12 Tech Inventions From Star Wars That Already Exist Today

8. Electronic Binoculars

Don't leave home without them, especially when looking for a troublesome astromech droid that's gone AWOL in the Jundland Wastes.

What's nifty about Star Wars€™ electronic binoculars is not simply their reliability and accuracy. The most useful thing about them is the extra information that appears on the display. Luke's MB450 macrobinoculars provide a reading of the distance and elevation of a target, while the TD2.3 electrobinoculars used by rebels in the Battle of Hoth also calculated the size of a focussed target, even when zoomed in to 500 times magnification.

It will come as very little surprise to learn that many of the world's armies are now equipped with sophisticated reconnaissance gear such as this. What might surprise you, however, is that we've actually taken things one slightly creepy step further.

DARPA claim to be halfway through enhancing their electronic binoculars by establishing a neural link with the user's brain. The fancy head gear is able to zoom in exceedingly well, identify all manner of information about the images it detects (just like the Star Wars tech) and then, get this, analyse live EEG recordings of the user's brainwaves to establish whether they are responding appropriately to the images.

If the binoculars reckon that the two-legged figure in the distance poses a threat, it will make sure that the user is eliciting the kind of brain activity expected when they spot danger.

If, on the other hand, the binoculars realise that the two-legged figure in the distance is actually a penguin, it will make sure you're not about to unnecessarily blow its little brains out.