By Nicole Nguyen
"USA250: The Story of the World's Greatest Economy" is a yearlong WSJ series examining America's first 250 years. Read more about it from Editor in Chief Emma Tucker.
I recently spent a weekend doing deep investigative research into future technologies: I binged "The Jetsons" in my sweatpants.
For the uninitiated -- or forgetful -- this space-age family sitcom features George and Jane Jetson, living the American dream in an apartment in the sky with their two children, Judy and Elroy, dog Astro and robot maid, Rosey.
The show is set in 2062, a century ahead from its original 1962 airdate. It's full of fantastical inventions, such as flying cars, dinner-generating machines and canine treadmills -- complete with fire hydrants. The upbeat vibe is markedly different from the apocalyptic, at times murderous, sci-fi of today.
The 1960s were full of optimism about what the 21st century would bring, and some of it actually has come true. While we've still got a few decades before the Jetson family is meant to arrive, I dug into some of the show's technological hallmarks and determined how close we already are.
Video calling: Absolutely
In lieu of a home phone, the Jetsons had a video phone. The show's creators couldn't fathom mobile devices, but they were spot-on about video calling. Jane uses it to chat with her mother at least once an episode.
They could even create deepfakes to stand in for them on camera. When George secretly attended a robot football game, his simulacrum told Jane he had to work late.
Video calling has been around for decades -- since at least 2003, when Skype came on the scene. It exploded in 2020, when many people were forced to rely on Zoom and other platforms while stuck at home during the pandemic. Even while most people have been making their way back to the office, our desire to see remote colleagues, not just hear their voices, persists. Soon, our conference-room AV setup might even appear in 3-D.
Flying cars and travel tubes: Sort of
There isn't much walking in Orbit City. A conveyor belt brings George from bed to the bathroom. To get to and from his classroom, Elroy jets through a series of air tubes called the "school homing network." (When the wrong child shows up at the Jetsons' home, Jane sends him back with the push of a button.)
And they also use personal vehicles -- though ones that typically fly. George aero-commutes in a glass-domed saucer that folds into a briefcase, and still manages to get stuck in traffic. Each bubble car has a receiver to chat with other sky drivers.
Here in the actual future, we're still toting around on pavement-pounding automobiles. A version of flying cars, however, is very real. It's called an eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) vehicle. Fellow columnist Dan Neil tried one himself -- the Pivotal BlackFly, a solo-piloted aircraft free to operate in unrestricted airspace. An upgraded version, called the Helix, can be yours for $190,000. You don't even need a pilot's license.
There are major caveats, at least for now. The BlackFly's range is just 20 minutes, and you can't fly over populated areas, so forget trying to speed through your morning commute. The vehicles are also restricted from flying at night or in bad weather. In Dan's words, "The BlackFly itself cannot be but a toy -- a glorious, wonderful toy."
We might be closer to those air tubes. In fact, Elon Musk spent some time promoting his Hyperloop idea, a transit system that uses magnets and steel tubes for high-speed travel. Though still in the experimental phase, one stretch in Munich has already taken a human passenger for a ride.
Push-button jobs: Almost
George works as a "digital index operator" at Spacely Space Sprockets, for approximately three hours a day, three days a week. As a button pusher, he makes enough to support a family of four -- even though a majority of his day is spent with his feet up on the desk.
The key detail: He oversees an automated machine.
While companies are often increasing hours rather than dialing things back, we are entering an era of robot-driven work. With the latest artificial intelligence, a person can deploy a team of "agents." It's so effective that many engineers haven't written code "by hand" in months.
As AI takes over more jobs, could we be moving toward George's nine-hour workweek? Silicon Valley's elite have discussed this very scenario in terms of a "universal basic income" as a way to distribute the wealth generated by artificial intelligence.
Until then, we'll be working alongside AI -- or training it to do our work.
Space colonization: Nope
The Jetsons live in the sky above Earth, on houses built on tall stilts. To avoid our planet's environmental inconveniences, the stilts can rise above any inclement weather. And space itself isn't out of reach. In a classic episode, Elroy goes to an asteroid on a school field trip.
We haven't nailed interplanetary travel just yet. Tech titans are certainly trying. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com and owner of rocket-ship maker Blue Origin, said "millions of people" will be living in space in the next couple of decades. Musk, the head of SpaceX, wrote that, "Becoming multiplanetary is critical to ensuring the long-term survival of humanity and all life as we know it."
Musk had preached of populating Mars, but now his focus has turned to a closer heavenly body, our moon. Meanwhile, an interplanetary space race between the U.S., China, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and the European Space Agency is well under way.
Robot maids: Not exactly
Rosey is more than a robot maid. She's got main-character energy throughout the series, as a football thrower for Elroy, a homework helper for Judy and a dinner sous-chef for Jane. She bakes a mean pineapple upside-down cake. And Jane got Rosey on discount because she's an older model.
Today's humanoid bots can barely load a dishwasher. We don't have a do-it-all machine, but there are specialized droids that can take on specific duties. They can already vacuum and mop well. A coming model can even climb stairs, cleaning each step as it ascends. Cities are already deploying fleets of robot trash scoopers, lawn mowers and firefighters.
You can't have your own Rosey today, but you might soon. The next few years will be about raising the first generation of in-home robots, and letting them learn from your routine.
Gadget-induced pain: Yes
And now for the show's biggest oversight: No touch screens. There are lots of visual displays, but they're primarily operated by dials, levers and other physical controls. While the show may not have anticipated touch screens, it nailed a key side effect of constant use of gadgets: repetitive-motion injuries.
Orbit City is full of buttons, and overworked fingers are a running gag in the show. Jane regularly does digit "workouts" and complains her pointers are sore.
Here in 2026, office workers often suffer from texting thumb after scrolling through endless feeds and tech neck after craning down to look at mobile devices. And don't get me started on my strained hand with carpal tunnel syndrome from all the clicking.
36 years and counting...
We may not be living as exceptional a future as the Jetsons, but we've still got 3 1/2 decades to catch up. By then I will be twice as old as I am now. I've already witnessed the dawn of high-speed internet, the iPhone and generative AI.
How many tech revolutions will we experience in another 36 years?
By the time we hit the show's 2062 deadline, maybe we will finally live in space -- or make our current planet more habitable -- and make a comfortable living on a nine-hour workweek. But knowing our luck, we'll be struggling with forgotten passwords for our smart toothbrushes and buggy firmware updates for our flying cars.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 30, 2026 11:30 ET (15:30 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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