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
 |
Timeline
of Science Fiction Ideas, Technology and Inventions
(sorted by Publication Date)
Most of these items are linked to information about similar real-life inventions and inventors; click on an invention to learn more about it.
1600-1899 1900-1929 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000+
| Date | Device Name (Novel Author) |
| 2010 | Office Hand (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A robotic hand with each finger customized for a different function. |
| 2010 | Darknet Farm (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez) A farm that uses computer networked information systems to achieve sustainable agriculture in a community. |
| 2010 | Metallic Display Scroll (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez) A rollable video screen. |
| 2010 | Angel Teeth (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez) Essentially a spear dropped from a great height (or from orbit) with a guidance system. |
| 2010 | Alien Trojan (from Out of the Dark by David Webber) Malware from another world! |
| 2010 | Aeromuse Pillow (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A pillow that doubles as a music player. |
| 2010 | Rocket Pine (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) Genetically engineered trees for wood pulp. |
| 2010 | Necap (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A device that burns out neural connections. |
| 2010 | Disabler (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A device that drains power quickly from an electric vehicle. |
| 2010 | Nutrient Extractor and Maximizer (NEM) (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) Device that replaces and extends the capabilities of the human digestive system. |
| 2010 | Neural Lace (from Surface Detail by Iain M Banks) An interface between the brain and computer facilities. |
| 2010 | Humeld (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A human being with augmented body parts. |
| 2010 | Ugly T-Shirt (from Zero History by William Gibson) Uses disruptive patterning to make the wearer invisible to computerized surveillance techniques. |
| 2010 | Millenniaire (from The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi) A person with much more Time than an ordinary person. |
| 2010 | Barker (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A device that scans for nearby medical implants, and allows the operator to take control. |
| 2010 | Power Stilts (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) Platforms that push inundated cities ever higher. |
| 2011 | Virtual Punishment (from Complete Sentence by Joe Haldeman) It seems like decades in prison. |
| 2011 | Onionskin Transparent Jeans (from Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart) See-through pants. |
| 2011 | DNA Publishing (from Spiral by Paul McEuen) Encode a poem or story in DNA, then multiply. |
| 2012 | Autonomous Assassination Drone (from Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez) A flying UAV that is self-guided to a target, destroys the target, and is capable of destroying itself after mission completion. |
| 2012 | Wildcode (from The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi) A vast, actual desert comprised of nanites, nanomachines. |
| 2012 | Parent Drone (from Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez) A drone platform that launches smaller drones. |
| 2012 | Robotic Eel (from Re:Set by Susan Beetlestone) A five-foot long artificial eel, controlled by an operator. |
| 2012 | Eel Operator (from Re:Set by Susan Beetlestone) A surgically modified human being able to operate a robotic eel |
| 2012 | DNA Music Storage (from Year Zero by Rob Reid) Encoding music in junk DNA. |
| 2014 | Cosmoline (Warm Sleep) (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) Special gel that offers healing and hibernation for space travelers. |
| 2014 | Replaced Worker Benefits (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) Compensation for people whose jobs are taken by robots. |
| 2014 | Puff (Puff Balls) (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) Material that is used to help Skyrines dropped to the surface of Mars get rid of some of that excess velocity. |
| 2014 | Nubot (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) An android that directly replaces a human at their job. |
| 2014 | EYE Program (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) A massive government database on civilians. |
| 2014 | Norm-All Program (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) A set of algorithms that determine a reasonable location for every citizen. |
| 2014 | Skintight (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) Specialized space suit for low atmospheric pressure environments like Mars. |
| 2014 | Oxygen Fountain (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) A small factory for making oxygen on the Martian surface. |
| 2014 | Timeout (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) The part of a Skyrene's life that is spent in Warm Sleep travel between Earth and the destination planet. |
| 2014 | Freedom ID (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) A chip inserted into the hand for identification (and surveillance) purposes. |
| 2015 | Centipede (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear) Perfect craft for crawling through slushy, frozen lakes - on Titan. |
| 2015 | Jonnytruck (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) A movable bathroom for hire; cost is offset by reclamation. |
| 2015 | Vehicle Seeds (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear) A matrix of materials and instructions that allow vehicles to grow themselves when placed in an environment of plentiful materials. |
| 2015 | Cranial Amplified Programming CAP (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear) An aid to learning, which you apply directly to your skull. |
| 2015 | Clearsac (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) A simple device that filters water perfectly for reuse. |
| 2015 | Face Recognition Sunglasses (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) Sunglasses that connect with a remote database to perform face recognition. |
| 2015 | Public Urine Collection (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) Arcologies offer public latrines, then collect for reclamation. |
| 2016 | Crowdcutter (from Infomocracy by Malka Older) A device worn to part crowds. |
| 2016 | Logical Pathogen (from The Medusa Chronicles by Alastair Reynolds (w/S. Baxter)) Malware concealed in DNA. |
| 2017 | Hotello (from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson) A portable room within a room. |
| 2017 | Wristpad (from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson) A tablet computer worn on the wrist. |
| 2017 | Superscraper (from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson) Buildings that are hundreds of stories tall. |
| 2019 | Forward Warehousing (from Stealing Worlds by Karl Schroeder) Using the trunks of cars as little warehouses. |
| 2019 | OLED Body Film (from Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan) Attaching or implanting flexible screen material to the body as decoration. |
| 2019 | VEIL (from Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson) A wearable device used to foil facial recognition systems. |
1600-1899 1900-1949 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's
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Lightyear 0 World's First Production-Ready Solar Car
re: Robert Heinlein
(6/29/2022)
AI Robots Excel At Trash Sorting And Recycling
re: Harry Harrison
(6/28/2022)
Could Increased Space Rocketry Damage The Ozone Layer?
