 |
Science Fiction Dictionary: Ideas, Terms and Technology
(
4113 Inventions Available)
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
| Device Name | Book/Story | Author | Date |
| Gait-Cam A surveillance camera system that analyzes the unique way in which people walk, to identify them. |
Little Brother | Doctorow | 2008 |
| Galactic Damping Field A vast field of force emanating from the center of the galaxy. |
Brain Wave | Anderson | 1953 |
| Galactography Geography on a galactic scale. |
Second Foundation | Asimov | 1953 |
| Galactovue Star display. |
Citizen of the Galaxy | Heinlein | 1957 |
| Galatea - Virtual Person An entirely artificial creation placed in the mind of the user. |
Pygmalion's Spectacles | Weinbaum | 1935 |
| Galaxy Superbrain The idea that the galaxy itself is a conscious entity. |
Short-Wave Madness | Castle | 1939 |
| Games Machine A vast computer system. |
World of Null-A | van Vogt | 1945 |
| Gansas Migratory birds that fly all the way to the Moone. |
The Man in the Moone | Godwin | 1638 |
| Garbage Device Autonomous garbage collection device. |
The Age of The Pussyfoot | Pohl | 1966 |
| Garbage Mine The idea that recycling can spawn entirely new industries. |
Earth | Brin | 1990 |
| Garbage Screen Use of bits of metal to confuse radar targeting of space stations. |
Space Tug | Leinster | 1953 |
| Garbage-can Banger An elaborate noise-based weapon. |
The Zap Gun (Project Plowshare) | Dick | 1965 |
| Gas Giant Large planet consisting primarily of gas with a solid core. |
Solar Plexus | Blish | 1952 |
| Gas-Accumulators Storage for electricity enough to power a city. |
Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Gate A opening through spacetime to other worlds. |
The Gate to Xoran | Wells | 1931 |
| Gateway A device that opens a portal to another dimension. |
Wanderer of Infinity | Vincent | 1933 |
| Gaussrifle Projectiles driven by electromagnetic forces. |
The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge | Harrison | 1970 |
| Gauzy A feather-light tent, made of a fabric just one molecule thick. |
This Immortal | Zelazny | 1965 |
| Gee Using the standard letter designation in physics for gravity. |
Sacred Martian Pig (Idris' Pig) | St. Clair | 1949 |
| Gee Bath Essentially a waterbed designed to help older or untrained people cope with high acceleration aboard spacecraft. |
The Mote in God's Eye | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1974 |
| Genejack A genetically-modified human ideally created for menial work. |
Alpha Centauri | Meier | 1999 |
| General Bodies Tortoise A passenger vehicle genetically engineered from tortoise DNA and controlled by implanted electronics. |
Sparrowhawk | Easton | 1990 |
| General Intelligence Machine News and information from one device. |
When the Sleeper Wakes | Wells | 1899 |
| General Products Hull Nearly indestructible outer skin for spaceships; pick your hull size and put what you want inside. |
Neutron Star | Niven | 1966 |
| General Strike of the Robots All over the world, robots cease their labors. |
Rex | Vincent | 1934 |
| Generate New Phone Number A software program that creates a new phone number for each call. |
Press Enter | Varley | 1984 |
| Generation Ship A spacecraft that carries a complete social group over many years. |
Star Ship | Tubb | 1955 |
| Genetic Ark Enormous, multi-habitat enclosed spaces, used to conserve the animal gene pool. |
Earth | Brin | 1990 |
| Genetic Engineering Direct manipulation of genetic material |
Dragon's Island | Williamson | 1951 |
| Genoprinter A device that does a 'live capture' of a biometric skin sample. |
The Ophiuchi Hotline | Varley | 1977 |
| Geodesic Inflexors Propulsion provided not by pushing against matter, but against spacetime. |
Star of Dreams | Williamson | 1941 |
| Geodynes Spacecraft propulsion that pushes against the very fabric of space itself. |
The Cometeers | Williamson | 1936 |
| Geofractor Device provides instantaneous teleportation of selected objects over vast distances. |
One Against The Legion | Williamson | 1939 |
| Geofractor Shield Protects the bearer against unwanted geofractor use. |
