9 Incredible Predictions of Future Tech in the 80s Cartoon Inspector Gadget

Any child of the 1980s fondly remembers inspector Gadget, but did you know it might have also been a window into the future?

1. Inspector Gadget predicted laptop computers

 

via GIPHY

Inspector Gadget first hit the airwaves in 1983 and made some interesting predictions of future technology. One of which appears to be the laptop.

If you’ve never watched the series, it centers around the adventures of a powerful, if dimwitted, cyborg police inspector called Inspector Gadget. He is tasked with investigating, and putting a stop to the maniacal machinations of one Dr. Claw and his criminal organization MAD.

However, behind the scenes, the real crime fighters are Gadget’s niece, Penny, and her dog, Brain. These two consistently thwart the plans of MAD and often save Inspector Gadget from disaster in many episodes.

Part of Penny’s toolkit includes a special book that she uses much like a laptop computer. In the real world, laptops wouldn’t actually hit the market for another 4 years after the initial release of the cartoon series.

2. Digital Cameras were predicted by Inspector Gadget

9 Incredible Predictions of Future Tech in the 80s Cartoon Inspector Gadget
Source: Inspector Gadget

In one particular episode of Inspector Gadget, “The Infiltration” Penny Gadget uses a device that looks suspiciously like a digital camera. The handheld device is hooked up to her awesome computer-book and is used to take pictures.

Whilst it failed to predict the use of either internal memory or memory cards, we think we can give them a pass on that minor point. Whilst it is clearly

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