Where's My Jetpack? A Guide to the Amazing Science Fiction Future that Never Arrived

Science News,  July 14, 2007  

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WHERE'S MY JETPACK? A Guide to the Amazing science Fiction Future that Never Arrived DANIEL H. WILSON

Robotic maids, wholly enclosed cities, and jetpacks. These are among the life-altering advances imagined by science fiction visionaries in the early 20th century. But here we are in the 21st century, and none of these things has been fully realized. Why not? Wilson, a journalist with a Ph.D. in robotics, exposes the blueprints, prototypes, and plans for these and other promised inventions and reveals which ones have made it to market, which remain possibilities, and which are still strictly science fiction. For instance, readers will discover that a jetpack was indeed invented in 1961 by Bell Aerosystems Company and used in the James Bond film Thunderball. Other inventions under development include self-steering cars, underwater hotels, X-ray vision, and an elevator to space. Wilson chronicles these devices, spanning fields as diverse as transportation, entertainment, housing, and space travel. This entertaining and humorous guide will appeal to fans of science fiction and cutting-edge fact alike. Bloomsbury, 2007, 192 p., b&w illus., paperback, $14.95.

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