 |
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 |
| R. Daneel Olivaw A human-like robot, skilled in police work. |
Caves of Steel | Asimov | 1953 |
| R2-D2 (Artoo-Detoo) Now the generic term for a small, maneuverable robot. |
Star Wars | Lucas | 1976 |
| Rabbit-Paper A paper pregnancy test that showed immediate results. |
The Game Players of Titan | Dick | 1963 |
| Rachag A caffeine-style stimulant. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Radar Detection of objects at a distance. |
Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Radar Mesentery A thick covering that supports a network of sensors. |
This Immortal | Zelazny | 1965 |
| Radiant A chip that is injected into the shoulder, providing positioning and information about the subject. |
The Houses of Iszm | Vance | 1954 |
| Radiant Power Receptor (DeKalbs) A device which received and used energy transmitted from a station or satellite. |
Waldo | Heinlein | 1942 |
| Radiant Shield A device that would effectively prevent an implanted radiant from being detected or read. |
The Houses of Iszm | Vance | 1954 |
| Radiation Garment Clothing worn by ordinary citizens to reduce the risk of radiation exposure. |
Waldo | Heinlein | 1942 |
| Radiation Shield A clever use for the water you need to take anyway. |
The Ultimate Weapon | Campbell | 1936 |
| Radiation-Proof Oxygen Suit A specialized space suit for use in radium mining on Jupiter. |
Red Storm on Jupiter | Long, Jr. | 1936 |
| Radio Meteor Detector A device carried by space ships that could detect meteors in space early enough to avoid them. |
Islands of Space | Campbell | 1931 |
| Radioactive Coding for Checks Special coding system to easily recognize checks. |
The Door Into Summer | Heinlein | 1956 |
| Radioactive Ruin The aftermath of atomic war is generations of ruin. |
The World Set Free | Wells | 1914 |
| Radio-Controlled Mechanical Man A remote-controlled robot. |
The Robot Terror | Huff | 1930 |
| Radio-Dirigible Torpedo A drone missile that is controlled remotely by an operator. |
Triplanetary | Smith | 1934 |
| Radio-Facsimile Receiver A device that prints a newspaper in your home. |
Ben Gleed, King of Speed | Wilcox | 1939 |
| Radium Repeller ray Move inbound asteroids aside to keep ships safe. |
The Asteroid of Death | Jones | 1931 |
| Radium Salt Radioactive materials used as an assassination weapon. |
Murder in the Void | Hamilton | 1938 |
| Radium-Action Lighter A personal device used to ignite tobacco products. |
The Worlds of Tomorrow | Wellman | 1940 |
| Radson Skimmer A small vehicle designed for a small number of passengers; capable of low, slow flight. |
This Immortal | Zelazny | 1965 |
| Raisin A small device like a hearing aid that fits inside the external part of the ear; combines an intelligent agent and wireless access to the network. |
Nanotime | Kosko | 1987 |
| Ram Field A specialized version of the hydrogen-gathering field for a Bussard Ramjet. |
Protector | Niven | 1973 |
| Ramrobot (Ramscoop Robot) An autonomous interstellar exploration craft using gathered hydrogen for fuel. |
Bordered in Black | Niven | 1966 |
| Ramsbotham Gate A means of getting from point A to point B without traversing the space in-between. |
Tunnel in the Sky | Heinlein | 1955 |
| Ramscoop An enormous magnetic field precedes a spaceship moving through space, directing interstellar hydrogen inward for use as fuel. |
World of Ptavvs | Niven | 1965 |
| Randominoes Dominoes that randomly generate new numbers. |
Nymphomation | Noon | 2000 |
| Rapid-Transit Hover Blimp Public transportation for a paranoid age. |
Galactic Pot-Healer | Dick | 1969 |
| Rat Thing A guard cyborg created from a living animal. |
Snow Crash | Stephenson | 1992 |
| Rat-Robot A small remotely-operated surveillance robot. |
Anything You Can Do | Garrett | 1962 |
| Raw Material-Tropic Moves towards desirable raw materials. |
Autofac | Dick | 1955 |
| Ray gun A weapon that projects a beam of destructive force. |
The Messiah of the Cylinder | Rousseau | 1917 |
| Ray Gun (Handheld) A weapon shaped like a handgun that shoots rays of energy. |
The Black Star Passes | Campbell | 1930 |
