Back To The Future: Time may have flown since the 80s, but have our cars?

WHEN blockbuster movie sequel Back To The Future 2 came out in 1989, a futuristic far-off time known as 2015 was portrayed on screen.

Lo and behold, the date on Marty McFly and Doc Brown’s time travelling DeLorean October 21, 2015 is upon us.

We take a look at the inventions and lifestyles that the movie predicted 26 years ago to see how accurate the filmmakers’ predictions have turned out.Flying Cars

DOC BROWN tells Marty at the beginning of the film: “Where we’re going we don’t need roads” as the DeLorean takes off into the sky.

Ah, how we wish that were true as we sit in yet another motorway traffic jam on the way home from work.

Alas, our four wheels are still firmly on the tarmac and, until car manufacturers find a way to make them fly, we’ll just do the next best thing continue to add extra lanes to our motorways.Self-tying Laces

NIKE released a par of trainers a few years ago that were very similar to those worn by Marty in 2015, but sadly they didn’t come with self-tying laces.

But as Doc Brown would say: “Great Scott!” because the lazy man’s laces could soon be here.

Nike designer Tinker Hatfield has said that they will be out this year.

If that turns out not to be the case, the knot-tying challenged among us will have to make do with Velcro trainers for a while longer instead.Internet and smart phones

CONSPICUOUS by its absence in the movie, the emergence of the internet is arguably the biggest change in how we live since the film came out.

Coupled with smartphones, it’s hard now to imagine a future in which this technology doesn’t play a major role.

A big miss from the movie’s writers and producers.Movie Sequels

A 3D hologram advertising Jaws 19 jumps out on Marty as he walks around the town square, and while the killer shark hasn’t returned to the cinema recently, Hollywood is dependent on endless sequels and franchises that are heavy on the use of 3D and CGI effects.Hoverboards

THE thing in Back To The Future that every young boy watching has wanted ever since.

This 21st Century update to the skateboard hasn’t had its problems to seek, namely overcoming gravity, but it’s now closer than ever.

The Hendo Hoverboard can only hover around an inch from the ground, has a battery life of just 15 minutes and only works over certain material, but progress is being made.Biometrics

IRIS identification and fingerprint scanning are used in the film, such as to gain entry to homes, and while we haven’t yet thrown away the Yale key, smartphones are using thumbprint technology.

Meanwhile, iris identification can be found at immigration checkpoints and in high-security buildings.80s Nostalgia

THE 80s Diner in the movie with its retro gaming machine and synth-led soundtrack accurately caught the growing nostalgia for the decade that not too long ago was the one we all wanted to forget.

With a return of 80s fashion, festivals featuring the decade’s top pop stars and even new episodes of Danger Mouse the 80s are definitely back.Fax Machines

THERE are fax machines dotted all around Marty McFly’s 2015 home and he even receives notice that he’s been fired via fax, but in reality fax machines have gone the way of VHS and are now consigned to history.

The advent of email largely spelled the end of the noisy fax machine.Drones

IN the film, a small flying robot takes a dog for a walk and a newspaper sends out a hovercam to take a remote picture.

This isn’t too far off the technology of drones we have today and which cause such controversy.

Companies such as Amazon want to use unmanned drones for deliveries, while they’re also being utilised for aerial video photography.

But they can’t take the family pet for a stroll yet.Flatscreen TVs

THESE are everywhere in the film and, just like today, the bigger the better.

Who knew televisions less than an inch thick would soon be adorning walls and replacing those tellies with the massive back ends?

This is one Back to the Future got spot on.Video Messaging

MARTY has a video conversation with his boss via his living room TV and that technology is now a part of so many people’s lives, whether it’s video conferencing for office link-ups or the likes of Skype, where people on either side of the world can see their friends and relatives while they chat.

Running along the bottom of the screen is a list of the other person’s likes and dislikes similar to our every trait now on social media for all to see.