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"We each live in a somewhat unique world of our own psychological content."
- Philip K. Dick
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| Force-Field | ||
| A barrier to objects, created by projected forces. |
The notion of a force-field is widely used in science fiction; this is the first reference I know about.
| They approached the aero fearlessly, appearing now as suits of red and white metal with crystal head-pieces above which protruded luminous green horns. As the little figures sped upward or came to rest, these correspondingly came together or diverged, showing that by interaction between them and a force field of some sort these individual flyers were propelled. Where hands would have been, on Earth, twin pivoted ray-tubes were fastened. |
| Technovelgy from A Subterranean Adventure,
by George Paul Bauer. Published by Wonder Stories in 1930 Additional resources -
|
John W. Campbell picked up on this idea in Islands of Space (1931):
Here's another very early reference, from 1931, by 'Doc Smith writing in Space Hounds of IPC:
Compare to other early ideas about projecting force, like attractive ray from Edmond Hamilton's 1928 novel Crashing Suns or the super-photon ray from Campbell's 1932 story Invaders from the Infinite.
Arcot had used the force field that produced the directed motions of the molecules as a weapon.
He first called Mars, the home planet of Alcantro and Fedanzo, the foremost force-field experts of three planets; and was assured in no uncertain terms that those rulers of rays were ready and anxious to follow wherever Brandon and Westfall might lead.
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More Ideas
and Technology from A Subterranean Adventure
More Ideas
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Tech news articles related to A Subterranean Adventure
Tech news articles related to works by George Paul Bauer
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'She wouldn't stop until Antar had told her everything he knew about whatever it was that she was playing with on her screen.'
'Does thinking you're the last sane man on the face of the Earth make you crazy?'
'It hurtled on down with inconceivable speed until it was visible as thousands of tiny robot planes...'
'Then she looked up with a smile and moved closer to the camera.'
'... folios and tapes and playable discs of platinum alloy.'
'... another corner of his mind began to think about the shields.'
