For tech enthusiasts who came of age during the 1960s, '80s, and '90s, a portrayal of what was yet to come has been offered by an immensely popular TV series. Star Trek. And as it happens, the future is arriving faster than anyone anticipated. Trek ' s authors might not have envisioned. Below are 12 gadgets utilized in the Star Trek TV shows that are now coming to life.
1. Food Replicator
Commander Jean-Luc Picard was known for his catchphrase: “Tea, Earl Grey, hot!” which could be materialized immediately through replication technology. While today’s 3D printers cannot produce beverages such as tea, these devices have the capability to create edible items. Additionally, models similar to the MakerBot Replicator 2 excel at producing smaller objects—much like their depiction in subsequent Star Trek series episodes. Star Trek: The Next Generation .
2. Universal Translator
In several episodes, we marveled at the universal translator, which decoded what aliens said in real-time—and in the later shows, it was integrated into the communication badges (which explains why basically everyone, regardless of home planet, spoke English). Now, there's an app for that. Voice Translator by TalirApps understands 71 languages (no Klingon yet, though). You speak in your native tongue and the app translates your phrase into another language.
3. Tablet Computers
Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge—the one you recognize from Reading Rainbow —they utilized a tablet computer (which they referred to as Personal Access Data Devices, or PADDs) to input coordinates for the subsequent star system. Other members of Starfleet employed these devices to view videos and enjoy music—much like how we use tablets nowadays.
4. Tricorder
In the television series, a tricorder serves as a portable gadget capable of detecting various irregularities related to geology, biology, and weather. Quite useful! In 2012, Peter Jansen from McMaster University in Ontario constructed one. working prototype That detects magnetic fields and various interferences. There are many of these. other real-world tricorders , too.
5. Holodeck
On Star Trek: The Next Generation , you might enter a room within the Enterprise and stop by your home planet for a brief BBQ session, or perhaps engage in an affair with a hologram It was up to a group of University of Southern California students to bring virtual reality back to Earth a bit. Project Holodeck utilized VR headsets to craft an imaginary realm. (Despite no interactions with Minuet were reported.)
6. Communicator Badge
In the initial show, Kirk and his team wielded handheld communicators . But in Star Trek: The Next Generation Starfleet officers had communication badges affixed to the left breast section of their attire. A startup based in California named Vocera They have developed a comparable gadget that you can attach to your shirt. These devices are primarily utilized in healthcare settings to reduce the need for continuous announcements over the PA system.
7. Tractor Beam
Using an unseen tractor beam to tow a vessel appears improbable, yet two educators from New York University are working on this concept. making it so Their experiment, utilizing a light beam to manipulate minuscule microscopic particles, won’t be included in the upcoming NASA mission, yet it indicates that we're advancing.
8. Natural Language Queries
In the Star Trek The universe allows you to converse with a computer (voiced by Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, Trek The spouse of creator Gene mentioned casually in our talk. Nowadays, we have Siri and Alexa, though these technologies still haven’t reached full maturity. are small strides towards a service akin to this Star Trek His machine possesses an intricate comprehension of context. Google went so far as to nickname their voice-activated feature. "Majel," in honor of Barrett-Roddenberry.
9. Warp Drive
No one in Star Trek No one ever takes the time to sit down and explain how a warp drive functions in depth, yet we understand it involves folding space-time and achieving velocities beyond the speed of light. It all seems rather implausible, though. NASA is working on it.
10. Phaser
Captain Kirk was quite proficient with a phaser and wouldn't always stick to setting it to stun. Surprisingly, we've employed a comparable device since the initial Gulf War. Called a dazzler, this directed-energy weapon emits a burst of electromagnetic radiation designed to halt an individual instantly.
11. Teleportation
To travel from one location to another, Captain Kirk and his crew didn’t require an airplane—or even a space elevator. Rather, they used teleportation technology. U.S.S. Enterprise "The Transporter" (a situation many of us fantasize about when waiting in the TSA line). We have already achieved some form of teleportation—specifically, the transportation of photons and atoms These particles do not vanish and then rematerialize, however. As stated by Forbes, "the data within the photon’s quantum condition moves from one photon to another via quantum entanglement—without physically covering the space between them." A precise replica emerges on the opposite end, whereas the initial photon disintegrates. Theoretical physicist Michio Kaku notes that our bodies comprise approximately 15 trillion cells, which means we would require wait a few centuries Before we start beaming around like Kirk, and we will still need to eliminate the originals.
12. Hypospray
In the world of Star Trek , there’s no need for needles (and consequently no trypanophobia )—Bones delivered medication through the skin with a painless jet-injected hypospray. Not long ago, MIT developed a comparable device that, as stated Geek.com "administers medication through the skin at velocities reaching up to 340 meters per second and within less than one millisecond. The dosage and depth of injection can both be adjusted. From the patient's perspective, they should only sense the applicator touching their skin; this is due to the jet being as fine as a mosquito's proboscis." While it isn't the initial version, this device offers greater precision compared to other hypodermic sprayers, making it potentially capable of replacing traditional needles—thus simplifying trips to the pediatrician with children.
The article was initially published on as 12 Star Trek Technologies That Are Now Reality .
