Science Fiction

Tunisia deployed a police robot to patrol streets of the capital and enforce a lockdown imposed to contain coronavirus spread. Known as PGuard, the "robocop" which is remotely operated and is equipped with thermal imaging cameras is seen calling out to suspected violators in a video, "What are you doing? You don't know there's a lockdown?"

Science fiction has always been a medium for futuristic imagination and while different colored aliens and intergalactic travel are yet to be discovered, there is an array of technologies that are no longer figments of the imagination thanks to the world of science fiction. Some of the creative inventions that have appeared in family-favorite movies like "Back to the Future" and "Total Recall," are now at the forefront of modern technology. Here are a few of our favorite technologies that went from science fiction to reality. This article is brought to you by All About Space. All About Space magazine takes you on an awe-inspiring journey through our solar system and beyond, from the amazing technology and spacecraft that enables humanity to venture into orbit, to the complexities of space science.

In 2007, when touchscreens first started coming on the scene, I was excited, like everyone. As a lifelong science-fiction fan, they always seemed to me to be the obvious choice for future user interfaces. But, for over a decade, I've been living in what feels like a bad dream. The devices we have now are not what science fiction promised. When you grow up using a personal computer with a keyboard and a mouse, you come to expect precision, and the computers of the future--including smartphones--should only be an improvement on that.

In the late 1940s, pioneering computer genius Alan Turing proposed that a computer can be said to possess artificial intelligence if it can fool a human into thinking it is real by mimicking human responses under specific conditions. But what if human responses are greed, hatred and ruthlessly self-serving dominance over others? At the heart of that question is fear of technology, one which science fiction writer Isaac Asimov had already attempted to pacify in his 1942 Three Laws of Robotics, the first of which is that a robot may not allow a human being to come to harm. The question is, do we - the public - believe and trust that Artificial Intelligence will not be used, by either authorities or corporations, for their own benefit rather than ours? As writer and broadcaster Paul Mason tells CGTN, "The basic philosophical problem posed by artificial intelligence is this: On whose behalf are we developing this stuff? And what kind of society does it assume it's going to create?"

A microsatellite carrying model robots from the popular science fiction anime "Mobile Suit Gundam" was successfully launched to promote the Olympics, organizers said Saturday. The so-called G-Satellite, which contains two figurines from the animated series, hitched a ride to the International Space Station on Friday aboard a SpaceX/Dragon cargo flight from Cape Canaveral, Florida. It will reach the ISS on Monday at 8 p.m. Japan time. The satellite will be released into orbit in the latter part of April and will circle Earth during the Olympics and Paralympics, marking the first time a satellite is used to celebrate the games. According to organizers, the satellite, which has an electronic bulletin board and seven small cameras, will send back images of the robots and messages displayed in English, French and Japanese.

With a forceful buzz, Pete Bitar's home-made personal aircraft takes to the skies above Silicon Valley, his aluminium pilot chair glinting in the morning sunlight above four spinning propellers. Dubbed the Verticycle, it wobbles to a height of about three metres before tipping sideways and plunging back to the runway with a loud crash. Fortunately, Bitar is piloting the vehicle remotely today from a wireless controller nearby. The craft's battery packs were damaged in another crash the week before, and replacements couldn't generate enough thrust to lift him and the …

With headlines everywhere focusing on disposable plastics and air travel emissions, it's clear that our individual, everyday purchasing choices--from what we eat to how we get around--impact the world around us. But how about what we wear? According to the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion, apparel manufacturing produces 20% of the world's water waste and up to 10% of its carbon output and sends more than 21 billion tons of textiles to landfills each year. But it's also a $2.4 trillion dollar industry that employs more than 60 million people worldwide. Considering this scale and impact, the industry is at a crossroads, devising disruptive technologies, rethinking business models, and searching for innovation at every step -- design, production, distribution, and reuse.

Voice technologies like the one that Mycroft is building can be traced back more than 50 years. In fact, Mycroft is named after a voice assistant that appeared in Robert Heinlein's 1963 Hugo Award winning novel "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress". All of the underlying technologies are described in the novel and they have been broken out time and again over the past half-century in popular science fiction. "Hal" from 2001 a Space Odyssey, Star Trek's "Computer", Knight Rider's "Kitt" – all of these are examples of how voice technology might work in the real world. They've also been disclosed in real-world tech like Honda's Asimo and more than 3 decades of automotive technologies from Nuance.

When you hear the word "cyborg," scenes from the 1980s films RoboCop or The Terminator might spring to mind. But the futuristic characters made famous in those films may no longer be mere science fiction. We are at the advent of an era where digital technology and artificial intelligence are moving more deeply into our human biological sphere. Humans are already able to control a robotic arm with their minds. Cyborgs--humans whose skills and abilities exceed those of others because of electrical or mechanical elements built into the body--are already among us.

Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines for Jan. 31 are here. Check out what's clicking today in entertainment. "Terminator" actress Linda Hamilton says the pressure of starring in a multimillion-dollar blockbuster made her want to walk away from the science fiction franchise for good. The latest installment marked her return to the franchise alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger after decades away. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Hamilton addressed the fact that the 2019 installment didn't meet expectations at the box office despite a positive critical reception.