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"Cyberspace is a metaphor that allows us to grasp this place where since about the time of the second world war we've increasingly done so many of the things that we think of as civilization."
- William Gibson
 |
| Autoporter | ||
| A device that carries your bag for you at airports. |
Another great thing - that I can't get.
| ...he nabbed an autoporter and - after consulting the illuminated fee table on its flank - credded the minimum: $35 for an hour's service... From now until his credit expired the machine would carry his bag in its soft plastic jaws and follow him as faithfully as a well-trained hound, which indeed it resembled, down to the whimper it was programmed to utter at the 55-minute mark, and the howl at 58. At 60 it would drop the bag and slink away. |
| From The Shockwave Rider,
by John Brunner. Published by Harper and Row in 1975 Additional resources -
|
This is a much better option than those rental luggage carriers, since you don't need to push it. Besides, the canine reference brings with it a welcome sense of loyal service (what you would expect from your dog).
Compare to the televox robot porter from On Board the Martian Liner (1931) by Miles J. Breuer and to Luggage (with legs) from The Color of Magic (1983) by Terry Pratchett.
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Shockwave Rider
More Ideas
and Technology by John Brunner
Tech news articles related to The Shockwave Rider
Tech news articles related to works by John Brunner
Autoporter-related
news articles:
- TMSUK Robot Carries Your Bags
- Porter 'Robots' For Baggage, If Not People
- Russian Robot Suitcase
- RoboPorter Carries Your Baggage, Guides You
- Live Luggage Ready To Roll
- Shadow Caddy Robot Is Golfer's Dream Bot
- Dog Wan Robot Available For Lease
- Robotic Wheelchair Autonomously Follows Walking Companion
- The Robotic Shopping Cart Of The Future
- Budgee Robot Carries Your Bags
- Oh, Just Let Robots Run Airports
- Robotic Suitcase Follows You
- Walmart Shopping Cart Robots Will Follow You
- You Can't Lose The Travelmate Autonomous Suitcase - It Follows You
- Piaggio Gita Personal Robot Porter
- Soon, Your Tesla Will Follow You Like A Pet
- Updated Piaggio Gita Personal Robot Porter
| Google's Cartographer Backpack For Indoor Mapping |
| Live Luggage Ready To Roll |
| Porter 'Robots' For Baggage, If Not People |
| Tweel - (Almost) A Smart Wheel |
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'... the two pairs of waldoes in the screen followed in exact, simultaneous parallelism.'
