50 Times The Simpsons Saw It Coming Before the World Did

When Homer’s half-brother Herb resurfaces from destitution, he invents something the world never knew it needed—a baby translator. The clunky headset interprets baby Maggie’s cries, turning them into coherent thoughts. It was goofy and endearing, but it sparked a real-world aspiration.

In 2014, a startup launched an app claiming to decode different types of infant cries using AI and audio analysis. Although not as precise as Herb’s invention, the concept of understanding babies through technology evolved from a slapstick to a startup.