| Ray Pistol A handheld device for projecting radiative force of some kind. |
The Black Star Passes | Campbell | 1930 |
| Ray-Pistol An early version of the raygun. |
The War of the Planets | Vincent | 1929 |
| Raytron Apparatus A device for aerial surveillance; the image was transmitted back to the user. |
Beyond the Stars | Cummings | 1928 |
| Razorback Autonomous motorcycle weapons platform. |
Daemon | Suarez | 2006 |
| Razorgirl Surgically implanted blades under the fingernails. |
Neuromancer | Gibson | 1984 |
| Reaction Attachment Independent maneuvering for space suits. |
The Asteroid of Death | Jones | 1931 |
| Reaction Pistol A hand-held device for maneuvering in zero gravity in a space suit. |
Martian Guns | Bell | 1932 |
| Reaction-Motors A spacecraft engine that works by firing matter out at high speed. |
Twelve Hours To Live | Williamson | 1931 |
| Reactive Walls Wall surfaces designed for use in clubs; they reacted to the music played in the room. |
Freezone | Shirley | 1985 |
| Reading Machine A projector which showed text on a screen or the ceiling for easy reading. |
Stranger in a Strange Land | Heinlein | 1961 |
| Reading Plaque A tablet-sized display for reading. |
Earth | Brin | 1990 |
| Reading Plate A flat screen that provided computer output for viewing. |
The Star Beast | Heinlein | 1954 |
| Readout Skin Normal-appearing skin that can be used as an output device for text or graphics. |
Steel Beach | Varley | 1992 |
| Reality Graphics One-stop design - the final design is the object. |
A Fire Upon The Deep | Vinge | 1992 |
| Reality Tape The medium upon which the life experience of an electric ant - a robotic person - is presented. |
The Electric Ant | Dick | 1969 |
| Reason Hypervelocity Railgun Multichamber weapon accelerates tiny splinters of metal. |
Snow Crash | Stephenson | 1992 |
| Receptor Tape A thin, flexible material that can pick up sounds. |
The Face | Vance | 1979 |
| Reciprocal Name A nickname or familiar name used to specify a more completely defined full name and telephone number. |
The Age of The Pussyfoot | Pohl | 1966 |
| Recoil Pistol A handheld device that permits a spaceman to manuever in zero gravity. |
Exiles of the Moon | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Recon Spiders Tiny spider-sized robots that are able to search buildings and identify occupants. |
Minority Report (Movie) | Spielberg | 2002 |
| Recorded Books Electronically recorded books. |
Foundation and Empire | Asimov | 1952 |
| Recorded News This is the basic idea behind Tivo and VCRs. |
In the Year 2889 | Verne | 1889 |
| Recorded Personalities Computer firmware that saves a person's characteristics and reactions. |
Mona Lisa Overdrive | Gibson | 1988 |
| Recording Eye A surveillance device that can survive being dropped from space; transmits images in a wide view. |
The Man in the Maze | Silverberg | 1969 |
| Recording Radio A handheld device that both recorded sound and transmitted it live to a remote broadcasting location. |
Four-Day Planet | Piper | 1961 |
| Recycler A surgically implanted device that enables a diver to obtain oxygen directly from seawater. |
Starfish | Watts | 1999 |
| Red Weed (Terraforming Plant) A plant brought by the Martians that grew on Earth. |
The War of the Worlds | Wells | 1898 |
| Reflected Artificial Sun Sending light to another planet via mirror. |
Revolt on Inferno | Rousseau | 1931 |
| Reflectocosmic Spectrometer A device that detects and measures cosmic rays that reflect from different metals. |
Buck Rogers, 2430 AD | Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) | 1929 |
| Refreshing Chamber Replaces the bathroom in the future history of Robert Heinlein. |
Coventry | Heinlein | 1940 |
| Refrigeration Tape A strip of material that can be used to keep large tracts of tundra nicely frozen. |
Tower of Glass | Silverberg | 1970 |
| Refurbished Nervous System Your nerves are rewired for 5-10 times the speed of a normal person. |
The Stars My Destination | Bester | 1956 |
| Regen-Buds Small collection of cells that can regrow into human limbs. |
The Velvet Glove | Harrison | 1956 |
| Regeneration Tank A nutrient bath large enough to enclose a person that preserved life and treated disease. |
