Ten Inventions Inspired by Science Fiction
The innovators behind objects like the cellphone or the helicopter took inspiration from works like "Star Trek" and War of the Worlds
- By Mark Strauss
- Smithsonian.com, March 16, 2012

The Argonaut, an early experiment in submarine design, has three wheels to draw it around the bottom of a river, lake, or sea. The design was not successful. | Located in: Mariners' Museum. (© The Mariners' Museum / CORBIS)
Known as the father of the modern submarine, American inventor Simon Lake had been captivated by the idea of undersea travel and exploration ever since he read Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in 1870. Lake’s innovations included ballast tanks, divers’ compartments and the periscope. His company built the Argonaut—the first submarine to operate successfully in the open ocean, in 1898—earning him a congratulatory note from Verne.












Comments (32)
Please check this link: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_de_la_Cierva Juan de la Cierva had already developed and tested his own helicopter in 1923, later on his patent was used by the US to produce the Pitcairn PCA-2. Kind Regards.
Posted by David Fernández-Renau on January 31,2013 | 08:20 AM
Excuse me for my comment, but I just want to point out a forgotten fact. Isaac Peral had already launched a much bigger and successful submarine ten years before, in 1888. Please check this link: http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Peral Thank you for your attention and kind regards.
Posted by David Fernández-Renau on January 31,2013 | 08:11 AM
Why wasn't the satellite mentioned in this article. Satellites were first described by Arthur C. Clarke many years before we actually had them.
Posted by caivey on January 26,2013 | 06:31 PM
11th Invention inspired by Sci fi SCIENTOLOGY
Posted by B Howell on January 19,2013 | 08:05 PM
Robert Fulton, working for Napoleon Buonaparte in 1800 developed a submarine that in sea trials in Brest stayed ubmerged at 2 meters for 2 hours. Subseqently the french didn't see the benefit and refused further interest in the project. He , Fulton did go on to build the first comercially viable staem ship to cross the Atlantic in 1807.
Posted by Scott Martin on December 24,2012 | 10:13 PM
I think you meant "John W. Campbell" in segment 5.
Posted by Wm. Plumpe on December 2,2012 | 07:59 PM
DaVinci said: "I find it ridiculous this site gives Jules Verne the credit for things like the submarine and helicopter when Leonardo da Vinci envisioned them HUNDREDS of years earlier. If anything, Jules Verne was inspired by da Vinci's drawings." I find it ridiculous that you are mistakenly blaming this site, when all the site did was quote the person's admitted inspiration for the invention. This site had NOTHING to do with the selection of that person's inspiration. If you have a problem with each person's admitted influence/inspiration, I suggest you take the issue up with their heirs. Don't shoot the messenger.
Posted by Big Mack on November 29,2012 | 10:13 PM
Neal Stephenson Novel was probably based on technology that already exist. In 1976 there was already the MuD concept that allowed user to interact in a D&D fashion. The concepts of MMO's have been around as long as the internet as. Neal gets no credit.
Posted by Anthony Gordon on November 23,2012 | 09:16 AM
Campbell's name was actually *John* W Campbell, and he was the original editor of Astounding Science fiction, later renamed Analog. It is still being published. His pen name as a writer was 'Don A. Stuart'.
Posted by DeeDee Wilson on November 22,2012 | 12:50 PM
American engineer Robert Fulton designed and built a working submarine for Napoleon Bonaparte in 1800
Posted by Brian D Finch on November 22,2012 | 10:05 AM
Snowcrash does deserve some credit for virtual worlds however credit really belongs to Simulacron 3 by Daniel Galouye (1964) which predicted multiple virtual worlds, helmet and glove interaction, avatars, artificial intelligence, simulation vertigo, and high resolution graphics accelerated rendering via parallel computers. This book predates Snowcrash (2003) by 36 years!
Posted by J D on November 21,2012 | 08:30 AM
TASERS have been proven time and again to be far from non-lethal. TASER is also famous for suing ME's to get causes of deaths involving TASERS changed so as not to implicate the obviously coincidental death that occurred immediately after TASER use was connected to said use.
Posted by Eric on November 21,2012 | 07:51 AM
I find it ridiculous this site gives Jules Verne the credit for things like the submarine and helicopter when Leonardo da Vinci envisioned them HUNDREDS of years earlier. If anything, Jules Verne was inspired by da Vinci's drawings. Heck, I'd give the ancient Egyptians temple hieroglyphics (that resemble modern vehicles to modern eyes) more credence than Jules Verne since they came thousands of years earlier than him.
