Star Trek and 'Technology Boom'

[Indy 8]

From: TrekToday

 

 

Click for Spoiler:

Several articles highlighting new technological developments draw comparisons between Star Trek's futuristic equipment and the mechanical progress of the 21st century.

 

The San Francisco Chronicle has a series of articles on Star Trek's vision of the future and current scientific reality.

 

"Like some wizard, Dr. 'Bones' McCoy needed only to wave his tricorder sensor like a talisman over 'Star Trek' crew members to detect any ailment - and to cure many of them," stated reporter Bernadette Tansey, noting that while McCoy's sensor was a prop made out of a salt shaker, "'Star Trek's futuristic sickbay tools presented a captivating vision of what medicine might one day achieve, inspiring legions of fans who later became some of the world's most inventive scientists."

 

Another San Francisco Chronicle writer, Benny Evangelista, discussed the development of wireless personal communicators and means for viewing and storing entertainment and news video.

 

"In the 23rd century universe of 'Star Trek,' people talked to each other using wireless personal communicators, had easy access to a vast database of information and spent hours gazing at a big wall-mounted video screen...on 21st century Earth, that future is already here," he wrote.

 

"Indeed, 40 years after "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry outlined his vision for the groundbreaking science-fiction TV series, some of the once- futuristic personal technology depicted in the voyages of the starship Enterprise have become a reality."

 

But Tansey and Evangelista point out in this sidebar that most of the real high-tech developments of Captain Kirk's era, such as warp drive and replicators, are "still in the realm of 'where no one has gone before.'"

 

An Associated Press article carried by The Baltimore Sun and The Contra Costa Times compares BLEEX - the Berkeley Lower Extremities Exoskeleton, a set of robotic legs "designed to turn an ordinary human into a super strider" - to the Six Million Dollar Man and the Borg.

 

The strap-on extremities are intended to help soldiers or firefighters carry heavy loads, explained professor Homayoon Kazerooni of the Robotics and Human Engineering Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley.

 

But it won't turn users into efficient Borg drones, noted the article, quoting Kazerooni as saying, "The exoskeleton is not going to magically transform people into killing machines."

 

Another Associated Press article, this one found in The Chicago Daily Herald, reviews the DocuPen, a scanner the size of a writing implement.

 

"If...you're not too self-conscious to use something that looks like it was pilfered from the Star Trek prop room," stated Peter Svensson, you can scan text with the portable device and transfer it to a computer later.

 

And The Washington Times has a feature on a new sensor designed to prevent "friendly fire", the accidental military crisis of troops accidentally firing on their own in combat because they have no way to distinguish enemy soldiers.

 

Developed by the Energy Department's National Nuclear Security Administration, the new electronic "tag" can be placed on clothing, weapons or vehicles. "Though the sensor may seem something from 'Star Trek,'" noted the article, it will work with existing radars, requiring no expensive new equipment to decipher.

 

 

I was amazed at the diversity of the items listed. Everything from small scanning devices to the prevention of "friendly fire."

[Captain Jean-Luc Picard 1]

That's sooo cool!

[Indy 8]

Nobody's looking at this topic anyway, so I can go crazy, right? Anyway, after I posted this topic this morning, my husband brought home the Technology section of the SF Chronicle. I am AMAZED at this series of articles. There is one on medical technology, one covering communications and one covering technologies in Star Trek that have yet to be developed, such as beaming and warp drive. There is a section on "Techies who are Trekkies," which talks about Steve Perlman (WebTV founder), Steve Wozniak (Apple co-founder) and Rob Haitani (PalmOne designer), all of whom are Trekkies. I mean these guys are citing individual episodes and events. This is amazing!! I haven't even read everything yet.

 

So I scanned in the top part of the article so you can get an idea of how extensive it is. This is by no means the whole thing, it wouldn't fit in my scanner, lol. My recommendation: If you can somehow get a copy of this paper, DO SO!!

 

Click for Spoiler:

[Mike 5]

That is just so cool Indy! Wish I could see the whole thing..Just how can I get a copy of that? Oh well..That's the breaks..The top part of the story looked great anyway..

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Heres a link to the article online

 

SF gate

[Indy 8]

I've been playing with my scanner again, lol:

 

Click for Spoiler:

 

 

And here's a link to the article on medical technology: Trek Tech

Edited March 16, 2004 by Indy

[Mike 5]

That's neat Indy. Last night I read the entire article thru that link that TUH provided..Very, very interesting.. I enjoyed it..Thanks for sharing it..

[WEAREBORG4102 0]

Interesting but the Borg are not kilng machines... We strive for perfection.....

[stoned_vulcan 0]

admit it along the way you guys do some blood shed..

[Captain Jean-Luc Picard 1]

Interesting but the Borg are not kilng machines... We strive for perfection.....

What does that have to do with the discussion? I'm confused... :blink:

[Indy 8]

[Captain Jean-Luc Picard 1]

[Teal'c]Indeed.[/Teal'c]

 

Oh, and Indy... :blink:

[Xeroc 0]

Interesting, trek really has spawned a lot of new technology.

 

 

Also, this topic is going nowhere fast, I think we should move on.