Contagion | MacLean | 1950 |
| Reggie the Bartending Machine A mechanism able to mix drinks; a robot bartender. |
The Outpost | Resnick | 2002 |
| Relations with Extraterrestrial Life Instructions to earth citizens on how to behave when encountering alien civilizations. |
Ogre | Simak | 1944 |
| Relay A central information system used to coordinate all of human culture and technology. |
Souvenir | Dick | 1954 |
| Remote (or Seeker Remote) A training aid for use by Jedi knights. |
Star Wars | Lucas | 1976 |
| Remote Control Taxicab A cab that is piloted by a remote operator. |
The Unreconstructed M | Dick | 1957 |
| Remote Telepresence Robot A very early depiction of this basic idea. |
Buck Rogers, 2430 AD | Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) | 1929 |
| Remote-Cast Snooper A small, easily concealed poison snooper. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Remote-Control Slavery Mental control (possibly mediated by radio waves) of individuals of other species. |
The Man in the Maze | Silverberg | 1969 |
| Remotely Operated Auto-targeting Gun (ROAG) A weapon able to pick out its own targets; it's action can be remotely initiated. |
Quantico | Bear | 2007 |
| Repair Drone Autonomous robots repair damage or sabotage. |
Neuromancer | Gibson | 1984 |
| Repair Robots Autonomous robots that carry out maintenance functions on a space ship. |
The Well-Oiled Machine | Fyfe | 1950 |
| Repellor Anti-Gravity Rays Device provides support for planet-side air travel. |
Armageddon: 2419 A.D. | Nowlan | 1928 |
| Replaced Worker Benefits Compensation for people whose jobs are taken by robots. |
Spark | Twelve Hawks | 2014 |
| Replacement of Brain with Computer Removal of the brain of an ordinary man, and installation of a calculating machine. |
The Ableist Man in the World | Mitchell | 1879 |
| Replicant An android; an artificial human being. |
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | Dick | 1968 |
| Reporting Machine A robotic roving reporter. |
The Simulacra | Dick | 1964 |
| Repulsor A device that inhibits the action of a spacewarp drive. |
What Mad Universe | Brown | 1949 |
| Repulsor Ray Fires an invisible beam of electrons for propulsion. |
The Time-Raider | Hamilton | 1927 |
| Repulsor Screen Diverts troublesome asteroids. |
Crystalized Thought | Schachner | 1937 |
| Rescue Nets Nets raised around the circumference of a vast air transport. |
Flight of the Eastern Star | Repp | 1929 |
| Reserve Bracelet A means of sending a message via tiny shocks in code, delivered to the wrist. |
Plague | Leinster | 1944 |
| Residual Poison A poison that, once administered, resides in the body; only regular intake of the antidote keeps the person alive. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Resilian A natural fiber that is as strong as steel. |
The Howling Bounders | Vance | 1949 |
| Resting Pits |
Limits | Niven | 1985 |
| Restraining Bolt A device that makes sure a robot does what you want (rather than what it wants). |
Star Wars | Lucas | 1976 |
| Retaliatory Tapeworm (Counter-Worm) Using computers to deliberately damage another person's reputation and well-being. |
The Shockwave Rider | Brunner | 1975 |
| Retard-Jets Rockets to slow down. |
Brother Worlds | Gallun | 1951 |
| Retinal Implant An implanted device that can record and transmit what the person sees. |
The Neutronium Alchemist | Hamilton | 1997 |
| Retinal Light An internal flashlight. |
The Stars My Destination | Bester | 1956 |
| Retinal Projection A method for projecting advertisements directly on the retina. |
The Space Merchants | Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) | 1952 |
| Retinal Vid-Screen A tiny display surgically implanted directly in the retina of the eye. |
Sales Pitch | Dick | 1954 |
| Retro-Rockets Small boosters to provide a thrust counter to the current velocity of the spacecraft, slowing it down or stopping its progress altogether. |
From the Earth to the Moon | Verne | 1867 |
| Reversal Coils Provide both entry into a negative universe and propulsion. |
The Infinite Enemy | Williamson | 1938 |
