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by Tondoteottotote on February 8th, 2005

Tondoteottotote

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How feasible is inventing a teleporter? What impact might it have on the world economy when we're able to teleport people and cargo?

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  • by zeropointburn on April 23rd, 2005

    zeropointburn

    The basic foundation for this technology is proven. Using quantum entanglement, teams from at least two research institutions have teleported a laser beam. It's not quite matter teleportation, but it's a big step. Right now, it's more a case of scaling up the process, and the processing power available, in order to handle the vastly greater complexity of matter. See:
    http://photonics.anu.edu.au/qoptics/Misc/media.html
    http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~qoptics/teleport.html
    These well-informed individuals consider quantum computing to be the best application of transporter technology. With that tremendous boost to processing power, the rate of discovery within computationally intensive fields will increase accordingly. This will be the first, and most important, impact made by transporter technology.

    Teleportation will have exactly as much impact as governments allow. The energy requirements for transmitting cargo will be very significant. Initially, this will be used only for extremely time-critical or dangerous materials. For instance, how does one intercept a shipment of plutonium that never leaves a secure facility? Secondly, who will pay a million dollars for a fresh, teleported orange when they could go out and buy one for a dollar, or have it delivered conventionally for a few more?
    Let's take a look at the short-term issues affecting practical matter teleportation. Given that this technology requires a transmitter and a reciever, one can only choose a destination that is properly equipped. Given that the computational requirements are almost inconceivably vast, only places that have a significant demand and can support the infrastructure will even consider employing it. Given the ambiguities regarding living subjects, it is unlikely that people will use teleportation for routine travel, if they use it at all. Given that the only likely candidates for installations are governments, control over what is sent and how much it costs will be far more tightly controlled than any other form of commerce.
    Any or all of these statements may change if the problems causing each are solved. Perhaps we really will all have personal teleporters, but it won't be in the lives of us, our grandchildren, or perhaps even their grandchildren. Perhaps a way will be devised to 'beam' something to anywhere. Perhaps illicit transfers will become commonplace, but only when the technology and resources are widely available.
    There will be a 'technology lag' amongst those nations unable to support teleportation infrastructure. For reasons already discussed, this will not significantly impact their economies. By the time teleportation becomes commonplace, it will be cheap enough for any institution allowed to purchase it.

    To sum up, the economic impact will only be negative if we allow it to be. Standard forms of transportation will not become obsolete. Jobs will be created. Tax income will increase. The world social order will not collapse. Any change will be subtle and gradual at first, and easily controllable afterwards.

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