You remember the family Jetson? They were the protagonists of an animated show that became very popular both in the United States and here in Italy. Their adventures took place in the very distant future, exploring the dynamics of a hypothetical family of the late twenty-first century. But now, nearly sixty years after the series debut, how close we are to the imagined scenario? How much tech any Jetsons do we have available? Incredible as it may seem, the world of that show it's not too far from ours.
The past of the Jetsons
Let's start from the beginning. The Jetsons were born in 1962, in the wake of many other sitcoms that analyzed the American families of the time, often through different lenses. The main reference point was clearly the Flintstone. The principle behind it remained the same, with a simple change of temporal setting: instead of in the Stone Age, the Jetsons moved in 2062, exactly a century later their television debut. The connection between the two shows was also highlighted by the Italian titles, Gli Antenati and I Pronipoti respectively.
The main protagonist of the various adventures was George, father and breadwinner, worker at Spacely Space Sprockets, Inc. By his side his beloved wife Jane, typically the voice of reason in the family, the teenage daughter Judy and the small but brilliant Elroy. The dog closes the family picture Astro (which anticipates some characteristics of the 'colleague' Scooby-Doo) and the robot-waitress Rosie.
As with the Flintstones, the adventures of this XNUMXst century family carried the daily life of the 60s in a completely new context. Again, technology was a fundamental element, but with a logically different approach. If Fred and Barney's days were full of analog instruments that reproduced household appliances, in this case it was real life that had to chase the futuristic contraptions that George and his family used. And you have to admit that managed to reach it, almost.
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Jetson technology: dream or reality?
Not everything that was seen in the animated series has come true, mind you. This is evident by looking at the means of transport available to the family. George and Jane in fact traveled mainly on futuristic flying vehicles, more like spaceships than cars. This type of technologies are not yet available and neither are those (perhaps even more desirable) related to parking system: as we see in the initials, George Jetson just needs to press a button to close his car in a briefcase, to carry easily with him.
It's not about theonly way to get around present in the series. More than once there have been hoses for the pneumatic transport of people, jetpacks and small spacecraft. Means like that they are not yet accessible for our society, even if we could consider projects like Hyperloop or different types of drones like first steps in that direction.
As regards instead the iconiche footbridge, no problem from a technological point of view. Theoretically they can be realized and in fact we have applied them in many different contexts (starting from the sushi counters). However, their presence is much less widespread than the Jetsons assumed.
Yes, but there is still time
However, it is right to take one thing into account: 2062 is still more than forty years away. These aspects of Jetson life are still absent from our society, but they have still time to develop. Maybe they will not go in the same direction as hypothesized by the series, but follow equally innovative paths. We may not have the flying cars, but we will have the autonomous driving, unlike George.
Above all then, on several aspects we are really very close from the technological point of view to that series, with tens of years in advance. For some time now, we have had access to flat-screen televisions, which are now common in many homes. Not only that, but devices like tablets, smartphone e SmartWatch they are already part of our life and in even more advanced forms, without too many buttons but with more comfortable touch controls.
Another element of the daily life of the Jetsons are the video calls. The technology to make them has been around for a long time and recently they have become quite common use. A separate discussion must be made for tools such as holograms and home automation. To say that we are at the same level as that hypothetical 2062 is perhaps premature, but we are not too far away.
We do not yet have ovens capable of creating the dishes we want in seconds, but we are experimenting with 3D food printing with some success. And if it is true that robot-waitresses like the legendary Rosie are still not within everyone's reach, they no longer seem like a unattainable concept like in the 60s. Some household tasks are already entrusted by many to devices of this type, starting with cleaning the floors.
Only the differences remain on the grand scale
Paradoxically, the only aspects in which the future of the Jetsons still appears unattainable today are those relating to society as a whole. Despite the progress made compared to an era in which we had not yet gone to the Moon, it is difficult to imagine that in a few decades we will find ourselves at living in space somehow. Even more unlikely is the realization of George's working hours: one hour a day, twice a week. Other than smart working!
Beyond this however it is really impressive how about certain things technology has advanced to the point of almost reaching what was science fiction sixty years ago. Considering that progress seems advance at exponential speed who knows what awaits us in the last decades that separate us from 2062 ...
And you, what do you remember about the technology of Jetson? Which gadgets do you still hope to own and which ones have entered your daily life?
The great grandchildren
- Cartoons (Actor)