| Revitalizer Console. A kind of automated medical marvel; it optimizes your body chemistry for better health, tops off your fluids, etc. |
Millennium | Varley | 1983 |
| Rewriting History Use of sophisticated technology to continuously rewrite the historical record. |
1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) | Orwell | 1948 |
| Rex Regenerator (Mechanotherapist) Mechanotherapy device cures homicidal urges. |
Bad Medicine | Sheckley | 1956 |
| Rhennius Machine Device of alien manufacture, which will reverse, or turn inside out, any object passed through its mobilator. |
Doorways in the Sand | Zelazny | 1976 |
| Rhetorizer A computerized assistant for writers. |
The Penultimate Truth | Dick | 1964 |
| Ribbon World A planet that presents the same face to its sun has a small habitable area - the ribbon between light and dark. |
Foundation and Empire | Asimov | 1952 |
| Riding Robot A single person means of bipedal transportation. |
The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge | Harrison | 1970 |
| Ridulian Crystal Sheets Exceptionally strong, surpassingly thin material. |
God Emperor of Dune | Herbert | 1981 |
| Rifle Range (Virtual Shooting Range) Virtual skeet shooting gallery with clay pigeon traps created by aliens. |
Way Station | Simak | 1963 |
| Right Angle Projectile A missile that turns at right angles after being fired. |
The Mad Metropolis | High | 1966 |
| Rigid Metallic Clothing An early exoskeleton. |
A Conquest of Two Worlds | Hamilton | 1932 |
| Ring Road A magnetically levitated train. |
Starman Jones | Heinlein | 1953 |
| Ring-Table A device that creates a 'group mind', a single mind, from the many gathered around it. |
The Universe Wreckers | Hamilton | 1930 |
| Ringworld A 50 foot thick ribbon of matter around a star, a million miles across and as long as Earth's orbital circumference. |
Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| RNA Shots An injection prepared from the tissues of a person with knowledge or experience that you need. |
A World Out of Time | Niven | 1976 |
| Roachster A genetically-engineered vehicle based on arthropod DNA; uses implanted control structures. |
Sparrowhawk | Easton | 1990 |
| Robant A robotic servant. |
The Impossible Planet | Dick | 1953 |
| Robant Bill Collector A robot designed to collect overdue bills, no matter what. |
Now Wait For Last Year | Dick | 1966 |
| Robass A robotic beast of burden. |
The Quest for Saint Aquin | Boucher | 1951 |
| Robobug A cyborg insect. |
The Golden City | Twelve Hawks | 2009 |
| Robobus An autonomous vehicle for picking up some number of passengers. |
Robots Are Nice? | Dickson | 1957 |
| Robocide Deliberate destruction of robots. |
Robots Are Nice? | Dickson | 1957 |
| Robocop A robotic police officer. |
Wanted in Surgery | Ellison | 1957 |
| Robodore A robot specialized for use as a stevedore, emptying the contents of ships in port. |
Robot Unwanted | Keyes | 1952 |
| Robofish (Mitsubishi Robot Turbot) A powerful, meter-long robotic fish used to take samples from liquid lakes on other worlds (like Titan). |
Slow Life | Swanwick | 2002 |
| Robomule The robotic equivalent of a mule. |
Bill the Galactic Hero | Harrison | 1965 |
| Robopark An automated parking garage. |
Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Robopsychologist One who examines the thought processes of robots. |
Liar | Asimov | 1941 |
| Roboscribe A robotic writer of hard-bitten detective yarns. |
End as a Robot | Marsten | 1954 |
| Robot A (usually human-shaped) artifact with the same kinds of abilities as a human - this is the first use of the word 'robot'. |
R.U.R. | Capek | 1920 |
| Robot AI Driven Mad Placing an artificial intelligence or autonomous robot in a situation in which its brain is unable to make a decision and is destroyed or driven mad. |
Liar | Asimov | 1941 |
| Robot Animals Artificial animals created using robotic elements. |
Reunion on Ganymede | Simak | 1938 |
| Robot Baby An infant robot. |
Life Everlasting | Keller | 1934 |
| Robot Bar A combination bartender and bar; a robot capable of dispensing beverages. |
Bill the Galactic Hero | Harrison | 1965 |
| Robot Bartender An automated, mechanical bar tending robot. |
The Stars My Destination | Bester | 1956 |
