Not so long ago, we made horror movies about invasive technology that was theoretical at the time, like RoboCop, Christine, Demon Seed and Videodrome. The 2002 sci-fi film Minority Report seemed far-out at the time, but accurately predicted a lot of today’s tech – and its drawbacks. Yet in 2017, most of us shrug our shoulders at surveillance and data mining, because if we aren’t committing crimes, who cares about our inconsequential little lives? Technology has a lot to offer humanity – including the potential to save us from ourselves – but as each new advancement becomes mundane, what are we giving up in return? Indulge your inner conspiracy theorist, if you will, and take a moment to examine how things like insect-sized drones, robotic police and even smart beds can go wrong.

Insect Drones Bug Your Home

Theoretically, bee drones could prolong the future of humanity after we’ve killed off real bees, continuing to pollinate the crops we rely on for survival. That’s definitely a plus. This ‘Plan Bee’ design is just one of several prototypes recently proposed to deal with the problem we’ve created, detecting flowers using ultraviolet light. It’s a great – and sad – idea, but do we really want to grow accustomed to insect-sized drones buzzing around in the air? Engineers have already produced tiny robotic bugs, like these produced by the Harvard Microrobotics Lab, added cameras to them, and sold them to the government for testing. They’re small enough to fly through open windows, and it’s not too far-fetched to imagine them becoming advanced enough to pass as real insects while in flight.

Facial Recognition Smart Phone Apps

A new facial recognition app called NameTag lets you surreptitiously scan your date’s face (just pretend like you’re checking a text and hold your phone between you while seated at a table) and compare it with dating and social media profiles on sites like OkCupid, Facebook and LinkedIn. The value in this is supposed to be in knowing exactly who you’re interacting with and instantly discover what you have in common. NameTag will also scan sex offender registries. It’s undeniably Black Mirror-esque (season 3, episode 1, anyone?), enabling random strangers to do the kind of background checks that employers already perform. It’s a stalker’s dream.

Real Life RoboCop

Imagine this five-foot-tall, 300-pound robot silently zooming toward you in a dark parking garage, fixing its camera lens eye on your face. The K5 Security Robot by Knightscope is designed to detect anomalous behavior, like someone walking through a closed building at night. This particular design uses sensors, cameras and navigation equipment to notify a remote security center of potential threats. If bots like these became widespread, how long would it be before they’re equipped with facial recognition software and even weapons like tasers? Check out the K5’s ominous website.

Smart TV Surveillance

Yes, your laptop camera can be hacked and remotely activated without you knowing. Wikileaks recently revealed that the CIA remotely turns on cameras and microphones on all kinds of devices to spy on citizens. It’s not just a theory, it’s happening. For example, a tool called ‘Weeping Angel’ exploits a technological loophole in Samsung Smart TVs to place the target television in ‘fake-off’ mode, recording conversations in the room and sending them to a covert CIA server via wifi. Do you really think the agency is only targeting suspected terrorists who just happen to own a Samsung? (FYI, if you own one yourself, here’s how to disable the feature that allows your TV to listen to you.)

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Rip Privacy 12 Tech Innovations That Are Actually Pretty Creepy

We’re probably a century or two away from working mechanized exoskeletons modeled on the movements of crickets, but the great thing about digital concept art is there are no limits other than those of the creators’ imaginations. These gadget-covered robotic suits and helmets for the humans of the future may not be coming to stores any time soon, but it’s easy to imagine them playing major roles in movies and video games. In fact, you might just find yourself making up stories about what each one can do as you view them.

Cricket Exo-Suit by Matthew Burke

Artist Matthew Burke envisions a combination exoskeleton/vehicle inspired by a cricket in this 3DStudio Max rendering finished in Photoshop.

Combat Mech Suit by Mike Andrew Nash

This incredibly detailed CGI rendering by Mike Andrew Nash looks so real, it’s hard to believe it’s not a physical model. It’s a combat mech warrior suit the artist calls 21-A BW, or Terran Infiltration Unit.

Diving Suit by Cat-Meff

Artist Cat-Meff envisions a diving suit that would turn any human into a sort of mechanized dolphin/mer-creature. “This is probably one of the coolest ways to spend your holidays in 2025,” the artist writes.

Hazard Suit by Lucas Hardi

“The character is a high-ranking official wearing a suit equipped for hot, cold and bad air,” says artist Lucas Hardi of this 3D hardsurface modeling exercise.

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Wearable Tech Of The Distant Future 13 Sci Fi Suits

Invisible speakers, wireless electricity and games you can control with your brain: all of these things may sound like science fiction, but thanks to recent technological innovation, they’re officially within the realm of possibility – or even already available. Some improve quality of life while others are just plain fun, but all of these futuristic gadgets and technologies will knock your socks off with their brilliance.

Bionic Vision with Cybernetic Contact Lenses

What if contact lenses could not only help you see better, but deliver directions, news, email and weather reports directly to your eyes? The technology is already here, according to a report by Babak A. Parviz, a bionanotechnology expert at the University of Washington. Tiny components like LED lights, tiny antennae and special circuits can be embedded into the polymer of a typical contact lens. A small portable device would process the information, and the lenses could even be used to measure and process information about the user’s health.

Miniscule Adjustick Cell Phone

Cell phones are getting smaller and smaller, almost to the point of absurdity – but though this concept takes small size to the extreme, it’s also functional. The Adjustick was one of many futuristic cell phone concepts shown at Japan’s CEATEC technology convention. The stick-like device projects a usable keyboard and screen when placed on its side.

