All 21 Futuristic Gadgets & Technology In Uglies Explained

Warning! Spoilers for Netflix’s Uglies ahead!

Good essay

Neflix’s Uglies brings the future to the small screen with various unique gadgets and technology to set the scene. The film is based on the book series by author Scott Westerfeld, set in a dystopian future following civilization’s return from near collapse. Humanity’s overreliance on fossil fuels and wars nearly destroyed the planet, and to keep things going, those who survived came together to construct a plan for a thriving utopia. Of course, the paradise in Uglies isn’t quite what it seems.

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While there are a lot of problems with mandatory cosmetic procedures that hide mind-controlling brain damage, the generations of peace in Uglies left a lot of room for technological advancements. The world in which Tally Youngblood lives is full of conveniences since her city is meant to make life basically effortless for the near-mindless Pretties. This is also a world that prioritizes leisure and entertainment—as well as totalitarian government control—so much of the technology and gadgets seen in Netflix’s Uglies are aimed at these purposes.

21 Bungee Jackets

Magnetic Jackets Meant For Fire Emergencies

Safety is a significant focus in Tally’s city, and New Pretty Town especially is full of measures to ensure that the next generation is safe. Bungee Jackets are life-vest-looking garments that allow a person to launch themselves off a burning building and safely bounce their way to the ground. In Tally’s case in Uglies, Bungee Jackets are always useful for making a dramatic escape from a penthouse party.

20 Crash Bracelets

Magnetic Cuffs To Protect From Minor Falls

Similar to Bungee jackets, crash bracelets are safety measures that use magnets to keep Uglies and Pretties alike from going splat. However, these electronic cuffs are only safe to use for relatively small falls (not from skyscrapers). They are typically used in tandem with a hoverboard and ensure that any big wipeouts end with the rider being carefully (more or less) lowered to the ground by their wrist.

19 Holograms

The Classic Holograms

Holograms aren’t necessarily unique to the Uglies series, but Netflix’s movie manages to present them in an interesting way. It’s through a hologram that audiences are first introduced to Dr. Cable, the governor of Netflix’s version of Tally’s city. This virtual recording of Dr. Cable seems to be played at every New Pretty ceremony, welcoming Uglies turning 16 into their moment of metamorphosis before they head to New Pretty Town.

Interface rings use holograms to display pings and images in
Uglies
.

18 Holes In The Wall

Built In Nano Printers For Anything Uglies/Pretties Need

Every apartment or Uglyville dorm in Uglies has a hole in the wall, which can provide the residents with virtually anything they could want or need. There is something like a 3D printer inside that can quickly produce clothing, hygiene products, toys, electronics, and food when asked. Everything made is recyclable, and Uglies and Pretties can simply toss their item back into the hole in the wall so that the materials can be reused.

17 Hoverboards

Flying Boards For Travel & Tricks

Hoverboards are always a fun addition to any futuristic story, and Uglies knows how to do them right. These are used throughout Westerfeld’s book series and were finally brought to the screen in Netflix’s adaptation. Standard boards use magnetics to fly, but some special ones are built with motors and lifting fans that allow them to work like mini drones. Uglies are especially known for using hoverboards to perform all kinds of tricks.

16 Hovercars

The Obligatory Futuristic Flying Cars

The only land cars typically seen in the world of
Uglies
are the rusty ones abandoned near ancient ruins.

The only land cars typically seen in the world of Uglies are the rusty ones abandoned near ancient ruins. Instead, the futuristic citizens of Tally’s city get around through hovercars, which function like hoverboards in that they typically use magnetics. Of course, some models allow government officials to travel outside the city grid utilizing massive fans. Hovercars in Uglies can be piloted by Middle Pretties or the city interface.

15 Eye Screens

Eye Enhancements In The World Of Uglies

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Near the beginning of Uglies, Tally and Peris are seen wearing high-tech glasses that allow them to zoom in and take a closer look at the smallest details in New Pretty Town. Such technology was never described this way in Westerfeld’s Uglies books. Instead, Pretties’s eyes could be fitted with eye screens that only they could see, which could also zoom in or out on their surroundings.

Eye screens were seen mostly in Westerfeld’s fourth
Uglies
book,
Extras
.

14 Forcefields

Glass Is Out, Forcefields Are In

Rather than glass, Tally’s window is conveniently blocked off by a forcefield that she can control with her interface ring. Of course, the forcefields are designed to stay put during certain hours, regardless of an Ugly’s command. However, Tally figured out a way to use her ring to confuse the minders, which means she can pretty much open her window and escape any time she wants.

13 Instant Food

Rehydrated Food For Travel

On Tally’s journey across the country to the Smoke, she was equipped with instant food. These are essentially dehydrated meals that can be reconstituted with hot water. Of course, this isn’t a concept entirely unheard of today, but the world of Uglies has perfected the idea of instant food, allowing for fairly complex means like SpagBol, spaghetti bolognese. Unfortunately, this was the only type of instant food that Tally had on her trip, so she got pretty tired of it by the time she reached the Smoke.

12 Interface Rings

A Device To Connect Uglies/Pretties To The City Interface

Interface rings are how every citizen, Pretty or Ugly, interacts with the city in Uglies. Without a ring, a person is basically invisible. They can’t talk to the room, won’t be recognized by an elevator to give commands, and can’t be tracked by government officials. Interface rings are also how people like Tally communicate with their friends, take pictures, set alarms and reminders, and much, much more. They are essentially smartphone jewelry.

