Kitt, the high-tech car in the television series Knight Rider starting 1982, is expected to be available commercially in 2068 – even though most features in it already exist.
The Knight Industries Two Thousand (Kitt) car that talked, thought and helped driver Michael Knight (David Hasselhoff) do almost anything to fight crime is among several science-fiction movie vehicles analysed by United Kingdom-based vehicle leasing company Leasing Options to see when they might become reality.
It has studied each futuristic aspect of the cars to find the best prediction when they might be commercially available, even though every feature won’t be practical, desirable or legal.
The Lexus 2054 from Minority Report is expected to be available in 2027, the Audi RSQ from I, Robot in 2030 and the Spinner from Blade Runner with its flying capabilities in 2085.
So why is Kitt, originally a Pontiac Trans Am, likely to take until 2068 when most of its features already exist?
Leasing Options says the medical scanner and voice stress analyser should become reality in 2025, but the general artificial intelligence could take 21 to 50 years as it’s “not just any old AI”, performing any intellectual task a human could – so the longer period has been chosen.
Kitt’s “anamorphic equaliser” infra-red eyes like the Cylon visor from Battlestar Galactica already exists (Cadillac Deville in 2000), while Kitt’s x-ray vision is unlikely to be wanted.
Silent mode also exists, with electric vehicles able to run so quietly that car manufacturers have to incorporate tech alerting pedestrians.
Kitt could be called through a homing beacon hidden in a golden pendant, and Google has created a similar feature for its driverless cars.
The laser powerpack is much closer to reality, tintable windows exist, self-inflating tyres are a reality, as are Kitt’s hydrogen turbo engines (Toyota Mirai in 2015), and it was effectively a hybrid (Toyota Prius).
Video display monitors exist, along with collision avoidance technology, while a host of other Kitt
features like a seat ejection system, money dispenser and flamethrowers are impractical.
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