Just because it exists does not mean it is commercially viable and would have been available. Stuff in labs and produced on small scales can absolutely be 30+ years ahead of commercially viable products. Take for example a quantum computer it is atleast 30 years ahead of something that would be viable to sell to someone to put in their living room. Quantum computing is maybe a really good example because the current science is disappointing but investment is going up implying 'secret physics'.