Russia Plans to Develop a Quantum Teleporter Within 20 Years

While it probably wouldn’t have to do with Star Trek’s 70th anniversary, researchers that are part of a state-backed strategic development program in Russia say they plan to develop a quantum-based teleportation device within the next 20 years.

While such a miraculous device might sound like it’s a long way from being developed, Russian tech-sector investor Alexander Galitsky points to recent breakthroughs in quantum teleportation that hint that what is being done at the molecular level might one day be applied to the macroscopic. "It sounds fantastical today, but there have been successful experiments at Stanford at the molecular level. Much of the tech we have today was drawn from science fiction films 20 years ago."

Researchers at the Netherlands’ Delft University of Technology made a breakthrough in 2014, when they teleported information encoded into subatomic particles over the space of 3 meters (10 feet) with 100 percent reliability. While this was done in the context of a quantum computer, everything in the universe is made up of quantum information.

The program, called the National Technological Initiative, is a $2.1 trillion plan funded by the Russian government, tasked with developing technologies within the cybernetics market, including the development of a Russian programming language, quantum computing, neural interfaces, and cyber security.