Science fiction fuels an inventor’s imagination. It’s the sci-fi stories that give them ideas to work on, visions of a future with inventions that they created with their own hands. Since the dawn of technological advancement, many inventions have risen from science fiction, including the submarine, the helicopter, the rocket, and even the cellphone! As such, it wouldn’t be surprising if the technologies that people only dreamt of decades ago are actually being realized in this millennium.

Back to the Future Part II, the second installment of the American comedy sci-fi franchise that started in 1989, provided viewers with a “glimpse” of 2015. And as citizens of the year that the moviemakers could only imagine, we’re here to tell them which parts they got right and which parts they got wrong.

1.  Flying Cars

When Marty McFly and Dr. Emmett Brown arrived on October 21, 2015, guess what sight we saw first – that’s right, the one thing that even we fantasize about – flying cars! Don’t you just want to have a car that can soar in the sky? And what else? No traffic! But no, we don’t quite have that yet.

The idea of a flying car seems to fascinate many inventors, and as such, technological developments towards making one have been reported ever since 1926. The first, while not exactly a “car”, was called “sky flivver” and was an experimental single-seat airplane. The project was abandoned after a pilot died flying it. But Ford, the maker of the sky flivver, said, “Mark my word: a combination airplane and motorcar is coming. You may smile, but it will come.”

And perhaps it will. Just last year, Aeromobil 3.0, a prototype vehicle that can be converted from an automobile to an aircraft, was developed, created, and then presented at the Pioneers Festival last October. The Xplorair PX200, a single-seater VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) that uses an array of small jet engines called thermoreactors, is also being funded by the French government and is scheduled for flight at the Paris Air Show of 2017. It is said that the years after this will be dedicated to commercializing this flying car, so maybe a future untroubled by ground traffic isn’t too far off after all.

2. Hoverboards

Hoverboards – another fantasy that even we people of 2015 have. They resemble skateboards without wheels and they hover above ground, of course we want them! The sad thing is that we don’t have them either, but it seems there is at least some development in this technology.

Follow this link to read more about it.

3. Video Calls

Back to the Future II predicts that we will be able to talk to people with video calls. Hurrah! They got something right! Since the public release of Skype back in 2003, we have been able to talk to our loved ones even when we’re far away from one another, and even interact with them through a microphone for voice communication and a webcam for the video.

Notice that underneath the guy’s name on the screen is his occupation. In the movie, even his hobbies, the names of the members of his family, and even his favorite food can be seen scrolling there. Doesn’t that just remind you of Facebook? It seems they were able to predict the boom of social media, too.

4. Biometrics

Biometrics is what you call the use of biological features such as fingerprints or retinas as a form of identification and access control. And while we may have that in more advanced companies or scientific research labs, it seems that there are a lot of concerns regarding privacy and discrimination with the use of biometrics in everyday living. We still have a long way to go before we can actually commercialize such a thing.

5.  Self-lacing Shoes

Wouldn’t you like to have a pair of these? I would, for sure. Just imagine what you could do in the amount of time it takes you to tie your shoelaces. Admittedly, a few extra seconds don’t mean much, but it would still save us the hassle, right?

And it looks like we don’t have to wait much longer! Nike announced that they have made a pair of self-lacing shoes, somewhat looking like Marty’s, and they’re going to release them this year. Of course, they’re bound to be expensive, but at least we have them now, right?

Back to the Future Part II provided an interesting outlook for the year 2015. Although not all of what they predicted is true yet, it just shows us that technology really is advancing at a rapid pace. Soon, we might run out of things to fantasize about. We still have to make holographic ads, rejuvenation clinics, and 15 more Jaws sequels, but rest assured, the future may have this in store for us.

Just… not this year.