Parallels Between Science Fiction and Real-world Weapons
New forms of real world weaponry often resemble weapons previously envisaged in science fiction weapons. The Strategic Defense Initiative gained the popular name "Star Wars" after the 1977 film by George Lucas.
In some cases, the influence of science fiction on weapons programs has been specifically acknowledged. In 2007, the science fiction author Thomas Easton was invited to address engineers working on a DARPA program to create weaponized cyborg insects, as envisaged in his novel Sparrowhawk.
Active research on powered exoskeletons for military use has a long history, beginning with the abortive 1960s Hardiman powered exoskeleton project at General Electric, and continuing into the 21st century. The borrowing between fiction and reality has worked both ways, with the power loader from the film Aliens resembling the prototypes of the Hardiman system. As of 2008, practical powered exoskeleton prototypes have been constructed and tested outside of the laboratory.
American military research on high power laser weapons started in the 1960s, and has continued to the present day, with the U.S. Army planning, as of 2008, the deployment of practical battlefield laser weapons. Lower-powered lasers are currently used for military purposes as laser target designators and for military rangefinding. Laser weapons intended to blind combatants have also been developed, but are currently banned by the Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons, although low-power versions designed to dazzle rather than blind have been developed experimentally. Gun-mounted lasers have also been used as psychological weapons, to let opponents know that they have been targeted in order encourage them to hide or flee without having to actually open fire on them.
Cyberwarfare has moved from a theoretical idea to something that is now seriously considered as a threat by modern states. For example, during Russian invasion to Georgia, unknown persons hacked Georgian government websites.
Read more about this topic: Weapons In Science Fiction
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—Fran Lebowitz (b. 1950)
“If, while watching the sun set on a used-car lot in Los Angeles, you are struck by the parallels between this image and the inevitable fate of humanity, do not, under any circumstances, write it down.”
—Fran Lebowitz (b. 1950)
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