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
"I've got this beautiful panoramic three-dimensional painting of Mars based on Martian photos. It's 30 feet wide. You can pick out every pebble on the Martian landscape. And who'd have dreamed you could do that?"
- Arthur C. Clarke
 |
| Tele-Motor-Coasters | ||
| Powered skates for personal transportation. |
Personal mechanized transportation was on everyone's mind in 1911; the automobile was now a familiar sight. In the world of Ralph 124C 41+, another alternative was available.
| ...Ralph bade Alice sit down on a chair in the vestibule. He pressed a nearby button twice and a servant brought two pairs of what appeared to be roller-skates.
In reality they were Tele-motor-coasters. They were made of alomagnesium and each weighed only about one and a half pounds. Each had three small, rubber-covered wheels, one in front and two in the rear. Between the wheels was a small electric motor - about the size of a lemon; this motor could only be operated by high frequency currents and, despite its small size, could deliver about one-quarter horsepower. From each coaster a thin insulated wire led up the wearer's back to the hat or cap. Here it was attached to the collector, which was a stiff pin about eight inches long, projecting half-way out from the hat or cap. This pin sucked up, as it were, the high frequency electricity and carried it to the small motors, which latter propelled the coaster. To control the speed of the motor, one simply lifted up the front part of the coaster; this not only cut off the current, but automatically braked the two rear wheels. "...the Tele-motor-coasters would not be possible were it not for the metallic streets. The flat spring which trails on the street between the two rear wheels must make continuous contact with the metallic "ground" else the current cannot flow. |
| From Ralph 124c 41 +,
by Hugo Gernsback. Published by Modern Electrics in 1911 Additional resources -
|
The power for this device is broadcast power.
Here's a graphic image by Frank R. Paul from the publication of the novel in Amazing Stories Quarterly (1929).
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Ralph 124c 41 +
More Ideas
and Technology by Hugo Gernsback
Tech news articles related to Ralph 124c 41 +
Tech news articles related to works by Hugo Gernsback
Tele-Motor-Coasters-related
news articles:
- Motosk8 - Next Best Thing To Tele-Motor-Coasters
- In-Road Electric Vehicle Charger
- Robotic Roller Skate Micro-Mobility
- RocketSkates Motorized Skates
- Rollkers Walking Skates
| Skai Air Taxi Costs The Same As Uber |
| Asimov and Musk - Boring Company Tunnel vs. Street Race |
| Arizona Luddites Attack Self-Driving Vehicles |
| Volvo's Self-Driving Mining Trucks |
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.
|
'... the young men in the streets who applied polyimde OLED body film to their bared shoulders.'
'Bioengeering had put out a spec report on the long crawly things five months back.'
'The air-taxi found its way past and around other ground-cars...'
'They tried to use it today and it wouldn't work. No colors and no ceph patterns, neither one...'
'Cerebral Electromagnetic Emmission Amplification and Relay System — call it artificial telepathy, if you like.'
'[It] caused his televised image... to mouth the vowels and consonants beautifully.'
'There was almost no sound, just a steady velvety whirr as the taxi sped along.'
Life imitates anime art.
