8 Iconic Doctor Who Things That Scientists Say Are Real

8. Sonic Screwdriver

The Doctor's trusty plot-device-machine, the sonic screwdriver, is a great multitool device that can somehow manipulate electronics, operate computer systems and even light candles using just sound waves. Thanks to the wonder of the internet, you can buy countless sonic screwdriver shaped TV remotes, but researchers at the University of Dundee are in the process of trying to create the real thing. Their device uses an ultrasonic beam to manipulate objects. At the moment it can just about manage to lift them up and rotate them, but the open-anything-that-isn't-conveniently-deadlocked function is sure to follow soon enough. The ultimate goal for this technology is in its medical applications, so it may well be that your real Doctor will be in possession of a sonic screwdriver. Soon we may be able to use it to perform completely non-invasive surgery with, or even use it as a medical scanner, much like The Doctor (the alien, not the medical professional) does. The technology is in its early stages, so we can neither confirm nor deny whether it will work on wood.