How soon until we get to a Star Trek reality?
- Thread starter Secure Da Bag
- Start date
No tricorders though
i think we'll see an early version within 10 years. the sensors won't be a broad as depicted in the media but the components of a portable device that can analyze data basically exists. as on-device Large Language Models improve either it or it's successor will be used to analyze data and help with solutions.
A.I generated list:
- Environmental Sensors
- Temperature Sensors: Highly accurate; future improvements could include multi-point temperature sensing.
- Humidity Sensors: Similar to temperature sensors; advancements might focus on higher accuracy or faster response times.
- Air Quality Sensors: Measure particulate matter (PM), NO2, CO2; future versions could detect a broader range of pollutants or have higher sensitivity.
- Health Sensors
- Heart Rate Monitors: Optical heart rate monitoring is common; future improvements might include more accurate readings under various conditions (e.g., during exercise).
- Blood Oxygen Level Monitors: Already integrated into some wearables; advancements could improve accuracy or add additional health metrics like blood pressure monitoring.
- ECG Sensors: Currently used in smartwatches; future versions might offer more detailed cardiac health insights.
- Chemical Sensors
- Gas Detectors: Can detect specific gases like CO, H2S; future improvements could expand the range of detectable gases or enhance sensitivity.
- pH Sensors: Used in medical and environmental applications; advancements might focus on miniaturization and increased accuracy.
- Other Sensors
- Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs): Combine accelerometers, gyroscopes, and sometimes magnetometers to measure movement and orientation; future versions could be more precise or energy-efficient.
- Spectroscopic Sensors: Use light to analyze materials; advancements might enable handheld devices to perform spectroscopy tasks currently limited to lab equipment.
Not interchangeable in any meaningful way like that. There's no realistic thought even in scifi for converting that wouldn't run into gargantuan 2nd Law of Thermo problems, quantum problems, etc.
I do like the short story I read once that suggested teleporters were simply executing the sent person each time and fabricating a new person with the same current body and brain state (including memories) on the other side. Pretty damn dark.
Spaceship thruster technology fueled by any type of metal could fly 'indefinitely'
A revolutionary metal-fueled thruster could make limitless space travel possible, breaking all known boundaries.www.earth.com
09-30-2024
Spaceship thruster technology fueled by any type of metal could fly 'indefinitely'
By Eric Ralls
Earth.com staff writer
“Space, the final frontier,” is a sentiment that has been echoed for generations, ever since we first set our sights on exploring the universe. With the help of the scientists at the University of Southampton, a new technology that uses metal-fueled thrusters could take spacecraft further than we’ve ever imagined.
The research team is currently putting this new rocket propulsion system through rigorous trials, developing a thruster fueled by metals that promises to push the boundaries of human exploration.
Metal fueled journey among stars
This innovative propulsion system boasts the power to propel spacecraft using any type of metal as a fuel source. Hard to believe, yet completely true.
The ramifications are fascinating. If a spacecraft is fitted with this kind of system, theoretically, it could fly without pause.
How? By simply refueling from the abundance of minerals that are just waiting to be harvested from asteroids or distant moons.
Mining metals for fuel in space
Asteroids and moons are packed with valuable metals and minerals that we could use on Earth or for space exploration.
These cosmic bodies are home to precious metals like platinum, gold, and silver, which are rare and expensive to mine here on our planet.
Platinum group metals are especially in demand because they’re used in electronics, catalysts, and even renewable energy tech.
Plus, many asteroids have plenty of iron and nickel, opening up possibilities for large-scale space manufacturing and construction.
The presence of silicate minerals like olivine and pyroxene in these space rocks could also come in handy for fueling spacecraft that use this new propulsion system.
Metal-fueled space travel
Dr. Minkwan Kim from the University of Southampton, the lead scientist on the project, is in charge of testing the propulsion system in the lab, calculating its thrust.
His sights are set on the farthest regions of space, ones we previously thought were unreachable. The limitations of traditional fuel are no small hurdle.
“Spacecraft have limited amounts of fuel because of the enormous cost and energy it takes to launch them into space. But these new thrusters are capable of being powered by any metal that can burn, such as iron, aluminum or copper,” Dr. Kim explained.
New space odyssey
Imagine a future where spacecraft can land on a moon or comet, rich in these burnable metals, and extract what they need to refuel.
It’s a vision that can rewrite our understanding of space, tearing down frontiers and expanding our knowledge of the universe.
At present, once spacecraft are launched and get past Earth’s atmosphere, they are mostly powered by rare gas phase fuels like krypton or xenon. One example of spacecraft using these types of fuels are the Starlink satellites.
The scientists are collaborating with British space firm Magdrive on the development of this game-changing propulsion system, dubbed the Super Magdrive.