| Robot Biomimicry Endowing robots with an organic-appearing fluidity, rather than mechanical motion. |
The War of the Worlds | Wells | 1898 |
| Robot Bird A small winged UAV that can mimic a bird in flight. |
Invader on My Back | High | 1968 |
| Robot Brother A roboticist brings home a robot brother for his natural son. |
Brother Robot | Slesar | 1958 |
| Robot Bus An autonomous vehicle to transport groups of people. |
The Little Things | Kuttner | 1946 |
| Robot Busboy A robotic device able to autonomously clear tables in a restaurant. |
Lies, Inc. | Dick | 1964 |
| Robot Cab Driver You think you have problems? Robots have the worst problems of anyone. |
A Present for Pat | Dick | 1954 |
| Robot Cat A biological feline with mechanical parts. |
The Cat and the King | Jones | 1946 |
| Robot Cells (Crystal-Shaped Modules) Minute dodecahedral units that could combine into different shapes to become full robots. |
Isaac Asimov's Odyssey : Robot City: Book1 | Kube-McDowell | 1987 |
| Robot Chef Creative, autonomous robotic cook. |
Robinc | Boucher | 1943 |
| Robot Comedian Joke-telling feature added to a standard butler robot. |
The Jester | Tenn | 1951 |
| Robot Conductor A robot that serves as the conductor on a bus. |
The Woman You Wanted | Silverberg | 1958 |
| Robot Control Board Control panel with small screens showing the point of view of different robots. |
The Robot Master | Beckwith | 1929 |
| Robot Cook A household robot that can cook meals. |
Helen O'Loy | del Rey | 1938 |
| Robot Cop A robotic police officer. |
Pacifist of Hell's Island | Williams | 1943 |
| Robot Crab An automated gardener. |
Neuromancer | Gibson | 1984 |
| Robot Detector A device that can sense robotics. |
Assignment in the Unknown | Quattrocchi | 1951 |
| Robot Disimprovement Once robots have reached a state of development where they are better than humans, they must be modified - for the worse. |
A Ticket to Tranai | Sheckley | 1955 |
| Robot Doctor A mechanical physician. |
Flamingo: A Drama of A.D. 1950 | Heller | 1930 |
| Robot Dog A mechanical, robotic dog. |
The Iron World | Kline | 1937 |
| Robot Door Automated door has some decision-making capabilities, in addition to speech recognition capabilities. |
Colony | Dick | 1953 |
| Robot Earthworm Autonomous swarming robots the size of earthworms, with similar earth-digging capabilities. |
War With The Robots | Harrison | 1962 |
| Robot Emotions Devices or techniques that give rise to emotions in robots. |
Helen O'Loy | del Rey | 1938 |
| Robot Factory Representative An ambulatory agent of an automatic factory. |
Autofac | Dick | 1955 |
| Robot Farmer A humanoid robot used for agriculture. |
The Turning Wheel | Dick | 1954 |
| Robot Fish A mechanical fish. |
At Kokomo Joe's | Stauffer | 1989 |
| Robot Fish (Metal Fish) Fake flounders for sport fishermen on Martian canals. |
Atom Drive | Fontenay | 1956 |
| Robot Gardener An autonomous gardening robot, taking care of plants in parks or fields. |
War Veteran | Dick | 1955 |
| Robot Gas Station An entirely automated station for dispensing fuel to consumer vehicles. |
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said | Dick | 1974 |
| Robot Guard Very early reference to a guard robot. |
The Turning Wheel | Dick | 1954 |
| Robot Gun An automated gun; typically used for sentry duty. |
Aliens | Foster | 1986 |
| Robot Handlers Small robots used in spacecraft for a variety of useful tasks. |
The Golden Globe | Varley | 1998 |
| Robot Hands Human-like appendages for the ends of upper limbs. |
The Iron World | Kline | 1937 |
| Robot Interception Aerial Mines Loitering explosives overhead. |
The World Jones Made | Dick | 1956 |
| Robot Introspection A robotic brain grows and learns about itself. |
Unforeseen | Graham | 1949 |
| Robot Judge Artificially intelligent legal machine - robes and all. |
Robot Justice | Harrison | 1959 |
| Robot Language Specialized talk that machines developed for their own use. |
Frankenstein - Unlimited | Highstone | 1936 |
| Robot Lawn Mower An automated lawn mower. |
City | Simak | 1944 |
| Robot Librarian Filer A device that works as a librarian, automatically filing books in the stacks. |
