Science Fiction
Dictionary
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Timeline of Science Fiction Ideas, Technology and Inventions
(sorted by Publication Date)

Most of these items are linked to information about similar real-life inventions and inventors; click on an invention to learn more about it.

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1600-1899  1900-1929  1930's  1940's  1950's  1960's  1970's  1980's  1990's  2000+

Date Device Name (Novel Author)
1705 Cogitator (The Chair of Reflection) (from The Consolidator by Daniel Defoe)
A device which improves the rationality of the thinking processes.
1705 Consolidator (from The Consolidator by Daniel Defoe)
A craft for embarking on voyages through space.
1726 Laputa (Island in Air) (from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift)
A floating island or rock in the air.
1726 Geometric Modeling (from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift)
The first recorded use of geometric figures to directly represent, or model, living beings.
1726 Bio-Energy (from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift)
The first reference to extracting electricity from organic materials.
1726 Knowledge Engine (from Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift)
The first reference to a machine that could create sentences or write books.
1727 Androide (from Cyclopaedia by Ephraim Chambers)
A device having the form or likeness of a man.
1828 Steam-Propelled Moving Houses (from The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Jane Webb Loudon)
Otherwise ordinary residences that move from place to place, powered by steam.
1828 Mail-Post Letter-Ball (from The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Jane Webb Loudon)
A system of sending mail quickly from town to town via steam-cannon-powered hollow spheres.
1828 Barrels of Air (from The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Jane Webb Loudon)
A very early mention of a means for breathing once above the Earth's atmosphere.
1828 Stage Balloon (from The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Jane Webb Loudon)
A regular means of conveyance, like a train or carriage.
1828 Automaton Birds (from The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Jane Webb Loudon)
Mechanical fowl sing sweetly.
1828 Automaton Judge (from The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Jane Webb Loudon)
An entirely artificial, mechanical judge for the courtroom.
1828 Automaton Steam Surgeon (from The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century by Jane Webb Loudon)
Mechanized surgery.
1836 Domed City (from Mrs. Maberly: Or, The World as it Will be by Anonymous Author )
A vast city covered entirely by a vast covering of glass.
1836 Street Slides (from Mrs. Maberly: Or, The World as it Will be by Anonymous Author )
A means of moving a spot on the road to different places, by means of machinery under the ground.
1844 Automaton Lawyer's Clerk (from The Lawyer's Clerk Question Settled by Staff of Punch)
An autonomous clerk to lawyers.
1846 Forced Scholars (from Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be) by Emile Souvestre)
Hothouse intellectuals.
1846 Steam Horse (from Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be) by Emile Souvestre)
A remarkable mechanical beast.
1846 Passenger-Carrying Mortar (from Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be) by Emile Souvestre)
A unique way of crossing a river, without a boat or a bridge.
1846 Express Dolphin (from Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be) by Emile Souvestre)
A most agreeable means of locomotion under the waves.
1846 Feeding Room (from Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be) by Emile Souvestre)
An automated child care.
1851 Science Fiction (from A Little Earnest Book Upon a Great Old Subject by William Wilson)
Literature that interweaves "the revealed truths of Science" with a "pleasing story" that is "poetical and true."
1864 Whispering Gallery (from Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne)
A means of communication in specifically shaped spaces.
1866 Paper Steel (from Robur-the-Conqueror by Jules Verne)
Specially treated paper that forms material as hard as steel.
1867 Water-Springs (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
Using water to cushion the living space of a spacecraft from the effects of acceleration.
1867 Columbiad (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
An enormous cannon, sufficient in size to send a projectile to the Moon.
1867 Light Pressure Propulsion (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
First mention of the idea that light itself could be a form of propulsion for spacecraft.
1867 Free Return Trajectory (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
The idea that it would be possible for a projectile to go around the Moon and then return to Earth.
1867 Launching Facility (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
A specific spot with support for a space launch.
1867 Projectile-Vehicle (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
A projectile, or shot, capable of enclosing passengers and being safely hurled to the moon by an enormous cannon.
1867 Gourmet Space Cuisine (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
The finest in French cuisine, in outer space.
1867 Air Renewal (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
Re-oxygenating the air within the projectile spacecraft.
1867 Weightlessness (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
The state experienced in free fall; a space traveler's weight is apparently reduced to zero.
1867 Retro-Rockets (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
Small boosters to provide a thrust counter to the current velocity of the spacecraft, slowing it down or stopping its progress altogether.
1867 Splashdown (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
The use of water as a medium for landing one's space ship in.
1867 Communicate with Extraterrestrials (from From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne)
Early plan to communicate with life on planets removed from the earth.
1868 Steam Man (from The Steam Man of the Prairies by Edward S. Ellis)
A mechanical robot powered by steam.
