Comments on: A Star Trek ‘tractor’ beam for microscopic objects

By: Ralph Dratman

Ralph Dratman — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 04:41:54 +0000

No, Star Trek is serious and completely scientific.

By: Spotted Marley

Spotted Marley — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:35:48 +0000

haha, havent you ever watched? EVERYTHING is quantum on star trek!

By: Bucephalos

Bucephalos — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:25:02 +0000

What does positron have to do with intelligence?
Is it some sort of quantum computer?
Yeah, I know that taking Star Trek too seriously is preposterous, but they should give it a better name.

By: Spotted Marley

Spotted Marley — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 21:15:40 +0000

Data mentions in several episodes that his positronic brain is so highly complex that even he could not replicate it and, in fact, his one attempt at doing so resulted in the creation of his daughter, Lull, who only lived a short time before her positronic brain crashed. His father, Dr Noonian Soong, took the secret of Data’s brain to his grave. Not even Geordi Laforge can build one.

By: cameronarndt

cameronarndt — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 17:25:37 +0000

I wonder what the limiting factors are currently for scaling this effect to larger applications, and what the theoretical maximums are?

By: Bucephalos

Bucephalos — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 15:06:19 +0000

I remember that in Star Trek they have artificial gravity, which is produced by the (fictional) gravtion emitting pad (enbedded in the floor).
If they have graviton emission technology, why do they just use that in place of tractor beams? (The whole Star Trek show is filled with other equally rediculous wasteful use of technology. If they Data-grade robot, why don’t they just mass-produce it to do the exploration and fighting(which sometimes results in casualty in the TV show) for themselves?)
But anyways, great discovery.
BTW, I remember that on a Wikipedia page on gravity, they say that is thought by some scientist that gavity may not be a fundamental force.
Could this new discovery help us understand gravity better? And even allow manipulation of gravity?
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravity#Historical_alternative_theories