Science Fiction Dictionary: Terms, Ideas and Technology

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Science Fiction Dictionary: Ideas, Terms and Technology
( 4113 Inventions Available)

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Device Name	Book/Story	Author	Date
Saddle A comfortable riding saddle - minus the horse.	The Big Front Yard	Simak	1959
Saga You become a part of the great adventures of history.	The City and the Stars	Clarke	1956
SAL 9000 Successor to the HAL 9000.	2010: Odyssey Two	Clarke	1982
Salamander Name given to the fire trucks of the future, which carry kerosene rather than water, and are used to burn houses.	Fahrenheit 451	Bradbury	1953
Sales Robot (Robot Salesman) Fully automated robots giving untiring, incessant sales pitches to customers.	Sales Pitch	Dick	1954
Sand Ship A wind-powered vehicle in the desert.	The Martian Chronicles	Bradbury	1950
Sandbenders A highly customized computer system; the opposite of a box from Gateway or Dell.	Idoru	Gibson	1996
Sandcrawler A very large mobile home, used by jawas on the deserts of Tatooine.	Star Wars	Lucas	1976
Sandsnork A device like a snorkel that would provide air to a tent buried by a sand storm.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Sandtrout Glove A living glove, formed of live creatures.	Children of Dune	Herbert	1976
Sand-Yacht (Land Schooner) A vehicle that used wind power upon its sails to move on the land.	Cry Hope, Cry Fury!	Ballard	1966
San-Ray Projector Device produces a habit-forming, nerve-tingling ray that clouds the mind.	Hell Ship of Space	Kummer, Jr.	1940
Sapho Juice Unique substance enhanced the cognitive performance of Mentats.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Sapience The ability of a species to think, to reason with discernment and wisdom.	The Planet Entity	Johnson (w/C.A. Smith)	1931
Sargasso Asteroid A planetoid built from natural rock and the salvaged wreckage of space craft.	The Stars My Destination	Bester	1956
Sargasso of Space A "dead area" in which the gravitational fields of the planets are cancelled out.	The Sargasso of Space	Hamilton	1931
Satellite Ion Cannon Orbiting station armed with a particle beam weapon, used for surgical tactical strikes.	Command and Conquer	Games	1995
Satellite Photography for Surveillance Use of pictures taken from near Earth orbit for reconnaissance in a military operation.	The Prince of Space	Williamson	1931
Satellite Search and Destroy Destroying satellites in orbit.	The Shockwave Rider	Brunner	1975
Scanner Palm A document scanner implanted in the palm of the hand.	KOP	Hammond	2007
Scanning-Disk Telescope A telescope which uses a television-like monitor instead of an eyepiece.	The Power Planet	Leinster	1931
Scarab Robot Flying Insect A tiny flying robotic machine, used for surveillance.	The Scarab	Gallun	1936
Sceneshifter An automated display device that produced random pictorial presentations.	Last of the Masters	Dick	1954
Scent-Organ A device that output specified odors.	Brave New World	Huxley	1932
SchoolBook A standard-issue laptop computer for school use.	Little Brother	Doctorow	2008
Schrieber Analyzer Superior automatic air testing - for the discriminating space traveler.	Diabologic	Russell	1955
Schrön Loop Small data storage device; a USB chip that stores terabytes.	Hyperion	Simmons	1989
Science Chair Grown from your DNA for extra comfort.	Titanium Noir	Harkaway	2023
Science Fiction Literature that interweaves "the revealed truths of Science" with a "pleasing story" that is "poetical and true."	A Little Earnest Book Upon a Great Old Subject	Wilson	1851
Science Fiction Restaurant Established by aliens, its waiters and food are out of this world!	Expedition to Earth	Zacks	1953
Scientific Reincarnation Technology to allow a person to transfer themselves to a new, healthy body.	Lord of Light	Zelazny	1967
Scientifiction Writing that combines science and fiction.	Thought Transmission on Mars	Gernsback	1916
Scooter Biotechnology working to bring you a better solar system - a creepy crawly created to do terraforming work on Jupiter's moon.	Against Infinity	Benford	1983
Scop Protein grown in bacteria-filled vats.	Islands in the Net	Sterling	1988
Scout-Base Artificial sphere functions as a frontier outpost.	Diabologic	Russell	1955
Scramble Suit A superthin membrane upon which are projected the characteristics of a million different people, it confers instant anonymity.	A Scanner Darkly	Dick	1977
Screamer An acoustic weapon.	The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge	Harrison	1970
Screening Software Rules-based software trained to eliminate spam email.	The Moat	Egan	1991
Screensaver (Inventor of) Screen savers are used to prevent phosphor burnout in CRTs, and to provide restful entertainment on computer screens.	Stranger in a Strange Land	Heinlein	1961
Scrith The material used to build Ringworld; has remarkable tensile strength	Ringworld	Niven	1970
Sculpted Teeth Go beyond teeth whitening to shaped teeth - for a more modern smile.	Mona Lisa Overdrive	Gibson	1988
Scuttle-bot An all-purpose surveillance robot that climbed rather than flew.	Hella	Gerrold	2020
Sea Robot An enormous robot able to function in the ocean.	The Metal Monster (Jarvis)	Jarvis	1943
Sealingsilk Transparent and flexible material, even against hard vacuum in space.	The Beat Cluster	Leiber	1961
Search Beams Penetrating rays that disclose the contents of rooms, ships, etc.	Slaves of Mercury	Schachner	1932
Search-Bug An exploratory robot.	Autofac	Dick	1955
Seashell Radio (Thimble Radios) Small radios that fit into the ears like hearing aids or ear buds.	Fahrenheit 451	Bradbury	1953
Security Guard Robot (Sentry Robot) A robot that takes the place of a security guard in an office environment.	Runaway	Crichton	1985
Security Restraint Field A force field that restricts personal movement.	Between Planets	Heinlein	1951
Seed Bomb A tiny explosive that can be embedded under the skin.	Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said	Dick	1974
Seeder Ramship A spacecraft designed to travel from one star system to another , terrafoming worlds for use.	Rammer	Niven	1991
Seetee Blinker A marker of contraterrene matter (antimatter) asteroids, to aid in interplanetary navigation.	Collision Orbit	Williamson	1942
Selectacol A device that automates the interior design process, providing a choice of color schemes for a roomful of furniture.	The Godmakers	Herbert	1972
Selected Melanin Boosting The only way to get a designer tan.	Neuromancer	Gibson	1984
Selective Electric Eye A facial recognition device.	Exiles of the Moon	Schachner (w. AL Zagat)	1931
Selective Television A special kind of 'television' that let the user choose any scene around the world.	The Challenge of Atlantis	Burks	1938
Selector Card Pneumatic delivery of book films by using a mechanical form of data storage; selector cards - probably punch cards.	The Puppet Masters	Heinlein	1951
Selektrogel An over-the-counter gel to choose the sex of a child at conception.	And All The Stars A Stage	Blish	1971
Selenium Photo-Electric Televisor A specialized photo-electric cell.	A Daring Trip To Mars	Valier	1931
Seleno-Cosmo-Tel Device to automatically avoid asteroids or other bodies.	A Race Through Time	Wandrei	1933
Self-Adjusting Furniture Automatic adjustment for a perfect fit.	Time Quarry	Simak	1950
Self-Assembling Robots Robots with the capacity to assemble themselves from components, and then switch themselves on.	The Witches of Karres	Schmitz	1966
Self-Aware Robot A robot that thinks and reasons for itself.	Rex	Vincent	1934
Self-Charging Robot A robot that is able to autonomously find an electrical outlet and plug itself in to recharge.	Callahan and the Wheelies	Barr	1960
Self-Cleaning Autonomous Car An automatic vehicle that keeps itself clean.	Sally	Asimov	1953
Self-Cleaning Gym Suit Removes the source of odor.	Oryx and Crake	Atwood	2003
Self-Guided Rocket Bullets A rifle made for airless environments shoots rocket bullets.	The Planet Strappers	Gallun	1961
Self-Guided Tractors A farm vehicle that drives itself.	At the Bottom of a Hole	Niven	1966
Self-Healing Building A building that responds to stresses or cracks in walls by healing the damaged portion.	The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista	Ballard	1962
