SOunds Like Prof Kaku is unaware of what's going on here in Japan, namely Tsukuba University engineering professor Yoshiyuki Sankai's HAL suit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSP46lWvxJ4

How about the superhuman ability from the movie "What Women Want"? In which Mel Gibson can "hear" woman's thoughts. When are they going to start working on that one?

Ray Kurzweil, in his last book, The Singularity is Near, writes in his Preface that everything in Harry Potter's universe will be realized here within roughly 20 years (though he makes the sole exception of time travel which may be a tougher nut to crack).

Incidentally, I saw Kaku give a presentation to a bunch of New Agers like me at the NY Open Center, many years ago. He's a fascinating speaker and a funny guy. He talked about what a 26-dimension universe might be like, and then told the story of a talk he gave once where he had mentioned that the sun will die in 5 billion years. During the Q&A, one lady asked him, "did you say the sun would die in 5 billion or 5 million years?" He repeated that it's 5 billion and the lady sighed, "oh thank god, I thought you said 5 million!"

I was a Buddhist at the time (15 or 20 years ago), and present with a bunch of other Zennies, and we thought this was highly hilarious.

I've heard the "5 billion" anecdote told by Lawrence Krauss, it's probably the same event. Maybe he's friends with Kaku, or it's a well-known anecdote among them.

Although, and no offense, I find kind of disconcerting that Kaku, or any physicist, would be making a presentation to "a bunch of New Agers", since (and no offense again) it'd probably be almost like a biologist giving a presentation to IDers, unless of course it was for clarification and education. New Agers tend to abuse physics in the same way creationists abuse biology, methinks. No offense, of course.

And my impression of Kaku is that he is certainly not the Michael Behe of physics.

writes in his Preface that everything in Harry Potter's universe will be realized here within roughly 20 years

Oh yeah, Harry Potter. No adult could ever live without the profound philosophy inherent in Harry Potter.

a bunch of New Agers like me

Ah, so you're a "New Ager". Much better than someone "of the gen-x or gen-y persuasion", for sure man.

And you're also a Buddhist?! Well! What a fabulous man you must be!

You must lie upon the daisies and discourse in novel phrases of your complicated state of mind, The meaning doesn't matter if it's only idle chatter of the transcendental kind.

And everyone will say, As you walk your mystic may, "If this young man expresses himself in terms too deep for me", Why, what a very singularly deep young man this deep young man must be!"

Patience.... patience..

writes in his Preface that everything in Harry Potter's universe will be realized here within roughly 20 years

Somehow I think scientists will pass on the engineering of housetrolls and a pheonix that can burn up and be reborn.

In fact I think scince will never develop 99% of the things in HP.

I find kind of disconcerting that Kaku, or any physicist, would be making a presentation to "a bunch of New Agers",

maybe it was just a poorly vetted book signing local.

I only wonder how such a group would only ask that one funny question and not a line of questioning about how future technology might enhance their crystals ability to recharge their chakras or cure them of badly colored auras.

Why the heck did they keep showing the "para-wings" or what ever they are. No relation to a jet-pack. Pffft.

Why the heck did they keep showing the "para-wings" or what ever they are. No relation to a jet-pack. Pffft.