1868 Burn the Ship (from Around the World in 80 days by Jules Verne)
Utilize parts of the ship as fuel for forward movement.
1869 Flywheel Launcher (from The Brick Moon by Edward Everett Hale)
Gigantic flywheels that build up enough power to launch a spacecraft - hurl it into the heavens!
1869 Brick Moon (from The Brick Moon by Edward Everett Hale)
An artificial satellite or space station with living quarters for passengers.
1871 Fossil Shell Coin (from The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer-Lytton)
The use of rare natural shells of an extinct species, for money.
1872 Mechanical Consciousness (from Erewhon by Samuel Butler)
The notion that machines may develop a form of consciousness.
1875 Undersea Mining (from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne)
Conducting mining operations on the sea floor.
1875 Leyden Ball (from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne)
Device for hunting underwater; transfers a powerful electrical charge to the prey.
1875 Electrify the Rail (from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne)
Use of substantial electrical charge applied to outer hull to repel potential boarders.
1875 Diving Apparatus (from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne)
Equipment used to go for walks on the sea bed; the direct ancestor of modern scuba diving equipment.
1875 Nautilus (from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne)
The wondrous submarine of Captain Nemo; the instrument of his escape from humanity and his revenge upon it.
1877 Telepomp (Matter Transmission) (from The Man Without a Body by Edward Page Mitchell)
A device that transmitted matter from one place to another.
1877 Sheep's Lozenge (from The Fatal Curiosity, or, A Hundred Years Hence by James Payn)
The nutritious portion of an entire sheep, in one pill.
1879 Suspended Animation (Frigorific Process) (from The Senator's Daughter by Edward Page Mitchell)
Very early reference to cryogenic storage.
1879 Home News Printer (from The Senator's Daughter by Edward Page Mitchell)
A device that prints out the newspaper of your choice right in your own home.
1879 Compact Food Pastilles (Food Pill) (from The Senator's Daughter by Edward Page Mitchell)
One small tablet is a month's worth of food.
1880 Apergy (Apergion) (from Across the Zodiac by Percy Greg)
An antigravity substance with sufficient power to propel a space ship from the Earth to Mars.
1880 Astronaut (Ship) (from Across the Zodiac by Percy Greg)
The first instance of this word, it denotes a space-going vessel.
1880 Martian City (from Across the Zodiac by Percy Greg)
The habitation of intelligent Martians.
1880 Trip to Mars (from Across the Zodiac by Percy Greg)
A voyage across space to the planet Mars.
1881 Dutch Clock (Time Machine) (from The Clock That Went Backward by Edward Page Mitchell)
A tall Dutch clock with hands that move... backward.
1881 Chemical Production of Food (from Mizora: A Prophecy by Mary E. Bradley Lane)
Creation of food in the laboratory rather than in the field.
1882 Telephonoscope (from Le Vingtième Siècle (The Twentieth Century) by Albert Robida)
A device that effectively transmits pictures and sound over long distances.
1885 Food Pills (from A Strange Trip by John Baker Hopkins)
A substitute for ordinary nutrition.
1885 Electric-Yacht (from A Strange Trip by John Baker Hopkins)
A surface vessel powered entirely by electricity.
1886 Ether Ship (from Aleriel or A Voyage to Other Worlds by W.S. Lach-Szyrma)
A space-going ship.
1887 Anacronopete (Time Machine) (from El Anacronopete by Enrique Gaspar)
A flying electric-powered time machine.
1887 Wall in the Air (from Rondah, or Thirty-Three Years in a Star by Florence Carpenter Dieudonné)
An invisible barrier that protects an entire island or city.
1887 Food Pellets (from The Republic of the Future by Anna Dodd)
Sustenance in a concentrated form.
1888 Mall (Great City Bazaar) (from Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy)
An aggregation of shops under one roof.
1888 Credit Card (from Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy)
A simple card that is used in place of money
1888 Telephonic Music Room (from Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy)
Places where a person could go, at any time, to share in musical performances happening at some distance away.
1889 Live News (from In the Year 2889 by Jules Verne)
The modern concept of a news broadcast.
1889 Recorded News (from In the Year 2889 by Jules Verne)
This is the basic idea behind Tivo and VCRs.
1889 Phonotelephote (from In the Year 2889 by Jules Verne)
A means of transmitting and receiving both voice and picture for a personal conversation.
1889 Atmospheric Advertising (from In the Year 2889 by Jules Verne)
A means of mass advertising to cities and countries.
1889 Electrified Fence (from A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain)
A wire fence carrying an electrical charge sufficient to deter crossing the boundary.