Self-Igniter A self-lighting cigarette.	The Howling Bounders	Vance	1949
Self-Lighting Cigarette A cigarette with a matchhead built in.	Methuselah's Children	Heinlein	1941
Self-Maintaining Circuit Monitoring and Repair A computer that monitors itself for repair.	Gramp and his Dog	Quattrocchi	1952
Self-Opening Box Don't show this to Apple.	Child's Play	Tenn	1947
Self-Powered Broom A broom for use in small apartments that cleans under its own power.	Ubik	Dick	1969
Self-Propelled Road Mine A small, lightweight mine able to travel at highway speeds; guides itself to a marked target.	Runaway	Crichton	1985
Self-Propelled Space Suit A vacuum suit with a means of propelling itself built in.	The Cavern of the Shining Pool	Zagat	1937
Self-Propulsive Space Suit A space suit outfitted with its own means of movement.	The Bluff of the Hawk	Gilmore	1932
Self-Repairing Robot A mechanism that can detect faults in itself and repair them.	Accidental Flight	Wallace	1952
Self-Satisfied Door A door that is much more satisfied with its functionality than it has any right to be.	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy	Adams	1979
Self-Sealing Plastic Transparent sheeting with a layer of material that would flow to staunch tiny leaks.	Asteroid of Fear	Gallun	1951
Self-Selling Robot A robot that sells itself.	Sales Pitch	Dick	1954
Self-Service Cafeteria Food on demand.	The Mechanical Monarch	Tubb	1958
Self-Sufficient House A single family residence that required no surrounding infrastructure.	Childhood's End	Clarke	1953
Self-Sustaining Nuclear Reaction An 'atomic fire' is started that consumes all matter in reach!	Atomic Fire	Gallun	1931
Self-Sustaining Space Craft A spacecraft ecosystem.	The Prince of Space	Williamson	1931
Semi-Conducting Graphite-Gel Computer brain structured like animal brain.	Callahan and the Wheelies	Barr	1960
Semisentient Plastic A durable coating that protects and preserves objects.	Ring	Baxter	1994
Semuta A combination of a specific drug and music, which penetrated to the deepest levels of consciousness.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Sensitive Robot Fingers Special sensory capabilities of robotic appendages.	The Exile of Time	Cummings	1931
Senso-Cells Sensors that recorded personal characteristics of the owners of a house, to better serve their needs.	The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista	Ballard	1962
Sensor Arm An extendable multipurpose sensor cluster.	Star Wars	Lucas	1976
Sensory Skinsuit A form-fitting garment with sensory connections.	Dream Park	Niven (w/S. Barnes)	1981
Sensory-Syrynx A complex musical instrument.	Nova	Delany	1968
Sentenced Man A person who commits asocial actions and lives in society, but in reduced circumstances.	Robot Justice	Harrison	1959
Sentient Econometrics Use of artificial intelligence in economic forecasting.	Alpha Centauri	Meier	1999
Sentient Room A room constructed entirely of flesh, dominated by the personality of a geisha.	Schismatrix	Sterling	1985
Sentry Trees A set of trees that will allow only those with the safe signal to pass.	The Houses of Iszm	Vance	1954
Separated At Birth Database Missing persons database uses similarity to famous people.	Virtual Light	Gibson	1993
Service Drones Small flying construction and repair robots.	The Two Faces of Tomorrow	Hogan	1979
Serving Robot A non-humanoid robot designed to serve.	Space Viking	Piper	1962
Servok An 'automatic' or clock-set mechanism to perform simple tasks.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Seven Vane Starship A faster-than-light ship with seven vanes of energy controlled by human nervous systems.	Nova	Delany	1968
Shadow People Alien knowledge leads to alien results - for humans.	Way Station	Simak	1963
Shadow Square An enormous blind that orbits a star.	Ringworld	Niven	1970
Shadow Square Wire Very fine, very light, very strong wire.	Ringworld	Niven	1970
Shari A multipurpose net worn as clothing.	Sacred Martian Pig (Idris' Pig)	St. Clair	1949
Shatter-Gun A hand-held device that literally scrambles the brains of the victim.	The Houses of Iszm	Vance	1954
Sheem Spider Robot A robotic spider.	The Witches of Karres	Schmitz	1966
Sheep Dip Isolator A non-lethal malodorant weapon.	The Zap Gun (Project Plowshare)	Dick	1965
Sheep's Lozenge The nutritious portion of an entire sheep, in one pill.	The Fatal Curiosity, or, A Hundred Years Hence	Payn	1877
Shere Destroys cells so that memory cannot be deduced from the cells of the person even in death.	Heretics of Dune	Herbert	1984
Sherman A sex robot.	Millennium	Varley	1983
Shield Early name for a defensive force field.	Skylark Three	Smith	1930
Shiftsuit A form of adaptive camouflage gear.	Matadora	Perry	1986
Shigawire A very fine wire, used as a recording medium (among other things).	Dune	Herbert	1965
Ship Hull Thermobatteries Solar activated and charged batteries built into the hull of a spacecraft.	The Ethical Equations	Leinster	1945
Ship Pushes Moon Altering the course of a small moon by pushing on it with a rocket motor.	Buck Rogers, 2430 AD	Nowlan (w/D. Calkins)	1929
Ship That Swims Under Water (Submarine) A Ship that could swim under Water.	The Description of a New World, Called The Blazing-World	Cavendish	1666
Shipboard Medical Treatment An elaborate system to guard against infection in returning space explorers.	Contagion	MacLean	1950
Ship's Artificial Gravity A very early mention of the term.	Buck Rogers, 2430 AD	Nowlan (w/D. Calkins)	1929
Ship's Magnetic Plates (Magnetic Mooring) Keeps a mining ship attached to the surface of an asteroid.	Asteroid of Gold	Simak	1932
Ships Propelled By Light Pressure Space ships that use light pressure from a distant source for propulsion	The Comet Doom	Hamilton	1929
Ship's Telescope A large telescope built into the main axis of the ship.	A Daring Trip To Mars	Valier	1931
Ships With Legs Space ships with mechanical limbs for walking the Earth.	Buck Rogers, 2430 AD	Nowlan (w/D. Calkins)	1929
Shipstone A lot of power in a small, manufactured package.	Friday	Heinlein	1982
Shock Hammock Special netting oriented for pilots in high gee spacecraft.	Habit	del Rey	1939
Shock-Absorbing Seats Perfect for the many gravities of acceleration upon take-off.	Evans of the Earth-Guard	Hamilton	1930
Shock-Rod Knock out stick.	Mechanocracy	Breuer	1932
Shoggoths Bioengineered creatures, able to change shape, created for labor.	At the Mountains of Madness	Lovecraft	1936
Short-Wave Surgical Knife A means of performing an internal cut without breaking the skin.	Boomerang (A Great Deal of Power)	Russell	1953
Shovel-Handed Digging Machines Huge multi-legged machines used to dig and manipulate earth.	The Onslaught From Venus	Phillips	1929
Shuttle A space craft that travels point to point in space.	Liners of Space	Vanny	1930
Shuttle Ship A spacecraft that could take off from a planet, rendezvous with an object in orbit, and fly back to the surface like a glider.	Between Planets	Heinlein	1951
Shuttlecraft A small spaceship designed for short journeys.	Star Trek	Unknown	1967
Sick Stick Baton that induces vomiting upon contact.	Minority Report (Movie)	Spielberg	2002
Sideglance Robe A dress that is invisible or opaque, depending on how you look at it.	The Trouble With Bubbles	Dick	1953
Sietch A cave warren designed to protect a tribal community, with a population of thousands, with its own water supply in an endless desert.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Sigfrid von Shrink An automated therapist.	Gateway	Pohl	1970
Sights Sunglasses-mounted crosshairs (you'll need one with your skull gun).	The Diamond Age	Stephenson	1995
Signal Skin Natural communication form for this species; skin that can spell out text.	The Algebraist	Banks	2004
Silencer-Padding Robots need to have special padding on the bottoms of their lower limbs, so they don't clank as they walk.	Robot Unwanted	Keyes	1952
Silica Sphere (Dyson sphere) An enclosed environment, excavated on Mars, and then placed into the heavens (it's Phobos)	Lost City of Mars	Vincent	1934
Silk-Metal A very tough fabric.	The Worlds of Tomorrow	Wellman	1940
Silksteel Material that has high tensile strength as well as high flexibility.	Alpha Centauri	Meier	1999
Simicolor Artificial coloring for the body.	This Immortal	Zelazny	1965