Games You Control with Your Brain

This alien-looking headset looks capable of doing some insidious things to your brain, but it’s actually a gaming headset by Emotiv that allows you to play a variety of concentration-based games on a Windows PC. That’s right, it actually uses your brain waves to play the games in which you can push and pull boulders, levitate objects and perform other telekinesis-like actions. It works by matching certain brain activities – like concentrating or thinking about something in particular – with certain actions during a calibration that you perform before starting the game.

Portable Gadget That Shoots You to Rooftops

Anyone who has ever admired Batman’s ability to go from street level to the rooftop of a skyscraper in seconds will love the Atlas Rope Ascender, an awesome reverse-rappelling portable gadget that can lift a fully-outfitted soldier up to 600 feet at 10 ft/second on a single battery charge. The device has been tested by military, police and rescue organizations, who might have felt cool while using it, but probably lamented the lack of a cape.

Flexible Customizable Laptop Concept

An eBook reader, full-size tablet, tabletop presentation screen, desktop computer and conventional laptop all in one… it might sound impossible, but designer Tommaso Gecchelin’s MacBook Touch does it all. Theoretically, that is – the integral part of the design that allows such flexibility, called the iSpine, relies on technology that doesn’t exist yet. But the idea has potential, and it’s a tantalizing possibility for anyone who has ever daydreamed about such an achievement in multi-functionality.

18-Button Computer Mouse

If you wonder why on earth a computer mouse would need 18 buttons, perhaps the Warmouse OOMouse isn’t for you. But those who see the potential of this customizable little gadget will be able to save a whole lot of time by packing tons of functions into the press of a button. It’s designed to be used with Open Office, but could also be used with other applications.

Get Directions from a Rainwater-Powered Manhole

Wouldn’t it be nice if, when visiting a new city, you could simply get directions from a nearby urban object instead of unfolding and puzzling over a map? A concept called the EcoSign would turn ubiquitous manhole covers into rainwater-powered information centers that can give you directions. The only problem is, manhole covers tend to be in the middle of busy streets – not exactly safe places for tourists to congregate.

Amoeba Cell Phone

This strange little hunk of ergonomic plastic doesn’t resemble any cell phones currently in mainstream use, but its unusual design isn’t all about aesthetics. The Amoeba Phone contours to the user’s face while in use, and its entire surface is a touch screen.

Invisible Speakers

Speakers are invariably ugly, and even tiny models that pack a big aural punch are just another object to clutter your living space. But an innovative new type of speaker is virtually invisible, pouring surprisingly decent sound forth from a clear membrane across your television screen. Edge Motion invisible speakers work by using piezoelectric actuators to cause sound vibrations in the membrane, which don’t affect the picture quality. The technology is set to be included in a range of upcoming consumer products like hand-held games and portable DVD players.

Prosthetic Limbs Powered by the Mind

Stiff plastic prosthetic limbs may help amputees feel whole again, but they don’t offer much in the way of independence. Luckily for Christian Kandlbauer, who lost both of his arms in a work accident in 2005, amazing new advances in prosthesis technology have enabled him to do things for himself again – through the power of his mind. Kandlbauer is equipped with incredible new prosthetic arms that are wired to his nerves, a procedure that only three surgeons in the world can perform. Now, Kandlbauer can activate his “muscle” movement with impulses from his brain.

Virtual Reality Treadmill

One of the biggest challenges to making virtual reality a – well – reality, is locomotion. Anyone trying to navigate a VR environment needs to be able to walk in any direction, but treadmills only move in one direction. Until now. CyberCarpet is an omni-directional treadmill that densely packs small balls under a walking surface, letting the friction of the user’s shoes to do the moving. The CyberCarpet’s usefulness doesn’t end at gaming, though – it can be used for therapy, training and other applications as well.

Alarm Clock Grades Your Sleep Quality

When it comes to your health, few things are quite as important as getting plenty of sleep. But the quality of your sleep is just as vital as the length of time that you spend in bed each night. A futuristic new alarm clock design called the Zeo alarm clock tracks how much time you spend in each stage of sleep through a thin headband worn by the user, reporting your ‘sleep score’ in the morning. It even has a function that can wake you up at the ideal point in your sleep cycle, so you feel more refreshed.

Bed with Built-In TV, Movie Screen & Video Games

Not only is the slick HiCan bed super cozy and modern, it’s also equipped with everything you need to spend the rest of your life as a media-consuming blob – or at least, be extremely entertained on sick days. This all-in-one bed and entertainment center has a pull-down projection screen, integrated gaming system, built-in lights, and even a control panel that allows you to control your home’s window shades and lighting. The price tag of 42,000 Euro puts this amazing piece of furniture firmly in daydream territory for most.

No Longer Sci-Fi: Wireless Electricity

Imagine being able to place your electronics anywhere you want, with no regard to whether there’s a power outlet nearby. It would cut a whole lot of clutter and eliminate hazards to children, pets and clumsy adults. Somehow it seems like wireless electricity should already be a reality, but there have always been obstacles in the way. However, engineers at MIT  have worked out the kinks and wireless power could be in our homes as early as 2011.

Cybernetic Reading Through Implanted Device

When you come across a word you aren’t familiar with, perhaps you just skip it over or go through the trouble of looking it up in a dictionary or online. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if you could just place your finger over the word and magically hear its definition and pronunciation in your ear? Incredible as it seems, the Touch Hear concept would do just that, minus the magic part. An implanted device in the fingertip recognizes the characters while another device in the ear relays the information. It’s still just a concept, but it could be a viable future option – particularly for blind readers.