‘Star Trek’ Technology That You Thought Would Never Exist, But It Does Today

Replicators

The replicator serves a variety of tasks and purposes in the Star Trek universe, with some appearing to be more prominent than others. Captain Jean-Luc Picard, for example, routinely orders a cup of “Tea, Earl Grey, Hot” from the machine, which is then prepared from the ship’s stocks.

3D printers, which create 3D objects from a computer-aided design model, are now available as real-world replicators. While they may not be able to make the perfect cup of coffee, these machines have a variety of practical methods for producing complicated products.