How is Sci-fi Inspiring Innovation? [With Great Examples]
Astronauts, time travel, parallel universes, aliens – name an imaginative and futuristic concept based on advanced science and technology, and it's probably been featured in a sci-fi book or film. Although many features in sci-fi remain speculative imaginings (aliens for one, although some may argue against this), a lot of them now exist in reality. But what came first, innovation or imagination? So, here's a sneaky confession: I'm a massive fan of sci-fi films and comics. They're the perfect form of "escape reality" therapy for me, but this passion has moved beyond simply enjoying primary works to reading thought-provoking articles connecting sci-fi and innovation. It has probed the exciting realization that sci-fi has a history of inspiring innovation.
A great classic example is French writer Jules Verne's Vingt milles lieues sous les mers, otherwise known as Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, published in 1870. In this sci-fi adventure novel, Captain Nemo travels in an underwater ship, the Nautilus, that bears a remarkable resemblance to submarines today. Verne's fictional submarine was inspired by a model of French submarine Plongeur (launched in 1863), which he viewed at the 1867 Exposition Universelle. But the Plongeur is a positively primitive vessel compared to the fictional Nautilus, which precedes its time and bears a remarkable accuracy to the sophisticated features of current submarines. This means that the submarines we know today existed in the sci-fi world before they were truly created in reality.
Here's another example. Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé, laid out beautifully drawn missions to the moon titled "Destination Moon" (1950) and "Explorers on the moon" (1953) in his comic series "The Adventures of Tintin". These comics are avant-garde since Hergé invented space travel before the US or the USSR started their space exploration ambitions in 1957. The funny thing is, while astronauts have been returning to Earth in capsules, Tintin returned to earth in the same rocket. Elon Musk invented the first reusable rockets with his SpaceX in 2015, but Tintin did his space traveling over 60 years earlier. Although there's probably truth in the claim that reusable launch systems were invested in to lower costs and reduce the barrier of access to space, who's to say whether or not Tintin's adventures planted the seeds for this innovation?
There are also countless sci-fi moments that have exhibited advanced technology way before its time. In Minority Report (2002), we see Tom Cruise use gestures to swipe between 3D projection screens. The first iPhone only hit the stores in 2007, as crazy as my iPhone feels like a lifelong attribute in my pocket, I've only had it for six years... Damn, this isn't making me feel any younger.
My personal favourites are Battlestar Galactica (2003 series), Aliens, and Blade Runner. In these sci-fi films and TV series, viewers get to experience encounters with androids that are indistinguishable from real humans. The biggest question in the first Blade Runner is: "Is Rick Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, a replicant (android) or not?" In the movie, Deckard relies on a look-alike to take a Turing Test, called Voight-Kampff test in the film, to determine whether he is talking to a replica. After its release, many viewers discussed whether he was so good at his job because he was actually a replicant himself. But this theory was disproved in the sequel (apologies for the spoiler). Some AIs and chatbots today have passed the Turing Test, which is in itself somewhat frightening.
Another strange evolution is the robot companion trend, which can range from robotized pets to marriage replacements. Gaius Baltar starts the Battlestar Galactica series in an intimate relationship with an android (a cylon). Throughout every subsequent episode, he fantasizes about her being truly infatuated with him. In his defence, he didn’t know she was an evil robot. The analogy with today's robot companions on sale is, to say the least, striking. (It's a lousy evolution if you ask me.)
So why is sci-fi often a forecast of what is to come? How does sci-fi always manage to stay a step ahead of reality? Maybe sci-fi creators are free from traditional restrictive corporate thinking patterns and are therefore more inclined to develop innovative ideas. On the other hand, sci-fi sells stories and imagination rather than products. Does a focus on profitability inhibit innovation?
I believe that innovation workshops are best done in a comfortable environment free from day-to-day tasks. No devices, no checking of emails, no deadlines between the breaks, and yes, having many short breaks is key. But having Jules Vernes or Ridley Scott in the meeting would definitely help too.
What is your favourite sci-fi example?
