7 Science Fiction Predictions That Came True
1. GPP (Genuine People Personalities)
"Ghastly, continued Marvin, it all is. Absolutely ghastly. Just don't even talk about it. Look at this door, he said, stepping through it. The irony circuits cut into his voice modulator as he mimicked the style of the sales brochure. All the doors in this spaceship have a cheerful and sunny disposition. It is their pleasure to open for you, and their satisfaction to close again with the knowledge of a job well done."
- The Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams, 1979
Yeah yeah, HHGTG predicted the e-book and wikipedia with remarkable accuracy (in fact, it got a lot of stuff right), but the Genuine People Personalities enjoyed (or not, in the case of Marvin) by the various androids in the novel are becoming more and more of a reality by the day.
Emotional robots are being developed right now, and have the potential to act as carer, companions and teachers for the young, vulnerable or lonely.
The development of emotional robots, such as Pepper, is a field fraught with difficulties. Pepper's manufacturers have actually been getting people to sign contracts promising not to use it for "inappropriate" purposes due to its emotional status (robot rights, anyone?).