The Jetsons turn 58 (and we brought 17 accurate predictions shown in the animation)

the cartoon The Jetsons had its first episode aired in the 60’s and, because of the success, it had two more seasons in the 80’s, with a total of 75 episodes with just over 20 minutes each. The story was about the routine of a family in a futuristic world and the aspirations of the writers about what technology we would have available about 60 years after the period in which the cartoon was released. That is, the “forecasts” were for the 2020s.

O awesome.club loves to make you have good memories. That’s why we selected 17 “inventions” of the drawing that, today, are already part of our reality — that is, a fun drawing that “predicted” many interesting things for the future.

No one doubts that exercising regularly is very good for health and is something recommended by doctors and other specialists in the field. Today, there are many websites, apps, and YouTube channels that provide free or paid exercises designed by experts. And you don’t even have to leave the house to get in shape anymore.

In recent years, the number of companies that started to make, or intensified, online meetings and that adopted the home office, precisely because of the ease and need to adapt to the new technologies that the corporate world demands.

The animation also provided for video calls between family and friends, and this function was not exclusive to companies. Today, people can hold virtual meetings using their computer, cell phone or tablet, as long as the device has a camera and accepts applications such as Facebook, Skype or WhatsApp, for example.

With the option of state-of-the-art cameras on cell phones and other portable equipment such as tablets and notebooks, it has become easier to record good family moments, for example. It is important to remember that although smaller cameras existed at the time, they were financially inaccessible to most people.

Today it is not necessary for people to be in the same place to play or play together, thanks to the advancement of technology. Currently, there are websites and applications where the user can play alone competing with artificial intelligence. Other apps and games allow multiple people to play games simultaneously, even though they are in different parts of the world.

With the busy life of big cities and the increase in the number of people who have pets, the need for options to help improve the health of our friends has arisen. Today, there is already an ergometric treadmill for your dog to take his daily walk without having to expose himself, for example, to the rain or obstacles that we can find on the streets.

At the time of the cartoon’s first episodes, space travel was still in its infancy. Although Yuri Gagarin “traveled” through Earth’s orbit in 1961, it was not until 1969 that man set foot on the Moon. The Jetsons, however, already predicted trips outside our Planet and today NASA, together with the company SpaceX, already plan commercial missions to space and trips to Mars.

Although the first prototype of this treadmill was installed in 1954 in Jersey City (USA), at the Pavonia Terminal, this type of technology has only become accessible to most people in the last few decades. What, in animation, seemed routine to go to work, for example, is now available in few places such as malls, airports and supermarkets. But it’s a reality.

As with other inventions, the first cell phone prototype was invented in the late 1940s by Bell Labs in the United States. However, it was only in the 70’s that the company Motorola managed to make its first connection with a device, the DynaTAC 8000x, which only began to be marketed in the 80’s. In Brazil, the technology only became popular in the following decade.

Artificial tanning beds began to appear in the 1920s as a medical indication, but they only became popular in the 1970s and are commonly found in specialized salons, gyms, spas and hotels. In the cartoon, the richest people could do their tanning at home. In Brazil, these devices have been banned for aesthetic purposes by Anvisa since 2009.

Digital watches were introduced in the 1970s, but it was not until 1975 that the Pulsar Time Computer was launched. It was the first digital device that began to do more than just keep time. Decades later, smartwatches are considered “wearable computers”, as some models have functions such as answering a call, pedometer, calorie counter and heart rate monitoring.

Lately, technology has also become a reality in classrooms. With the help of the internet, more and more, online teaching is the option for those who live far away or need to optimize their time. The use, even if experimental, of robots in the classroom is also starting to be a reality and, in the near future, it may become accessible in classrooms around the world.

In the 60’s, vending machines already existed, but the variety of items was very small. Today, this equipment is already part of the routine of companies, malls and supermarkets. They are stocked with ready-to-eat meals and snacks. THE vending machine is already a reality all over the world, especially in more developed countries such as Japan.

In the past, many people had a “family doctor”, who was sought out in an emergency or for routine consultations. With the arrival of new technologies, this scenario has also changed and, today, some doctors already provide online consultations, either privately or through health plans. There are even websites that provide platforms for consultations, but they can also be done through SMS and WhatsApp. Even the medical prescription can be sent directly to the pharmacy, with the use of Digital Certification.

At the time the animation started, electric vacuum cleaners already existed and were part of the house cleaning routine. However, the cartoon went further and foresaw the existence of a robot to save even more the person who did the house cleaning. But it was only in the 21st century that these appliances began to appear with the autonomy to clean the house almost by themselves. The Roomba brand is today the market leader.

The first electric toothbrush, a prototype, was invented in the 1930s and patented as Motodent. Already in the 60s, GE manufactured the first in the US, a model that was almost the size of a flashlight, because of the battery. It wasn’t until the 90’s that brushes started to be charged with low voltage (safer) for everyday home use. As a result, they became more popular.

In the animation, George’s boss, Mr. Spacely, had a robot dog. Decades later, nowadays, they are still not substitutes for the domestic animal. This equipment already exists for commercial and industrial use and an example is the Boston Dynamics Spot, which opens doors and performs stunts. Ghost Robotics robots will be used to help with security and, in the future, may replace surveillance cameras.

Traveling with the aid of a jet engine has always been portrayed on small screens and big screens as one of the great advances of the future. This technology already exists, but it is still hardly viable for use by ordinary people due to the high price and the difficulty of sustaining the passenger in the air for more than a few minutes — or seconds, depending on the model and the fuel used. Today, it is used only by astronauts, although use in rescues is already being considered.

Do you remember any other item from the drawing that is being used in our routine today? What other technologies do you expect for the future? Tell us in the comments.