Do you watch ‘Black Mirror’? If so, I’m a little surprised you’re still reading this. I binge-watched all 4 seasons in just a few days and felt like anything related to technology was the enemy. :p
Seriously, though: isn’t it eery how relatable every episode of ‘Black Mirror’ is? The eeriest thing, though, is the fact that some of the things found in the show already exist today. Check this out:
5 Bits of Black Mirror Technology that Already Exist Today
5. A Recording Device Similar to ‘The Entire History of You’
In ‘The Entire History of You’, people live in a world where they have something called a ‘grain’ embedded in their neck, enabling them to record their everyday activities, store them, and rewatch them later on during the day or even years later.
Although not as perfectly complex as seen in ‘Black Mirror’, both Google and Sony have already developed contact lenses that can record video with deliberate blinks. Watch this:
The device is powered with eye movements and the iris of the lens stores the data instead. These lenses are still in the works to perfection, but is said to seen be able to zoom in and out, take and store photos and videos, and playback those photos and videos in-lens… very ‘Black Mirror’, if you ask me.
4. Digital Immortality Similar to ‘Be Right Back’
In ‘Be Right Back’, a woman brings her dead partner back to life. It all starts pretty harmlessly through chat, but later on evolves into phone calls until an actual physical version of her partner is made.
Fortunately, we haven’t gone that far yet, but have you heard of Eter9? Eter9 is basically a website that promises digital immortality through a very similar way to ‘Be Right Back’. In a nutshell, it uses artificial intelligence to scan your posts and will keep posting online for you after you die… in fact, it’s exactly like how ‘Be Right Back’ starts. Eter9 will post things online and complain the same way you do, and even like things for you… forever. You can even meet your social media mirror image before you die, if you want. Creepy.
The website is still in its beta testing mode (sound familiar?), but thousands of people are already signed up at the moment.
3. A Social Credit System Similar to ‘Nosedive’
In ‘Nosedive’, people rate each other on a daily basis based on their interactions with one another. In the show, we follow the story of one particular woman, who is practically obsessed with having a high rating, it pretty much takes over her life as it has done many others.
As much as it sounds like a mere exaggeration of Instagram, a super app actually exists in China called Alipay Credit, which gives people a 3-digit score called Zhima Credit that works as credit for everything in their lives. When you sign up, it explains that Zhima Credit is the embodiment of personal credit, using data to conduct an objective assessment. Obviously, the higher the score, the better your credit – just like in ‘Nosedive’.
2. Self-Driving Pizza Trucks Similar to ‘Crocodile’
An accident involving an self-driving pizza truck plays a pivotal role in Black Mirror’s ‘Crocodile’. Well, Toyota recently unveiled the e-Palette, a concept vehicle that can work as a ride-sharing service, a package delivery service, or… you guessed it: a pizza delivery service.
Pizza Hut has already tweeted about it and wow, does it look familiar:
Introducing the first Pizza Hut fully autonomous delivery concept vehicle. Excited for our future with @Toyota #CES2018 pic.twitter.com/YGNQUgijha
— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut) January 8, 2018
This is only a concept for now, but is set to launch in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. That’s really not that far off.
1. Robodogs Similar to ‘Metalhead’
Admit it” the robodogs in Black Mirror’s ‘Metalhead’ were downright scary. They could track down humans, kill them, plant tracking devices in them, recharge, and call on fellow robodogs for backup.
For now, though, this is what the SpotMini is like:
While the SpotMini isn’t trained to kill like the robodogs in ‘Metalhead’, it isn’t farfetched that they could someday be trained to. It also only lasts 90 minutes on a charge. Let’s breathe easy for now.
The beauty of Black Mirror for me is the fact that the ideas aren’t too far-fetched. In fact, as this article proves, it is pretty realistic. And while a lot of the episodes are downright scary to think about, there are some that look like they’d be awesome (San Junipero, anyone?) Is there any form of Black Mirror technology you’d like to see come to fruition in the near future? Share your thoughts with us! 🙂
