10 Times Star Trek Predicted The Future
7. Replicator
Often seen as the most desirable technology in Star Trek, the replicator has been around in various forms since the early days of The Original Series, with the difference between 'real' and 'synethised' items occasionally being important in terms of the plot.
The idea for the replicator, in a certain form, originated in part from a theory put forward by the scientists Bright and Wheeler in 1934. They devised a theory of creating matter from light - something that was finally proved in 2014.
While the idea of pure replication is still some way off, 3D printing is probably the closest that modern technology has come to the idea of the replicator from Star Trek. With continuing innovation in the field, 3D printing is growing relatively cheaper, with uses in the medical field being a particular highlight. The creation of inexpensive artificial limbs has been a game changer for amputees.
In exciting news, as recent as 2019, Cemvita Factory Inc. is also developing a photobioreactor that converts carbon dioxide that's captured from air along with hydrogen from hydrolyzing water to nutrients and pharmaceutics.