Dictionary of Travel Terms in Science Fiction
(Technovelgy items at top: skip down to News)

Name

Author (Publication Date)

Alderson Point - a wormhole to the stars
One end of a tramline, a path between stars that can be traversed using a hyperdrive engine.

Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1974)
Automatic Hotel (Hotel Hendrix) - the hotel is your host
A fully automated hotel; complete services provided from check-in to check-out.

Richard Morgan (2003)
Autoporter - personal baggage handler
A device that carries your bag for you at airports.

John Brunner (1975)
Canola Oil - a cob in your tank
Vegetable oil refined for use as fuel

William Gibson (1993)
Cartograph - a GPS-like trip readout
A device that shows you a record of your travels - a GPS readout.

Jack Williamson (1936)
Orbital Terminus - airport in orbit
An airport in space; a terminal for low earth orbit flights.

William Gibson (1986)
Paracompass - detects local magnetic anomalies
A very specialized compass that makes use of local magnetic anomalies.

Frank Herbert (1965)
Planck Juice - pre-quark beverage
A continuous pre-quark force-medium with no distinguishing characteristics (it's mostly gluons)

Rudy Rucker (1984)
Sandcrawler - Jawa condo
A very large mobile home, used by jawas on the deserts of Tatooine.

George Lucas (1976)
Spindizzy - pick up your town and go
A device that made use of a relationship between electron spin, electromagnetism and gravity allowed any object to leave the Earth's surface.

James Blish (1957)
Time Machine - the original
A device allowing the rider to move freely in the temporal dimension, just as we ordinarily do in the two physical dimensions normal to gravity.

H.G. Wells (1895)

Related Science Fiction in the News

Google's Cartographer Backpack For Indoor Mapping
'He reached to unsnap the cartograph from his belt.'- Jack Williamson, 1931.
(re: Jack Williamson, 9/7/2014 )
Live Luggage Ready To Roll
Nowadays, the airlines will probably charge extra for luggage that can move itself.
(re: John Brunner, 6/24/2008 )
Porter 'Robots' For Baggage, If Not People
Anybody who is working on an automated solution to me carrying my bags through the airport gets an A for effort from me.
(re: John Brunner, 4/30/2006 )
Tweel - (Almost) A Smart Wheel
Michelin is introducing the Tweel - a combination of wheel and tire that could offer a number of benefits to owners of wheeled vehicles. Unlike most Michelin tires sold in the past century, the Tweel is unique - it does not use air to cushion the rid
(re: Neal Stephenson, 1/12/2005 )
Water Taxi Himiko and the Nautilus: Separated at Birth?
Anime artist Leiji Matsumoto designed a 114-ton Japanese water taxi to "appeal to the younger generation."
(re: Jules Verne, 3/22/2004 )
Paraglider To Fly From Greece to Egypt
An Austrian extreme sports enthusiast hopes to take a world's record for his planned flight from Kalamata, Greece to Alexandria, Egypt.
(re: Larry Niven, 12/5/2003 )

 

 

 

 

 

Categories:
Armor
Artificial Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Output Devices
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work

 

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.