Top 10 Times The Jetsons Predicted the Future

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re looking at the most exciting, accurate predictions made in the futuristic animated sitcom “The Jetsons”. What predictions in “The Jetsons” did you find most impressive? Are there any you’re hoping for? Float by the comments.

#10: Eco-Architecture

Rising above the clouds, Orbit City may look utopian. But there’s a frightening reason it’s built that way. In 1990, “Jetsons: The Movie” revealed that pollution and smog have rendered the planet’s surface uninhabitable. With some modern studies projecting irreversible ecological damage by 2050, it’s worth remembering that “The Jetsons” is set in the 2060s. In the last few decades, architects have indeed begun to design structures that reduce or absorb pollution. Buildings around the world are being engineered to escape and even combat environmental disaster. Hopefully though, we won’t have to live far above the surface as “The Jetsons” suggest.

#9: Dog Treadmills

A recurring closing credits sequence for “The Jetsons” featured George walking his dog Astro on an outdoor treadmill. The mischief brought by a passing cat is one of the most iconic gags of ‘60s TV. Now, you can easily get your very own dog treadmill. The practice of incorporating treadmills into a pet’s routine has actually been around since the dawn of the equipment. But with the recent boom in luxury pet goods and veterinary physical therapy, machines specifically made for dogs have become popular. The most common designs even bear a striking resemblance to Astro’s treadmill. Just watch your step if you decide to join your fur friend on the machine.

#8: Flatscreen TV

Families first watched “The Jetsons” in the 1960s, on bulky television sets with a lot more body than screen. The biggest premium feature at the time was color! Consumers were enamored with the large and slim TVs seen on the Space Age family’s pilot episode, “Rosie the Robot”. In 1964, just after the end of the series’s initial cancellation, professors at the University of Illinois made that fantasy a reality. It would be years before flatscreen TVs with plasma displays became mass-marketed. Now, they're standard. And flat-panel displays are prevalent across modern technology.

#7: Smartwatches

A wristwatch with telephone and computer features has long been the stuff of spy fiction. “The Jetsons” helped popularize the idea of it being a consumer good. The 1963 episode “Elroy’s Mob” rightly assumed that kids would use the gadget to watch TV in class. In 1998, Canadian engineer Steve Mann invented a wristwatch-computer hybrid. Since the 2010s, smartwatches that can make calls, track fitness, play music, and more, have become commonplace. The next trend with this technology may be the ability to stream video content. We can only hope that students are more responsible with their smartwatches than Elroy’s classmates.

#6: Virtual Assistant

The Jetsons depend on voice-interactive artificial intelligence in most aspects of their daily lives. One episode memorably opens with a talking alarm reminding George to start his day. This particularly resembles the smart clocks that started taking over homes in the 2020s. But well before that, virtual assistants like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa became a major feature in smart devices. They set alarms, keep our agendas, and generally do a lot of thinking for us. “The Jetsons” anticipated that dependency long before the internet. Thankfully, the virtual assistants in real life don’t use such aggressive tactics to wake us up.

#5: Video Chat

With all of the incredible technology featured on “The Jetsons”, the videophone seemed taken for granted. Screens of all sizes could be used for face-to-face telephone calls. With digital video and webcams, video conferencing has become a major development in our own world too. Mr. Spacely’s angry calls might suggest that this communication would be most useful in business contexts. But since the 2010s, mobile platforms like FaceTime have gradually been making such interactions as common as traditional phone calls. We may already take the phenomenon of video chats for granted as much as “The Jetsons”.

#4: Peekaboo Prober

Obscure medical tech on “The Jetsons” made a reality surprisingly soon. Let’s be glad that the name Peekaboo Prober didn’t stick. In the episode “Test Pilot”, a capsule camera, once ingested, travels around George’s internal organs and transmits video to a monitor. In the last few decades of the 20th century, video technology was allowing new developments in less invasive forms of endoscopy. By the early 21st century, we had capsule endoscopy. Sure, the gadget has yet to advance to where it can fly around the whole body. But medical examinations of the small intestine are just a swallow away. Even on “The Jetsons”, though, a reliable physician was needed to rule out mechanical errors.

#3: 3D Printing

The Jetsons enjoyed meals at the press of a button. The prospect of a machine that can quickly, and mysteriously, prepare food may seem pretty sci-fi. But it could be argued that microwaves, which started to become popular in the 1970s, perform a somewhat similar function. Or maybe The Jetsons foresaw 3D printing. Becoming more mainstream in the 2010s, 3D printing uses basic materials to generate a wide variety of items. Developers are still refining the process of using edible materials to create nourishing meals. But it may only be a matter of time before 3D food printers are widely available. Of course, “The Jetsons” suggests that there will still be some kinks by 2062.

#2: Flying & Self-Driving Cars

Flying cars are a staple of science-fiction. The iconic intro of “The Jetsons” takes that further, with George putting his car on autopilot while he drops off his family. It’s that feature that’s gotten the most traction in the real world. Self-driving automobiles have been in development since the ‘80s, with development accelerating in the 21st century. Driverless cars are already ready to hit the road. Meanwhile, the flying car market could be about to boom too. Thanks to rapid technological advancements, the self-flying cars we’ve been dreaming of are finally pulling up. Unfortunately, not even the Jetsons could escape traffic jams.

#1: Household Robot

The Jetson lifestyle is one of almost total leisure. The family's home is filled with robotic appliances that cook, clean and even dress for them. The most recognizable of these robo-helpers is the reliable Rosie. While we're still a ways off from a surplus of mechanical maids, the phenomenon of smart homes is on the rise. Automated lights, air conditioners, and kitchen appliances keep us comfortable. The company iRobot brought Jane’s AutoVac to life as the Roomba. And yes, robots that serve and dress their users are in development. It admittedly sounds like the beginning of an AI uprising. With luck though, we're on our way to the smart homes of Hanna-Barbera’s dreams.