Larry Niven:
Science Fiction Technology and Ideas
Larry Niven was born in California in 1938; he earned a BA in mathematics from Washburn University, Kansas. His first sf story The Coldest Place was published in 1964. He has won four short-fiction Hugos; he won both the Hugo and Nebula award in 1971 for Ringworld. He is also known for his Tales of Known Space.

Niven is a frequent collaborator; see his other contributions under Niven w/J. Pournelle, Niven w/EM Lerner, Niven w/S. Barnes, Niven w/Pournell, Flynn and Niven w/GC Johnson.

Invention/Technology Source Work (Publication Date)

Airmaker - breathe it
A device that creates a specific breathable mix directly from the atmosphere.

Ringworld (1970)

Architectural Coral - build to any shape
A structure grown to a specific shape using small coral-like organisms.

A Gift From Earth (1968)

Artificially Grown Organs
Human organs suitable for transplantation, grown outside the body.

A Gift From Earth (1968)

Autodoc - automated medical device
An automated physician, a fully autonomous surgical robot.

World of Ptavvs (1965)

Bat Wings - enable personal flight
The dream of human-powered winged flight becomes a reality - in low gravity, of course.

Limits (1985)

Belter
A person who was born and raised in the asteroid belt around Sol.

The Warriors (1966)

Beta Beam Satellite

Limits (1985)

Big Push - miles long slingshot
A linear accelerator built on a long track; a mass driver.

Limits (1985)

Biological Package Probe - automaton Johnny Appleseed

A World Out of Time (1976)

Boob Cube - 3D TV is no better
Device for showing three-dimensional news broadcasts.

The Best of all Possible Wars (1998)

Boosterspice - anti geriatric drug
A substance that extends human life almost indefinitely.

Ringworld Engineers (1980)

Bubble Car - does it come in moiré?
Self-steering, hovering, this is the car of the future.

A World Out of Time (1976)

Bubbleworld
A rigid space station that is shaped like a cylinder, rotated to achieve centripetal gravity.

At the Bottom of a Hole (1966)

Bussard Ramjet - hydrogen ramscoop
Propulsion method that scoops hydrogen atoms from space via electromagnetic fields.

A World Out of Time (1976)

Chirpsithra Supercomputer - build your own
An alien race thoughtfully provides mankind with blueprints for the most intelligent computer ever made.

Niven's Laws (1984)

Confinement Asteroid
A place where asteroid miner's babies stay to experience some needed gravity.

At the Bottom of a Hole (1966)

Copseyes - a surveillance drone
A small floating "eye-in-the-sky" surveillance drone used by police in an extensive park.

Cloak of Anarchy (1972)

Crash Balloons
Inflatable bags that would both cushion and hold a flycycle driver in the event of a crash.

Ringworld (1970)

Crash Web
A simple mechanical linkage to activate a crash field.

Crashlander (1994)

Deep-Radar
Device to image within large objects, even within mountains.

Ringworld Engineers (1980)

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