1889 Straightening the Earth's Poles (from The Purchase of the North Pole (Topsy Turvy) by Jules Verne)
By means of a suitable force, push the Earth until the planet's axis of rotation is perpendicular to the ecliptic.
1889 Solar-Heat Condenser (from The Conquest of the Moon by Paschal Grousset)
A device that concentrates solar power across many devices.
1893 War-Balloon (Navigable Aerostat) (from The Angel of the Revolution by George Griffith)
Enormous dirigible airships used for war.
1893 Air-Ship (VTOL Airship) (from The Angel of the Revolution by George Griffith)
A flying machine capable of vertical take-off and landing.
1893 Air-to-Surface Missile (from The Angel of the Revolution by George Griffith)
Very early description of a projectile fired from an airship into a surface target.
1893 Life Phial (from Improvements So Extraordinary The World Will Shudder by Mary Elizabeth Lease)
Similar to a food pill, food in concentrated form.
1894 Solar Power Generation (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
A very early description of the use of solar powered 'farms' for generating electrical power on a large scale.
1894 Electric Car Recharging Station (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
A public place for recharging electric cars.
1894 Magnetic Railroads (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
A scheme for powering railroads using enormous electromagnets.
1894 Arctic Signal Light (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
A means of communicating with spacecraft from the surface of the Earth.
1894 Electric Protection-Wires (Electrified Fence) (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
An electric fence.
1894 Double-Door Vestibule (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
A special doorway leading from the interior of a spacecraft leading out into space which maintains the air pressure within the craft.
1894 Aeriduct (Rain Maker) (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
A specific means of producing rain.
1894 Vehicle Energy Reclamation (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
Reclaiming the energy gained by climbing a hill on the way back down.
1894 Space-ship (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
A space-going vessel.
1894 Marine Spider (Hydrofoil) (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
A very early mention of the hydrofoil concept.
1894 Electric Phaetons (Electric Cars) (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
Vehicles whose motive power is entirely derived from electricity.
1894 Global Climate Control (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
Adjust the Earth's axis so the seasons are more temperate and uniform.
1894 Instantaneous Kodaks (Traffic Control) (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
Use of cameras to help police officers enforce speed limits.
1894 Rooftop Windmill (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
Renewable energy source for the home.
1894 Magnetic Eyes (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
A device that permits remote monitoring of people or other objects.
1894 Windmill Mast (from A Journey In Other Worlds by John Jacob Astor IV)
Enclosed machinery in large masts powers ships.
1895 Atomic Microscopy (from The Crack of Doom by Robert Cromie)
A device that can actually visualize a individual molecule and its parts.
1895 Government Lethal Chamber (from The Repairer of Reputations by Robert W. Chambers)
A legal suicide booth.
1895 Time Machine (from The Time Machine by H.G. Wells)
A device allowing the rider to move freely in the temporal dimension, just as we ordinarily do in the two physical dimensions normal to gravity.
1895 Manufactured Wife (from A Wife Manufactured to Order by Alice W. Fuller)
A wife made to order, programmed to meet her husband's requirements.
1895 Atomic Energy (from The Crack of Doom by Robert Cromie)
Splitting the atom to create a destructive force.
1895 Submarine Tube (from An Express of the Future by Michel Verne)
A means of transport between Europe and North America via underwater tubes.
1895 Undersea City (from The Crystal City Under the Sea by Andre Laurie)
A great city under the sea, covered by a crystal dome.
1896 Monsters Manufactured (from The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells)
Dr. Moreau demonstrates the plasticity of the organic form.
1896 Fulgurator (from Facing The Flag by Jules Verne)
An 'autopropulsive projectile'.
1896 Dimension (from The Plattner Story by H.G. Wells)
Describes a reality separate from our own.
1897 Planetary Telegraphing (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
A method for communicating with dwellers on other planets in the solar system.
1897 Invisibility (from The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells)
The idea that it is possible to make a person invisible using some sort of optical technology to alter the body.
1897 Vivification (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
A process by which the body can be preserved for centuries at body temperature and then revived.
1897 Magnetic Shell (from The Great Stone of Sardis by Frank Stockton)
A munition that is powerfully attracted to ferrous ships.
1897 Electric Gun (Mass Driver) (from A Trip to Venus by John Munro)
A device that used electromagnetic energy to accelerated capsules into orbit.
1897 Automatic Shell (from The Great Stone of Sardis by Frank Stockton)
A projectile that bores through obstacles - even the Earth!
1897 Gravitational Wave Viewer (from Two Planets by Kurd Lasswitz)
A device used to see at astronomical distances.
1897 Photic Borer (Artesian Ray) (from The Great Stone of Sardis by Frank Stockton)
A ray of energy that illuminates a cross-section of Earth as it goes through solid earth and rock.
1897 Glow-Worm Living (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
Alternated work, play and slumber without long periods of sleep.
