Star Trek (The true story) C5

...Did anyone else see this tonight?

That android that has been created in real life was fascinating!..They are in their infancy but will become a complete reality in the end!

philagain wrote:...Did anyone else see this tonight?

That android that has been created in real life was fascinating!..They are in their infancy but will become a complete reality in the end!

Yes me. Those things give me the creeps.

lemon wrote:

philagain wrote:...Did anyone else see this tonight?

That android that has been created in real life was fascinating!..They are in their infancy but will become a complete reality in the end!

Yes me. Those things give me the creeps.

...Well considering that they are emplanting a wealth of knowledge in their 'brains'...Much more intelligent that the average human..I wouldn't want to give too many of them a body and legs!

....They could make humans redundant because they wouldn't need to be paid to do jobs either!

philagain wrote:....They could make humans redundant because they wouldn't need to be paid to do jobs either!

I really wouldn't want one near me. Let alone in my house.

lemon wrote:

philagain wrote:....They could make humans redundant because they wouldn't need to be paid to do jobs either!

I really wouldn't want one near me. Let alone in my house.

....Not my cup of tea..but the blow up doll of the future?

..It doesn't answer back at me!

As they boldly went where no man had gone before, Captain Kirk and his crew got to play with some pretty cool toys.

We may not have phasers yet – on stun or otherwise – but Dr Martin Cooper, inventor of the handheld mobile phone, always credited Star Trek’s communicators as his inspiration.

So with Star Trek Into Darkness opening in cinemas around the country, how close are we to turning its science fiction tech into science fact?

Hypospray
For those with a fear of needles, the hypospray was the dream invention.

It used air pressure to force drugs through the skin without a jab.

Dr Leonard “Bones” McCoy was seen using one aboard the Enterprise on a weekly basis in the original series – and it could become a regular sight in present-day GP surgeries, too.

Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US have developed their own “hypospray” that uses magnets and electrical currents to fire drugs through the skin.

Dr Ian Hunter, who runs the ­bioinstrumentation lab at MIT, says: “We are able to fire the drug out at almost the speed of sound if we need to.”

He says hypospray could even be used to inject drugs through the eye into the retina or into the inner ear.

Replicator
On the Enterprise, the replicator is used to conjure up food, water, clothes and other everyday items.

Today scientists have achieved ­something similar by creating a 3D plastic printer.

Earlier this week we revealed how a US firm has developed a working plastic gun but there are many positive aspects to report.

Surgeons at Charing Cross Hospital in London have printed a plastic knee joint for a soldier shot in Iraq.

And pioneers in San Francisco have built a working plastic car.

But the best is still to come. Scientists at the University of St Andrews have “printed” stem cells.

Dr Will Shu hopes the technology could be used to create tissue to test drugs or even print organs for ­transplant use, solving the shortage of donors for good.





Tractor beams
This was one of the most iconic gadgets from the Star Trek franchise and was even powerful enough to trap and pull giant spaceships.

Scientists are still some way from turning science fiction into reality but they have taken the first steps towards doing so.

For several years optical tweezers – incredibly tiny laser beams capable of moving molecules – have been used by scientists in order to study DNA.

And in January a research team at the University of St Andrews announced that they had used the first real-life tractor beam and had succeeded in pulling a string of microscopic particles using light.

Lead researcher Dr Tomas Cizmar says the tractor beam could have medical uses, such as separating white blood cells.

However, he says using this technique to trap a spaceship would be “out of the question” as it would result in a “massive” amount of heat.

Holodeck
ANOTHER popular idea from Star Trek: The Next Generation was the holodeck.

The room created 3D holograms which felt real and were used for training or where the crew could relax.

Scientists may not be able to create holograms we can touch but a team at the University of Illinois recently unveiled the first holodeck.

People wearing 3D glasses step into a virtual world mapped out across 72 screens.

With the glasses on, you can fly over the surface of Mars or even stroll around the bridge of the USS Enterprise.

Jason Leigh, director of the ­Electronic Visualisation ­Laboratory in Chicago, says: “A lot of what we create is really inspired by the science fiction that we used to watch when we were kids.”

Scientists believe the holodeck could be used to train surgeons, map crime rates and help engineers improve their designs.

Similar technology could also be used to transform your living room into a virtual reality cinema.


Geordi’s visor
Lt Commander Geordi La Forge was a popular character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and was instantly recognisable from his visor, which helped him to see even though he was blind.

It may sound far-fetched but scientists are already using similar technology.

They have developed a camera fitted to glasses that sends images to a tiny implant behind the eye.

Retired engineer Eric Selby, 70, was one of the first people to trial the technology.

He began to lose his sight as a young man and by his late 40s the hereditary condition had left him blind.

But the bionic eye means he can now see flashes of light, so can sort his socks and spot the kerb while walking.

Eric, from Coventry, says: “After the operation the doctor turned my head and I saw a flash of light. It was a hell of an experience.”

Others in the trial have even been able to identify different shapes and start to read.

Translator
The crew of the Enterprise were able to communicate with the aliens they came across thanks to their nifty universal translator.

Amazingly, a similar device is now issued to US troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and south-east Asia. Speak into the Phraselator and it translates your words into the language of your choice.

It can translate to and from a language, allowing two-way conversations.

Military commanders hope it will help to break down the mistrust between locals and troops.

Clayton Millis, managing director of sales at Voxtec International, which makes the device, says: “You can speak freely off the top of your head and say what you need to say for that situation.”



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