It's been 50 years since Star Trek It first appeared on our screens and changed the cultural landscape forever. The characters, the ship, and the aliens are well known even to those with no interest in science fiction. The vision of a future free of sexism, racism and poverty is profoundly positive. But it is probably the technology available in the 23rd and 24th centuries that has most captured the public imagination.
Faster-than-light travel and matter transport may be a long way off, but in many ways the present we live in now has caught up with the future envisioned in Star Trek. . Let's explore the many ways Star Trek predicted the future that we are now living through.
At a time when phones were wired and plugged into your wall, the idea of a small device you could carry with you at all times must have been surprising. The transporter was the almost magical device that gets our heroes away from any dangerous situation, but it was the communicator that allowed the show to turn up the heat. You can see this in The original series episode "The Doomsday Machine," when Captain Kirk calmly requests to be teleported away from certain death.
Until the advent of the iPhone, many cell phones had a cover design similar to Star Trek original communicators. While the smartphone is too handy for us to go back to those glorious days, you can now buy a replica communicator that connects via Bluetooth to your real communicator. However, at $149.99, it's for the committed fan only.
If you prefer the lapel style communicators used in The Next Generation then never fear, as one is available for pre-order. In addition to a cheaper price, it has the benefit of more openly displaying your geek credentials. It's also more useful as a Bluetooth device than one you have to take out of your pocket and open to use.
The headset often worn by Communications Officer Lieutenant Uhura bears a remarkable similarity to today's headset The Beginner's Guide to Buying the Right Bluetooth Headset The Beginner's Guide to Buying the Right Bluetooth Headset "perfect" headset. Read More In the show it appeared to be a hands-free device, but upon receiving communications from Starfleet Command, Uhura would hold his hand against him. This is a seemingly unnecessary gesture that has also been adopted by many Bluetooth headset users.
Google Glass, which has yet to become an everyday device, also had its forerunner in Star Trek . In The Next Generation episode "The Game," the team becomes addicted to a game played with a headset that beams images directly into the eye. And the virtual display device, the Dominion technology that appeared in several episodes of Deep Space Nine It could have been a bulky prototype for Google Glass.
In The original series Captain Kirk was occasionally approached by a yeoman with a tablet and pencil. This was probably to sign the captain's log that he had narrated at the beginning of the episode. We never got to see much of these devices, and their inclusion seems to have been an excuse to show a young woman in a miniskirt.
The next generation We saw the introduction of the Portable Auxiliary Data Display (PADD), a portable touchscreen personal computer that looks and functions remarkably like a modern tablet. They came in various sizes and appeared to be used for work and recreation.
There is a series of Star Trek -Inspired apps for Android available. These allow you to change the interface of your phone or tablet to simulate the LCARS (Library Computer Access and Retrieval System) operating system used in The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , and Traveller .
From the beginning, the computers in Star Trek He understood complex natural language queries and was able to answer questions on any topic.
Google staff have been open about their goal of creating a similar experience. Google's Voice app, along with Siri and Cortana, are impressive early attempts at this. Speech recognition has improved dramatically in recent years and is now likely to be at least as accurate as typing. Natural language processing has also made great strides, making these services much better at understanding what we want to say without us having to change the way we speak.
Amazon's Echo and Alexa devices are probably closer to replicating Star Trek experience of controlling the conditions of a room when entering it. After all, with nothing more than simple voice commands, you can now change the lighting, play music, listen to the news, order food, and instantly communicate with any of your contacts.
It's not a perfect experience yet, but with the right purchases and a little work, you can certainly turn your house into a smart home. 7 Creative Uses for Amazon Echo and Alexa. 7 Creative Uses for Amazon Echo and Alexa. You've seen the ads starring Alec Baldwin. , but you're still not sure what the Amazon Echo does or if you need one in your home. We're about to find out. Read More .
Amazon Echo - Black (1st Generation) Amazon Echo - Black (1st Generation) Buy now on Amazon
One of the most notable features of the Star Trek Universe are the aliens who can speak perfect English. This, of course, makes television much more convenient than creating new languages every week. And there is no need for subtitles or interpreters.
For the most part, the details of how this is supposed to work are glossed over, but the Universal Translator is occasionally highlighted. A great example is Deep Space Nine episode "Little Green Men". A time anomaly results in a spaceship with three Ferengi crashing in Roswell in 1947. They are unable to communicate with the humans they encounter until they repair their universal translators that are implanted in their ears.
Starfleet versions were incorporated into their communicators. This presumably made them easier to repair. When they work properly, they effortlessly translate any language into almost any other language.
We're not there yet, but machine translation has improved tremendously. Google Translate can recognize and translate text in over 100 languages, use your phone's camera to (almost) instantly translate signs and menus, and even enable real-time translation between spoken languages.
It's a bit clumsier than Star Trek Version, of course, and uses dictionary files instead of brainwaves. Regardless, it's still a surprisingly useful tool. This is especially true for travelers who travel with Google Translate? 4 tips to improve your traveling experience with Google Translate? 4 tips to improve your experience If you plan to travel to a foreign country in the short term, Google Translate can really help you, but it has its limitations. Here we explain how to best use this wonderful application. Read more . An obvious omission in Google Translate is Klingon. Fortunately, Microsoft's Bing Translate has you covered. Hoch vaj megh'an toH , as Shakespeare said.
A company called Waverly Labs is working on a headset that will instantly translate between spoken languages. They hope to have it for sale by May 2017..
The Replicators introduced in The Next Generation they were primarily used as vending machines to dispense bergamot-infused beverages. But in reality they were capable of producing almost anything on demand.
3D printers What is 3D printing and how exactly does it work? What is 3D printing and how exactly does it work? Imagine if you could print 3D objects directly from a printer in your home. When I was a kid in elementary school, I thought it would be amazing if I could print pizzas... Read More However, they have been used to make amazing 3D printed food, clothes, toys, cars and many more items. 5 Awesome 3D Printing Apps You Need to See to Believe. 5 Awesome 3D Printing Apps You Need to See to Believe. What would you do? With a 3D printer? If the people who develop these apps have anything to say about it, you might be surprised. Read more . One has been sent to the International Space Station to make spare parts.
Some of Star Trek The inventions are still science fiction, but many are about to be realized. Improvements in virtual reality may lead to something like Holodeck Your Own Holodeck:Will The Star Trek Fantasy Become a Reality? Your Own Holodeck:Will the Star Trek Fantasy Become a Reality? Will advances in virtual reality technology make the Star Trek holodeck a common room in every home in our near future? The "holodeck" fantasy is getting a lot closer to reality than you think. Read more . Versions of other Star Trek technology from hyposprays to phasers The Star Trek Tech we hope to see in our lives The Star Trek Tech we hope to see in our lives Look around you. Life imitates art every day. Star Trek-inspired technology, from communicators to a talking computer, is already commonplace. But is there anything else we can see soon? Read More Centuries may pass before humanity can truly explore strange new worlds. However, in almost every other way, reality has caught up with Star Trek faster than anyone could have imagined.
Did we miss something? What Star Trek What inventions would you like to see come true? Please let us know in the comments below!
