This is not a joke. NASA intends to try generating a real warp field in the near future. Apparently they think 500kg of "exotic matter" (what?) can create a warp bubble 10 metres (32') across, capable of moving its contents at 10xC. http://m.gizmodo.com/5942634/nasa-starts-development-of-real-life-star-trek-warp-drive
Re: ST predicted mobile phones...ipads...transparent alu... WARP DRIVE "Exotic" forms of matter can be created by supercooling matter to near abolsute zero, it's still technically the matter we're used to/made of, simply acting very differently at such cold temperatures. They don't quite mean new forms of matter or new particles. It's just very hard to create those conditions especially in something rather small like a test craft.
Re: ST predicted mobile phones...ipads...transparent alu... WARP DRIVE I believe that by exotic particles they don't mean particles that are rarely encountered. They mean particles that have physical properties that have never been observed or even predicted by theory. I think we'll have a tough time looking for some of these. Anyway, the energy requirements are the least of the warp drive problems. We need to solve the time travel problem first. Until we have, we can as well try to use a perpetuum mobile device to get the energy – it's not as impossible in comparison. Breaking the second law of thermodynamics seems to be an easier target than breaking causality, because it has less implications. And a more important target, because if we don't break it we're fucked.
Re: ST predicted mobile phones...ipads...transparent alu... WARP DRIVE Well best of luck to them. Perhaps with a working prototype the aliens will finally initiate first contact.