Most Useful Trek Tech in Real Life

[DarthTimon]

Basically, what does the board think would be the most useful element of Trek tech, if we could have it now?

Personally, I am somewhat torn between replicators and transporters. On the one hand, I have family in Australia, and having once done the near-24 flight, I am not sure I can do that again, unless by some financial miracle I could fly first class (which this mere mortal will never be able to afford). Even over short distances the transporter would be fantastic. My family and I could instantly get home from the supermarket, or even have our shopping beamed to our house! It would make the school run so much simpler. It would also greatly improve global trade, and render expensive, energy-hungry, pollution-heavy cargo flights/shipping.

On the other hand, the replicator would also do wonders. They can produce food, clothing, and other essentials. They could, if our political leaders were so inclined, end world hunger, and on an industrial scale, produce cars, trucks, perhaps even homes.

What I do wonder is whether these technologies would be repressed, or somehow retooled to serve our money-hungry politicians and business magnates, but perhaps that's best served for a different topic.

Finally, the holodeck. Now, teenage me would have loved a holodeck for a whole host of reasons, but adult me would wander the plains of Hyrule, or perhaps recreate some epic Star Wars battles

What does the board think, and what of tech other than what I listed?

 

[Poldon]

Replicators seem like the most civilization-altering tech. Although I imagine that the amount of energy they would take to operate might limit how useful they are. Such massive increases in electrical demand could make replicator use extremely limited. Still game changing, but not on the scale some might think. Society wouldn't suddenly become post-scarcity because the energy demands would likely be higher than the current system could provide. Energy-scarcity already causes problems.

Still, I'd vote for replicators.

 

[TechnoGoose]

Replicators seem like the most civilization-altering tech. Although I imagine that the amount of energy they would take to operate might limit how useful they are. Such massive increases in electrical demand could make replicator use extremely limited. Still game changing, but not on the scale some might think. Society wouldn't suddenly become post-scarcity because the energy demands would likely be higher than the current system could provide. Energy-scarcity already causes problems.

Still, I'd vote for replicators.

The energy requirements for the replicator has been something that's been living rent free in my head for a long time now. Perhaps nuclear energy would be the way to go for this one.

 

[Kamen Rider Blade]

If you follow what the TNG manual says about replicators, you feed in base raw material and it assembles it into the object you want.

So you're not making raw matter from pure energy or transmuting one element into another.
That's WAY too energy intensive and isn't used in that fashion due to energy requirements.

It's more like complicated atomic/molecular assembly with the Replicator.

So the energy requirements wouldn't be nearly as high as you would think.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Replicators would wipe out world hunger (lol, the rich would hoard it and nothing would change), and solve any and all scarcity issues. Without doubt, replicators.