How Tech Has Evolved Since Jurassic Park

Back in 1993, Jurassic Park wowed audiences with its futuristic machines and screens. Now, those high-tech gadgets have become reality. Here's a look at the evolution of tech from the original movie over the past 25 years:

SELF-DRIVING CARS

Then: John Hammond takes great pleasure in introducing his guests, Dr. Grant, Ellie and his grandchildren, Tim and Lex, to one of the park's technological marvels: the electric driver-less cars that will take them through Jurassic Park. For many audiences, the vehicles served as an introduction to the concept of a car without a driver.

Now: Driver-less cars are no longer a foreign concept. Many companies have developed functioning cars that can be driven by artificial intelligence (AI), sensors and cameras — not on contained tropical islands, but on busy city streets.

TOUCH SCREENS

Then: The SUVs guiding Jurassic Park's characters through the park impressed the characters in the film and audiences alike with touch screen monitors mounted in their front consoles.

Now: There's probably a good chance you're using a touch screen in your hand right now to scroll through this article. Smart phones, tablets, laptops and, of course, touch screen audio systems in our cars are now everywhere.

NIGHT VISION GOGGLES

Then: Another gadget that thrills Tim and Lex are the bulky and cumbersome night vision goggles they find in the driver-less cars.

Now: Since 1993, these gadgets have become so common that they're used for skiing and recreational sports and so sophisticated that Navy SEALs deploy a version of them to aid with night vision.

GIFS

Then: You know the scene: Arnold tries to access Nedry's computer code and is greeted by an animated image that taunts him with, "Ah, ah, ah, you didn't say the magic word." Arnold angrily dismisses it as "hacker crap," but we now know what it is: a GIF.

Now: GIFs like Dennis Nedry's are used far and wide. On social media, a GIF has practically become an official second language. Appropriately enough, even Dennis Nedry's GIF is now a GIF used online.

COMPUTERS

Then: It's a given that any computers you spy in Jurassic Park are going to look outdated — at the time, they would have needed to generate enough power to run the park's complex operations.

Now: A basic laptop is both lighter — and more powerful — than the ones in Jurassic Park.

CODE

Then: Dennis Nedry at one point complains about how everything in the park goes through him and his ability to “debug 2 million lines of code" that help keep the park functioning on its own. “You think that kind of automation is easy?" he snipes at Hammond.

Now: Since 1993, automation has gotten to the point where Dennis Nedry could simply deploy AI to control all sorts of functions, from factory production to customer service inquiries, to yes, even theme park operations.

THE SCIENCE TO RESURRECT DINOSAURS

Then: And now for the greatest question inspired by Jurassic Park: Could science actually bring back dinosaurs?

Now: Although scientists have resurrected preserved mammoth DNA, they have yet to figure out how to welcome dinosaurs back to earth.

A lot has changed since 1993, but one thing has remained the same. We still haven’t cracked the genetic code on bringing dinosaurs back to life.

Source: www.jurassicworld.com