As humans we seem to be hardwired for preoccupation with fantasy. In America, the allure of the fantastical is strewn throughout every nook and cranny of pop culture from entertainment to science and technology. Fantasy and sci-fi themes dominated the top grossing films list of 2011, according to the Hollywood Reporter. This pales in comparison to the jaw-dropping goodies that were dreamed up in the science lab.

There’s just no denying it. Today’s science fiction usually turns out to be tomorrow’s reality. Here are three sci-fi inventions that are reshaping the boundaries of reality:

The Movies in Our Minds

Scientists at the University of California succeeded in reconstructing human visual experiences. Lead researcher Shinji Nishimoto said the study, which relied on Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to reconstruct brain signals generated by Hollywood movie trailers, is paving the way for a deeper understanding of what goes on inside the minds of those who have lost the ability to communicate verbally, as is frequently the case in stroke victims, coma patients and those living with neurodegenerative diseases. Nishimoto and his team also hope the advancement will one day become a brain-machine interface that allows people with cerebral palsy or paralysis to guide machines with their minds.

Li-Fi

It has been speculated that wireless communication will reach a threshold in 2015, when the need for radio frequency spectrum – the main transportation system for wireless communication – becomes larger than the spectrum itself.  University of Edinburgh professor Harald Haas posed an eloquent solution to this challenge at a 2011 conference hosted by TED, a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. Haas’ solution is Li-Fi, which utilizes LED lights to harness the visible light spectrum and transmit wireless data. Li-Fi, as Haas calls it, has many perks including increased security, underwater communication, an end to harmful electromagnetic waste and energy efficiency. Retrieving emails in the morning may soon be as easy as flipping on a light.

Cloak of Invisibility

University of Utah professor Graeme Milton gave Harry Potter’s cloak of invisibility some merit with the discovery that a slab of material with negative electrical and magnetic properties can in essence cloak nearby objects. Milton’s “superlens” isolates particles from their surroundings, which in turn makes them appear invisible from the outside.

-Li St. Michael

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