StarTrek

I've been reading, and it seems that alot of StarTrek kkind of tech. is being developed or theorized on. These being:

WarpDrive
Energy Transporters
Replicators
Energy absorption shields

I have links for all of these except transporters and replicators, which are actualy a kind of transporter.

www.nasa.gov...
www.space.com...

About transporters, we know through Einstein that matter is equal to energy, now if and I'm supposimg we will, develop this tech. it would be easier and less expensive and complex than quantum entanglement teleportation.

Replicators:
There are two plausable way in which this can be acomplished,
1. Using an energy trnsporter we modifie the object whie it is energy.
2. Using nanobots to change the atomic structure of something into something else, such as turning a block of carbon into a steak dinner, this in it self is not alchemy, which is something like turning a sword of steel into a sword of wool, which is near impossible.

Anyway I'd like to hear your thoughts, but please lets keep this a collected and logical discussion.

.. I.. don't think you know what 'nanobots' are.

See, to change Carbon into a Steak, you need to find the other elements that are present in the steak. Think we can just make those with nanobots? .. No, we can't. The smallest, SMALLEST nanobots possible would be larger than atoms, because they're made with atoms. This means that they cannot just 'go in and grab' a neutron or two, or a proton, and then change Carbon into Hydrogen or Oxygen.

Even if it were energy, we can't determine (or affect) how that energy would reform into matter. First, because we just can't do things on those levels.

Second, because that's a hell of a lot of energy. In 2 grams of hydrogen, there's the equivalent of 23 full tanks of spaceshuttle fuel being detonated.
(this is drawn from the fact that 1 gram of antimatter reacting with 1 gram of matter in annihalation releases the equivalent of 23 tanks - since antimatter weighs the same as matter, I can infer that 2 grams of matter stores 23 tanks of energy, this matter would have to be hydrogen, since that is the simplest actual atom present in annihalation on the matter side. On the antimatter side, generally just antielectrons exist.

Quantum Entanglement really seems like the best way to do this - as it's becoming easier and easier to entangle particles.

Within 10 years, it's likely that we'll be entangling hundreds of them - we've gone from 2 up to 8 or 10 in 3 years, it won't be too hard.

Create a small cubic field of particles, ready to be entangled with a second field, then entangle them, and zap the field with the object with energy - the second field assumes the same state as the first, meaning the object is recreated. Break the bonds and you've got 2. It would of course be massively more complex with particle injectors and retractors and advanced molecular 3D scanners - it's all hundreds of years in the future, but it's the way to do it for sure.

I'm going to have to peruse those links for Warp Drive - I'd think I'd have heard about it, but I'll read.

For the past few months I've also been reading into many of these ideas... Give us another 70 years and well have it.


Anyway, a replicator type device is being studied somewhere... I had an article on it a month back but lost it. I'll try to find it and link it to this thread.

Viendin.
I was stating that it is impossible to change one element into another I.E. wood into gold, also quantum teleportation is murder.
The nano-bots that I've read about are made of anywhere between 500 and 5,000 atoms.

Just to add to the list of Star Trek technology that is in existence today.

-Dermal Regenerators.
Though obviously we can't run a device over a gash and completely heal it
in a few seconds, recently technology that manipulates the bodies natural
bio-electric fields has been created, the technology speeds up the natural
healing of the wound.

-TriCorders.
TriCorders are basically all purpose scanning devices.
Now, we don't have a little handheld gadget that can tell what's wrong with
a person one second, and than give you a detailed chemical analysis of
a rock the next, however there are many systems in development today
that are capable of these different functions in a compact device,
that eventually can be put all put into a single compact device,
that will basically be a real world version of the TriCorder.

look at cell phones of today they are way more advanced than even star wars communication devices. Even some of the computers in earlier star treks don't look as advanced as ours but the one Star Trek tech I would give an arm and leg to poses would be my own holodeck! I think the ability to create such a device would be the coolest advancement ever made imo.

I read a Micheal Crichton book a little while back called "Prey" and that had nanobots 'a' plenty.

You see the problem, they need some form of intelligence to make/do things and hence the age old AI problem alla terminator and Hal, they go nuts and kill everyone!

And I think the new iphone comes with a built in tricorder.

I would love to see some of this stuff become reality, but it's a long time ago in a galaxy far away.

...It can be seen that Star Trek has has already had a strong cultural influence in the modern world. This influence includes modern (and future?) technology.

The current cell phones in use,especially the "clamshell" design appear
to have been directly influenced by Star Trek. (Think, Motorola Star tac )

STTNG (Star Trek The next Generation) also has had a very strong
influence. The Next Generation; introduced the PADD (Personal
Access Display Device) ...And now we have PDA's ( Personal
Digital assistant) Palm Pilots, Hangspring Visor, etc. Ironic,
since Geordi LaForge used a PADD, and wore a Visor..hah!

Even the current bluetooth headset, may have gotten its inspiration from the communication device that Uhura wore in Star Trek (the original series)

Star trek even inspired a name change for the the U.S. space shuttle, from
Constitution to Enterprise (OV-101)

..So to see other tech devices from Star trek becoming "reality" isn't
such a great surprise for some...

[edit on 7-5-2007 by cosmokatt7]

I wonder of the first human built starship capable of faster than light travel will look anything like the U.S.S Enterprise or any other Federation ship from Star Trek?

We have the ability to transport atoms.

But creating a whole filet mignon like in Star Trek seems a little out of reach.

I worked for a tech firm in Seattle while I lived there and saw that the "teleportation" of an atom itself was possible. However, I dont' see that process going wide spread quickly and with the effiency that we want based off of sci-fi.

I can make a steak into a block of carbon very easily...I pretty much do that every time I grill! You'd have an easier time making a sword into steel wool than making a steak out of carbon