1897 Life-Brew (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
A non-alcoholic beverage, but similar to wine.
1897 Interstellar Express Car (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
Uses anti-gravitation metal to achieve terrific speeds in space.
1897 Noninterference With Other Worlds (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
Earliest expression of the 'Prime Directive' idea.
1897 Electric Bicycle (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
A two-wheeled device utilizing stored electricity as motive power.
1897 Walking Balloon (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
A means of efficiently traversing rough country.
1897 Helium Metal (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
An ore with the spectroscopic line of Helium.
1897 Home Planet (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
Usually the birthplace of your species or simply your planet of origin.
1897 Sun-Telephone (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
Receives transmissions from the sun itself.
1897 Artificial Silk (from In the Deep of Time by George Parsons Lathrop)
A fabric like silk produced entirely without silkworms.
1898 Robot Biomimicry (from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells)
Endowing robots with an organic-appearing fluidity, rather than mechanical motion.
1898 Metallic Spider (Handling Machine) (from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells)
Multipurpose device used almost as an extension of the Martian's own bodies.
1898 Red Weed (Terraforming Plant) (from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells)
A plant brought by the Martians that grew on Earth.
1898 Spacewalk (from Edison's Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Serviss)
Going outside your space craft for a short time.
1898 Aerial Telegraph (from Edison's Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Serviss)
Communication between individuals in spacesuits.
1898 Quasi-Muscles (Sham Musculature) (from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells)
A means of giving motive power to robots or machines that is similar to animal musculature.
1898 Electrical 'Tether' (from Edison's Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Serviss)
A device to make sure an astronaut could return from a free space walk.
1898 Steel Tentacle (from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells)
Flexible robotic steel limbs that can both support a vehicle and grasp objects.
1898 Tripod (from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells)
An enormous metallic robot.
1898 Black Smoke (from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells)
A smoke or vapor dispensed in canisters.
1898 Biological Warfare (from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells)
The use of microorganisms to defeat an enemy; this is the first reference in science fiction that I can find to this concept.
1898 Air-Tight Suit (from Edison's Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Serviss)
An special outfit that would allow a person to survive in vacuum.
1898 Heat Ray (from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells)
First use of what appears to be a laser weapon.
1898 Asteroid Mining (from Edison's Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Serviss)
The mining of asteroid ore, accomplished by traveling to these tiny bodies.
1898 Disintegrator (from Edison's Conquest of Mars by Garrett P. Serviss)
A device that causes objects to burst into molecular pieces.
1898 Autonomous Digging Machine (from The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells)
A mechanical device able to excavate on its own.
1899 DVD/VCR (Entertainment Player) (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
A device that accepts stored moving picture entertainment and makes it available for viewing.
1899 Electric-Automatic Household Robot Cook (from Ely's Automatic Housemaid by Elizabeth Bellamy)
A robot chef - an Electric-Automatic Household Benefi­cent Genius!
1899 Networked World (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
Very early description of our dependence on technology and communication.
1899 Electric-Automatic Housemaid Robot (Automaton) (from Ely's Automatic Housemaid by Elizabeth Bellamy)
A very early description of a robot to help around the house.
1899 Eadhamite (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
Synthetic material that creates extremely smooth roads.
1899 Moving Picture Player (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
A machine that plays recorded pictures back for a single person - a combination DVD player and screen.
1899 Moving Roadway (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
A roadway that is in motion, with seats and kiosks, that goes around curves.
1899 Kinetiscope Appliance (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
A small object that could show a variety of artificially created or extrapolated images.
1899 Automated Surface Measurement (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
A mechanical method of accurately measuring a surface.
1899 Individualized Clothing Manufacture (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
A device that will produce suits of clothing based on measurement data gathered.
1899 Automatic Door (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
A wall strip that rolls up automatically to let you through.
1899 Town In One Building (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
This is the basic idea behind an arcology, or other single structure that is intended to provide living space and mall.
1899 Babble Machine (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
Not just television - this describes what we call 'the idiot box' (technology and media).
1899 Electrical Farming Implements (from Looking Forward: A Dream of the United States of the Americas in 1999 by Arthur Bird)
Labor-saving automatic farm equipment.
1899 Aerodrome (Ærodromes) (from Looking Forward: A Dream of the United States of the Americas in 1999 by Arthur Bird)
Flying machines.
1899 Nickalum (from Looking Forward: A Dream of the United States of the Americas in 1999 by Arthur Bird)
An alloy of aluminum crystalized within a magnetic field for exceptional strength.
1899 Aerocycle (Ærocycle) (from Looking Forward: A Dream of the United States of the Americas in 1999 by Arthur Bird)
An aerial bicycle, human powered.