One Against The Legion | Williamson | 1939 |
| Geometric Modeling The first recorded use of geometric figures to directly represent, or model, living beings. |
Gulliver's Travels | Swift | 1726 |
| Geopeller An atomic powered, miniaturized means of propulsion. |
One Against The Legion | Williamson | 1939 |
| Geosynchronous Satellite A communications satellite that appears to "hover" over one spot on the earth's surface; it goes around the earth in twenty-four hours. |
V2 for Ionospheric Research | Clarke | 1945 |
| Geotect A person who creates landforms and physical environments |
The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Geriatric Rooming-House An apartment building with rooms built especially with the very senior citizen in mind. |
Galactic Pot-Healer | Dick | 1969 |
| Gesture-Controlled Device An electronic device that is controlled by hand gestures. |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Adams | 1979 |
| Gesturing Robot A robot that uses gestures to communicate. |
Robbie (Strange Playfellow) | Asimov | 1940 |
| Ghola A living, functioning person who is regrown or recreated from the tissues of a dead person. |
Dune Messiah | Herbert | 1969 |
| Ghost Trap Device for capture and temporary storage of ectoplasmic entities. |
Ghostbusters | Ramis | 1984 |
| Ghostsmoke An advertisement projected onto a fine mist. |
The Ophiuchi Hotline | Varley | 1977 |
| Ghostwheel A sentient computer partially built with magic. |
Blood of Amber | Zelazny | 1986 |
| Giant Flat Panel Display Movie screen-sized flat panel display for live televised images. |
The Shape of Things To Come | Wells | 1936 |
| Gigagnostotron Enormously powerful computing device. |
The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age | Lem | 1965 |
| Gillfluid Breathable fluid that provides oxygen to the lungs, allowing greater pressure on the body. |
The Algebraist | Banks | 2004 |
| Glass Bees Walnut-sized flying automata. |
The Glass Bees | Junger | 1957 |
| Glass Dome Protective cover for cities. |
A Modern Utopia | Wells | 1905 |
| Glass Pistol A clear glass gun that fires poisoned splinters. |
A Martian Odyssey | Weinbaum | 1934 |
| Glassite A transparent material of great strength. |
Brigands of the Moon | Cummings | 1930 |
| Global Climate Control Adjust the Earth's axis so the seasons are more temperate and uniform. |
A Journey In Other Worlds | Astor IV | 1894 |
| Globular Glass Helmet A bowl-shaped space helmet. |
Murder on the Asteroid | Binder | 1933 |
| Glowglobe Floating spherical light bulb with organic energy source. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Glowstone A mineral that absorbs light by day and emits it by night. |
Dying of the Light | Martin | 1977 |
| Glow-Worm Living Alternated work, play and slumber without long periods of sleep. |
In the Deep of Time | Lathrop | 1897 |
| Gnome A person who requires so much life support, they are built into the chair. |
Millennium | Varley | 1983 |
| Gnostotron Computing device capable of producing an informational model of absolutely everything in existence. |
The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age | Lem | 1965 |
| Goat/Spider Silk High tensile strength fibers from - goats. |
Oryx and Crake | Atwood | 2003 |
| Gobathian An alien medical technology that enables full body healing in the event of traumatic injury. |
Time is the Simplest Thing | Simak | 1961 |
| Go-Buggy A ground-only vehicle. |
The Godmakers | Herbert | 1972 |
| Gogglelike Televisors A screen technology placed very close to the eyes. |
The Robot and the Lady | Wellman | 1938 |
| Golden Lights Another unusual use of the suspensor field; lights are suspended in it. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Golden Ray of Synchronized Vibrations Disrupts matter by hurling electrons out of their energy states and scattering them. |
The Return of the Murians | Schachner | 1936 |
| Golden Shuttles (Mechanical Mice) Very small robots with an appetite for watch parts. |
The Mechanical Mice | Hugi | 1941 |
| Gold-Fish-Bowl World An artificial water planet. |
