The Technology of 'Star Wars': 10 Real-Life Examples

No film series has had the impact on our perception of science and technology as Star Wars. From robots to lasers, to spaceflight, to you name it, the series has always displayed and inspired some of the very best of what technology can do for us. And with a new trilogy beginning to (hopefully) wipe the pain of the ill-conceived prequels from our collective memory, now's the perfect time to take a look at just how close our world is to the one George Lucas first put on screen over 30 years ago.

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Click the image below to view a slideshow of technologies happening today that will be all too familiar to Star Wars fans.

What Star Wars technology would you most want to see brought to life? Let us know in the comments!

Let's be real. Of all the technological breakthroughs depicted in Star Wars, the only one most of us really want to see is the lightsaber. Sure you can find a nice toy version at your local Toys R Us or even find a great prop replica online -- some even use real lasers.Unfortunately, creating a uniform super hot, solid beam of plasma that terminates at a designated length is much easier conceptualized than done. But researchers working at the MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms (arguably the best-named department in academic history) might be closest to the achievement. Led by by Harvard Professor of Physics Mikhail Lukin and MIT Professor of Physics Vladan Vuletic, the team has used lasers to cool photons to a state that had previously only been theoretical. The result is a new form of photon-based matter wherein the researchers say the photons can actually bounce and deflect off of each other -- just like lightsaber beams. The researchers are looking more into using the technology for quantum computing applications -- but we're sure they'll come around to more important work.

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Chris Wiltz is the managing editor of Design News.