1899 Automatic Valet (from Looking Forward: A Dream of the United States of the Americas in 1999 by Arthur Bird)
A robotic manservant.
1899 Aerial Dynamite Ships (from Looking Forward: A Dream of the United States of the Americas in 1999 by Arthur Bird)
Using airplanes to drop explosives during war.
1899 General Intelligence Machine (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
News and information from one device.
1899 Aeropile (from When the Sleeper Wakes by H.G. Wells)
A fluttering wing airplane for a few passengers.
1899 Nutritious Pellets (from Looking Forward: A Dream of the United States of the Americas in 1999 by Arthur Bird)
Food in pill form.
1900 Aerocar (from The Abduction of Alexandra Seine by Fred C. Smale)
A personal flying vehicle.
1901 Translatophone (from My Translatophone by Frank Stockton)
A device that performs mechanical translation of one language into another.
1901 Cavorite (from The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells)
An antigravity metal; when it cools, whatever it covers will be impervious to gravitational forces.
1901 Breathing Dresses (from A Honeymoon In Space by George Griffith)
A special suit and apparatus for survival on the surface of the Moon.
1901 Homeworld (Home-World) (from A Honeymoon In Space by George Griffith)
One's planet of origin.
1903 Joystick Controls w/Remote Display (from The Land Ironclads by H.G. Wells)
A fire-by-wire remote-controlled weapon system.
1903 Absolute Black (from The Shadow and the Flash by Jack London)
A material which, when covering an object, will reflect no light whatsoever.
1903 Vandelite Gun (from The World Masters by George Griffith)
An artillery device that freezes the explosive material for firing so it doesn't explode in the gun when it fires.
1903 Aerial Navies (from The World Masters by George Griffith)
Use of vast numbers of air-ships (planes) to overwhelm land defenses.
1903 Death-Ray (from The World Masters by George Griffith)
A thin ray of electric light that melts flesh away from the bone.
1904 The Terror (from Master of the World by Jules Verne)
An amazing vehicle capable of attaining tremendous speeds - in many different ways.
1905 Glass Dome (from A Modern Utopia by H.G. Wells)
Protective cover for cities.
1907 Tik-Tok (from Ozma of Oz by L. Frank Baum)
A mechanical man.
1907 Gravitation Screen (from On The Martian Way by Harry Gore Bishop)
Shields a spacecraft from the gravity of a planetary body.
1907 Interplanetary Radiograph Station (from On The Martian Way by Harry Gore Bishop)
Network of communication in the solar system.
1907 Lifeboat (from On The Martian Way by Harry Gore Bishop)
A small space-worthy craft that can be jettisoned from a larger ship, to save its crew.
1907 Neutral (Point) (from On The Martian Way by Harry Gore Bishop)
The point at which the gravitational pull of the sun and that of a planet cancel each other out.
1908 Minus-Matter (from Red Star by Aleksandr Bogdanov)
Material that negates weight.
1908 Etheroneph (from Red Star by Aleksandr Bogdanov)
Spacefraft fueled by radioactive materials.
1909 Telemedicine Apparatus (from The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster)
First reference to a device that allows physicians to examine or aid patients at a distance.
1909 The Machine (from The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster)
A single vast contrivance that supplied all the needs of the world's millions of solitary inhabitants.
1909 Machine Apartment (from The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster)
Each person lives isolated in their own room, supported by a vast planetary machine.
1909 Video Communicator (from The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster)
A device that carried both voice and image, letting the two parties see each other.
1909 Cinematophote (Blue Optic Plate) (from The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster)
The first reference to a tablet-sized, handheld screen.
1909 The Book of the Machine (from The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster)
The only book needed for life in the vast Machine.
1909 Breed Humans For Machines (from The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster)
Carefully cull the strong, resilient humans in favor of weakness, that the human race might be more adapted to life in the Machine.
1909 Public Call (from The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster)
A form of communication in which a group of people would remain isolated, but through technology could see and hear each other.
1910 Automaton Chessplayer (from Moxon's Master by Ambrose Bierce)
The first chess-playing computer.
1911 Sub-Atlantic Tube (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
A tunnel under the ocean; the shortest distance between the two points.
1911 Personalized News (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
First reference to news that is customized to the needs of each individual subscriber.
1911 Tele-Motor-Coasters (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
Powered skates for personal transportation.
1911 Detectophone (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
First use of the idea of a voice-activated machine.
1911 Demagnitizing Ray (from The Lord of Labour by George Griffith)
A beam of radiation that makes even the strongest steel as brittle as chalk.
1911 Space-Sick (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
Uneasiness associated with space travel.
1911 Telephot (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
A device that combined the functions of telephone and television; a phone with a screen.