Star Maker | Stapledon | 1937 |
| Gom Jabbar A needle with deadly poison, used to test for humans. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Gourmet Space Cuisine The finest in French cuisine, in outer space. |
From the Earth to the Moon | Verne | 1867 |
| Governing Keyboard A remote-controlled robot responds to keyboard commands. |
The Threat of the Robot | Keller | 1929 |
| Government Data Transparency The idea that all of the information available to the government should be posted online and be easily accessible to everyone. |
The Shockwave Rider | Brunner | 1975 |
| Government Lethal Chamber A legal suicide booth. |
The Repairer of Reputations | Chambers | 1895 |
| Government Machine The automata that constitute the entire government, all in one building. |
Mechanocracy | Breuer | 1932 |
| GPP Genuine People Personalities Giving mechanisms their own unique affect. |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Adams | 1979 |
| GPS Sunglasses Sunglasses that contain both global positioning system components and cell phone services. |
All Tomorrow's Parties | Gibson | 1999 |
| Graffiti-Eating Finish A wall covering that maintained itself, eating any graffiti placed on it. |
All Tomorrow's Parties | Gibson | 1999 |
| Graluz A contained, concealed breeding pond for the frog-like Gowachin. |
The Dosadi Experiment | Herbert | 1977 |
| Grantline Comptometer Key-driven computer/calculator that easily solves even calculus problems. |
Beyond the Stars | Cummings | 1928 |
| Granton Motor Spacecraft propulsion system based on gravital radiation. |
Into the Meteorite Orbit | Kelly | 1933 |
| Grapple Tracks A means of automating the process of parking and releasing passenger vehicles from a parking garage. |
The Dosadi Experiment | Herbert | 1977 |
| Grapple-Ray A version of the tractor beam idea. |
Exit From Asteroid 60 | James | 1940 |
| Grass Carpet An indoor home or office floor covering - living grass. |
The Sirens of Titan | Vonnegut, Jr. | 1959 |
| Gravanol A medicine or supplement that helps astronauts deal better with high accelerations. |
QRM - Interplanetary | Smith | 1942 |
| Gravital Unit Device that maintains Earth-comparable gravity on an asteroid. |
Accidental Flight | Wallace | 1952 |
| Gravitation Paralysis Dread illness of space travelers striking when changing from very weak to very strong gravities. |
The World With A Thousand Moons | Hamilton | 1942 |
| Gravitation Screen Shields a spacecraft from the gravity of a planetary body. |
On The Martian Way | Bishop | 1907 |
| Gravitational Disks Maintain your footing on those low-gravity celestial bodies. |
Revolt on Io | West | 1940 |
| Gravitational Wave Viewer A device used to see at astronomical distances. |
Two Planets | Lasswitz | 1897 |
| Gravitic Relating to gravity. |
A Question of Salvage | Jameson | 1939 |
| Gravitic Generator A device that produces an artificial gravity field. |
Meddler's Moon | Smith | 1947 |
| Gravitic Lift An elevator with no visible means of support. |
Prelude to Foundation | Asimov | 1988 |
| Gravitic Repulsion Elevator The elevator was of the new sort that ran by gravitic repulsion. |
Foundation | Asimov | 1951 |
| Gravitics The science of using gravity as a technology. |
Tricky Tonnage | Jameson | 1944 |
| Gravito-Statoscope An instrument used to detect the gravitational influences on a space ship. |
The Emperor of the Stars | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Gravity Assist Using the gravity and orbital speed of a celestial body to change speed and course of a spacecraft. |
Brigands of the Moon | Cummings | 1930 |
| Gravity Beam An conical attractive ray, it pulls ships to their doom. |
Wandl, The Invader | Cummings | 1932 |
| Gravity Belt Adds 'weight' for walking on asteroids. |
Venus Mines, Incorporated | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Gravity Centrifuge Used in low gravity environments to build up muscle for visits to Earth, or other high gravity worlds. |
Space Cadet | Heinlein | 1948 |
| Gravity Detector A device capable of detecting the gravitational field of a distant mass. |
