10 Technologies In Star Trek That Exist In Real Life – Screen Rant
From computer tablets and flip phone communicators to tricorders, etc., discover the technological breakthroughs on Star Trek that exist in real life.
Be it the 1960s or 2023, society has always taken real-life inspiration from new technological gadgets introduced in science fiction movies and television. One of the leading examples includes Star Trek, which was so imaginative and endured such a long time on TV that it rightly predicted a slew of fantastic futuristic devices that have since materialized for everyday use in the real world.
While some gadgets like Holodecks have yet to come about in real life, more often than not, Star Trek introduced the world to a bevy of technological marvels that have become commonplace in the 21st century.
Nowadays, computer tablets are one of the most convenient ways for personal tech consumers to access their digital data at home or on the go. Be it the iPad, Surface Pro, Samsung Galaxy Tab, etc., the ability to use touchscreen technology with a handheld portable device makes online communication much faster, leading to greater global connectivity.
In Star Trek, the Personal Access Display Device (aka PADD) was a 22nd-century gadget used by Starfleet and other space-traveling units. The rectangular touchscreen device boasted wireless capabilities and was often used on the show to display schematics, track interstellar transmissions, play movies, audio, and recording logs. Over time, the PADDs seen on the long-running sci-fi show become smaller and more akin to modern-day smartphones than larger tablets, further predicting future tech gadgets.
In modern days, tasers and stun guns have become a much safer, more affordable, and more popular form of personal self-defense than using deadly firearms and harmful chemical sprays like Mace. Stopping potential assailants with a few volts of AC/DC has also become more common among law enforcement as a way to curb deadly police brutality (per showuslaw.com).
In Star Trek, Phasers were the most common energy-blasting weapon used by Starfleet and others. The phrase "Set Phaser to stun" was often commanded on the show, giving characters the authority to use handheld laser firearms to subdue an enemy temporarily rather than kill them. Although a man named Jack Cover invented the stun gun in real life in 1969 (per The Independent), Kirk used a Phaser rifle at least two years prior.
For many, fear of hypodermic needles is a real phobia the medical industry had to work around. As a result, a technology called Jet Injections was developed and used in the 1970s by the U.S. Army to administer mass Swine Flu vaccinations (per wikiwand.com), which uses a high-pressure liquid injection under the skin rather than a hypodermic needle.
In Star Trek, Jet Injections were essentially renamed Hypospray, with several characters like Doctor Phlox using the noninvasive medical gadget as an alternative to injecting liquid into the body. The all-time great sci-fi TV show made the technology much more popular until health concerns about the devices rose in the 1980s.
In 2023, translating one language to another can be done at the tip of a finger. With the advent of Google Translate and such technological breakthroughs as Skype's Translator (per The Guardian), not to mention language-learning apps like Babel and Duolingo, being able to translate languages is fast, easy, and highly accessible in modern times.
In Star Trek, Kirk and his crew often used small handheld devices that would instantly translate the foreign language and allow them to communicate with the various alien races they encounter on distant planets throughout the galaxy.
While apps are the preferred method, physical devices such as Pocketalk Language Translator are very similar to the tech seen on the show.
While modern-day smart fitness devices can monitor a person's heart rate, sleep patterns, daily calorie expenditure, and more, Silicon Valley continues to develop devices to monitor blood pressure, glucose levels, body temperature, and more vital health stats, with the Qualcomm Tricorder X Prize competition working on such technology since 2012. Brands like Scandou Scott have also led the way in turning the tech into a reality (per qz.com).
Of course, Tricorders were introduced on Star Trek. They were often used by Mister Spock and Doctor McCoy as a means of monitoring vital medical conditions such as oxygen levels and detecting nearby diseases. The portable sensor computer recorder was first introduced in real life in 1996 (per memory-alpha.fandom.com) and is now becoming more and more commonplace with such sleep aid devices as the Muse S Gen 2 headband, which can track brain activity, heart rates, and breathing patterns, and more.
