Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"Cyberpunk worked when the Internet was in its hand-wound crystal radio phase, when you had to be a sort of hobbyist to do e-mail, and it all had a very steep learning curve. Those days are over."
- William Gibson
 |
| Copseye | ||
| A small floating "eye-in-the-sky" surveillance drone used by police in an extensive park. |
In this near-future story, areas are set aside as anarchy zones. Police use a special kind of remote surveillance drone to ensure that there is no physical violence, but are otherwise uninvolved.
| Someone at police headquarters had expected that. Twice the usual number of copseyes floated overhead, waiting. Gold dots against blue, basketball-sized, twelve feet up. Each a television eye and a sonic stunner, each a hookup to police headquarters, they were there to enforce the law of the Park... Within King's Free Park was an orderly approximation of anarchy. People were searched at the entrances. There were no weapons inside. The copseyes, floating overhead and out of reach were the next best thing to no law at all. There was only one law to enforce. All acts of attempted violence carried the same penalty for attacker and victim. Let anyone raise his hand against his neighbor, and one of the golden basketballs would stun them both. They would wake separately, with copseyes watching. It was usually enough. No violence. |
| From Cloak of Anarchy,
by Larry Niven. Published by Analog in 1972 Additional resources -
|
This story is an interesting exploration of the concept of anarchy in a real setting. Makes for an interesting contrast with the same kind of setting in Robert Heinlein's Coventry (if you did not agree to live up to the rules of society, you were given the choice to live with the asocials in a fenced-in environment).
Remote drones are under development to serve a variety of purposes.
The Traffic Surveillance Drone project in Georgia has a ducted fan drone under development; it uses an aluminum chassis with a carbon composite body structure to provide stability.
You might also want to check out the endearing entry for little bird, from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear.
Compare to the skyball from A Day for Damnation (1985) by David Gerrold.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 3 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Cloak of Anarchy
More Ideas
and Technology by Larry Niven
Tech news articles related to Cloak of Anarchy
Tech news articles related to works by Larry Niven
Copseye-related
news articles:
- Eye Ball R1 Remote Surveillance Camera
- SkySeer UAV Drone Soars Over L.A.
- Small Robot Surveillance Balloons Like Niven's Copseye
- Hovering Crowd Control Beam
- Police iDrone UAVs With Tasers
- Miami-Dade Police First To Use UAV Drones?
- Spherical Flying Robot Hovers, Flies At 40 MPH
- CUPID Intercept Drone Like Niven's Copseye
- GimBall Indoor Search Drone From Flyability
- Pepper Spray Drones Do Crowd Control For Indian Police
- 3D Printed Spherical Flying Machine
- Armed Drone Opens Fire
- DIY Armed UAV (Toy)
- Kazahk Ironist Protester Arrested For Blank Sign Protest
- A Passing Drone Has Covid-19 Advice
| 'Alexa For Residential' A Landlord's Dream (Tenant's Nightmare?) |
| Foiling Facial Recognition, Fighting Coaster Viruses, Harlan Ellison-Style |
| Adversarial Pattern Shirts Confound Object Detection Systems |
| A Passing Drone Has Covid-19 Advice |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
'Its motion was so swift, complex, and perfect that at first I did not see it as a machine, in spite of its metallic glitter.'
Propulsion-assisted orbital decay, brought to you by SpaceX.
'He applied the tip of the instrument to the interior of the wound...'
'...what's to keep me from showing face, Man?'
'The Worldcraft bubble glittered, catching the light...'
'This is Elmer Schmitz, presenting to you the finalists in our Aviation Quiz Program...'
'Immediately an enormous apparatus fell on to her out of the ceiling...'
Maybe not, but we're seeing definite progress.
'These people are pieces of software called avatars.'
