The Emerging Technologies from Total Recall, 1990

Technologies in Total Recall, 1990

NOT IN EXISTENCE	EMERGING	NOT YET EMERGED
Rekall- Machine that implants memories into your brain (Griffith, 2012).		Memory Prosthetic
3D Holographic display on Rekall cart	Musion Holographic Technologies
Full Body X-Ray Scanner	TSA full-body scanner
The artifact that “instant terraforming device that, when activated, covers the entire fourth rock from the sun with breathable air” (Griffith, 2012).		NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) has plans to “terraform Mars using shells” (Kramer, 2013).
Nasal Based GPS	Navigational GPS by Garmin Fitness GPS by FitBit
Insta-color nails- The receptionist picked a color off her iPad using a stylus and tapped it onto her nails to change the current color	iPad
Johnny Cab- The robot taxi driver	Humanoids- human robots	Self-driving cars
Robot Cops or Synths		Knightscope K-5 Robot that will patrol the streets to “prevent crime” (Grossman, 2014).
Tractor Beam Rope- “glowing rope that wraps around Quaid and uses a beam to suck it back” (Griffith, 2012).		“Laser physicists have built a tractor beam that can repel and attract objects, using a hollow laser beam that is bright around the edges and dark in its center” (Shvedov, Davoyan, Hnatovsky, Engheta, & Krolikowski, 2014).
Hover Cars		Terrafugia TF-X Volkswagen hover car concept The HoverCar by Brent Saxsma Aerofex Aero-X “hover bike Hendo Hover Board skyTran Personal Rapid Transit
China Fall- A “magnetized elevator that goes from one end of the earth to the other in about 20 minutes” (Griffith, 2012).
Implanted Mobile Video Phone		Utah Array/BrainGate Mobile Implant

According to Dr. Thornburg (2014j), science-fiction based novels and movies have the potential to influence technology and re-develop its necessity. After viewing the 1990 film Total Recall, I was able to compare the technologies seen within the movie and compare it to emerging technologies, as well as technologies that have not yet emerged. As soon as I recognized the iPad used by the receptionist to paint her nails, I was reminded of Dr. Thornburg’s (2014i) theory that “Made-up technologies in science fiction stories trigger the imagination of inventors.” The 1990 version of the movie Total Recall was a rendition of the Philip K. Dick novel We Can Remember It For You Wholesale that was released in 1966. The technology within the text inspired the screen writers who created the movie who thus inspired the inventors of the emerging technologies we use today including the prototypes of the technologies that have not yet emerged.

            Two technologies that will remain in the not yet emerged for at least five to ten more years would have to be the memory prosthetics and Mobile Implant due to their ethical practices and irregularities in neurotransmission. In regards to the memory prosthetic, the possibilities for the technology include returning the memory of patients with Alzheimer’s, Amnesia, and Dementia. However, neuro-scientists worry about the ethical consequences of altering memory and what could possibly be triggered as a result. One researcher asked “Will we be trading a neurological disorder for a psychiatric one?” because memories are often linked to behavior and altering one could negatively impact the other (Arnold, 2015). They have also had issues with result consistency during lab testing. Similarly, the mobile implant crosses the line of ethics despite its green alternative to technology use and possibilities of detecting diseases in the early stage. Having technology implanted allows the device to be available at all times without the need for recharging or carrying. There is a higher risk involved when electronics are implanted into the body and connected to the brain. As Leaver (2012) cited the risk that “someone is going to hack into your nervous system and send signals you don’t want.”

            There is always risk involved when developing a new technology; however, the potential to revolutionize the devices we currently use and improve efficiency should be worth looking into. When I first viewed the movie, I never thought any of the devices other than the iPad would be considered as emerging today. After actually researching the devices found within the movie, I realized that almost all of them are in the early stages of development once funding becomes more available.

References

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Arnold, C. (2015, May 6). Inside the Memory Machine. Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/body/memory-prostheses/

Demetriou, D. (2014, June 25). Humanoid robots join staff at Tokyo science museum. Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/10924594/Humanoid-robots-join-staff-at-Tokyo-science-museum.html

Edelstein, S. (2012, May 10). Volkswagen Hover Car: Is this the future of transportation? Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/volkswagen-hover-car-is-this-the-future-of-transportation/

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Garmin. (2015). Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://www.garmin.com/en-US

Griffith, E. (2012, August 3). From Mars to Earth: The Tech of Total Recall. Retrieved July 16, 2015, from http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/301028/from-mars-to-earth-the-tech-of-total-recall/1

Grossman, L. (2014, April 16). The new cop on the beat may be a bot. Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://time.com/65021/robot-cop/

Hachman, M. (2012, May 8). Nevada Approves License for Google's Self-Driving Car. Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404097,00.asp

Hologram technology. 3D holographic projection technology by Musion. (2013, March 9). Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://musion.com/

Hover, H. (n.d.). Hendo Hoverboards - World's first REAL hoverboard. Retrieved July 19, 2015, from https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/142464853/hendo-hoverboards-worlds-first-real-hoverboard

Kramer, M. (2013, October 7). Incredible Technology: How to Use shells to Terraform a Planet | Space.com. Retrieved July 19, 2015, from http://www.space.com/23063-terraforming-planets-shell-worlds.html

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014i). David Thornburg: Science fiction [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014j). David Thornburg: Six forces that drive emerging technologies[Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Leaver, H. (2012, June 28). Here's a real close call: Implanting your mobile phone under your skin. Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://metro.co.uk/2012/06/28/heres-a-real-close-call-implanting-your-mobile-phone-under-your-skin-483932/

Saxma, B. (2014). HoverCar. Retrieved July 19, 2015, from http://www.2015hovercar.com/index.html

Shvedov, V., Davoyan, A., Hnatovsky, C., Engheta, N., & Krolikowski, W. (2014, October 19). A long-range polarization-controlled optical tractor beam. Retrieved July 19, 2015, from http://www.nature.com/nphoton/journal/v8/n11/full/nphoton.2014.242.html

Skytran. (n.d.). Retrieved July 19, 2015, from http://www.skytran.us/

Terrafugia. (n.d.). Retrieved July 17, 2015, from http://www.terrafugia.com/