Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"...being predictive, being right about the future, is not the point of any given story or novel. The point is about exploring as wide a range of possibilities as possible."
- Peter Watts
 |
| Exoskeleton | ||
| Fighting suit |
The exoskeleton fighting suit is, of course, a popular item of technovelgy. I think the first reference I can find is in Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein (see powered suit).
| The Lieutenant Colonel was extremely dead. He'd come down from the heavens in his full NAFTA military power-armor, a leaping, brick-busting, lightning-spewing exoskeleton, all acronyms and input jacks. It was powerful, elaborate gear, of an entirely different order than the gooey and fibrous street tech of the two urban intrusion freaks.
But the high-impact crash had not been kind to the armored suit. It had been crueler still to the bone, blood, and tendon housed inside. |
| Technovelgy from A Good Old-Fashioned Future,
by Bruce Sterling. Published by Random House in 1999 Additional resources -
|
Of course, an exoskeleton can only do so much. Exoskeleton just means that the skeleton, the bony support for the soft parts of the body, is on the outside, where it can do double duty as armor (as well as support).
See the longer discussion for polycarbon exo, from Mona Lisa Overdrive, by William Gibson.
Take a look at this very nicely done anime treatment of exoskeletons. Be warned - you'll want to go fire up your exo right after watching it.
Thanks to Chris Johnston for finding this video.
See also this Sarcos XOS exoskeleton video for a look at a real-life exoskeleton under development.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 11 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from A Good Old-Fashioned Future
More Ideas
and Technology by Bruce Sterling
Tech news articles related to A Good Old-Fashioned Future
Tech news articles related to works by Bruce Sterling
Exoskeleton-related
news articles:
- Muscle Suit Tokyo Exoskeleton Power Workout
| Liquid Body Armor For TALOS Exoskeleton |
| DIY Taser-Proof Clothing |
| Look Great In Your Garrison Bespoke Bulletproof Suit |
| Bionic Body Armor Makes You Dodge Bullets |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'...a hemispherical force field enclosing his head.'
'Then he became aware of a gentle pressure pushing him away from the ship.'
'And now they wre busily transforming all their companions, and so on, and so on...'
'Why, a clockwork dancer, or, better still, one that would go by electricity and never run down...'
'Maybe the individual intelligence of each Cubic pools into a group intelligence...'
'Looks like she has bought the Avatar Construction Set and put together her own...'
'Across the ground something small and metallic came, flashing in the dull sunlight of midday.'