Simple Organisms Do Math Insects show unusual signs of intelligence.	Mr. Meek Plays Polo	Simak	1944
SimStim Stimulation of the brain and nervous system of one person using a recording (or live broadcast) of another person's experience.	Neuromancer	Gibson	1984
Simulacrum (Sim) An autonomous construct that is a perfect likeness to a human person.	Clans of the Alphane Moon	Dick	1964
Simulacrum Window A 'window' that provides a realistic outdoor view in an interior room.	Tunnel in the Sky	Heinlein	1955
Simulogs (Simulated Playmates) Computer-generated playmates.	The Age of The Pussyfoot	Brunner	1966
SIN (Single Identification Number)	Mona Lisa Overdrive	Gibson	1988
Sinclair Molecule Chain A monofilament fiber, used for strength.	A Gift From Earth	Niven	1968
Single Seat Scooter A self-service monocycle.	The Star King	Vance	1964
Single Sheet Molecule A counterfeit-proof way to output unique documents.	Dorsai!	Dickson	1960
Single Vehicle Tunnel A small diameter tunnel that accepts a single vehicle to a single destination.	Foundation	Asimov	1951
Singleship A spacecraft designed for use by one person.	Death by Ecstasy	Niven	1969
Singularity In science, a condition in which spacetime breaks down; in society, a technological advance causes social conditions to break down.	All The Time In The World	Clarke	1952
Sink Hole of Space A rip in space, a hole that pulls in passing objects.	Star Ship Invincible	Kelly	1935
Sintered Armorgel A substance that is flexible when moved slowly, but which hardens upon external impact.	Snow Crash	Stephenson	1992
Skew-Flip Turnover Used halfway to the destination by torch ships to slow for one's destination.	Have Space Suit - Will Travel	Heinlein	1958
Skimmer Low-flying, hovering vehicle.	Lost Ulysses	Bade	1949
Skin Computer A computer that looks like a tattoo, on a stretchable base.	Mariposa	Bear	2009
Skin Suit A very tight-fighting spacesuit, or disguise.	Dinosaur Beach	Laumer	1971
Skin Toning Using artificial means to effect a temporary change in skin color.	The Star King	Vance	1964
Skinsuit Wearable artificial, full-body skin.	Millennium	Varley	1983
Skintight Specialized space suit for low atmospheric pressure environments like Mars.	War Dogs	Bear	2014
Skip-Glide A means of using the atmosphere to delicately slow a space craft during re-entry.	The Planet Strappers	Gallun	1961
Skitter A small passenger vehicle, for two beings, which uses a steering bar. It is parked in a structure that parks and releases vehicles automatically.	The Dosadi Experiment	Herbert	1977
Skrode A small mobile platform designed for a legless race.	A Fire Upon The Deep	Vinge	1992
Skull Alarm Implanted wakeup call.	Millennium	Varley	1983
Skull Bug A small electronic device implanted in the cranium at birth; used for monitoring and control.	The Computer Connection	Bester	1974
Skullgun A pistol that is concealed in your cranium.	The Diamond Age	Stephenson	1995
Sky Ceiling Ceilings that consist of large screens, on which are presented images of the sky.	Return from the Stars	Lem	1961
Skyball Remote-controlled UAV.	A Day For Damnation	Gerrold	1985
Sky-Bike A human-powered floating bicycle built for use in lunar sports.	The Last Theorem	Clarke (w/Pohl)	2008
Skycar A personal means of transportation that flies.	Prima Donna 1980	Brown	1931
Skycycle A flying Harley; motorcycle of the skies.	Handicap	Niven	1967
Skydozer Small spacecraft used to remove orbital debris.	A Little Further Up The Fox...	Ewing	1987
Sky-Eye A football-sized flying surveillance device.	The Diamond Age	Stephenson	1995
Skyhook Part dirigible, part plane.	West of Honor	Pournelle	1976
Sky-Scoot A patch of antigravity foil used for flying.	Dying of the Light	Martin	1977
Slamhound An automated assassination device with a keen sense of smell.	Count Zero	Gibson	1986
Slaver Disintegrator Sometimes used as a digging tool.	Ringworld	Niven	1970
Slaver Stasis Field A force field that protects everything inside it by creating a space in which time is suspended.	Ringworld	Niven	1970
Slaver Sunflowers Plants evolved to reflect light to burn natural enemies.	World of Ptavvs	Niven	1965
Sleep Destroying Field Causes lack of sleep.	Biddiver	Sturgeon	1941
Sleep Generator An automated way to impose sleep on the brain.	2001: A Space Odyssey	Clarke	1968
Sleep Machine A device guaranteeing a good night's sleep.	Short Trip to Nowhere	Williams	1965
Sleep Pod A special place for snoozing.	Mantis	Boyce	1967
Sleep Set (Sleep Headset) An electronic device for inducing deep sleep.	Ringworld	Niven	1970
Sleep Surrogate Pharmaceutical designed to make up for lost sleep.	Methuselah's Children	Heinlein	1941
Sleep Tube A short, cylindrical living space.	Solstice	Kelly	1985
Sleep-Inducer A device that electronically imposes sleep on a human being.	Sunjammer	Clarke	1963
Sleeping Plates A pair of plates that nullify gravity for the being(s) sleeping between them. Is null gravity the answer to your sleep problems?	Neutron Star	Niven	1966
Sleepshop A quiet place to die.	Logan's Run	Nolan (w/G.C. Johnson)	1967
Sleeve Communicator An electronic device controller built into clothing.	First Contact	Leinster	1945
Sleeve Watch Temporary watch imprinted on the sleeve of a chosen garment.	Dream Park	Niven (w/S. Barnes)	1981
Slide Rule w/Radio Attachment Slide rule communicates results immediately with computer.	Mission to the Stars	van Vogt	1955
Slidewalk A moving sidewalk; a conveyor belt for people.	Sanity	Leiber	1944
Slideway A slidewalk, or moving walkway, that moves people forward.	Beyond This Horizon	Heinlein	1942
Sliver Gun A firearm that shoots fine darts.	The Unreliable Perfumist	St. Clair	1953
Sloth Pill A medication to induce a kind of somnolence like short-term hibernation; used in air travel.	The Breach	Hill	2020
Slow Glass (Scenedow) A window made of Bose-Einstein Condensate that slows light to a snail's pace.	Light of Other Days	Shaw	1968
Slow Glass Rod A transparent glass rod that makes light travel so slowly that it can trap light within its depths.	The Exhalted	de Camp	1940
Slow Gun Device shoots slow projectiles that use neurotoxin.	Singularity Sky	Stross	2003
Slow Pellet Stunner A projectile device that throws darts in a manner calculated to get past a force shield.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Slowboat An interstellar craft carrying people.	The Ethics of Madness	Niven	1967
Slowboat Slower than lightspeed spacecraft used for interstellar colonization.	Protector	Niven	1973
Slug An underwater "barge", consisting of a giant tube for transporting oil.	Dragon in the Sea	Herbert	1956
Smart Bike A motorcycle with sophisticated systems for steering and balance.	Distraction	Sterling	1998
Smart Bullet Really a tiny missile capable of identifying and following a person.	Runaway	Crichton	1985
Smart Contact Lenses Contact lenses that have a built-in computer display.	Fast Times At Fairmont High	Vinge	2001
Smart Dust Very tiny computers.	The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age	Lem	1965
Smart Gel Intelligent paste made of neurons; spread upon a substrate for computing.	Starfish	Watts	1999
Smart Lanes Roadways that monitored, directed and controlled traffic.	Nanotime	Kosko	1987
Smart Paper A very slim thin-film transistor display.	The Diamond Age	Stephenson	1995
Smart Piston Spokes A car that uses a set of pistons that feels and reacts to the surface to move around.	Heavy Weather	Sterling	1994
Smart Pizza Box A container with microprocessor-based data processing capabilities built-in to the box.	Snow Crash	Stephenson	1992
Smart Rope Long 'rope' consisting of a variety of intertwined cables with different properties; controlled with special glove interface.	Heavy Weather	Sterling	1994
Smart Tag A piece of graffiti, or a small sticker tag, that could survive being placed on walls designed to be self-cleaning.	All Tomorrow's Parties	Gibson	1999
Smart Wallpaper Wallpaper that can sense your mood and provide an appropriate color scheme.	Oryx and Crake	Atwood	2003
Smartcab An automated taxicab, fully self-driving, that can be summoned from a portable device.	Cyberpunk!	Bethke	1983
Smartcoral Reef An artificial coral reef that pulls water in for use in large communities.	The Diamond Age	Stephenson	1995
Smarter People Having Fewer Children The original argument that less suitable human pairs are having proportionally more children.	The Marching Morons	Kornbluth	1951
