The Internet has reminded us of the very specific vision "Back to the Future II" had for October 21, 2015. Flying cars zipping through the air, auto-drying clothes that fit to your body, shoes that lace up on their own and time travel are all the norm when Marty McFly and his girlfriend, Jennifer, played by Michael J. Fox and Elisabeth Shue, land in that year.
And don't even get us started on the fact that we still don't have time travel.
The 1989 film did highlight a few technologies that are currently in our present -- or at least similar items. Future Marty has a video call with his coworker and boss, people are able to answer the phone with glasses that are very much like Google glass, and of course hoverboards do exist, though they're not as cool or as high-flying as in the movie.
When Marty touches down in 2015, he encounters cars zipping through the air. Sadly, we aren’t there yet.
While there is a prototype of a flying car, it is far from being mainstream, and with its folding wings, it is more of a “road-able plane” than flying car.
Flying cars may not be all they are cracked up to be anyway, in the movie, there is still traffic, at a critical juncture Doc worries: “The skyway is jammed it’s going to take us forever to get there.”
Hoverboards
Like flying cars, we are currently out of luck when it comes to flying versions of skate boards. Skateboarder phenom Tony Hawk has tested out something called a Hendo Hoverboard which uses magnetic fields to levitate off the ground. However, it is barely off the ground and is no way close to soaring through the air.