In yet another attempt to distract myself from the ever present sci-fi reality of COVID-19, I have decided that this week I want to talk about the imagined modes of transportation seen in Sci-Fi.

Teleportation is my favorite imagined means of transportation. In most sci-fi, ie. Star Trek, teleportation is basically breaking down an object to its atomic level, moving it to another location at that size, and then building it back up on the other side. Here is Star Trek providing the perfect imagined visual example of the characters being atomized for teleporting.

http://numrush.com/2013/09/19/quantum-teleportation-one-step-closer-star-trek/

In an interesting article written by defense contractor, Northrup Grumman, they attempt to explain how teleportation is a reality today. With my very limited knowledge in quantum physics, it seems like scientists have been able to send photons or other quantum sized particles across incredible distances almost instantly. This has big implications to today’s society, not necessarily in the transportation of humans but could be key to the use of quantum computers and even cybersecurity for the future. See this link, for a cool and better explained reading of how quantum teleportation works.

Teleportation is just one of many imagined forms of transportation in the sci-fi universe, however, the possibility of humans being able to move through space and time within fractions of a second is a proposition that I would love to see come to reality. Especially when boarding an airplane these days seems like a death defying act.