teleportation, approximately

Before a technology is invented, it seems fanciful, even ridiculous, to believe that it could be achieved. Flight, radio, man walking on the moon. After its invention those who doubted it seem quaint and lacking in imagination. The breakthrough joins the realm of the known, the understood, and in some cases (such as television) the banal.
It is unlikely, but perhaps such a future awaits teleportation? The crew of the starship Enterprise travelled from spaceship to planets and back again via this very convenient mode of transportation.
Humans cannot be teleported, but thanks to a team of researchers in Germany, small objects can, at least over small distances. Glenn Reynolds has said that teleportation would disrupt our concept of nationhood, which relies on the idea of "in here" and "out there". He also notes that airline travel is already achieving this. Indeed, air travel is a rough approximation to teleportation.