It’s an exciting step forward, and one that promises to have far-reaching effects.
Beyond metal fueled thruster
Dr. Kim, whose commendable career includes the creation of a plasma thruster design for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is on an ambitious mission.
He envisions this technology being utilized for future deep-space missions, quite possibly revolutionizing our approach towards space exploration.
“This system,” Dr. Kim mentioned, “could help us explore new planets, seek out new life, and go where no human has gone before — enabling never-ending discovery.”
This might be the beginning of a new era of exploration, marking a shift in the way we aim to understand our universe, and maybe even our place in it.
The possibilities this revolutionary propulsion system presents are limitless. A future where space travel isn’t restricted by the limited availability of fuel.
Science fiction vs reality
Science fiction has long imagined a future where humanity explores the stars using advanced technologies.
At the University of Southampton, projects like the Super Magdrive system are making this vision a possible reality.
Science fiction greatly influences scientific progress, inspiring scientists and engineers to dream big and explore new possibilities.
As we approach this new era of space exploration, society should embrace the challenges and opportunities it brings, bringing us closer to our greatest interstellar adventures.
Could a metal fueled thruster be the next big leap in our space odyssey? As we strap in and set our sights on a future filled with celestial possibilities, all we can do is wait and see.
Look at this distances though. Even with this tech you're still talking hundreds of years to get anywhere and tens of thousands of years or more to get anywhere interesting. The humans going on the ships wouldn't even reach their destination.
I'm not sure what laser guns would change, they'd be inferior to modern weapons in almost all circumstances.
We're never getting a warp drive or a teleporter.
I can't imagine how a holodeck would work, but I'm not going to rule out some super creative technology to make it happen one day.
Replicator is an interesting thought. I mean, we already have 3D printers that can work with a lot of different materials. I wonder if getting to a poor man's replicator (perhaps quite limited in what it can produce) will be more of a gradual process than any single particular enormous breakthrough.
Wargames
One Of The Last Real Ones To Do It
A laser gun that incinerates the person or object it touches to dust would basically make whoever made it the a military juggernaut unless nukes got involved and honestly it might be deadlier because it’s a handheld weapon.
I personally don’t want to say nothing is impossible because look at the development of science in the last 200 years. The things we take for granted are beyond the wildest imagination in 1824. To put it in perspective in 1824 they created cement and toy balloons.
Secure Da Bag
Veteran
Didn't the Romans create cement? I'm pretty sure they did.
Wargames
One Of The Last Real Ones To Do It
They did and it was lost for thousands of years…..
The amount of energy required for a handheld light-based device to have any meaningful impact on opponents would be obscene. You'd have to carry a humoungus battery with you just to hold the charge for a single shot, and I have no idea how the hell you'd charge it between shots. Plus your range would suck because light disappates as it encounters things in the air, so clouds, smoke, dust, etc. would all negatively impact your range and power.
And the idea that the object it touches would turn to "dust" is just a silly addon. Lasers are just light, there's no way to specially change that light to make an object turn to dust. In real life, how would you even define an "object"? Why does the person turn to dust and not the wall they're touching? A true laser gun would burn a hole in the target, and outside of seriously insane energy levels, we already deliver bullets that put holes in objects much easier.
That's an illegitimate comparison because science was barely even getting started two hundred years ago. The idea of a broad community experimentally testing the laws of nature and creating a sound framework based on the results really only built up in any meaningful way during the 1700s and early 1800s. By the mid-1900s, most basic fields of science had begun to mature. In terms of understanding the limits of science, we really haven't advanced much at all in the last 50 years. Most of our tech advances since then are basically better engineering and manipulation of the laws we already knew than the discovery of any new principles.
Wargames
One Of The Last Real Ones To Do It
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. - Arthur C. Clarke
200 years from now they’ll likely be able to look back on science advances and be able to say “That's an illegitimate comparison because science was barely even getting started two hundred years ago. “
Except that there's no evidence that science works that way. Clarke said that over 50 years ago, and since he said that, have there been ANY scientific advances that would have surprised the scientists of the 1960s and 1970s? I'm not talking about technological advances, I'm talking about any chances in our understanding of the actual physical laws. What have we discovered in physics in the last 50 years that violated anything we had considered certain before 1974?
Wargames
One Of The Last Real Ones To Do It
Yeah but that is 50 years…. Your are talking 250 years, 200 of which are in the future. There is just no way to know what those scientific advances could lead too.
But there is a way to know. It's called studying and doing science. You can learn the field, understand what is known and how it is known, study the equations and principles, and then make an informed decision regarding where the bounds are on where it may or may not lead. You can't just replace the developed findings of the field with wish fulfillment.
Wargames
One Of The Last Real Ones To Do It
We will be dust in 200 years. We have no idea what they will be capable of by then.