that any sci-fi movie writers had even thought of the innovative idea that Amazon has brought to life with Amazon Go. Amazon Go stores are traditional supermarkets with a twist. It reduces the average time that shoppers spend in stories by more than 50% by eliminating the need to stand in line to pay. This checkout-free retail experience is possible thanks to the same technology used that is used in self-driving cars. The process is controlled by three very important components: deep learning, computer vision and sensor fusion. The Walk Out technology is responsible for detecting when products are either taken or returned to that Amazon store’s shelves and adds them to a virtual cart. When shoppers have collected the necessary items, they can simply leave the store. Amazon then charges consumers for the items in their virtual cats, which is paid for out of their Amazon account and issues them with a receipt. It is believed that, with time, shopping all over the world could be based on this process, which is efficient, simple, and hassle-free.
Online Gaming
While retail advancements involve just one company, online gambling is another case altogether. Online gaming and technology have always been intrinsically joined, which is why so many technology and online gaming companies have shared a long and continuous, stream of advancements with the gaming public. Virtual Reality (VR) technology has in development since sci-fi movies made reference to, and depicted holographic images. Scientists and technology experts have been trying to emulate this fantasy for many years and have done so, to a certain degree. VR technology has the ability to immerse players in another world by creating images, sounds and other effects that enhance the gaming experience entirely. VR has been applied to computer, smartphone, console gaming thus far with the sports betting industry taking a keen interest in it as well.
Another area that has taken giant leaps into the future is gambling and online casinos. To take a seat at a Live Casino table from your handheld device, and play a (real-time) streamed game with other players and dealers, is something from any good Sci-Fi movie from the ’80s. Considering the progress that has already been made in online casino gambling, VR functionality is likely not all that far off.
Entertainment
Since 80’s movies are the reference point for this entire post, it would be a crime to ignore the blatantly obvious. The film industry has embraced a wide range of technology to enhance viewing pleasure and entertainment. While the introduction of CGI and superior graphics, film and sound quality do not go unnoticed by movie enthusiasts, the biggest sci-fi-inspired advancement for the film industry has to be 3D. Movie-goers can now enjoy becoming a part of the scene before them, which is similar to VR technology. Incidentally, VR and 3D are closely related on a very basic level. TV and Film became even more advanced when technology and appliance companies began to develop 3D TVs. First editions of these devices came with 3D glasses but there days; the glasses are no longer required. The invention of these Smart and 3D devices have led to our next advancement.
In addition to this, movies and other films no longer have to be broadcasted with satellite devices; streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Video have become a natural part of our lives, so much so, that it’s likely that the magnitude of this advancement goes unnoticed.
