Several Doctor Who Technologies That Actually Exist … Sort Of
By Sundi Rose
Over the years, Doctor Who has brought us lots of gadgets and ideas. These Doctor Who technologies actually exist, or at least they could in theory.
In the 50 years since Doctor Who debuted, we’ve seen hundreds of interesting and far-fetched gadgets, tools, and inventions. But not all of the Doctor Who technologies are that of a science fiction nature.
According to the folks over there at Popular Mechanics, there are at least ten concepts that could actually exist, in some form, right now.
Here are a few Doctor Who technologies that could actually happen now, or in the near future.
The TARDIS
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Okay, so time travel isn’t possible at the moment, but it could be, if you believe some scientists. There are actual physicists that suggest the technology exists in the modern realm of science. In an appropriately acronymed, “Traversable Achronal Retrograde Domains In Spacetime” scientists Ben Tippett and David Tsang are hopeful.
Futurism magazine says, “the geometry of spacetime that the TARDIS maneuvers in might exist in our own universe, allowing for travel in all directions through space and time.” This assertion is backed up by the findings of the above researchers, so maybe it’s not so far fetched.
Psychic Paper
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Papers that can read minds is obviously outside the scope of our modern technology. However, it seems the Doctor might have been on to something with the power of suggestion. Contemporary magicians use this technique all the time to trick audiences into believing they’ve seen something they actually haven’t.
Derron Brown, a British illusionist, used this technique to purchase dozens of items using pieces of blank paper instead of actual cash. Maybe you could try this in your own life using the signature Doctor confidence. It’s worth a try.
Ood Translation Spheres
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While most of us have a translation device right there in our smart phones, they don’t have the telepathic capabilities like the Ood’s spheres. But fear not, this technology is on the way.
Researchers revealed that “A brain-to-brain interface (BTBI) enabled a real-time transfer of behaviorally meaningful sensorimotor information between the brains of two rats.” This means rats have been able to communicate with each other by “coupling” their brains.
While this means you might be able to communicate telepathically sometime in the near future, it also means you better watch those thoughts pretty closely.
The Source
Photo: BBC
When the Tenth Doctor visited the planet of Messaline, he encountered a terraforming device that involves, “involves altering a barren planet’s atmosphere and temperature to create a habitat suitable for human life.”
This is not really all that far-flung from what NASA scienitists are doing right now. “For example,” NASA’s Christopher McKay is suggesting “that scientists could release chlorofluorocarbons into the Martian air, creating an atmosphere rich in greenhouse gases and capable of trapping the sun’s heat.” Most of us have seen The Martian by now, anyway. Right?
The Daleks
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Don’t be too startled by this. The evil aliens hell bent on destroying the Doctor aren’t an actual thing, but technology has come a long way in synthesizing mechanics and organic matter. Think about the advances in prosthetic technology that allows amputees to control their artificial limbs with their minds. It could happen, folks.
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Although the actual Doctor Who technologies might still be light years away, we’re well on our way of realizing a very real Whovian existence. At least according to these handful of ways.