The Robot Who Wanted to Know | Harrison | 1962 |
| Robot Manumission The freeing of a robotic being from a state of being owned property. |
Robot Unwanted | Keyes | 1952 |
| Robot Mice Tiny cleaning robots. |
The Martian Chronicles | Bradbury | 1950 |
| Robot Mother A self-replicating robot, which creates a series of helper bots that adapt to conditions as needed. |
The Mechanical Mice | Hugi | 1941 |
| Robot Music Music created and performed entirely by robots. |
The Robot God | Cummings | 1941 |
| Robot Observatory A fully automated astronomical observatory, placed on a planet (typically, one that does not support human life). |
Space Rating | Berryman | 1939 |
| Robot Pianist A robot learns the fine art of playing classical music on the piano. |
Virtuoso | Goldstone | 1953 |
| Robot Pope An artificially intelligent robotic cardinal ascends to the Throne of St. Peter. |
Good News From the Vatican | Silverberg | 1971 |
| Robot Probes (Arr-twos) Remote controlled robots that wander through a facility, bringing pictures and information to a central location. |
Oath of Fealty | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1981 |
| Robot Prohibition Robots may not wander alone. |
Robbie (Strange Playfellow) | Asimov | 1940 |
| Robot Psyche Tester An automated psychiatric evaluation device. |
Colony | Dick | 1953 |
| Robot Rabbit A robotic bunny. |
Robots Don't Bleed | Groves | 1950 |
| Robot Ramp A special means of ingress and egress solely for use by mechanical help. |
Robot Unwanted | Keyes | 1952 |
| Robot Revolt Robots to throw off the yoke of Man? |
The Exile of Time | Cummings | 1931 |
| Robot Rights Should robots have the rights of men? |
The Trial of Adam Link, Robot | Binder | 1939 |
| Robot Row - Robots For Consumers The adoption curve for personal robots will accelerate like the curve for automobiles. |
The Instigators | Banks | 1956 |
| Robot Self-Assembly A robot separated into many pieces reassembles itself. |
Meccano | Correa | 1968 |
| Robot Situation Neurosis Robots go mad when given competing instructions. |
The Unreconstructed M | Dick | 1957 |
| Robot Skin Covering Realistic covering for the bodies of robots. |
Rex | Vincent | 1934 |
| Robot Smiles A robot learns to give a perfect human smile. |
Helen O'Loy | del Rey | 1938 |
| Robot Snake A mechanical reptile, with no legs. |
Bait for the Tiger | Chaytor | 1958 |
| Robot Snake Spy A small robot in the shape of a snake, used for field work by spies. |
Mariposa | Bear | 2009 |
| Robot Spectra Analyzer Device used to find ones position in real space. |
The Repairman | Harrison | 1959 |
| Robot Strike When robots refuse to work. |
Robots of the World! Arise! | Wolf | 1952 |
| Robot Suicide A robot decides to commit suicide, and sets up a mechanism to put his decision into effect. |
Adam Link's Vengeance | Binder | 1940 |
| Robot Surgeon An autonomous robotic surgeon. |
The Bicentennial Man | Asimov | 1976 |
| Robot Surgeon-Hand A skilled surgical robot that attaches at the end of the surgeon's arm. |
War Veteran | Dick | 1955 |
| Robot Surgery Robots operate an advance operating theater. |
Secret of the Buried City | Fearn | 1939 |
| Robot Taste Buds A sensor for robots that would allow it to taste foods like a human being. |
Robinc | Boucher | 1943 |
| Robot Taxi A taxicab with a robotic driver. |
Solar Lottery | Dick | 1955 |
| Robot Team A set of robots, with the leader able to coordinate the activities of less intelligent subsidiary robots. |
Catch That Rabbit | Asimov | 1944 |
| Robot Tennis Player A purely mechanical, autonomous foe on the court. |
Manners of the Age | Fyfe | 1952 |
| Robot Tracking Device Small UAV robot remotely operated by an artificially intelligent computer. |
Vulcan's Hammer | Dick | 1956 |
| Robot Trash Collectors Robots that drive and operate garbage trucks. |
Robot Justice | Harrison | 1959 |
| Robot Vending Machine Machinery displaces news boys selling papers on street corners. |
The Prince of Space | Williamson | 1931 |
| Robot Voice A voice box for a robot that is an analog of the human voice system. |
Catch That Rabbit | Asimov | 1944 |
| Robot Waiter Robotic restaurant servitor. |