The Lunar Chrysalis | Gallun | 1931 |
| Gravity Drive A spaceship propulsion method that uses gravity or gravity waves. |
Star Ship | Anderson | 1950 |
| Gravity Lens An optical lens created using the lightbending properties of gravity. |
Protector | Niven | 1973 |
| Gravity Neutralizers The force of gravity is suspended! |
Pirates of Space | Barry | 1931 |
| Gravity Neutralizing Disks Two plates between which Earth's gravitational influence is cancelled out. |
Fessenden's Worlds | Hamilton | 1937 |
| Gravity neutralizing paint Paint or coating that neutralized the effects of gravity on whatever it was painted on. |
Last of the Masters | Dick | 1954 |
| Gravity Nullification (Gravity Screen) Gravity annulled in its entirety in a small area. |
Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Gravity Nullifier Shields a large object from the effect of gravity. |
The Sky Maniac | Juve | 1929 |
| Gravity Planer Device that creates a gravity field. |
The Warriors | Niven | 1966 |
| Gravity Port Used for refueling. |
Shadow Over Venus | Long, Jr. | 1946 |
| Gravity Train An underground railway system that utilizes gravity for acceleration. |
The Ophiuchi Hotline | Varley | 1977 |
| Gravity Tube A special passage way that eases the movement of material within a ship. |
Chindi | McDevitt | 2002 |
| Gravity Web Device for limiting the extent to which a person is subject to gravitational attraction. |
Whipping Star | Herbert | 1969 |
| Gravity Well If you visualize spacetime as a flat, elastic plane, a planet will deform it, and it sits at the bottom of its own hole. |
Life Cycle | Anderson | 1957 |
| Gravity Whip A roller coaster designe to provide riders with a 'zero G' experience. |
Dream Park | Niven (w/S. Barnes) | 1981 |
| Gravity-assisted Subway The fastest way between continents (that does not entail leaving the ground). |
A World Out of Time | Niven | 1976 |
| Gravity-Plates Reliable, controllable gravity force. |
The Bluff of the Hawk | Gilmore | 1932 |
| Gravity-Polarized Explosive (TDX) A chemical explosive that acts at an angle to the local gravitational field. |
Cities in Flight | Blish | 1957 |
| Gravity-Screen A device that shields an object from the effects of gravity. |
Crashing Suns | Hamilton | 1928 |
| Gravity-Simulator Harness Device that simulates gravity's effect on muscles to keep in shape while in space. |
Space Tug | Leinster | 1953 |
| Gravograph A graphical representation of gravitational fields. |
The Sargasso of Space | Hamilton | 1931 |
| Great Ear An electronic telepathic listening device that monitors thousands of people simultaneously. |
Our Friends From Frolix 8 | Dick | 1970 |
| Green Bullet A very compact (for 1950) radio transceiver, worn in the ear like a hearing aid. |
Fahrenheit 451 | Bradbury | 1953 |
| Green Guk Algae that produces essential oxygen as a byproduct. |
The Beat Cluster | Leiber | 1961 |
| Grill-Screen Adaptor Approved General Electronics Corporation solution for bomb shelters, in response to Soviet bore-pellets. |
Foster, You're Dead | Dick | 1955 |
| Grip Shoes Shoes with velcro soles used to walk in weightless environments. |
2001: A Space Odyssey | Clarke | 1968 |
| Grok To understand fully; become one with (from the Martial verb "to drink"). |
Stranger in a Strange Land | Heinlein | 1961 |
| Groundcar (or Ground Car) A non-skimming, non-flying vehicle. |
Galactic Patrol | Smith | 1937 |
| Groundhog Not a space professional. |
Waldo | Heinlein | 1942 |
| Groundling A person who does not fly, especially into space. |
Exiles of the Moon | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Ground-to-Orbit Ferry A kind of space shuttle craft. |
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress | Heinlein | 1966 |
| Group Ego A group mind; a single entity that shares a number of bodies. |
Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Group Mind A shared consciousness between a number of individuals. |
Last and First Men | Stapledon | 1930 |
| Guard Robot Early reference to a robot performing the functions of a security guard. |
The Hood Maker ('Immunity') | Dick | 1955 |