Smartwheels Special "wheels" that are actually sets of spokes that telescope to be as long as they need to be for a smooth ride.	Snow Crash	Stephenson	1992
Smoke Filter Allows grizzled spacemen to smoke in space ships.	Misfit	Heinlein	1939
Smoke Jets (Air Leak Detection) A means of determining the location of air leaks in a building built on an airless moon.	The Great Dome of Mercury	Zagat	1932
Smother-Charge Molecularly-gimmicked explosive.	My Name is Legion	Zelazny	1976
Snake Boring Truck A long thin truck like a snake, with a boring tip.	Breakfast at Twilight	Dick	1954
Snake Contact Lens A pair of contact lenses designed to make you appear to have slit pupils, like a snake's.	All Tomorrow's Parties	Gibson	1999
Sniffer Robot A small robot that gathers odors from a crime scene for analysis.	Runaway	Crichton	1985
Sniggertrance The state of a person receiving a call mediated by a Taprisiot; interiorized consciousness accompanied by spastic, jerking body movements.	Whipping Star	Herbert	1969
Sobriety Ray A ray of a particular wavelength and intensity, that conferred instant sobriety on those it shone upon.	The Twonky	Padgett	1942
Sodaluminum Lightweight and tough!	Exiles of the Moon	Schachner (w. AL Zagat)	1931
Soft Speaker A device that sends a tightly-controlled beam of sound.	The Exhalted	de Camp	1940
Soft Weapon A device that changes its shape to alter its function.	The Soft Weapon	Niven	1967
Softlight Personality erasure via laser imprinted subliminal commands.	Softlight Sins	Hamilton	1997
Sol Familiar name for our own sun.	Out of Void	Stone	1929
Solar Beam Obtaining solar power by means of a direct connection with the sun.	The Long Way	Smith	1944
Solar Car A car the energy for which comes from the sun.	The Man Who Bought Mars	Cross	1941
Solar Electric Paint - Black Power A black-colored paint that can be sprayed on, making any surface a solar power generator.	The Woman in Del Rey Crater	Niven	1995
Solar Energy Beam A solar energy plant on Mercury provides power for projects all over the solar system.	Masquerade	Simak	1941
Solar Engine A space ship that gets it motive power from the rays of the sun.	A Matter of Size	Bates	1934
Solar Flare System Space-based parabolic reflector that focuses light for destructive purposes.	Mobile Suit Gundam	Tomino	1979
Solar Glass See-through solar panels.	Efficiency	Bacigalupi	2022
Solar Power Apparatus An ingenious device to gather solar energy, melt water, power a turbine and get hydrogen and oxygen fuel from ice.	A Daring Trip To Mars	Valier	1931
Solar Power Generation A very early description of the use of solar powered 'farms' for generating electrical power on a large scale.	A Journey In Other Worlds	Astor IV	1894
Solar Power Screen Absorb all solar energy, and emit electrical energy.	Let There Be Light	Monroe	1940
Solar Radiant Energy Weapon The device absorbs solar rays and then emits a powerful, coherent ray.	The Weapon	Gallun	1936
Solar Reception Screen A device for converting sunlight to electricity	The Roads Must Roll	Heinlein	1940
Solar Sail (Light Sail) A form of propulsion for spacecraft; a sheet of lightweight material reflects light from the sun or other light source.	Sail 25 (Gateway to Strangeness)	Vance	1962
Solar Station A satellite that gathers solar energy in space and then beams it to Earth (or other planetary surface).	Reason	Asimov	1941
Solar Station Switch Room A power station for the entire solar system.	Doom Over Venus	Hamilton	1940
Solar Updraft Tower A renewable-energy scheme that generates power from air movement inside a tall chimney.	Shortstack	Richmond	1964
Solar Yacht A space craft whose motive power is light pressure on a solar sail.	Sunjammer	Clarke	1963
Solar Yacht Periscope A device used in the small cabin of a solar yacht.	Sunjammer	Clarke	1963
Solar-Heat Condenser A device that concentrates solar power across many devices.	The Conquest of the Moon	Grousset	1889
Solar-Powered Aircraft A plane powered entirely by solar energy.	The Black Star Passes	Campbell	1930
Solar-Powered Ball An autonomous round toy that powers itself.	Dawn of the Demigods	Gallun	1954
Solar-Powered Electric Helicopter An electric helicopter, with sun cells.	Into the Meteorite Orbit	Kelly	1933
Solar-Powered Electric Runabout A vehicle powered from the sun.	Let There Be Light	Monroe	1940
Solar-powered Prefab House A pre-built house that can live off the grid.	Ring Around the Sun	Simak	1952
Solar-Powered Robot A robot powered by sunlight.	Rust	Kelleam	1939
Solar-Powered UAV An unmanned aerial vehicle that is entirely solar-powered.	Changeling	Zelazny	1980
Soldier Robots Autonomous mechanical military.	Saboteur of Space	Abernathy	1944
Solenoid Wickets Great hoops of metal that guided, held and then shot ships into space.	Saboteur of Space	Abernathy	1944
Soletta An array of solar sail mirrors that focus light onto a planetary surface for power.	Green Mars	Robinson	1995
Solid Power A concentrated form of easily accessed energy to supply any need.	Revolt on the Tenth World	Hamilton	1940
Solido Abbr. for solidograph; a device that produced a solid three dimensional image.	Chance of a Lifetime	Lesser	1956
Sol-Ido The universal language of interplanetary travelers.	Water-Bound World	Vincent	1932
Solido Projector Projects 3-dimensional images.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Solidograph Long distance projection of three-dimensional images.	Gather, Darkness!	Leiber	1943
Solidograph-Projector A device that projected a 3D image of objects or a person.	Police Operation	Piper	1948
Sonabarrier A type of energy fence, used to keep birds away from particular areas.	The Dosadi Experiment	Herbert	1977
Sonar Pistol A device that divers can use to find seabottom and objects in extremely dark or murky water.	Starfish	Watts	1999
Sonic Curtain (Sound Lock) An undersea sound curtain that keeps larger animals out.	My Name is Legion	Zelazny	1976
Sonic Fold Force field that guides air around an air vehicle.	Ringworld	Niven	1970
Sono-Induction Coils A public address system consisting of buried coils.	The Shining One	Schachner	1937
Sonomagnetic Fabric Cloth that gathers sound energy.	Earth	Brin	1990
Soot-Extractor Nostril Plugs (Antisoot Plugs) A small device worn to filter industrial pollutants out of breathing air.	The Space Merchants	Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth)	1952
Sound Analysis Improving language teaching by showing the waveform of a spoken word or phrase, and comparing it to standard speech.	Assignment in Eternity	Heinlein	1953
Sound Deadener Device that acts to damp excessive noise produced by different species.	Ringworld	Niven	1970
Sound Nullifier A barrier to sound; the cancellation of sound waves.	Prima Donna 1980	Brown	1931
Sounding Projectile Provides a way to tell whether there’s a soldid surface on a cloudy planet.	Mad Robot	Gallun	1936
Sound-Killing Air Fluid A means to eliminate all of the noise made by machines in a city, leaving the voices of human beings.	The Noise Killer	McNeill	1930
Sound-Transposing Machine A device that scans a printed page and reads it out loud.	The Lost Language	Keller	1934
Sours The odor created in enclosed space environments due to the need for bacilli for healthy soil.	Schismatrix	Sterling	1985
Space Ark A very large ship used to transport a large group of people.	Decision Illogical	Wilkinson	1948
Space Armor Armored space suits for use in vacuum.	Cities in Flight	Blish	1957
Space Beacon An ordinary sun is transformed into a beacon for use by spacecraft when in hyperspace.	Troubled Star	Smith	1952
Space Bubble (Bubb) An inflatable spacecraft.	The Planet Strappers	Gallun	1961
Space Buoy A marker in space.	Crashing Suns	Hamilton	1928
Space Bursts When space itself inflates and eventually blows up.	When Space Burst	Hamilton	1937
Space Cadet A young person training to be a spaceman.	Sunward Flight	Zagat	1943
Space Capsule A minimal space craft.	Space Capsule	James	1954
Space Charts A pictorial representation of suns in space.	After World's End	Williamson	1939
Space Craft A ship that travels through the airless void of space.	Night-Thing	Allen	1929
Space Craft Rope Ladder Equipment used for debarking from a space craft.	Diabologic	Russell	1955
