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

"In 1970 I found little difficulty staying 30 years ahead of the man in the street, and now I find it difficult to stay 18 months ahead of the man on the street."
- Vernor Vinge

Automated Laboratory  
  A fully automated machinery of invention.  

I don't know of an earlier reference to an "automated laboratory".

I am the only man on the planet who has any regular contact with Olono. I supply him with some of the things he has not the time to make for himself. You know he has the largest automatic laboratory outside of those on Earth? Yes, he has. Do you know anything of him — of the man? ”

“ No.”

“ He is very old — close on 500 years. He remembers the Last Wars..."

...

OLONO SHAEVIS’s VAST network of laboratories impressed Clovis Marca. He had visited similar places on Earth but none so spectacular, none designed not simply for function but also for beauty. The complex underground building — built, he remembered, by the efforts of one man — was, in fact, a palace of incredible beauty. There were chambers in it which far outweighed the old cathedrals of Earth in their ability to transport the mind into realms other than the physical. They moved Clovis Marca deeply and he felt that no-one capable of creating such superb architecture could be evil.

Technovelgy from The Shores of Death, by Michael Moorcock.
Published by New Worlds in 1964
Additional resources -

Compare to the fully automated specimen track from Darwin's Children (2003) by Greg Bear.

Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |

Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from The Shores of Death
  More Ideas and Technology by Michael Moorcock
  Tech news articles related to The Shores of Death
  Tech news articles related to works by Michael Moorcock

Automated Laboratory-related news articles:
  - A-Lab The Autonomous Lab At Berkeley

Articles related to Robotics
Atlas Robot Makes Uncomfortable Movements
Humanoid Robots Tickle The Ivories
Golf Ball Test Robot Wears Them Out
PaXini Supersensitive Robot Fingers

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>

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

 

 

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

Science Fiction in the News

The New Habitable Zones Include Asimov's Ribbon Worlds
'...there's a narrow belt where the climate is moderate.'

Can One Robot Do Many Tasks?
'... with the Master-operator all you have to do is push one! A remarkable achievement!'

Atlas Robot Makes Uncomfortable Movements
'Not like me. A T-1000, advanced prototype. A mimetic poly-alloy. Liquid metal.'

Boring Company Drills Asimov's Single Vehicle Tunnels
'It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'

Humanoid Robots Tickle The Ivories
'The massive feet working the pedals, arms and hands flashing and glinting...'

A Remarkable Coincidence
'There is a philosophical problem of some difficulty here...'

Cortex 1 - Today A Warehouse, Tomorrow A Calculator Planet
'There were cubic miles of it, and it glistened like a silvery Christmas tree...'

Perching Ambush Drones
'On the chest of drawers something was perched.'

Leader-Follower Autonomous Vehicle Technology
'Jason had been guiding the caravan of cars as usual...'

Golf Ball Test Robot Wears Them Out
"The robot solemnly hit a ball against the wall, picked it up and teed it, hit it again, over and again...'

More SF in the News

More Beyond Technovelgy

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

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.