Posted by DaVinci on October 18,2012 | 05:38 PM
Well that's poorly researched. is this FOX news? Monturiol built a true submarine (Ictíneo II) in 1864, it was double hulled and steam powered, the combustion generated the ship's oxygen. This feat wasn't equaled until near WWII. It's design wasn't equaled until the Albacore.
Posted by Paul Neubauer on September 29,2012 | 06:42 PM
Lt. Uhuru in Star Trek wore a bluetooth device.
Posted by Keith Rosenberg on September 22,2012 | 11:43 PM
Great tribute to John "Jack" H. Cover (pronounced Co' ver with a long o) who invented the original TASER electronic control device. Jack helped us on our first product called the AIR TASER Model 34000 back in 1993-1995. He was one of a kind and brilliant. He and his son were featured on "That's Incredible" and he inspired the founding members of TASER International to never give up in terms of innovation. His assistance in this technology used in 107 countries has helped save more the 94,000 lives saved from death or serious injury. Steve Tuttle, VP of Communications at TASER International.
Posted by Steve Tuttle on August 28,2012 | 03:13 PM
Submarine article: Wrong. Ictíneo was first.
Posted by daniel on August 28,2012 | 02:30 PM
As for the submarine: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ictineo_I (1859)
Posted by Lewis Newhouse on August 16,2012 | 04:48 AM
Cell Phones and lasers as well
Posted by Spurwing Plover on August 9,2012 | 07:30 PM
I recently saw an article where Bell Labs was cited for developing what would become the first mobile phone. However, it was Motorola who tweeted and introduced it commercially.
Posted by Graylin P. on August 5,2012 | 12:34 PM
you forgot RADAR, a big one.
Posted by greg on August 3,2012 | 12:57 AM
Caption under photo says the Argonaut design was not successful. Article says it was successful.
Posted by Andrew Goldblatt on June 28,2012 | 01:07 PM
Diane, It says that Sikorsky was inspired by the Jules Vern book. It did not say his was the first one.
Posted by Wayne Havens on April 19,2012 | 03:50 PM
Calling the electronic torture-weapon ("pain compliance") known as TASER a "non-lethal instrument", is incredibly disingenuous at BEST —insidious propaganda.
Several hundred people are known to have died from the reckless & criminal use of these devices of terror by so-called "law enforcement" thugs entitled "police officers", who often use them indiscriminately on unarmed, often non-resisting civilians, including old men in beds, women in wheelchairs and CHILDREN.
"Non-lethal instrument" is a morally & ethically unjustifiable phrase, unworthy of Smithsonian Magazine.
Posted by The San on April 18,2012 | 11:47 AM
You need to take a closer look at Da Vinci's drawings regarding helicopters!
Posted by Diane Berg on April 18,2012 | 11:38 AM
The helicopter! Inspired by "Star Trek" or War of the Worlds? Surely you jest? You need to go further back - much, much further back. Please do more digging, laddie.
Posted by Carol Nelson on April 18,2012 | 07:28 AM
Regarding Atomic Power; not many people are aware that the first non-weapons application of nuclear energy was created due to the efforts of USN Adm. Hyman G. Rickover, who lobbied and led for 7 years to produce the first nuclear-powered submarine, aptly named the Nautilis. He launched the US Navy's Nuclear Propulsion Program.
Posted by Hunting.Targ on April 5,2012 | 03:47 AM
For the submarine invention, we should not forget the Hunley, successful military submarine used in the Civil War several years before Verne. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._L._Hunley_(submarine)
Posted by Greg on April 1,2012 | 02:11 PM
I think you got the sci-fi editor's name wrong. You're referring to John W. Campbell - long-time editor of Astounding Science Fiction (later Analog Science Fiction).
Posted by Grant on March 25,2012 | 01:48 PM
on #5 the science fiction editor would have been John W. Campbell.
Posted by John Panter on March 24,2012 | 02:50 PM
Re: Quicktime--photo depicts ST Movie #3 The Search for Spock, yet the blurb references ST The Next Generation TV Series when Data is listening to various tracks of classical music in his quarters.. Hmmmmmm
Posted by Lynn on March 19,2012 | 11:12 AM
It is shameful that you could not give Adm. John Wylie the credit deserved.
Posted by Bruce W. Fowler, Ph. D. on March 18,2012 | 12:13 PM