Jetsons, the first episode of which was published in 1962 and a cartoon that we all watch with absolute pleasure, is known for predicting the future. The cartoon succeeded in being the center of attention of many generations for many years by presenting a technology far beyond the year it was shown on television. It is said that the father character of the Jetsons, George Jetson, was born on July 31, 2022. So, if we assume that George Jetson is 40 years old in the cartoon, we can roughly calculate that the technology used belongs to the year 2062. So, at the point that is reached now (2022), how many of the technologies that are called “This technology will only be used after 100 years” do we have? And exactly 40 years ahead of the predicted time! Are we ahead of the Jetsons?
JETSON’S TECHNOLOGIES #
VIDEO COMMUNICATION #
In 1962, even when telephones were not common, Jetsons were able to make video calls from their televisions. The existence of that technology was out of the question in those years. However, right now, people can make video calls with various applications from their phones, computers, or tablets, no matter how far they are.
ASSISTANT ROBOTS #
Rosie, a beloved part of the Jetson family, was a robot helping the family. He could easily and tirelessly do the things that a person can do with a lot of effort. Although this technology is not common, it was first developed in 2010 under the name Mahru-Z. Cleaning robots, which are now more widely used and cleaning the house by “crawling” around, have recently entered our lives. But the Jetsons were already using them 50 years ago.
GPS TECHNOLOGY #
GPS, which is on Astro’s collar to prevent it from getting lost, is an important technology today. GPS is widely used in our phones, cars, and more.
BACK ROCKETS #
Jetsons could travel short distances with back-mounted rockets called jetpacks. These jetpacks, which are especially used by Elroy Jetson fondly yet with some incompetence, continue to be developed even though they are not widely used today.
FLYING CARS #
We rarely saw a “normal car” in the Jetsons’ world. Also, George Jetson’s flying car could turn into a portable briefcase whenever he wants. Today, there are many companies that want to develop flying cars. And some have begun to achieve successful results. Although it is a question mark that we will use as widely as the Jetsons, these tiny steps are an indication that we are very close to their world.
DRONES #
In the cartoon, the father of the Jetsons brought his children near the school in a flying car and dropped them at school in tiny capsules (we can also call them drones) with the push of a button. Today, although drones are not strong enough to carry people, they are now successfully delivering cargo or food-like products to their owners.
SMART HOMES #
Jetson’s house was a smart home, that is, it worked with voice commands. Lights, electronics, and most of the furniture could be controlled effortlessly. Today, this technology is used in new generation homes and is becoming widespread. Although these houses may make people a little lazy, they have important functions in terms of saving time.
ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS IMPOSSIBLE… #
In the 1960s, these technologies seemed impossible. Our grandparents couldn’t even imagine a television. In their time the letter was very common. They were sending a letter and waiting for their reply for weeks. But now there is mail. The message we send reaches the other party within seconds. So, what seemed impossible just 60 years ago is now a part of our daily lives. We also see teleportation, being on the other side of the world in a second, or time travel as impossible. So, 60 years from now, will these be commonly used? The movie Back To The Future was taking place in 2015 by imagining that time travel could happen. Although we were ahead of that date, we still haven’t even come close to that technology. Nevertheless, technology and imagination have no limits. With movies and TV shows like this, people’s perspectives and vision will improve. Jetsons the cartoon is an important example for this.
OVERVIEW OF THE ARTICLE #
When I learned that it was George Jetson’s birthday recently, I started to vaguely remember watching that cartoon. When I watched it when I was little, it seemed to me that those technologies would only come true 100 years later. Therefore, before starting to write this blog, I even planned to write about technologies that still cannot be used now and when these technologies will become a part of our lives. However, when I opened the cartoon and watched it again, I was shocked. Because almost everything in the cartoon was the technologies that we are using in our lives now. And that’s when I realized that what seems impossible to us now is very likely to happen in the future. I would like to thank the Jetson family for this.
Happy birthday, George Jetson.