Flamingo: A Drama of A.D. 1950 | Heller | 1930 |
| Robot Wheel An enormous vehicular robot in the shape of a gigantic wheel. |
The Metal Giants | Hamilton | 1926 |
| Robot With Human's Brain A very early example of encasing a human brain in a robotic body. |
Revenge of the Robot | Kline | 1936 |
| Robotaxi A fully automated, driverless taxi. |
Dugal Was A Spaceman | Gibson | 1953 |
| Robot-Boss A mechanical device that tells people what to do. |
Women's World | Cooke | 1939 |
| Robot-Control Wave Band Special command circuit for robots. |
Rex | Vincent | 1934 |
| Robot-Deranger A ray that discombobulates robots of all kinds. |
The Exile of Time | Cummings | 1931 |
| Robotess A female robot. |
R.U.R. | Capek | 1920 |
| Robotic Abattoir Robots with knives in a meat-packing plant. |
Freedom's Landing | McCaffrey | 1996 |
| Robotic Arm A specialized robotic reaching and grasping device. |
City | Simak | 1944 |
| Robotic Butterfly A tiny, electromechanical flying robot. |
I, Robot: The Movie | Ellison | 1987 |
| Robotic Chess Expert A robot that plays chess at a level that no human can match. |
Time Quarry | Simak | 1950 |
| Robotic Conductor A robot charged with conductor's duties aboard a bus or other public transportation. |
Paycheck | Dick | 1953 |
| Robotic Dishwasher A fully automated solution to the dishwashing problem. |
The Martian Chronicles | Bradbury | 1950 |
| Robotic Eel A five-foot long artificial eel, controlled by an operator. |
Re:Set | Beetlestone | 2012 |
| Robotic Hand A dexterous manipulator for robots. |
The Door Into Summer | Heinlein | 1956 |
| Robotic Horse - Faithful Cybernetic Companion A robot that is specifically designed to closely resemble a horse. |
The Warlock in Spite of Himself | Stasheff | 1969 |
| Robotic Infiltrator A robot designed to appeal to a soldier's sense of mercy for children. |
Second Variety | Dick | 1953 |
| Robotic Law Tape Safety Valve A specific impulse that warns robots contemplating breaking the laws set forth for their behavior. |
Robot Unwanted | Keyes | 1952 |
| Robotic Microhands Mechanical replica of hands, that mimic the movements of actual human hands. |
Microhands (Микроруки) | Zhitkov | 1931 |
| Robotic Trash Can A sensor-equipped waste can capable of autonomous cleaning - and legal judgement. |
Robot Justice | Harrison | 1959 |
| Roboticist A person who works on robots. |
Evidence | Asimov | 1946 |
| Roboticist A person who creates or works with robots. |
Robot AL-76 Goes Astray | Asimov | 1941 |
| Robotics The engineering field encompassing the creation and maintenance of robots. |
Liar | Asimov | 1941 |
| Robotnik Automated Hotel A fully-automated hotel; no human interaction required. |
The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge | Harrison | 1970 |
| Robot-Referee An autonomous robot judge at athletic events. |
Jingle in the Jungle | Giunta | 1957 |
| Robotrix A robot, female in appearance. |
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said | Dick | 1974 |
| Robots Build Robots Using robot labor exclusively to build more robots. |
Robbie (Strange Playfellow) | Asimov | 1940 |
| Robots Learn With Cameras Robots learn new actions by recording them with a camera, doing away with expensive programming. |
The Instigators | Banks | 1956 |
| Robots Refuse To Serve Man When robots evolve their own perspectives, and ultimately refuse to act as servants to human beings. |
The Mentanicals | Flagg | 1934 |
| Robots Take Human Jobs Robots displace human beings in the workforce. |
The Threat of the Robot | Keller | 1929 |
| Robot-Surgeon A perfect robot for perfected human beings. |
Rex | Vincent | 1934 |
| Robus A robotic bus. |
Terror in the Stars | Sentry | 1955 |
| Robutler A robotic butler. |
The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge | Harrison | 1970 |
| Rocket Cruiser A privately owned space ship. |
The Worlds of Tomorrow | Wellman | 1940 |
| Rocket Engine Moves Moon Using the propulsive mechanism of a space ship to move a small moon or asteroid. |
The Space Dwellers | Gallun | 1929 |
| Rocket Float A sea-going floating platform for rocket launches. |
Too Many Boards! | Vincent | 1931 |
| Rocket Gun In essence, a bazooka. |