1911 Steelonium (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
A remarkable kind of steel that did not rust or corrode.
1911 Hypnobioscope (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
The first fictional reference to sleep teaching.
1911 Electric Rifle (from Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle by Victor Appleton)
A device that shoots an electrical charge.
1911 Language Rectifier (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
The first reference to machine-translation of human languages.
1911 Telautograph (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
First fictional reference to a fax machine.
1911 Actinoscope (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
A device that used a pulsating polarized ether wave to judge the distance to an object (a RADAR)
1911 Artificial Cloth (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
The creation of fabrics without organic natural fibers.
1911 Menograph (Mind-Writer) (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
Direct translation of thought to paper.
1911 Radar (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
Detection of objects at a distance.
1911 Appetizer (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
An amazing adjunct to science-based restaurants; a room that increases appetite with gas!
1911 Alohydrolium (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
The lightest metal.
1911 Gyrocar (from Two Boys in a Gyrocar the story of a New York to Paris motor race by Kenneth Brown)
A two-wheeled, self-balancing automobile.
1911 Iridium Spirals (Street Lights) (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
Streetlights provide sunlight at night.
1911 Aerocab (Aeroflyer) (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
A electric flying taxi, or car.
1911 Automatic-Electric Packing Machine (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
A device able to pack randomly shaped objects combined into a single package automatically.
1911 Helio-Dynamophores (Sun-Power-Generators) (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
Photo-electric elements which transformed the solar heat direct into electric energy.
1911 Gravity Nullification (Gravity Screen) (from Ralph 124c 41 + by Hugo Gernsback)
Gravity annulled in its entirety in a small area.
1912 Automated Restaurant (from A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs)
Food is prepared and served entirely automatically.
1913 Poison Space Cloud (Etheric Poison) (from The Poison Belt by Arthur Conan Doyle)
A deadly cloud of gas large enough to envelop the solar system.
1914 Radioactive Ruin (from The World Set Free by H.G. Wells)
The aftermath of atomic war is generations of ruin.
1914 Sustained Atomic Reaction (from The World Set Free by H.G. Wells)
The idea that a sustained reaction could lead to an atomic explosion.
1914 Sunray Tank (from Warlord of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs)
A device that stores sunlight itself for use as an energy source.
1914 Atomic Bomb (from The World Set Free by H.G. Wells)
A weapon that uses an atomic chain reaction as an explosive force.
1914 Artificial Food (from The World Set Free by H.G. Wells)
Food produced without soil, chemically.
1914 Atomic Engine (from The World Set Free by H.G. Wells)
A motor running on atomic fuel.
1915 Food Tablet (from John Jones's Dollar by Harry Stephen Keeler)
All of your nutrients in one easy-to-swallow form factor.
1915 Zoom Call Visaphone System (from John Jones's Dollar by Harry Stephen Keeler)
An amazingly early description of a modern zoom call on a big screen monitor.
1915 Pocket wireless phone (from John Jones's Dollar by Harry Stephen Keeler)
An entirely portable, pocket-sized, telephone.
1916 Scientifiction (from Thought Transmission on Mars by Hugo Gernsback)
Writing that combines science and fiction.
1917 Telephone Funnel (from The Messiah of the Cylinder by Victor Rousseau)
A kind of two-way public loudspeaker.
1917 Tele-Photophonic Attachment (from The Messiah of the Cylinder by Victor Rousseau)
A device that permits a telephone funnel to see as well as hear.
1917 Ray gun (from The Messiah of the Cylinder by Victor Rousseau)
A weapon that projects a beam of destructive force.
1917 Open-Air Moving Picture Shows (from The Messiah of the Cylinder by Victor Rousseau)
Public news outlets
1918 Magnetic Elevator (from The Gods of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs)
A device that uses very powerful electromagnets for propulsion.
1918 Photophone (from The Planeteer by Homer Eon Flint)
A device that provided a view of the other booth.
1918 Aero Bus (Flying Bus) (from What Not: A Prophetic Comedy by Rose Macaulay)
A flying bus.
1920 Robot (from R.U.R. by Karel Capek)
A (usually human-shaped) artifact with the same kinds of abilities as a human - this is the first use of the word 'robot'.
1920 Spinning Mill for Veins (Artificial Organs) (from R.U.R. by Karel Capek)
The manufacture of artificial organs, digestive tract, veins - body parts.
1920 Robotess (from R.U.R. by Karel Capek)
A female robot.
1920 Living Metal Cubes (from The Metal Monster by Abraham Merritt)
Tiny metal cubes and pyramids that work together to create larger shapes.
1921 Phonographic Locks (from A Journey to the Year 2025 by Clement Fezandie)
Doors that open using voice recognition.