Space Dock Like a port for spacecraft; they can deliver their passengers and cargo.	Diamond Planetoid	Giles	1937
Space Elevator (Orbital Tower) A physical link between a point on the surface of the Earth and a satellite in geosynchronous orbit.	The Fountains of Paradise	Clarke	1978
Space Fleet A group of mighty ships capable of space travel - and fighting.	Through the Meteors	Morrow	1930
Space Flight Simulator Very early description of a way to practice flying in space while still on Earth.	Space Tug	Leinster	1953
Space Force That branch of the military with a presence outside the atmosphere.	Wandl, The Invader	Cummings	1932
Space Freighter A large spacecraft used for heavy cargo; can lift off from the Earth or other planets.	The Space Rover	Sloat	1932
Space Laboratory A specialized space station, for scientific research.	Crystalized Thought	Schachner	1937
Space Lawyer (Sky-Lawyer) A lawyer with special knowledge of space law.	Jurisdiction	Schachner	1941
Space Legs The ability to walk under high gee acceleration on a space ship.	Flight of the Typhoon	Kruse	1936
Space Liner A large, passenger-carrying space ship.	On Board the Martian Liner	Breuer	1931
Space Lock An airlock on a spacecraft.	The Black Star Passes	Campbell	1930
Space Madness The monotony of space travel could drive you crazy.	A Daring Trip To Mars	Valier	1931
Space Marine A space-based military force, or members of such a force.	Captain Brink of the Space Marines	Olsen	1932
Space Men Beings who travel and work in space.	The Exiles of Venus	Vanny	1931
Space Meteorologist A person who studies storms in space.	The Storm	van Vogt	1943
Space Mittens Protect your hands in space.	Space Flotsam	Gallun	1934
Space Navy Spacefaring professional soldiers.	Pirates of Space	Barry	1931
Space Overalls Light-duty space suit.	Lost Rocket	Wellman	1941
Space Phobia When astronauts have had enough.	Let 'em Breathe Space!	del Rey	1953
Space Pirate Space ships taken against their will.	Evans of the Earth-Guard	Hamilton	1930
Space Placers Miners who use placer mining techniques adapted from Earth geology.	The Day We Celebrate	Bond	1941
Space Platform The Space Platform for Checking Aggression is a military orbital weapons platform.	The Morning of the Day They Did It	White	1950
Space Rush The Outer Space equivalent of the gold rush.	Jurisdiction	Schachner	1941
Space Sailing Using the solar wind to propel a space vessel.	The World, The Flesh And The Devil	Bernal	1929
Space Scurvy (Kenoalgia) A wasting disease of space travel.	Sacred Martian Pig (Idris' Pig)	St. Clair	1949
Space Ship Starting Track A sloped track to assist a space ship taking off.	The Shot Into Infinity	Gail	1929
Space Shuttle A space-going vessel for trips from the surface of a planet to a ship in orbit, and back.	Hell Ship of Space	Kummer, Jr.	1940
Space Socks Protective garments for the lower extremities.	Lost Rocket	Wellman	1941
Space Station An outpost in space, usually in a fixed position or steady with respect to other bodies in space.	Flaming Frontier	Buley	1934
Space Station A base of operations in space, typically in orbit around a larger body.	Backlash	Williamson	1941
Space Station One Describes an early space station similar to the International Space Station, that grew over time by accretion.	The Sands of Mars	Clarke	1951
Space Suit Special protective gear worn as protection in space.	The Emperor of the Stars	Schachner (w. AL Zagat)	1931
Space Suit Helmet Rearview Mirror Having a way to easily see behind you while wearing a spacesuit.	Have Space Suit - Will Travel	Heinlein	1958
Space Tanned A tan acquired by being exposed to sunlight while outside the atmosphere.	Methuselah's Children	Heinlein	1941
Space Traffic The movement of numbers of ships through space.	Satan in Exile	Bernal	1935
Space Tramp An old, slow spacecraft.	The Invisible World	Repp	1940
Space Transfer Station An orbiting space station primarily used as a stepping-off point from Earth.	Between Planets	Heinlein	1951
Space Travel Human movement through outer space.	A Baby on Neptune	Harris (w/MJ Breuer)	1929
Space Tug A small vessel used to maneuver other ships.	Murder on the Asteroid	Binder	1933
Space Tugs Early use of familiar ocean vehicle in space.	Describe a Circle	Russell	1942
Space Tunnel An enclosed gang plank extended between space ships.	The Man Who Bought Mars	Cross	1941
Space Wagon A space vehicle without a cabin, used for short-range towing.	Space Tug	Leinster	1953
Space Walk Standard term for moving through the void of space.	Moon Heaven	Passante	1939
Space Warp The very fabric of space-time.	Redmask of the Outlands	Schachner	1934
Space Weakness Early description of what happens to the human body in zero gravity.	Space Tug	Leinster	1953
Space Weather Map A map that details hazardous space conditions.	The Storm	van Vogt	1943
Space-Armor Special shielding worn against rays and explosives.	Revolt of the Star Men	Gallun	1932
Space-Beacon Device used to guide a space craft into finding an inhabited planet or colony on a planet.	Exploration Team	Leinster	1956
Spaceboat Runabout for outer space.	Waves of Compulsion	Gallun	1932
Space-Boat A small space-worthy craft for use in emergencies.	Revolt of the Star Men	Gallun	1932
Space-Boat (Rocket Boat) Small craft designed for descent and then take-off from a planetary surface.	Exploration Team	Leinster	1956
Space-Boots Special footgear for spacemen.	The Passing of Ku Sui	Gilmore	1932
Space-Burned Analogous to sun-burned.	Collision Orbit	Williamson	1942
Space-Contraction Drive Slip through endless interstellar space by making the distance smaller.	After World's End	Williamson	1939
Space-Court The place of judgement for crimes committed in interstellar space.	Murder in the Void	Hamilton	1938
Spacecraft Ejection Seat An ejection seat for spacecraft, to be used in the event of problems during launch.	Space Tug	Leinster	1953
Spacecraft Invisibility Electronics A means of rendering a spacecraft invisible to detection by electromagnetic means.	One Against The Legion	Williamson	1939
Spacecraft Landing Wings A means of cutting speed from orbit, then landing.	Vandals from the Moon	Marius	1928
Spacedog Experienced hands on space ships.	A Question of Salvage	Jameson	1939
Space-Dory A small spacecraft sometimes used as a life boat.	Asteroid Justice	Thiessen	1947
Space-Drive A means of providing propulsion for a spacecraft.	Invaders From The Infinite	Campbell	1932
Spacefaring A nation or people who explore and trade in space.	Citizen of the Galaxy	Heinlein	1957
Spacegram Telegrams of the space lanes.	An Adventure on Eros	Haggard	1931
Space-Helmet A 'fishbowl-style' head covering for space explorers.	The Sargasso of Space	Hamilton	1931
Spacehound An experienced spaceman.	Spacehounds of IPC	Smith	1931
Spacehound (Beast) Oddly canine, telepathic beast digs in asteroids for metal.	Beast of Space	Hardart	1941
Space-Lanes Well-traveled routes through outer space.	Crashing Suns	Hamilton	1928
Spacelanes Traffic Jam Fanciful description of commuters in space.	Sales Pitch	Dick	1954
Space-Liner A passenger ship in space.	Twelve Hours To Live	Williamson	1931
Space-Phone A device for communicating with space ships, both ship-to-ship and ground-to-ship.	The Message From Space	Speaker	1930
Spaceplane A craft able to land on Earth and take off directly for space.	Zarnak	Plaisted	1937
Spaceplane (Clarke-class) An inexpensively powered flight to low earth orbit.	A Quantum Murder	Hamilton	1998
Spaceport A location on the surface of a planet used for launching vehicles into space.	The Birth of a New Republic	Breuer (w/J. Williamson)	1930
Space-Post A trading post in space.	Episode On Dhee Minor	Walton	1939
Space-Sailor A spaceman; someone who makes his living by voyaging in space.	The Star-Roamers	Hamilton	1933
Space-ship A space-going vessel.	A Journey In Other Worlds	Astor IV	1894
Spaceship Garden A fully-enclosed garden on a spaceship producing edible foodstuffs.	The Heritage of the Earth	Aldinger	1932
Space-Sick Uneasiness associated with space travel.	Ralph 124c 41 +	Gernsback	1911
Space-Sphere A bubble of reality.	When Space Burst	Hamilton	1937
Space-Split Access to other dimensions provided by splitting space itself.	The Star of Life	Hamilton	1947
Space-Suit Rockets Attached rockets allow movement in zero-gee space.	Into the Meteorite Orbit	Kelly	1933