Thanks to modern-day smart technology, everyday consumers can secure their most prized possessions and locations remotely at the press of a button. Smart home and smart car technology enable people to lock doors from afar, adjust security settings, and gain better protection in a convenient manner. Moreover, with Zoom and Skype, teleconferencing has become a common practice among business professionals as a way of staying in touch while physically apart.
In Star Trek, Telepresence was a form of immersive VR tech that allowed various fleets to see each other on a projected display screen and communicate directly with each other. In 1966, such a notion was far too futuristic to envision as an everyday reality. However, in 2008, AT&T and Cisco partnered to bring the first Telepresence System into the world, combining video, audio, and atmospheric lighting to create a fully immersive communication tool similar to the one seen on the must-watch sci-fi TV show.
Be it the Galaxy Flip 4 or Alcatel Go Flip 3, flip phones have come full circle to be extremely popular again in 2022. Before the iPhone revolutionized the mobile phone interface, flip phones were all the rage for their compact portability and easy use. Believe it or not, Motorola took direct inspiration from the foldable communicators used on the show and turned it into a popular real-life tech gadget in 1996 (per Time).
In Star Trek, the flip communicators were used by several characters as person-to-person communication tools that directly led to the creation of Motorola's StarTAC flip phone, which closely resembles the devices used on the classic sci-fi TV show. According to memory-alpha.fandom.com, the mobile phone inventor Dr. Martin Cooper credits the TOS communicator on the show as being his inspiration for coming up with the revolutionary communication tool.
Whether headphones or earbuds, the ability to listen to music without the hassle of tangling wires has become a more affordable and convenient reality in the past couple of decades. Moreover, such tech gadgets have become more lightweight, easy to wear, and far more comfortable than the clunky and cumbersome devices of the 80s and 90s.
Uhura first wore a wireless Earpiece on the long-running American TV show that allowed the communication offers to stay in contact at all times. The device closely resembles modern Bluetooth headsets and earbud technology, an unthinkable piece of tech most audiences in the 60s never would have imagined becoming a reality in the future.
With the advent of Apple's Siri in 2011, humanity drastically altered the way it interacts with technology. The voice-activated commands of Siri's advanced AI system make it possible for everyday users to find a local hospital or get directions to the closest movie theater, functions that were quite commonplace on Star Trek in the 60s and 70s (per treknews.net). Nowadays, voice-activated AI devices like Alexa have become everyday aids to rival Siri.
In Star Trek, characters like Captain Picard interacted with computerized voice-operated commands to give his crew orders. The talking computer seemed like a freaky novelty in the 60s that most never would have thought possible in reality. Sixty years later, Star Trek continues to prove how prescient the technological gadgetry was on the show and how society took deliberate cues from the show to inspire worldwide change.
Nowadays, automatic sliding doors are common ways of entering and exiting supermarkets, hospitals, hotels, and the like. According to IEEE Spectrum, sliding doors were being developed with advanced AI to rival the iconic auto-sliding doors seen on the classic sci-fi series that made the tech so inspirational in the 60s.
One of the most indelible images in Star Trek includes characters walking up to the automatic pocket doors that smoothly open on command just in time for them to pass through. Using 3D motion infrared sensors, the first automatic door was introduced in the real world in 1980 (per ISJ.com).
A Senior List Writer covering a wide array of topics who has been with Screen Rant since September of 2019, Jake Dee has written movie news and reviews since 2008, working primarily with OMG Horror (IGN), JoBlo.com, and Arrow in the Head as a freelance reporter based in Los Angeles. A hopeless cinephile, social media Luddite, certified Nic Cage doppelganger, and a big Weekend At Bernie’s fan, Jake can often be found tucked away in a dark corner watching an old horror movie. Born and raised in California, Jake has a Bachelor’s Degree in Film & Digital Media from the University of California Santa Cruz with an emphasis on theory and criticism, is the author of several “WTF Happened To This Movie” and “WTF Really Happened To This Movie” videos on YouTube, and has covered everything in the entertainment industry from set visits, studio luncheons, and red carpet interviews to wrap parties, movie premieres, private screenings, talent interviews, and more.