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
"We're about 20 minutes away from the point where Clarke's law kicks in and technology becomes indistinguishable from magic."
- Peter Watts
 |
| Battleroom | ||
| A large, null-gravity space used for battle tactics training. |
| They filed clumsily into the battleroom, like children in a swimming pool for the first time, clinging to the handholds along the side. Null gravity was frightening, disorienting; they soon found that things went better if they didn't use their feet at all. |
| Technovelgy from Ender's Game,
by Orson Scott Card. Published by Tor in 1985 Additional resources -
|
A much earlier description of interpersonal fighting in zero-gravity is given by Arthur C. Clarke in Islands in the Sky (1952):
The first problem, of course, is to catch your opponent, which isn't easy, because if he refuses to cooperate, he can shoot off in so many directions. But
even if he decides to play, there are further difficulties.
Any kind of boxing is almost impossible, since the first
blow would send you flying apart. So the only practicable form of combat is wrestling. It usually starts
with the two fighters floating in mid-air, as far as possible from any solid object. They grasp wrists, with
their arms fully extended; after that it's difficult to see
exactly what happens. The air is full of flying limbs
and slowly rotating bodies. By the rules of the game,
you've won if you can keep your opponent pinned
against any wall for a count of five. This is much more
difficult than it sounds, for he only has to give a good
heave to send both of you flying out into the room
again. Remember that, since there's no gravity, you
can't just sit on your victim until your weight tires
him out.
Compare to the observation room recreation space from The Power Planet (1930) by Murray Leinster and rocket polo from Ra for the Rajah (1938) by John Victor Peterson.
...he was always getting into
good-humored fights with the other boys, and a fight
under free-fall conditions is fascinating to watch,
Comment/Join this discussion ( 3 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Ender's Game
More Ideas
and Technology by Orson Scott Card
Tech news articles related to Ender's Game
Tech news articles related to works by Orson Scott Card
Battleroom-related
news articles:
- Will Space Stations Have Large Interior Spaces Again?
| 'Warrior Suit' Combat Exoskeleton Project Still Alive |
| Sea Drones Attack Russian Fleet |
| Slaughterbot AI KIller Quadcopter Drones |
| Russia Working On Military Exoskeletons |
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
'The suit stands up and starts walking, gripping me round the calves and waist, taking the bulk of my weight off my throbbing feet.'
't came out into plain view. Darkington glimpsed a slim body and six short legs of articulated dull metal.'
'Internally it’s made up of millions of components, but the most important ones are the thinking and memory parts of the Mind proper.'
'I could look down at that face of carefully molded synthetic rubber, tinted the exact shade of the doctor's living flesh.'
'Chris, the City Fathers are not interested in your welfare; I suppose you know that. They're interested in only one thing: the survival of the city.'
'Drake was the young spatial engineer he employed to terraform the little rock...'