Spacesuit Testing A device and method for testing spacesuits.	The Shot Into Infinity	Gail	1929
Space-Tanned The characteristic darkening of the men of the spaceways.	Slaves of Mercury	Hammond	1932
Space-Tent A small, portable air-tight structure used on the lunar surface.	The Lunar Chrysalis	Gallun	1931
Spacewalk Going outside your space craft for a short time.	Edison's Conquest of Mars	Serviss	1898
Space-Walker Tall cylinder with a window at eye-level, and pincer-claws controlled by the wearer.	The Universe Wreckers	Hamilton	1930
Spaceward Lunar Hemisphere Another name for the lunar far side.	Dawn of the Demigods	Gallun	1954
Spacewarp Drive A means of faster-than-light travel.	What Mad Universe	Brown	1949
Spaceways A set route though space.	Shambleau	Moore	1933
Space-Weather Men Predictors of the 'weather' in space.	Revenge of the Robots	Chandler	1952
Spaceyacht Interplanetary spacecraft for the well-to-do.	The Sargasso of Space	Hamilton	1931
Spark Plug (Systematician) A person who draws information from diverse areas of knowledge.	Dream Thief	Lawhead	1983
Sparkers A device used to deliver small amounts of electric current to chirpsithra, who use it for the same reason humans use alcohol.	The Schumann Computer	Niven	1979
Spatial-Postal Card Mail from home - that hungry soldiers can also eat.	Bill the Galactic Hero	Harrison	1965
Speaker Chips Integrated circuit chips placed in books; they could read the book and advertise it.	Darwin's Children	Bear	2003
Speakwrite A dictation machine that also transcribes the speech into typed words.	1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)	Orwell	1948
Specialized Prosthetic Arm A set of prosthetics that provide different functionality in place of missing arm.	The Moon is a Harsh Mistress	Heinlein	1966
Specific Gene Weapon An organic or inorganic weapon aimed at a specific genetic population.	The Mannichon Solution	Shaw	1967
Specimen Track A means for transporting laboratory specimens from one workstation to another in an automated lab.	Darwin's Children	Bear	2003
Spectro-Flash Analysis Device for determining the content of meteorites.	Salvage in Space	Williamson	1933
Spectroscopic Robot Converter Accepted the return of soft x-ray radiation, and translated it into Fraunhofer spectra.	Diamond Planetoid	Giles	1937
Spectrumoscope Provides sight directly to the brain-cells of the sightless.	Flamingo: A Drama of A.D. 1950	Heller	1930
Speed Belt (Ribbon Conveyor) A great moving belt carrying people between cities.	Slaves of Mercury	Schachner	1932
Speedcap Short for speed capsule (?); sometimes, going ballistic is the fastest way to get there.	Millennium	Varley	1983
Speedtalk A constructed language that uses a single sound to stand for a word, achieving great improvements in communication speed.	Assignment in Eternity	Heinlein	1953
Spetsdöd A unique gun that is part of the shooter.	The Man Who Never Missed	Perry	1985
Spex (Spexware) Video glasses with computer assistance.	Deep Eddy	Sterling	1993
Spherical Tires Tires that are shaped like balls, rather than like squat cylinders.	The Death's Head Meteor	Jones	1930
Spice (Melange) The spice must flow.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Spider A robotic device that both extruded cable and climbed along it; a space construction robot.	The Web Between the Worlds	Sheffield	1979
Spider (Robotic Insects) Scuttling insect robots.	Runaway	Crichton	1985
Spider Robot A mechanism in the form of a spider.	The Mystery of Element 117	Smith	1949
Spider Space Elevator Test Vehicle A robotic testing device for the cables of a space elevator.	The Fountains of Paradise	Clarke	1978
Spider Tripod Robot Three-legged alien robot.	Rendezvous With Rama	Clarke	1972
Spindizzy A device that made use of a relationship between electron spin, electromagnetism and gravity allowed any object to leave the Earth's surface.	Cities in Flight	Blish	1957
Spine-Clamp A device that constrains the movements of convicted criminals.	Anathem	Stephenson	2008
Spinner Ship Pinwheel rockets created centrifugal forces like gravity.	Buck Rogers, 2430 AD	Nowlan (w/D. Calkins)	1929
Spinnerettes A device that will unspool a nanowire filament and then pull it back in.	The Fountains of Paradise	Clarke	1978
Spinning Mill for Veins (Artificial Organs) The manufacture of artificial organs, digestive tract, veins - body parts.	R.U.R.	Capek	1920
Spinning Pressurized Drum Put a spin on just a part of a space station.	Between Planets	Heinlein	1951
Splashdown The use of water as a medium for landing one's space ship in.	From the Earth to the Moon	Verne	1867
Spook A drink that comes unflavored in a container; twist the cap to add flavor.	SOLACE	Noon	1998
SPOOKS A live-action role playing (LARP) game that lets ordinary people play at being secret agents.	Halting State	Stross	2007
Spotcast A new form of one-to-many communication.	The Little Things	Kuttner	1946
Spotlight of Heat (Orbital Microwaves) Using an orbiting satellite microwave array to heat a specific portion of a planetary surface.	Fallen Angels	Niven w/Pournelle, Flynn	1991
Spot-Wavex Scrambler Provides a more personalized experience of television, by letting the announcers talk to you personally.	Fahrenheit 451	Bradbury	1953
Spray-Foam Blouse Clothing that is sprayed on fresh.	Galactic Pot-Healer	Dick	1969
Spray-On Clothing Body coverings from a spray can.	Return from the Stars	Lem	1961
Spray-On Clothing Web A 'web' clothing foundation that can be sprayed on and then molded by a couturier.	Abercrombie Station	Vance	1952
Spray-On Gloves Fashionable evening gloves that are sprayed onto the hand and arm.	Abercrombie Station	Vance	1952
Spray-on Surgical Gloves Effective glove for surgeons that is skin tight.	Altered Carbon	Morgan	2003
Sprayrock Special compound that can be sprayed onto a surface, that hardens into rock.	Pushing Ice	Reynolds	2005
Spring-Rifle Projectile weapon designed to be resistant to countermeasures.	Dorsai!	Dickson	1960
Sprung-Samser Treatment A medical treatment to extend human life.	This Immortal	Zelazny	1965
Spy Beam A surveillance device that projects energy into a room, revealing conversation taking place.	Foundation	Asimov	1951
Spy Ray Goggles A form of radiation that can penetrate walls to allow the user to 'see' what is happening on the other side.	Triplanetary	Smith	1934
Spy-Eyes Tiny robotic surveillance devices fly using propellers.	Manners of the Age	Fyfe	1952
Squeaker Used to search out radium in asteroids.	Beast of Space	Hardart	1941
Squib A simple form of ground transportation.	Our Friends From Frolix 8	Dick	1970
SSA Machine A machine that compares two people for compatibility; it sees sub specie aeternitatis, literally 'under the aspect of eternity' or outside of time.	Galactic Pot-Healer	Dick	1969
Stage Balloon A regular means of conveyance, like a train or carriage.	The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century	Loudon	1828
Standish A beam weapon of frightful intensity.	Triplanetary	Smith	1934
Star Base An installation or station at an important interstellar location.	Star Base X	Williams	1944
Star Drive The propulsion unit for an interstellar space craft.	Genius	Anderson	1948
Star Machine A device that serves as a boost to psychokinetic powers of mind, enabling paranormals to send their awareness to distant planets.	Time is the Simplest Thing	Simak	1961
Star Stone (Speicus) An artificial intelligence shaped like a rock, which can communicate with living organisms telepathically.	Doorways in the Sand	Zelazny	1976
Star Travel Undertaking a journey between the stars.	Forgotten World	Hamilton	1946
Stardrive Propulsion method that quickly brings a ship's speed to nearly that of light.	Childhood's End	Clarke	1953
Star-Globe (3D Map) A celestial star map, done in three dimensions.	Pi in the Sky	Brown	1945
Star-Globe (Ship) A spherical spacecraft.	Brother Worlds	Gallun	1951
Starlight Sail (Light Sail) A light sail capable of sailing between solar systems.	The Lady Who Sailed The Soul	Smith	1960
Starship A vehicle for space travel.	War in Space	Quiex	1926
Starways The well-traveled paths from star to star.	Blood of the Moon	Cummings	1936
Starwisp An small interstellar probe using a light-sail for propulsion.	Accelerando	Stross	2005
