Star Wars Patents

Star Wars: Episode VII, The Force Awakens (IMDB listing; Google search), opens tonight for most of us – the Force is strong with those who have already seen it.  Excited, I am!  (That’s an understatement).  And, of course, I’m thinking about Star Wars patents.  Are there any, you ask?  Be patient, Padawan: read on, and explore.

Star Wars patents: toy designs

Yes, there are Star Wars patents for toy designs.  “It’s a trap!”, you’re thinking?  No, it’s just a toy figure of Admiral Ackbar!  Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox Films and related companies have patented over 60 designs (for the ornamental appearance of an item).  The list includes classics such as Boba Fett, a tauntaun, a desert skiff, a TIE fighter, and an X-wing fighter.  And of course, Yoda.  Judge a patent portfolio not by design patents alone!

Star Wars patents: working toys

There are also utility patents on functioning items related to the Star Wars universe.  One of the latest is US patent 8269447, for a “magnetic spherical balancing robot drive”, or as any fan would know it, BB-8 (here is a video of BB-8 being introduced).  Yes, this droid is a real prop, not CGI (computer-generated imagery).  There’s a fan site dedicated to explaining what BB-8 is and how it works or might work, and you can buy a working toy that looks like BB-8.  Still time for some holiday shopping – my address is at my contact page, FYI.  This particular droid, and how it moves, was dreamed up by March 2010: a long time ago, in a studio far, far away…

Star Wars patents: force fields

Yes, people have patended force fields – at least some aspects of them.  While these are not exclusive to the Star Wars universe*, I can’t write this without describing US patent 8269447, for a “method and system for shockwave attenuation via electromagnetic arc.”  Yes: a force field.  I don’t think there’s much else to say, other than that this is amazing.  It uses one or more of an “electric arc, a laser-induced arc and a microwave-induced arc”, and creates a “laser-induced plasma channel.”  It’s great to live in the sci-fi future.

[ * I love Star Wars and Star Trek – and the Star Trek universe has done a better job of predicting or creating the future.  Don’t just take my word for it: here’s Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and here’s Bill Nye, discussing why they each take Star Trek over Star Wars for relative realism.  I may wait until next summer to discuss Star Trek patents. Note, also, that terms used throughout this post are registered or unregistered trademarks of Disney, 20th Century Fox, CBS, or Viacom.  But that can be a post for another day. ]

What are your favorite sci-fi patents?

Do you have a favorite Star Wars patent that I’ve overlooked?  Or patents or trademarks related to other science fiction universes? Call me at 617-340-9295, email me through my contact page, or find me on social media: Facebook, Twitter (@MatthewYospin), Google+, LinkedIn, Google Local, or Avvo.  And may the Force be with you!