NIKOLA TESLA'S FUTURISTIC VISION: PREDICTIONS THAT SHAPED THE MODERN WORLD

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943), one of the original technological superstars, profoundly influenced the world with his groundbreaking inventions. With nearly 700 patents to his name, Tesla has transcended into more than just a cult hero.

Tesla's name adorns one of the world's largest technological companies today, and his predictions about the future have solidified his status as a true visionary.

Here's a look at some of Tesla's predictions that have come to fruition:

Smartphones

Tesla envisioned a wireless device that would support both telephone technology and operate over a network like the Internet. His description of the device from 1926 sounds remarkably like a smartphone:

"When wireless technology spreads, the entire Earth will be transformed into one 'great brain.' We will be able to communicate with each other whenever we want, regardless of distance. Not only that, but through television and telephones, we will be able to see and hear each other perfectly, regardless of distance, which could be thousands of kilometers away. The instruments that will enable us to do this will be very simple compared to today's phones. A person will carry the phone in their pocket," Nikola Tesla said.

Wi-Fi

Tesla advocated for wireless technology, despite facing considerable misunderstanding and resistance from the scientific community.

"When wireless transmission of electrical energy becomes commercial, transportation and information transmission methods will change completely. After all, we are already witnessing image transmission over short distances. Thirty years ago, we did not believe such a thing was possible. In the future, the principles themselves will not change, only the technology will further develop," he stated in an interview back in 1926.

Electric Cars

Tesla foresaw the advent of electric cars, and it took just 118 years for his predictions to become reality, thanks to the owner of the eponymous company and one of today's great innovators, Elon Musk.

In 1930, Nikola Tesla designed a mysterious car powered by an antenna and two strange metal rods that protruded from an "energy receiver" mounted under the dashboard. The original gasoline engine in the car was replaced by a round, fully enclosed electric motor. The car was tested for a week and effortlessly reached speeds of up to 144 km/h. The car emitted no emissions, but after a week of testing, the mysterious "receiver" was removed, and the electric motor was replaced with the original gasoline engine. Rumor has it that Westinghouse provided an experimental motor for the car, while Tesla sold his converter patent to Westinghouse. What happened next remains a mystery, but Tesla always maintained that power plants and cables, especially gasoline engines, were unnecessary.

Wireless Energy Transmission

Wireless transmission of electrical energy is still an unrealized dream, but if Nikola Tesla were alive in the 21st century, it would already be a reality. To prove that this concept was not just a utopia, Tesla began building the so-called Wardenclyff Tower.

This tower was constructed for potential transatlantic energy transmission and communication and was intended for research into the concept of wireless electricity transmission. Tesla believed that unlimited amounts of electrical energy could be transmitted wirelessly to any location on the planet via the tower, without the use of traditional transmission means such as copper cables, but to this day, it has not been proven that such transmission of electrical energy is possible.

Drone Technology

Tesla claimed that "electrically driven aerial vessels will transport passengers from New York to London in three hours," traveling at 13 kilometers above the Earth's surface. He also claimed that these vessels would draw energy from the atmosphere and would never need refueling.

- The aerial vessels will be pilotless and will be used to transport passengers to specific destinations or for remotely controlled aerial attacks, he said.

Many believe that today's drones are based on this Tesla technology.

Women and Power

Another prediction Tesla made in the same interview was that men would become inferior to women.

"This struggle for gender equality will end in a new order in which women will be superior. This equality, and later superiority, will not be achieved through shallow physical imitation but through awakening women's intellect," Tesla said.

Flying Vehicles

In 1911, the legendary Tesla revealed in an interview with the New York Herald that he was working on an aircraft that would defy gravity.

"My machine will have neither wings nor propellers. When you see it on the ground, you won't even guess that it's an aircraft. However, it will fly at speeds that have never been reached before and will be very safe. Also, it will be able to levitate in place for a long time despite strong winds," Tesla said.

Tesla's flying machine was supposed to be powered by a free energy system, unlike other planes that draw power from oil. This invention suffered the same fate as his project for free electricity.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

Nikola Tesla published a connection between the body and electromagnetism in 1900. Fifty years later, it was determined that the body reproduces electromagnetic waves, and 75 years after that, a completely non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging device was developed, which can detect diseases in the early stages and thus prolong human life.

In 1896, Tesla made the first X-ray image, which was then called "X radiation", literally creating something called body diagnostics. He handed over his findings to Wilhelm Röntgen, who continued to refine them to usability, and a letter dated 1901 documents Röntgen's gratitude to Tesla, which is key evidence of their collaboration, reports Espreso.