German breakthrough in teleportation can change our perception of time and space

German breakthrough in teleportation can change our perception of time and space; after researchers at the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam developed a teleporting appliance, scientists across the globe began to question the direction of our future.

German breakthrough in teleportation has great potential

“We present a simple self-contained appliance that allows relocating inanimate physical objects across distance,” said the scientists behind “Scotty.” The state-of-the-art appliance was named after the catchphrase “beam me up, Scotty,” from the iconic science fiction series, Star Trek, referencing human teleportation.

Moving further away from science fiction and into modern technology, the German scientists presented the appliance, in which “users place an object into the sender unit, enter the address of a receiver unit, and press the relocate button.” The appliance functions through 3D printing, utilising destructive scanning techniques. The scanned data is effectively sent to a 3D printer at a different location, even to a different country.

Although still in the early stages, “Scotty” is being improved to potentially serve in the production and supply chain environments. The application could be used to post objects across the world, rapidly and affordably. Moreover, as it features the destruction of the original object during teleporting, it could target the issue of intellectual property,

In industries like fashion, technology, and design, the device could be used to ensure quality of manufactured products in luxury goods or specialised craftworks.

German breakthrough in teleportation comes with concerns

Even in science fiction, teleportation has continuously raised moral debates. As thrilling as it is, changes always come with concerns and the public is not yet sure, what to expect of the new application. Questions have been raised about the potential loss of valuable artifacts or meaningful objects.

Moreover, it is useless in terms of mass production, which is often required in the modern world, and so far cannot transport large or alive objects. Teleporting your pet or your loved one, is still just a fantasy today, but we are discovering the malleable nature of time and space, which with the right control, could benefit our future.