re: Peter F. Hamilton
(6/27/2022)
Dyson's Secret Household Robots
re: Robert Heinlein
(6/25/2022)
Festo BionicSwift Bird Robots Described In 1930
re: C.E. Heller
(6/23/2022)
Robotics Jobs In The Food Industry
re: C.E. Heller
(6/21/2022)
Prototype 3D Printer Could Print Arteries In Seconds
re: Clifford Simak
(6/19/2022)
China Wants 'Hard Kill' Capability To Counter Starlink Satellites
re: John Brunner
(6/17/2022)
Low-Cost Gel Pulls Water From Atmosphere Like Star Wars Vaporator
re: George Lucas
(6/15/2022)
Pixy Flying Selfie Drone From Snap
re: Karen Traviss
(6/13/2022)
Smallest Remote-Controlled Walking Robot Crabs
re: Raymond Z. Gallun
(6/11/2022)
Pleasure Model Replicants Now Available
re: Alice W. Fuller
(6/9/2022)
Robot Covered In Living Human Skin
re: James Cameron
(6/7/2022)
Dall-E 2 Creates Art To Order
re: F.L. Wallace
(6/5/2022)
SpaceX Rocket Quick Reaction Force
re: Robert Heinlein
(6/3/2022)
Do AIs Create Their Own Language?
re: Francis Flagg
(6/1/2022)
Vortex Rings Of Light
re: John W. Campbell
(5/29/2022)
Google Engineer Convinced LaMDA Chatbot Is Sentient, Is Sent Home
re: Arthur C. Clarke
(5/27/2022)
Sorry, Futurists! Tamagotchi Kids, Virtual Children Already Predicted By SF Writer in 2008
re: Stephen Baxter
(5/25/2022)
Tortoise Mobile Smart Stores
re: Karl Schroeder
(5/23/2022)
Solar House Concept Unfolds Solar Panels Like A Flower
re: Clifford Simak
(5/21/2022)
Musk: Defeat The Bots, Authenticate The Humans
re: Philip K. Dick
(5/20/2022)
Lonestar Offers Lunar Storage For Ultimate In Security
re: Various
(5/19/2022)
Envisioning Starship Earth Travel - In 1930 By Max Valier
re: Max Valier
(5/17/2022)
Man's Marriage To Hologram Ruined By Software Glitch
re: William Gibson
(5/15/2022)
Carbon Robotics: War Of The Worlds As A Metaphor For Weed Control
re: HG Wells
(5/13/2022)
Pathways Language Model (PaLM) Is No Joke
re: William Tenn
(5/11/2022)
MOOSE: Man Out Of Space Easiest or Manned Orbital Operations Safety Equipment
re: Doc Smith
(5/9/2022)
Liquid Lenses Adjust Automatically, Not Quite Dune Binoculars
re: Frank Herbert
(5/7/2022)
Your Martian Dream Home, Made By Fungi
re: Larry Niven
(5/5/2022)
The Dune Ornithopter, Movie And Book
re: Frank Herbert
(5/3/2022)
100X Improvement In DNA Information Storage
re: Barbara Hambly
(5/1/2022)
(See More Science Fiction in the News)