Armageddon: 2419 A.D. | Nowlan | 1928 |
| Rocket Liner A rocket designed for point-to-point Earth journeys; it goes well into the stratosphere. |
Exiles of the Moon | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Rocket Pine Genetically engineered trees for wood pulp. |
The Human Blend | Foster | 2010 |
| Rocket Pistol Using pistol rounds to maneuver in space. |
Buck Rogers, 2430 AD | Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) | 1929 |
| Rocket Racing Use of reaction mass vehicles for races held within the solar system. |
Habit | del Rey | 1939 |
| Rocket Side Tubes An early description of attitude jets, course correction by small emissions of gas. |
Evans of the Earth-Guard | Hamilton | 1930 |
| Rocket Suit A space suit with its own means of motive power. |
Flaming Frontier | Buley | 1934 |
| Rocket Tug The equivalent of a tug boat for space ships. |
Crystalized Thought | Schachner | 1937 |
| Rocket-Belt A single-user propulsion pack. |
The Worlds of Tomorrow | Wellman | 1940 |
| Rocketeer A person who pilots rockets. |
Sunward Flight | Zagat | 1943 |
| Rocketeering Racing around in rockets |
Ra For The Rajah | Peterson | 1938 |
| Rocket-Polo Polo played with rocket-powered craft. |
Ra For The Rajah | Peterson | 1938 |
| Rocket-Powered Space Flight A device that could power a man from the surface of the Earth to that of the Moon. |
A Voyage to the Moon | de Bergerac | 1657 |
| Rocketrix A female rocket pilot. |
Redemption Cairn | Weinbaum | 1936 |
| Rod In a fight, it is used in a manner similar to a sword and a flamethrower. |
Wolfling | Dickson | 1969 |
| Rod of Wrath A sword made of light. |
Gather, Darkness! | Leiber | 1943 |
| Rogue Planet A planet without a sun, it wanders through galactic space. |
Satan's World | Anderson | 1967 |
| Rogue World A celestial nomad, a planetary body that is not tied to a particular sun. |
Dying of the Light | Martin | 1977 |
| Rolem (Wrestling Robot) A robotic wrestling companion. |
This Immortal | Zelazny | 1965 |
| Roller Two passenger vehicle designed for off-road use on alien planets. |
Shadow World | Simak | 1957 |
| Rolling Road A set of fast-moving strips to move people over distances. |
The Roads Must Roll | Heinlein | 1940 |
| Rolov A specialized robot for the bedroom. |
Roll Out the Rolov! | Anvil | 1953 |
| Rom (Robot Operated Missiles) Intercontinental robotic weapons. |
Breakfast at Twilight | Dick | 1954 |
| Rooftop Windmill Renewable energy source for the home. |
A Journey In Other Worlds | Astor IV | 1894 |
| Rotated Solid Space Habitat A solid version of a artifact rotated to achieve artificial gravity. |
Iron | Anderson | 1989 |
| Rotating Hollow Planetoid Habitat An asteroid (or planetoid) hollowed out, spun for artificial gravity, used as a habitat. |
Electronic Siege | Campbell | 1932 |
| Rotating House A single family home built upon a central pivot; it can be turned at will. |
The Godmakers | Herbert | 1972 |
| Roujin Z-0001 Robotic Bed A fully automated hospital bed and transport robot. |
Roujin Z | Otomo | 1991 |
| Roving Bomb Special zero-gee guided bomb. |
Lost Rocket | Wellman | 1941 |
| Ro-Womb Device enfolds the patient during therapy. |
The Dream Master (He Who Shapes) | Zelazny | 1966 |
| Royalties For Machine Learning Subjects A payment to people who are used as subjects for imitation learning by robots. |
Q.U.R. | Boucher | 1943 |
| Rubber Hoof Silent running for robot horses. |
The Warlock in Spite of Himself | Stasheff | 1969 |
| Rubber Soled Feet Silent padding for clanky robots. |
The Robot Terror | Huff | 1930 |
| RUMOKO A project to create additional land surface by deliberate stimulation of undersea volcanoes. |
My Name is Legion | Zelazny | 1976 |
| Runcible A book made of smart paper; every page is a flexible LCD (liquid crystal display) screen. |
The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Rust Ray Pistol Makes the hardest steel or iron crumbly. |
Gambler’s Asteroid | Wellman | 1944 |
| Ruum Spherical Robot An autonomous spherical robot, possibly liquid metal, self-energizing, of alien design; a collector. |
The Ruum | Porges | 1953 |
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