12 Tech Inventions From Star Wars That Already Exist Today

12. Space Travel

The fact that space flight exists is hardly breaking news and we have of course been sending manned missions into orbit for many more years than we have been enjoying Star Wars. However, it's the actual developments that have occurred since George Lucas' original trilogy that are worth mentioning here. Admittedly, we're not all flying around in our spaceships for the morning commute just yet, but two very significant advancements are on the cards; commercial space travel for (exceedingly rich) tourists thanks to companies like Virgin Galactic and the prospect of manned interplanetary travel for a few brave astronauts. NASA intend to send a team to the red planet in the 2030s and another crew to an asteroid in the meantime (where, if Star Wars is anything to go by, the crew will have to be sure not to land in the mouth of a giant space worm). But what about the real meat of sci-fi space travel? How far along are we when it comes to traversing thousands of light-years in a matter of minutes? Well, hyperdrive technology itself might be a long way away but a number of physicists are definitely working hard on the underlying physics. British aerospace engineer Roger Shawyer designed the EmDrive at the turn of the century, which may eventually be capable of using microwaves to produce enough thrust for faster-than-light travel. A number of small-scale experiments suggest he's onto something. But it's all just theory at this stage. When it comes to summer holidays for the next few decades, you're far more likely to find yourself in Marbella than Mars.