Bangalore: A number of technological innovations that we only saw in comics and sci-fi novels have come to see reality in the past decade. But if you wonder whether anything could be done to make the present more futuristic, this collection is one that you will have to see to believe.

Here are some of the most futuristic products, according to Mashable, that are in development right now, and could be hitting markets as early as this year.

1. The Invisible Car: Mercedes Benz designed a car that was “invisible” to the environment (i.e. had zero emissions) and had an astoundingly low impact on the environment. To promote the concept of its invisibility, the company actually made the car invisible. Mercedes says the car is good enough to see the production of its series, but it is expected to only be made available to markets in 2014, according to Mashable’s report.

2. A Space Elevator: Japan aims to build an elevator to space; one that will reach out to a space station 22,000 miles above the earth by the year 2050. The space elevator will contain living quarters and other tourist attractions on board, and will travel from the ground spaceport to the space station at 125 kmph, according to the report. The elevator’s passenger car will be capable of carrying 30 passengers who will reach the space station 8 days later.

Read on to know about more astounding futuristic technologies