Every Time Futurama Predicted The Future
By WITNEY SEIBOLD
Movies - TV
Suicide booths
In the first episode of the series, we are introduced to a coin-operated "suicide booth," the implication being the year 3000 is just that intolerable. Then, in December 2021, a sleek, specialized euthanasia pod was invented in Switzerland.
Wrist LoJack-a-mater
"Futurama" is hardly the first piece of fantasy or sci-fi that included a wrist-mounted communication device. However, Leela's watch could be a two-way radio, check vitals, track location, and play games, just like smartwatches today.
The smelloscope
In the future of "Futurama," it is revealed that each heavenly body has a smell and can be sniffed through the "Smelloscope." Now, we have the "Nasal Ranger" — and while it can't smell through the vacuum of space, it can sniff out gas leaks or detect sewer damage.
Choose-Your-Own-Adventure
In the show, the characters often visit a movie theater where the audience is polled on what the next action should be. In 2018, Eko published an interactive sequel to the 1983 computer thriller "WarGames" — called simply "#WarGames" — wherein a viewer could choose which characters to watch.
Alcohol as fuel
In the year 3000, booze helps robots like Bender keep their fuel cells charged, and while there are no alcohol-fueled robots yet, some New Zealand scientists have pioneered something referred to as "brewtroleum." They use the excess yeast and grain left over from beer brewing to create ethanol that is then mixed with petroleum.