The technology used on Star Trek has fascinated viewers for decades. Some of the devices have even made their way into our daily lives but the teleportation process has always been regarded as one of the technologies least likely to be recreated in the real world. Yet, this way of sending people and objects elsewhere could finally become realistic.
“Apr 04 2011 [Day 154] ”Star Trek TOS Lan” (CC BY 2.0) by JamesInOregon
Examples of Star Trek Technology We Currently Use
The communicator and tricorder are both commonly given as examples of technology that’s made its way from Star Trek to the real world. While neither of these devices is the same in the sci-fi show as the smartphones we currently use, it’s easy to see some similarities. The tricorder is a precise scientific device while the communicator uses more advanced technology than the smartphones it inspired.
Versions of the card games Fizzbin and Dabo exist in real life, as well as the game of chance Tongo. Star Trek is no stranger to casino and card games, with some episodes being set in them, such “The Royale” from The Next Generation. Even if Star Trek: TNG is based 300 years into the future, it highlights the versatility of card games, and it’s speculated that poker could be up to 200 years old already. In 2024, casino offers for new customers show how providers offer free spins and extra funds can be used to explore the games. Many games are based on classic card games such as poker, which is seen in some Star Trek episodes, but they also use new technology to create highly varied slots and live game shows.
Other pieces of Star Trek tech commonly listed as inspiring real-world items include the holodeck’s similarities to virtual reality and augmented reality, while the metaverse could take this idea a step further. The replicator device has a few things in common with 3D printers but for the moment the on-screen technology is faster and can create just about anything rather than being limited to certain materials.
The reason this subject is now in the news is that researchers at South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand and The Institute of Photonic Sciences in Spain have been working on teleportation techniques. A staple of Star Trek throughout the different series, it allows people to undergo dematerialization and then get beamed elsewhere. The original idea was said to be simply a way to save time and costs when crew members visited planets, but it turned into one of the most iconic elements of the show.
The work being carried out to bring this technology to our lives involves quantum physics to move images across a network. They do this by turning images into data using a series of 0s and 1s. Images aren’t physically transmitted in the way they are when we use methods such as Bluetooth, which is why this is seen as being such an interesting breakthrough.
With the successful trial of their “teleportation-inspired configuration” already carried out, the investigators are now said to be focussing on ways to transport more complex images using the same process. This could mean sending images of faces and fingerprints in the same way.
There’s no suggestion at the moment that this could result in the teleportation of humans or other physical objects. However, it could lead to more exciting research that brings the world of Star Trek technology that bit closer to our everyday lives.
