10 Sci-Fi Gadgets That Inspired Real Inventions
2. Smartwatches
The first sighting of a smartwatch in fiction was way back in the 1930s with the comic strip adventures of Dick Tracy. His was mostly used to communicate with headquarters, complete with TV display, but it is worth remembering that this idea predates World War Two.
Since then, smartwatches have appeared in Inspector Gadget, James Bond, Knight Rider, Futurama and in the Men In Black films. They've had laser beams, the ability to remotely control vehicles and to do just about anything to move their stories along.
Now, the Apple Watch and fitbit devices such as the Garmin Fenix carry out the communicative jobs the sci-fi writers of the more distant past would have imagined, and these affordable pieces of wearable tech are beginning to take over the globe. We hope it won't be too long before laser beams and car summoning apps are released.