Weird real life inventions that feel like they were lifted from a fantasy?

[Darth_Biomech]

Real life is full of stuff so weird, you'd think it was made up on a spot by a drunk writer.

In my fiction I tend to work with the "real life clause" in mind. Meaning, "you can't say that it's unrealistic if it existed in real life" protection from criticism.

So do you know any weird outlandish stuff that would fit in a scifi or fantasy novel being constructed in reality?

I'll start with ships that have tubes to act as sails on them:

Rotor ship

[darthmongoose]

Okay this is amazing. I'd never heard of it, but I love it.

I forget what the tech is called, but a concept that fascinates me is blasting metal rods up into orbit to be held on satelites, then dropping them onto targets as a non-radioactive and fallout-causing but extremely effective, unstoppable and deep-armour/bunker penetrating alternative to nukes. Basically like a targeted asteroid.

[Darth_Biomech]

I forget what the tech is called, but a concept that fascinates me is blasting metal rods up into orbit to be held on satelites, then dropping them onto targets as a non-radioactive and fallout-causing but extremely effective, unstoppable and deep-armour/bunker penetrating alternative to nukes. Basically like a targeted asteroid.

I think that's kinetic bombardment. In a more advanced setting you wouldn't need rods, asteroids would suffice as well.

Kinetic bombardment

[darthmongoose]

Yes! That's the one. I find that just really interesting.

Honestly one of the utterly bizarre inventions we use every day that seems way too advanced for how long ago it was invented... the Microwave oven.
Just... seriously, a metal box where you blast your food with radio waves to agitate the water molecules causing it to heat up? And like... a kinda gappy metal mesh is all it needs to stop those waves exposing you to the radiation inside? It seems so futuristic, but it's such a simple concept and everyone has one. I think they're pretty cool.

[thedude3445]

The semaphore (optical telegraph) feels like a fake technological piece in a medieval fantasy world created by some author who wants to have faster communication without advancing the tech. I was blown away to find out just how intricate communication technology could get before electricity finally came. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optical_telegraph

[allenT]

This one's easy. Theremin is more like a music instrument related to Sci-Fi.

[Iris-Grimoire]

The https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolipile. It was probably really cool then, but today, it's a ball that goes speen when heated. Out of all the things to apply rocket mechanics into, it's a pretty weird one.

[LadyN]

Two words: Sparkling water

Like how!? I mean I personally don’t like it but I might be the only one who thinks it’s weird.

[DualDragons]

This guy, I still stare at it whenever I see one

[DiegoPalacios]

You are not alone....i dislike the gas in things i drink......welcome to the sparkling water hater club XD

[DiegoPalacios]

When i was a kid, i saw one of these in person in a really cool interactive museum......My mind was blown!

[DiegoPalacios]

And before that, smoke signals were the way to go. Ancient China and North American tribes had their own system to communicate.

[DiegoPalacios]

I remember a crazy device from when i went to a Nick Vujicick talk in my country years ago.

He spoke in english and my country is a spanish speaking one, so we were given these wrists that translate verbally what Nick said in real time. The stuff was new during these times, so it was a bit slow. I ended up listening to him without the wrists because i already learned the language long ago.

Anyway, the device was still mind blowing. It was pretty accurate (i could notice thanks to being bilingual)

[Kaylim]

Greek automata. Steam machines and mechanical engines in the BC, giving you holy water vending machines, primitive binary computers, automatic doors and more.

Greek temples, while mere stone facades today in most cases, were actually very advanced with a lot of cool gadgets and even things like moving statues. Write that into a historical fiction/fantasy story today and people would accuse you of making it up, but it's all historical fact!

http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/greekautomata.htm

Here's some more goodies: The Book of Ingenious Devices, published in 850.

Book of Ingenious Devices

[Snickerdoodles]

Flintlock axe-pistols were a thing.

[sxxaint]

this is literally the best thing i've ever seen and i now have a massive urge to read about a flintlock era viking culture with massive screaming guys running down the a bunch of rennaissance soldiers, getting off a shot then falling on them with the axes

[PapaDom]

A carriage driving without a horse? Truly remarkable.

[Snickerdoodles]

Pipe tomahawks were also a thing:

Do not confuse them with axe-pistols.

[allenT]

Flintlock axe-pistols

I can already imagine an action scene in a war.

[NickRowler]

The iron lung looks like something from a scifi horror.