Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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
"If you don't care about science enough to be interested in it on its own, you shouldn't try to write hard science fiction."
- Frederik Pohl
 |
| Boxing Robot | ||
| Robots that fight in exhibitions, in the ring, for spectators. |
Although the story contains fighting robots, it does not use the phrase "robot boxer" or "boxing robot". And ultimately, the fight in the story is between a robot and a man effectively pretending to be a robot.
| Pole reached inside Maxo and
activated the leg cable centers. Maxo
began shifting around. He lifted his
left leg and shook off the base wheel
automatically. Then he was standing
lightly on his black-shoed feet, feeling at the floor like a cured cripple testing for stance.
Pole reached forward and jabbed in the FULL button, then jumped back as Maxo's eye beams centered on him and the robot moved forward, broad shoulders rocking slowly, arms up defensively. "Christ," Pole muttered, "they'll hear 'im squeakin' in the back row." |
| Technovelgy from Steel,
by Richard Matheson. Published by Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1956 Additional resources -
|
At the beginning of the fight, the advanced B7 robot stands ready, effectively shaped like a man:
Pole crouched beside him, pretending to fiddle with an arm plate.
"Steel, don't," he muttered again.
Kelly didn't answer. He felt a
desperate desire to suck in a lungful
of air and bellow his chest. He drew
in small patches of air through his
nose and let them trickle out. He
kept staring at the Maynard Flash,
thinking of the array of instant
reaction centers inside that smooth
arch of chest.
As the fight begins, the scene in the ring is described:
Compare to the fight machine (boxing robot) from Jingle in the Jungle, by Aldo Giunta, published by IF in 1957.
The B-seven was motionless, its
gloved hands hanging across its legs.
There was imitation blonde hair,
crew cut, growing out of its skull
pores. Its face was that of an impassive Adonis. The simulation of
muscle curve on its body and limbs
was almost perfect. For a moment
Kelly almost thought that years had
been peeled away and he was in the
business again, facing a young contender. He swallowed carefully.
There was no referee. B-fighters never clinched - their machinery rejected it - and there was no knock-down count. A felled
B-fighter stayed down. The new
B-nine, it was claimed by the
Mawling publicity staff, would be
able to get up, which would make
for livelier and longer bouts.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Steel
More Ideas
and Technology by Richard Matheson
Tech news articles related to Steel
Tech news articles related to works by Richard Matheson
| Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot |
| Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art |
| Scary Grid Safety Robots |
| Humanoid Boxing Robot KO's Opponent - It's A Knockout! |
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 Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'
