Will Star Trek Teleportation ever be possible?

[TheQuestionGuy14]

Will teleportation, like in Star Trek or many sci-fi movies, where people disappear with a puff of smoke, ever be possible in the real world. Will we ever be able to build something that can do this, and what would it be like?

 

[phinds]

Will teleportation, like in Star Trek or many sci-fi movies, where people disappear with a puff of smoke, ever be possible in the real world. Will we ever be able to build something that can do this, and what would it be like?

no, not according to currently understood physics.

 

[Shaquille]

No.
Teleporters come in either mass energy conversion types or wormholes.
The Star Trek teleporters are the former type, and would violate the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.
The latter, would require being able to control gravity and negative matter.

 

[Carpe Physicum]

Will teleportation, like in Star Trek or many sci-fi movies, where people disappear with a puff of smoke, ever be possible in the real world. Will we ever be able to build something that can do this, and what would it be like?

The year is 1500. Person A asks, "Will ocean travel ever get to the point where we can cross the Atlantic in less than three months?" Person B replies, "Of course not, it's physically impossible to create a sail big enough to gather the necessary amount of wind."

 

[cobalt124]

No, not for me, the teleporter would obliterate me and create a copy somewhere else.

 

[phinds]

No, not for me, the teleporter would obliterate me and create a copy somewhere else.

No, that's not how the Star Trek teleportation works. It uses magic to transport, not replicate.

 

[Grinkle]

the teleporter would obliterate me and create a copy somewhere else.

This was solved in the Dark Matter universe, where FTL travel is accomplished by sending ones DNA code FTL to the body printer that makes a copy, the copy does stuff, returns to the body printer, is dissolved and its delta-memories are put back in ones mind at FTL speeds. The copy is ok to return to the printer for being rendered into memories (as best I can figure anyway, this part is a bit weak imo) is because they know they are unstable and will dissolve in 2-3 days in any case. The aspect of the copies not feeling any sense if individual self-worth is not really examined in the series, its sort of axiomatic that they don't mind if they die.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

No, that's not how the Star Trek teleportation works. It uses magic to transport, not replicate.

As with all things Star Trek different writers treat the setting differently. When it comes to the transporter it definitively moves the same matter...until it doesn't.

 

[phinds]

As with all things Star Trek different writers treat the setting differently. When it comes to the transporter it definitively moves the same matter...until it doesn't.

Well, I stopped watching after the original series so was not aware of that. I've seen the recent movies and they do it the same way as the original series.

 

[cobalt124]

No, that's not how the Star Trek teleportation works. It uses magic to transport, not replicate.

Don't trust the magic either. Look what happened to Harry Potter because he couldn't pronounce Diagon Alley.

 

[rcgldr]

No, not for me, the teleporter would obliterate me and create a copy somewhere else.

The teleporter in the movie "The Prestige", made copies of the original, without obliteration.

 

[cobalt124]

The teleporter in the movie "The Prestige", made copies of the original, without obliteration.

That wouldn't be a problem as long as I didn't meet myself.

 

[DrStupid]

Well, I stopped watching after the original series so was not aware of that.

Kirk was also doubled by the transporter in "The Enemy Within". That wouldn't work with the same matter.