Infographic: 7 Most Inventive Technologies of Star Trek

The television series Star Trek premiered in 1966, and over the 54 year since, the program has transformed from a talky adventure show where men dodged Styrofoam boulders to a cultural touchstone beloved by millions of people. One popular aspect of the series has been its technology. The writers for the show were not scientists or engineers, and they “invented” futuristic technologies to further plots (or escape from narrative dead-ends). Even so, some of the innovations predicted on Star Trek have been reproduced in real life.

Here are 7 of the most inventive technologies created by Star Trek.