Stasis (Cold Sleep, Hibernation) Hibernation for human beings, lasting for many years.	The Door Into Summer	Heinlein	1956
Stasis Box A space entirely enclosed by a Slaver stasis field, in which time does not pass.	There is a Tide	Niven	1968
Stasis Field Energy field which prevents time from passing inside the field walls; no time passes, nobody gets hurt.	Beyond This Horizon	Heinlein	1942
Static Field A defense against a spy beam.	Foundation	Asimov	1951
Static House A house that was once fully psychotropic and malleable, but which had been frozen in one configuration.	The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista	Ballard	1962
Stationary Automatic Blaster An automated defensive blaster.	Red Planet	Heinlein	1949
Stationary Sidewalk A sidewalk that is fixed permanently in one location; not a sliding walkway.	Exiles of the Moon	Schachner (w. AL Zagat)	1931
Stealth House A home that is entirely sealed, leading to toxic buildup.	Virtual Light	Gibson	1993
Steam Horse A remarkable mechanical beast.	Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be)	Souvestre	1846
Steam Man A mechanical robot powered by steam.	The Steam Man of the Prairies	Ellis	1868
Steam Rifle A gun that propels projectiles with steam.	Omnivore	Anthony	1968
Steam-Propelled Moving Houses Otherwise ordinary residences that move from place to place, powered by steam.	The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century	Loudon	1828
Steel Crocodile A boat specialized for swamps on Venus.	Logic of Empire	Heinlein	1941
Steel Drugs A name for recreational chemicals that were entirely synthetic.	Islands in the Net	Sterling	1988
Steel Teeth Artificial teeth welded to the bone.	The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch	Dick	1965
Steel Tentacle Flexible robotic steel limbs that can both support a vehicle and grasp objects.	The War of the Worlds	Wells	1898
Steel Tortoise An all-terrain vehicle, grandfather to the four-wheeler.	Coventry	Heinlein	1940
Steel-Lined Space Boots In combination with a magnetized floor, allows the user to walk in zero gravity.	Roamer of the Stars	Wilson	1938
Steelonium A remarkable kind of steel that did not rust or corrode.	Ralph 124c 41 +	Gernsback	1911
Steering a Star Steering a star, altering its path, taking it to a new location.	Crashing Suns	Hamilton	1928
Steering Shot Pistol The simplest way to move in space, where every action has an equal and opposite reaction.	The Shot Into Infinity	Gail	1929
Stellar Analog Computers Special systems used to calculate safe "jumps" for interstellar trips.	The Lady Was A Tramp	Sharon	1957
Stellarimeter Used by space navigators.	Babel-17	Delany	1966
Stellene A tough, transparent material used to make domes or even spacecraft.	The Planet Strappers	Gallun	1961
Stepping Discs Open air teleportation pads.	Ringworld	Niven	1970
Stereo Tank A receiver for three-dimensional televised images.	Stranger in a Strange Land	Heinlein	1961
Stereoscopic Vernier and Cube A means of photographing in depth.	Sinister Barrier	Russell	1939
Stereovision Tank Three dimensional mass media (the grandson of television).	Stranger in a Strange Land	Heinlein	1961
Sterile Seeds Seeds that are bioengineered to grow, but not to produce fertile seeds.	The Calorie Man	Bacigalupi	2005
Stick-Tight A general term for surveillance devices that will follow a subject and record speech or video.	The Star King	Vance	1964
Stiletto Beam A beam of molten metal, projected electromagnetically.	Earthlight	Clarke	1955
Stillsuit It covers almost the entire body, provides cooling and ensures that almost no moisture is lost.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Stillsuit Desert Boots Special boots that offered parasitic power harvesting.	Dune Messiah	Herbert	1969
Stilltent A small, sealable enclosure which reclaimed moisture from the breath of occupants.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Stilt-Legged Chairs (Walking Chairs) An alien conveyance.	Vandals from the Moon	Marius	1928
Stim-Crib A cradle that provides virtual reality experiences to tiny tots.	Natulife	Brin	1994
Stimic A musical instrument consisting of three flutelike tubes equipped with plungers; thumb and forefinger squeeze a bag to force air across the mouthpieces.	The Moon Moth	Vance	1976
Stimsuit An elastic suit worn to decrease the effects of micro-gravity in space.	Heavy Time	Cherryh	1991
Stimtab A drug designed to keep the user awake and alert for long periods.	The Forever War	Haldeman	1974
Stone Burner Atomic weapon which burrows deep into a planet; its radiation also attacks selected nerve tissues.	Dune Messiah	Herbert	1969
Stopper Bubble Device that halts time within its boundaries.	Red Lightning	Varley	2006
Storer-Gulls Wings Recreational aid for lunar colonists; lightweight wings for cave flying.	The Menace From Earth	Heinlein	1957
Straightening the Earth's Poles By means of a suitable force, push the Earth until the planet's axis of rotation is perpendicular to the ecliptic.	The Purchase of the North Pole (Topsy Turvy)	Verne	1889
Strakh The prestige or social prominence which serves as a medium of exchange on the planet Sirene.	The Moon Moth	Vance	1976
Stratocar A vehicle intended for use in traveling through the upper atmosphere.	The Cavern of the Shining Pool	Zagat	1937
Stratoplane An airplane that flies up to the edge of the atmosphere.	Colossus	Wandrei	1934
Stratospheric Traffic Bad traffic at every level.	The Great God Awto	Smith	1940
Stratovideo (Television Plane) An aircraft with studios that continuously broadcast line-of-sight television.	The Morning of the Day They Did It	White	1950
Stratoyacht A privately-owned pleasure craft capable of attaining orbit.	Sunward Flight	Zagat	1943
Street Slides A means of moving a spot on the road to different places, by means of machinery under the ground.	Mrs. Maberly: Or, The World as it Will be	Author	1836
Structural Scanning Essentially, a whole-object camera, that would take a detailed picture of the structure of an object.	Assassin	Hogan	1978
Stun Pistol A hand-held device that causes unconsciousness.	Foundation and Empire	Asimov	1952
Stunner A non-lethal weapon; typically used like a firearm but only renders its victim unconscious.	Fire-Power	Gottesman	1941
Stunwand	Hellstrom's Hive	Herbert	1972
Sub-Atlantic Tube A tunnel under the ocean; the shortest distance between the two points.	Ralph 124c 41 +	Gernsback	1911
Sub-C Of ships, older models that travel at speeds below that of light.	The Impossible Planet	Dick	1953
Subcutaneous Overlay An implanted chip that provides a continuous drug experience for months.	The Mountain in the Sea	Naylor	2022
Subdermal Microchannels A means of personal adornment; think of day glow tattoos.	Stone Lives	Di Filippo	1985
Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic A device which senses passing spacecraft; essential tool of interstellar hitchhikers	The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy	Adams	1979
Sub-Etheric Below the level at which ordinary light is propagated.	Legion of Time	Williamson	1938
Subjunctivisor Projects a possible future, based on your own impressions.	The Worlds of If	Weinbaum	1935
Subliminal Billboards Enormous outdoor billboards that are totally blank - or are they?	The Subliminal Man	Ballard	1963
Submarine Tube A means of transport between Europe and North America via underwater tubes.	An Express of the Future	Verne	1895
Sub-microscopic Medical Robots Tiny robots travel the bloodstream, killing bacteria.	These Savage Futurians	High	1967
Subphoton Search Ray A special ray beam that penetrates into hidden bunkers; images are caught on special film cameras.	The Shining One	Schachner	1937
Sub-Space A dimension or a transmission medium other than our own, which allows faster-than-light communication or movement.	Crystallized Thought	Schachner	1937
Substance D An addictive, psychoactive drug.	A Scanner Darkly	Dick	1977
Subtle Knife A knife able to cut through any material, and even cut through into different worlds.	The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2	Pullman	1997
Subtrain A spherical passenger vehicle goes through an evacuated underground tube at interplanetary speeds.	The Reefs of Space	Williamson (w/F. Pohl)	1963
Subvocal Input Device Attached sensors read nerve signals to determine what the user will say next.	Earth	Brin	1990
