When will a real star trek replicator exist?

Answer 1

Probably never. To produce a plate of food out of its constituent atoms, a replicator would have to grab individual atoms from a reserve, stick them together to form molecules, and place the molecules in the correct location, and keep them from reacting with each other while it made the rest of the molecules.

Then it would have to repeat this about 10^24 times. The amount of energy to micromanage this process would be absurdly large, and quantum uncertainty effects would be against you.

Answer 2

Unlikely, for two reasons at least.

First, we are *so* far away from any such technology that it seems fairly inconceivable that it could ever be possible.

Second, any such mechanism would open up enormous philosophical problems. Suppose the replicator made 3 copies of you. Which one (if any) would be *you* ? Once the three copies were made, would you be happy for your original to be destroyed? These are deep questions...
.

Answer 3

Uh, never? That's why it's called science FICTION.

There is a book called The Science of Star Trek, maybe that can help you.

Answer 4

When you stop touching yourself at night.