1921 Pocket-Wings (from A Journey to the Year 2025 by Clement Fezandie)
Individual powered flight.
1922 Membrane (from We by Yevgeny Zamyatin)
A listening device.
1923 Acoustic Apparatus (Osophone) (from Acoustic Apparatus by Hugo Gernsback)
A device that used bone conduction to transmit sound.
1923 Networked Telephone Answering Machine (from Men Like Gods by H.G. Wells)
A device that would accept verbal messages and store them for replay from any remote station.
1923 Wireless Access Point (from Men Like Gods by H.G. Wells)
Infrastructure that provides power and wireless communication.
1923 Parallel Universe (from Men Like Gods by H.G. Wells)
An entirely separate realm or universe that exists along with our own; it may be wildly different or vary from ours by only a tiny degree.
1923 Clockwork Man (from The Clockwork Man by E.V. Odle)
A man from the future with an embedded mechanism to manipulate time.
1924 Hyperspace (from The Statement of Archibald Swayne by Burton Peter Thom)
A realm or parallel universe in which it may be possible to travel much faster than light.
1925 Blaster (from When the Green Star Waned by Nictzin Dyalhis)
A device that shoots a beam of energy that destroys whatever is in its path.
1925 Quadraturin (from Quadraturin by Sigizmund Krzhizhanowsky)
Substance that creates more space when applied to walls, floors and ceilings.
1926 Gyro-Hat (from An Experiment in Gyro-Hats by Ellis Parker Butler)
Hidden in a top hat, this device cures staggering and reeling, for whatever reason.
1926 Computer Vision (Artificial Eye) (from The Metal Giants by Edmond Hamilton)
A device which, attached to a suitable computer, will allow the device to see.
1926 Vacuum Suit (from The Man from the Atom by G. Peyton Wertenbaker)
An early description of a space suit, and the first use of this now archaic phrase.
1926 Artificial Life (from Across Space by Edmond Hamilton)
Creating living beings from inorganic elements.
1926 Blue Ray of Death (from Across Space by Edmond Hamilton)
A ray that reduces an organic being to ash instantly.
1926 Artificial Brain (from The Metal Giants by Edmond Hamilton)
A non-organic device structured like a human brain.
1926 Vocal Typewriter (from Dr. Hackensaw's Secrets Some Minor Inventions by Clement Fezandie)
A device that accepts spoken dictation and produces printed copy.
1926 Tentacle Machines (from The Metal Giants by Edmond Hamilton)
Enormous robots, cylindrical of body, tentacular of arms, autonomous of brain, sinister of intent.
1926 Robot Wheel (from The Metal Giants by Edmond Hamilton)
An enormous vehicular robot in the shape of a gigantic wheel.
1926 Atomic Machine (from The Man from the Atom by G. Peyton Wertenbaker)
A device that shrinks and expands its wearer.
1926 Transparent Dome Helmet (from The Man from the Atom by G. Peyton Wertenbaker)
A spacesuit helmet that can be seen through.
1926 Atomic Energy Motor (from The Man from the Atom by G. Peyton Wertenbaker)
An engine which utilizes atomic energy.
1926 Liquid Metal Telescope (Solid) (from The Infinite Vision by Charles C. Winn)
A large LMT made solid.
1926 Automatic Judge (from Dr. Hackensaw's Secrets Some Minor Inventions by Clement Fezandie)
Automatically listens to the plaintiff and defendant and provides a just verdict.
1926 Starship (from War in Space by Raymond Quiex)
A vehicle for space travel.
1926 Electric Typewriter (from Dr. Hackensaw's Secrets Some Minor Inventions by Clement Fezandie)
A typewriter that used the power of electricity to strike the letters onto the paper, rather than the finger muscles of the typist.
1926 Flexible Metal Arms (Tentacles) (from The Metal Giants by Edmond Hamilton)
An interesting description of how mechanical tentacles might function.
1926 Bolognium (from Transactions of Amer Soc for Steel Treating by Edgar Bain)
Very early fictional element, courtesy of metallurgists.
1927 Cold Ray (from The Atomic Conquerors by Edmond Hamilton)
A device that pulled warmth from anything it was aimed at.
1927 Paralyzing Cone (from The Atomic Conquerors by Edmond Hamilton)
A device that paralyzes the muscles.
1927 Artificial Sun (from The Bride of Osirus by Otis Adelbert Kline)
Use of a single large artifact to provide sunlight to a city or a world.
1927 Weather in Space (from Around the Universe by Ray Cummings)
The idea that weather concepts could be applied to interplanetary space.
1927 Repulsor Ray (from The Time-Raider by Edmond Hamilton)
Fires an invisible beam of electrons for propulsion.