Related Uglies Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play In The Movie

Tally Youngblood’s story in Uglies is accompanied by an excellent soundtrack, with both original compositions and songs from varying artists.

11 Grids

Tally’s City Is Built On A Magnetic Grid

The entirety of Tally’s city in Uglies is built on top of a magnetic grid. This is how basically all the technology works since much of it requires a connection to the city grid to float and move. This is why hoverboards and hovercars can effortlessly travel around, but the moment a person goes past the grid, they would fall to the ground. This doesn’t stop the trickiest Uglies, however. Those like Shay discovered that there is enough mineralized metal on the river floor to support a hoverboard even outside the city.

10 Morphos

Uglies Are Obsessed With Looking At Their Morphos

Morphos are a popular pastime for those under 16 in Uglies. From the time they are very small, people in Tally’s city use Morphos to get a glimpse at what they might look like after the operation when they finally become Pretty. They are basically like beauty filters, though this concept hadn’t become a reality yet when the Uglies book was released back in 2005. This is one of the many ways Westerfeld’s books were prophetic regarding futuristic technology.

9 Nanos

Nanos Make The World Of Uglies Go ‘Round

Nanos aren’t explicitly mentioned in the Uglies movie, but Westerfeld’s book reveals they are key in many major gadgets and technologies in this sci-fi universe. They are just about everywhere—the hole in the wall uses them to create and break down objects, and Pretty bodies are filled with Nanos to speed up healing and ensure pristine health. Maddy’s cure in Uglies also uses Nanos since they are contained within the pills to eat away the Pretty lesions.

8 Pings

The Text Messages Of The Future

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Pings are basically the texts of the Uglies world. Tally is seen sending and receiving them through her interface ring in the Netflix movie, but pings go far beyond this. Pretties and Uglies can send written, video, or voice pings, depending on what they are trying to communicate and to whom. There’s no need to store people’s phone numbers since the city interface allows citizens to ping whomever they want with only their names. It’s even possible to send a city-wide ping, though this is typically reserved for government officials.

7 Safety Fireworks

Fireworks Without The Risk

Safety fireworks are a key part of New Pretty Town’s visual appeal. This portion of the city is alight with flashes of every shape and color imaginable from the time the sun goes down to when it rises in the morning. Of course, in classic Pretty fashion, these are entirely risk-free. New Pretty Town is basically child-proofed, and a person could launch a safety firework from their hand or get blasted right in the face with one and feel little more than a cool tickle. In Netflix’s Uglies, some of the safety fireworks appeared like graceful butterflies flying through the sky.

6 Sky Projections

The Futuristic Way To Post A Selfie

When Tally wandered into New Pretty Town in the Uglies movie, she saw a duo of Pretties using their interface rings to project a live video of themselves in the sky. It looked as if their image was carried up by the safety fireworks themselves, which meant their laughing, beautiful faces could be seen surrounded by a flurry of lights by anyone partying in the various mansions. This bit of technology was never mentioned in Westerfeld’s Uglies book, but it was neat nonetheless.

5 Smart Masks

Plastic Masks With An Outfit Built In

Another interesting piece of technology that Tally discovered during her adventure in New Pretty Town is a smart mask. When she put the plastic pig face over her own, she was quickly transformed as her hair was styled and her own clothes changed into a beautiful gown. This worked a little differently in the Uglies book, where the smart mask simply shaped itself to be a perfect fit over Tally’s face. Regardless, items like this use smart plastic in Uglies, made up of intelligently programmed Nanos.

4 Surgical Tanks

The Pretty Operation Is Too Intense For A Surgical Table

A person’s natural skin is rubbed away, their bones are reinforced, their natural teeth and hair removed and replaced, and much, much more.

The Pretty operation in Uglies is pretty intense. A person’s natural skin is rubbed away, their bones are reinforced, their natural teeth and hair removed and replaced, and much, much more. None of this would be possible on a modern surgical table, so the doctors in Tally’s city use tanks, which are filled with a nano liquid that keeps the body functioning as it is essentially ripped apart. Of course, as David’s father, Az revealed in the Uglies movie, a handful of people still die from the operation every year, even with these high-tech tanks.

3 Toothbrush Pill

A Pill Full Of Nanos To Clean Your Teeth

When Tally returned to her room one night in Uglies, she asked her hole in the wall to give her a toothbrush pill. This is precisely what it sounds like—the small pill is chewed, and the contents clean the teeth and mouth to perfection. Like many other gadgets and technologies in Uglies, the toothbrush pills work through Nanos, which zip around the mouth, chomping on any residual food, bacteria, plaque, etc.

2 Wall Screens

Voice Controlled Screens Are Everywhere

Basically every room in Uglies is equipped with a wall screen. In the Netflix movie, Tally’s screen was part of the mirror and could be used to display her Morphos or access the city interface. This meant that Tally could simply talk to the room, and it would respond, allowing her to command her hole in the wall, send pings, and more.

Related Uglies Ending Explained: What That Final Tally Scene Really Means

Netflix’s sci-fi book adaptation, Uglies, ends with an ambiguous twist, leaving some questions about Tally that a potential sequel could answer.

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