Star Trek tech we use today (almost)

For the past four decades, Star Trek has been influencing and predicting new gadgets and technologies. How close are we to Trek-inspired phasers, tricorders, and invisibility cloaks?

Star Trek: Phaser vs. Today: Military PHASR



Star Trek phasers could direct energy in a concentrated beam possessing an impressive range of destructive powers. A handheld phaser could easily stun or vaporize a person, while a Starship-mounted model could wipe out a good-size asteroid. And from the look of it, the handheld device would also serve capably for mounting drywall or performing emergency dental work.

While today’s military is still shooting bullets, it is also testing a laser weapon called the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response (PHASR) rifle. A low-intensity laser designed to blind enemy combatants temporarily, PHASR is still in a developmental stage; the Pentagon has not indicated when (if ever) it will see combat--nor whether there might be a shark component involved.

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