Revolutionary inventions have changed the world in fundamental ways. One of the original technological superstars was inventor Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), creator of almost 700 patents who has since become more of a cult hero.
Tesla’s name adorns one of today’s largest technology companies, and his future predictions have made him a true prophet of the future.
Here’s what has come true from his predictions:
1. Smartphones
Tesla imagined a wireless device that would support telephone technology and work over a network like the Internet. His description of the device from 1926 sounds just like a smartphone:
“When wireless technology spreads, the whole Earth will turn into one ‘big brain’. We will be able to communicate with each other whenever we want, regardless of distance. And not only that, but we will be able to perfectly see and hear each other through television and telephones, regardless of the distance, which can be even thousands of kilometers, and the instruments that will allow us to do that will be very simple compared to today’s phones. People will carry the phone in their pocket,” said Nikola Tesla.
2. WI-FI
It is known that Tesla was quite involved in wireless technology on which he worked a lot, although he often faced misunderstanding and resistance from the scientific community.
“When wireless transmission of electrical energy becomes commercial, the way of transportation and the way of transmitting information will completely change. After all, we are already witnessing the transmission of images over short distances. 30 years ago we didn’t believe such a thing could be possible. In the future, the principles themselves will not change, only the technology will further develop,” he said in one of his interviews in 1926.
3. Electric cars
Yes, he understood what would happen, and it took only 118 years for Tesla’s predictions to be turned into reality by the owner of the eponymous company and one of the great innovators of today, Elon Musk.
Nikola Tesla constructed a mysterious car in 1930 which worked with the help of an antenna and two strange metal rods that came out of an „energy receiver“ mounted under the dashboard. The original gasoline engine in the car was replaced by a round, completely enclosed electric motor. The car was tested for a week and effortlessly reached speeds of up to 144 km/h. The car emitted no emissions, but after a week of testing, the mysterious „receiver“ was removed and the electric motor was replaced with the original gasoline engine. Rumor has it that Westinghouse provided an experimental motor for the car, while Tesla sold his patent for the converter to the Westinghouse company. What happened next remains a great mystery, but Tesla always claimed that power plants and wires, and especially gasoline engines, were not needed.
4. Wireless energy transfer
Wireless transmission of electricity in the world is unfortunately still an unrealized dream, but if Nikola Tesla lived in the 21st century, it would have already been achieved. To prove that this concept is not just utopia, Tesla started building the so-called Wardenclyff Tower.
This tower was constructed for potential enhancement and improvement of transatlantic energy transmission and transatlantic communication and was supposed to be used for research on the concept of wireless transmission of electrical energy. Tesla believed that unlimited amounts of electrical energy could be wirelessly transmitted to any point on the planet through the tower, without the use of conventional means of transmission such as copper cables, but to this day, it has not been proven that such transmission of electrical energy is possible.
5. Drone technology
Tesla claimed that „electrically powered airships will transport passengers from New York to London in three hours,“ traveling at 13 km above the Earth. He also claimed that these ships would draw energy from the atmosphere and would never need to refuel.
„Airships will be pilotless and will be used to transport passengers to specific destinations or for remotely controlled aerial attacks,“ he said.
Many believe that today’s drones are based on this Tesla technology.
6. Women and power
Another thing that Tesla predicted in the same interview is that men would become inferior to women.
„This fight for gender equality will end with a new order in which women will be superior. This equality, and later superiority, will not be achieved through shallow physical imitation, but through awakening the intellect of women,“ said Tesla.
7. Flying vehicles
The legendary inventor revealed in 1911, in an interview for the New York Herald, that he was working on a flying machine that would defy gravity.
„My machine will have no wings or propellers. When you see it on the ground, you will not even assume it is an aircraft. Nevertheless, it will fly at a speed that has not been achieved so far and will be very safe. Also, it will be able to levitate in one place for a long time despite strong winds,“ said Tesla.
Tesla’s flying machine was supposed to be powered by a free energy composition, unlike other airplanes that draw power from oil. This invention met the same fate as his project for free electrical energy.
In one of his interviews, he said: „I predict the development of a flying machine longer than a car and I expect Mr. Ford to make a great contribution in this area. The problem of parking cars and building long roads will thus be solved.“
8. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
Nikola Tesla announced in 1900 the connection between the body and electromagnetism, 50 years later it was found that the body reproduces electromagnetic waves, and 75 years later a completely non-invasive device for magnetic resonance imaging was created, through which, by body scan, early-stage diseases can be detected and thus prolong human life.
In 1896, Tesla made the first X-ray image, which at that time was called „X-ray radiation,“ literally creating something called body diagnostics. He submitted his findings to Wilhelm Rontgen, who continued to refine them until they were usable, and a letter dated 1901 thanking Tesla is key evidence of their collaboration, reports Espreso.
Tesla’s inventions and predictions have certainly shaped and influenced the technology we use today, showing his genius and foresight in a world that was not yet ready for the advancements he envisioned. Nikola Tesla remains an iconic figure in the world of science and technology, with his inventions and ideas continuing to be relevant and impactful in our modern world.