Everyone loves a cool piece of technology. Since the ‘60s, a time of rapid growth in the sci-fi industry, people have dreamt of futuristic devices that could advance both our daily lives and humanity as a whole. Here are a few that have come true in recent years

1. Interplanetary Communication

Talking to someone as far away as Venus became possible in 2014. Ready to hear from people light years away?

2. Robot Arms

Prosthetics have been around for a long time, but most have been clunky and take months of physical therapy to get used to. These robot arms move based on brain waves — essentially like a regular arm.

3. Cloning

Dolly the Sheep isn’t the only organism that can be cloned now. We could potentially clone anything with a small piece of DNA. Even the dinosaurs.

4. Laser Canons

A dock transport vessel in the US Navy, the USS Ponce, has been authorized to use a set of battle-ready laser cannons (called LaWs) for defense if necessary.

5. Hoverboard

Hendo, a crowdfunded company, created a hoverboard. Although it’s true to the sci-fi name, prototypes cost about $10,000.

6. 3-D Printing

Pretty much anything you want can be made with a 3-D printer, from an iPhone case to a 3-D fetus.

7. iPad

Star Trek envisioned this on their starships as a system module.

8. Flatscreen TVs

They were seen in The Jetsons episodes when Jane would exercise in the ‘60s. Today, they are commonplace in American homes.

9. Video Calling

Your grandma probably dreamed of having this.

10. Vacuum Elevator

You see ‘em all the time at the bank.