The Star Wars universe might be fictional, but one can still dream right? We got to thinking how cool it would be if Star Wars tech actually existed. Here’s our wish list:
Lightsabre Technology
Let’s start with the most iconic piece of tech in Star Wars as nothing else looks better than a light twirling around in battle. Apart from having a great bit of kit strapped to your waist, imagine the possibilities if lightsabre crystal technology could be developed. It would revolutionise everyday applications in engineering, medicine and manufacturing.
Droids
We could all do with droid assistance in our lives, whether it’s transporting secret holographic messages, performing medical tasks, or translating Bocce. If this technology could be mastered to match its capabilities in Star Wars, a droid could assist us with sophisticated tasks such as storing and processing complex information, reducing human labour costs and performing dangerous tasks.
Hyperdrive Travel
Imagine your weekend romps with this technology! Jumping between solar systems at light speed would be amazing, although we’re not too keen on what that level of jet lag would look like. Hyperdrive travel would dramatically change where we could go and what we could discover in an instant.
Bacta Tank Healing
Bruised and battered from battle? No worries! Just jump into a bacta tank. Full submersion in one of these bad boys heals your skin, muscles and nerves so you can live to fight another day. It remains strictly sci-fi for now, but this regenerative tech would revolutionise the medical world if it could be developed.
Blasters
Ever wondered why Boba Fett is the most badass character of the franchise? It’s thanks to all his cool tech! Fett’s wrist mounted MM9 rocket launcher is unreal, offering stun grenades or regular wrist propelled explosions at the touch of a button – definitely the weapon of choice for any serious bounty hunter (anyone trying to kill him in the Battlefront video game will agree). While we probably have the technology to develop real Blasters, problems including possibly burning or ripping arms off, makes us happy to leave this one in sci-fi land with Boba.
Thankfully, Star Wars technology doesn’t exist exclusively in science-fiction, with plenty of the series’ tech currently in existence.
Solar Power Technology
TIE (Twin Ion Engine) fighters have two solar panels which provide not only large scale propulsive energy, but also power up the TIE’s laser cannons. This same concept is used on NASA’s Juno Space Craft (sans the cannons of course). Who would have thought the Dark Side would use renewable energy for evil?
Force Fields
I know what you’re thinking, “Surely the deflector shield can’t be real?” Well, you may be amazed to learn that in 2015, Boeing built plasma-based force fields in order to protect vehicles from explosions. When Boeing’s force field detects an explosion, it quickly heats up the air or water in between the vehicle and the blast to create a plasma shield. It can be used on land or in water to lessen the damage to boats or submarines.
Levitation Technology
How practical is Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder, or the hover bikes in Return of the Jedi? As it turns out, levitation by the same methods do exist! The Maglev Train in Japan floats above the tracks using two sets of magnets, one to push the train up and the other to move it along. There’s also the Malloy Hoverbike which claims to use turbofans to lift it 10,000 ft (304m) in the air, and reach 173mph (278kmh) in horizontal speed!
Holography
“Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope!” Remember how in Star Wars, Princess Leia beamed out of R2-D2 to tell Ben Kenobi the rebellion was in trouble? This was holographic technology, and although we’re not quite at this level yet, it’s closer than ever before. Smart Phones are now being created with 3D holographic technology, with the first one recently launched. Imagine Princess Leia beaming out of your phone!
Jetpack Engineering
Did we mention Boba Fett had the best tech? His fast and nimble Z6 jetpack not only gave him an edge when tracking targets, it could maintain sustained flight and provide short bursts of lift during combat. While a jet turbine powered backpack capable of vertical take-off and landing has been developed, it doesn’t look as cool as Boba’s nor can it stay in the air for an extended period… yet.
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