Suction Mail Tube An evacuated tube system carrying mail to residences.	The Illustrated Man	Bradbury	1951
Suicide Tooth A false tooth containing poison.	Lies, Inc.	Dick	1964
Suit Designer	Mona Lisa Overdrive	Gibson	1988
Suitcase Airplane A diminutive, collapsible, two-passenger biplane.	Suitcase Airplanes	Skinner	1929
Suit-Phone A means of wireless communication between individuals dressed in space suits.	The Sargasso of Space	Hamilton	1931
Suit-Radio A means of communication between two individuals clad in space suits.	The Long Way	Smith	1944
Suit-Shield Fabric A kind of mesh fabric that could absorb energy bolts.	The Golden Man	Dick	1954
Sun Dome Used on Venus to give relief from the endless rain.	The Illustrated Man	Bradbury	1951
Sun Goggles Lenses darken in spots to block the brightness of alien suns.	Grendel	Niven	1968
Sun Plant (Solar Motor) A huge system of mirrors collects light and focuses it on a boiler for energy.	The Lotus-Engine	Gallun	1940
Sun-Engine A device that absorbs solar rays for power.	Valley of Lost Souls	Binder	1939
Sunlight Blocker A roughly circular field which denies sunlight to an area of a planet.	Childhood's End	Clarke	1953
Sunparlor A vast esplanade enclosed in glass, to permit sunbathing without leaving an immense building.	The Cubic City	Tucker, D.D.	1929
Sunpower Screen A solar cell array used to provide power for a vehicle.	Coventry	Heinlein	1940
Sun-Powered Ionic Drive Motor A rocket propulsion system that takes solar energy to power an ion drive.	The Planet Strappers	Gallun	1961
Sun-Quilt A colorful fabric with a silvered backing used to shield the interior of a living-globe from excessive sunlight.	The Beat Cluster	Leiber	1961
Sunray Tank A device that stores sunlight itself for use as an energy source.	Warlord of Mars	Burroughs	1914
Sun-Room On a planet-wide city, the only way to get some sun without going to the roof.	Foundation	Asimov	1951
Sunshade-Photocell Collector A fanciful design for a device that gathers solar energy.	Earth	Brin	1990
Sunshades Sunglasses that darken and lighten based on ambient lighting.	This Immortal	Zelazny	1965
Sunship A space craft powered entirely by the sun.	The Prince of Space	Williamson	1931
Sun-Telephone Receives transmissions from the sun itself.	In the Deep of Time	Lathrop	1897
Sun-Tube A slicing ray of death!	Slaves of Mercury	Schachner	1932
Sunward The direction leading toward the center of the solar system.	The Space Rover	Sloat	1932
Superacid Smart acids that could be created to ignore particular compounds and dissolve others.	Nanotime	Kosko	1987
Superconductor of Heat A light metal that accepts heat applied to its surface, and then dissipates the energy throughout the material, leaving the temperature of the material unchanged.	The Mote in God's Eye	Niven (w/J. Pournelle)	1974
Superluminal Faster than the speed of light.	Patterns of Chaos	Kapp	1972
Super-Photon Three photons in one.	Invaders From The Infinite	Campbell	1932
Superscraper Buildings that are hundreds of stories tall.	New York 2140	Robinson	2017
Supertank An air-cushioned armored combat vehicle powered by a fusion generator.	Hammer's Slammers	Drake	1979
Supervision Robot (Squid) A wheeled device with tentacular grasping limbs.	Paradise and Iron	Breuer	1930
Supervisor Robot A robot that watches over and gives orders to other robots.	Manners of the Age	Fyfe	1952
Super-Weapon A generic term for an advanced destructive device or technology.	Robot Nemesis	Smith	1939
Supralight Drive A propulsion system that allows a spacecraft to travel faster than light.	Star Wars	Lucas	1976
Surface Car A specialized vehicle for traveling on a planetary surface.	Satellite Five	Barnes	1938
Surface Slider A small, lightweight craft.	The Star King	Vance	1964
Surgical Hand A specialized robotic hand used for surgery.	Clans of the Alphane Moon	Dick	1964
Surgical Homeostatic Unit An autonomous surgical robot, able to drill into the body and perform surgery.	Now Wait For Last Year	Dick	1966
Surrogate Skin False skin that is sprayed onto damaged areas.	The Puppet Masters	Heinlein	1951
Surta A base material for synthetic food.	The Great Dome of Mercury	Zagat	1932
Survey Craft Light duty ship for use in atmosphere, to explore planets.	The Rull	van Vogt	1948
Survival Bubble (Beach Ball) Simplest possible space survival pod.	Footfall	Niven (w/J. Pournelle)	1985
Suspended Animation (Frigorific Process) Very early reference to cryogenic storage.	The Senator's Daughter	Mitchell	1879
Suspensine Slows biological functions enough to survive in airless space - for a time.	Duel on Syrtis	Anderson	1951
Suspensor An energy field that can nullify gravity for small objects.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Suspensor Chair A chair that suspends itself above the floor.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Suspensor Lamp A lamp that will float in mid-air, and will stay where you put it.	Dune	Herbert	1965
Sustained Atomic Reaction The idea that a sustained reaction could lead to an atomic explosion.	The World Set Free	Wells	1914
Sven Sven is an artificially intelligent computer detective.	The Turing Option	Harrison	1992
Sweep Field Pulls in interplanetary matter for space ship propulsion.	Methuselah's Children	Heinlein	1941
Swibble An artificially evolved telepathic metazoan-based mind control device.	Service Call	Dick	1955
Swimming Tubes Used to connect buildings for use by amphibious species.	The Dosadi Experiment	Herbert	1977
Swiss A small piece of personal gear that combines a great many items in a single device.	City of Pearl	Traviss	2004
Symb A symbiont life form that provides its human with life-giving energy.	The Ophiuchi Hotline	Varley	1977
Sympathetic Block A way to keep certain mental contents from being spoken or revealed.	The Stars My Destination	Bester	1956
Synapsis-Coils Human-like storage for computers.	Last of the Masters	Dick	1954
Synchrophased Power Beams Focuses energy beams from multiple planets on the same object.	Propagandist	Leinster	1947
Syn-Cof Synthetic coffee.	Cantata 140	Dick	1964
Synthesist A person who did nothing but make cross-references between one field and another.	Stand on Zanzibar	Brunner	1968
Synthespian A synthetic media personality.	Idoru	Gibson	1996
Synthetic Babies A means of gestating eggs to term is found.	A Biological Experiment	Keller	1928
Synthetic Flesh Material resembles human flesh, handy for disguises.	The Amazon Fights Again	Ayre	1940
Synthetic Flesh Provides robots with realistic coverings, not just plastic.	Super-Toys Last All Summer Long	Aldiss	1969
Synthetic Food Edible food for humans, grown in the laboratory.	Unto Us A Child Is Born	Keller	1933
Synthetic Food Dispenser A machine that could make whatever food you wanted from basic elements.	Twilight	Campbell	1934
Synthetic Food Factories Food production without soil.	The Revolt of the Machines	Schachner (w. AL Zagat)	1931
Synthetic Intellect A device for providing a robot with intelligence.	Mad Robot	Gallun	1936
Synthetic Intellect A machine mind, created and improved by more primitive machine minds.	The Machine That Thought	Callahan	1939
Synthetic Life Living animals made from scratch using inorganic elements.	Synthetic	Cloukey	1930
Synthetic Milk Milk made without cows.	Autofac	Dick	1955
Synthetic Personality A artificial identity, a legal fiction of a person.	If This Goes On...	Heinlein	1940
Synthetic Sleeve An artificial body, into which a person can be downloaded.	Altered Carbon	Morgan	2003
Synthetic Spider Silk Artificial fabric thread as strong as steel.	Misfit	Heinlein	1939
Synthetic Voice Artificial human speech.	The Amazon Fights Again	Ayre	1940
Synthetigrav General term for any of the fields produced by synthetic gravity devices.	Agent of Vega	Schmitz	1949
Synthimeat (Crop Protein) A more general name for synthetic meat	Lazarus	St. Clair	1955
Synthite Food Compact food for space travelers.	Planet of Eternal Night	Campbell	1939
Synthony A musical performance by robots.	The Music Master	Wallace	1953
Syntho-Steak Artificially produced meat.	Farmer in the Sky	Heinlein	1950
Syrup Sac A device used to provide an efficient source of nutrition to Meks, servants of the aristocrats of Earth.	The Last Castle	Vance	1967

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