| Guide-Beam A wireless means of controlling and directing the movement of a passenger vehicle. |
Time Pawn | Dick | 1954 |
| Guided Missile Control Station An orbital missile base. |
Between Planets | Heinlein | 1951 |
| Gum Tree A huge tree that lashed out with a mind of its own. |
Symbiotica | Russell | 1943 |
| Gundarium A very sturdy, high-tensile composite. |
Mobile Suit Gundam | Tomino | 1979 |
| Gynoid A female android. |
Divine Endurance | Jones | 1984 |
| Gyro Two-Wheeled Truck A gyroscopically-stabilized truck with just two wheels. |
The Sign of the Tiger | Nourse (w/Meyer) | 1958 |
| Gyrocab A flying taxi. |
You Are Forbidden! | Shelton | 1947 |
| Gyrocar A two-wheeled, self-balancing automobile. |
Two Boys in a Gyrocar the story of a New York to Paris motor race | Brown | 1911 |
| Gyrocar (Gyro) A gyroscopically stabilized car; a one-wheeled vehicle. |
The Ring | Anthony (w/R. Margroff) | 1969 |
| Gyrocar Monorail A self-balancing vehicle. |
The Anarch | Jameson | 1944 |
| Gyrocars with Photo-Electric Braking Force the tires into maximum contact with the road, then use photo-electric sensors to control braking and turns. |
Photo Control | Brown | 1934 |
| Gyrocosmically Stabilized Interplanetary Rocket A mouthful, perfect for trips to the larger asteroids. |
Buck Rogers, 2430 AD | Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) | 1929 |
| Gyro-Hat Hidden in a top hat, this device cures staggering and reeling, for whatever reason. |
An Experiment in Gyro-Hats | Butler | 1926 |
| Gyroscope Seats Your best bet for remaining at the right angle to the force of acceleration. |
The Black Star Passes | Campbell | 1930 |
| Gyrotomic A small gyrostabilized hovercraft. |
Ra For The Rajah | Peterson | 1938 |
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
Didn't find
what you were looking for?
Want to Submit
an Item? Comments? Corrections? Contact
us!
Technovelgy.com is devoted to the creative inventions, devices and technology of science fiction authors and movie makers. Look for the Science Fiction Invention Category that interests you, the 3,300+ item Dictionary of Science Fiction, the Science Fiction Timeline, or see what's New. Read more than 6,000 science fiction made real stories - Science Fiction in the News.
Science Fiction
in
the News
Will AIs Give Better Results If You're Rude To Them?
re: John Varley
(9/7/2025)
Cybertruck Robotic Arm F10 Drone Launch!
re: Philip K. Dick
(9/5/2025)
Black Fungus Blocks Radiation
re: Andy Weir
(9/3/2025)
Liuzhi Process Now In Use In China
re: George Orwell
(9/1/2025)
Reflect Orbital Offers 'Sunlight on Demand' And Light Pollution
re: Theodore Sturgeon
(8/29/2025)
Will Robots Become Family Caregivers?
re: Philip K. Dick
(8/27/2025)
Chinese Tokamak Uses AI To Keep Fusion Plasma Stable
re: Various
(8/25/2025)
Time Crystals Can Now Be Seen Directly
re: NK Heming
(8/23/2025)
RoboBallet The Dance Of Cooperative Robots
re: Isaac Asimov
(8/21/2025)
Chrysalis Generation Ship to Alpha Centauri
re: Nat Schachner
(8/19/2025)
Alexa+ And Its AI Brain Improvements
re: Philip K. Dick
(8/17/2025)
Does CloneRobotics Offer A True Android?
re: Ephraim Chambers
(8/11/2025)
Brain Implant Is Able To Capture Your Inner Dialogue
re: Daniel Suarez
(8/9/2025)
Are AIs Going Rogue Like Hal 9000
re: Arthur C. Clarke
(8/7/2025)
Animated Tumblebugs On Astounding Cover!
re: Robert Heinlein
(8/5/2025)
LingYuan Vehicle Roof Drones Now Available, ala Blade Runner 2049
re: Philip K. Dick
(8/3/2025)
China Steals Strato Airship Design From Google App Engine
re: George Griffith
(8/1/2025)
The First Space Warship For Space Force
re: Garrett P. Serviss
(7/29/2025)
Biohybrid Jellyfish Explore The Ocean
re: Thomas A. Easton
(7/27/2025)
Should AIs and AI Robots Demand Rights?
re: Eando Binder
(7/25/2025)
Robot Learns Human Tool Usage By Imitation Learning
re: Anthony Boucher
(7/23/2025)
Companion Caregiver ChatGPT Dolls
re: Kazuo Ishiguro
(7/21/2025)
'Pregnancy Humanoids' From China Replace Moms
re: David H. Keller
(7/19/2025)
Man Builds 200 Foot Basement Firing Range
re: Clifford Simak
(7/17/2025)