1927 Tin Foil Hat (Metal Foil Caps) (from The Tissue-Culture King by Julian Huxley)
A metal device that protects the user from unwanted telepathic intrusions.
1928 Heat Transmitter (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
Device which captures solar energy close to the source and then beams it in concentrated form to outer planets.
1928 Anti-Gravity Belt (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
A device which, when worn, reduces exposure to the effects of gravitation.
1928 Ultrophone (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
A means of communication that transmits and receives simultaneously.
1928 Videophone (from The Golden Girl of Munan by Harl Vincent)
A person-to-person communication device offering sight as well as sound.
1928 Inertron (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
Material with all the properties of heavier metals, but lighter.
1928 Airlock (from The Skylark of Space by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
An intermediate chamber between airless space and the interior of a space craft.
1928 Psychophonic Nurse (from The Psychophonic Nurse by David H. Keller)
A child-care robot - a nanny bot.
1928 Ultron Wire (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
Invisible metal makes the thinnest, strongest wire.
1928 Chest Disc (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
A voice activated wireless transmitter.
1928 Meteorometer (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
A device that warned space ships in flight about oncoming meteors.
1928 Telechart (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
An interactive metal plate upon which were displayed celestial objects for interstellar navigation.
1928 Ultraphone Ear-Disc (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
Wireless receivers that fit directly over the ears; they also offered noise reduction.
1928 Ultron (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
Very handy material is invisible and non-reflective.
1928 Jumper (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
Inertron belt results in effective weightlessness.
1928 Repellor Anti-Gravity Rays (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
Device provides support for planet-side air travel.
1928 Space-Lanes (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
Well-traveled routes through outer space.
1928 Disintegrator Ray (Dis Ray) (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
A device that projects a beam reducing matter to nothingness.
1928 Viewplate (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
A flat panel viewing display.
1928 Rocket Gun (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
In essence, a bazooka.
1928 Floater (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
A device that allows the user to literally float in the air
1928 Pain Ray (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
Creates pain by nerve induction.
1928 Steering a Star (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
Steering a star, altering its path, taking it to a new location.
1928 Flying Harness (from The Skylark of Space by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Device allows free movement in the air.
1928 Telestereo (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
A disk, upon which the projected image of the distant sender appears.
1928 Space Buoy (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
A marker in space.
1928 Synthetic Babies (from A Biological Experiment by David H. Keller)
A means of gestating eggs to term is found.
1928 Psycho-Phone (from A Biological Experiment by David H. Keller)
A device that recorded and played back the thoughts of the user.
1928 Auto-Car (from The Revolt of the Pedestrians by David H. Keller)
A personal vehicle for indoor and outdoor use.
1928 Death-Beam (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
Ravening pale beams of light used in space battles.
1928 Meteor-Sweeps (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
Maneuver to chase down and destroy meteor showers that threaten celestial navigation.
1928 Private Space Cruiser (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
A fully space-worthy ship under private ownership.
1928 Vibration-Propelled Cruiser (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
A spacecraft with a propulsion system relying on waves in spacetime itself.
1928 Attractive Ray (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
A beam of radiation that pulls.
1928 Gravity-Screen (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
A device that shields an object from the effects of gravity.
1928 Concentro (from Armageddon: 2419 A.D. by Philip Frances Nowlan)
Concentrated synthetic food rations.
1928 De-atomizing Ray (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
Beam of energy causes matter to fly apart.
1928 Grantline Comptometer (from Beyond the Stars by Ray Cummings)
Key-driven computer/calculator that easily solves even calculus problems.
1928 Raytron Apparatus (from Beyond the Stars by Ray Cummings)
A device for aerial surveillance; the image was transmitted back to the user.
1928 Needle Pipe (from Beyond the Stars by Ray Cummings)
A device that could project slivers of metal at near light speed.
1928 Electric Diaper (from The Psychophonic Nurse by David H. Keller)
A diaper that will indicate when it is wet.
1928 Fur Pressure-Suit (from The Skylark of Space by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A warm pressurized suit for use in the airless void of space.
1928 Hall of the Council (from Crashing Suns by Edmond Hamilton)
An enormous council chamber, fit for a galaxy.
1928 Atoplane (from The Moon of Doom by Earl L. Bell)
An airplane powered by nuclear energy, capable of tremendous speed and distance.
1928 Mother World (from The Moon of Doom by Earl L. Bell)
One's home planet, or the origin world of one's species.
1928 Negative Acceleration (from The Skylark of Space by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Turning a torchship through a half-circle, thereby applying force in the direction of motion, slowing the ship down.
1928 Metal Worms (from Vandals from the Moon by - Marius)
Huge wriggling metal war engines.
1928 Decay Ray (from Vandals from the Moon by - Marius)
A mysterious ray that seems to hasten Time for whatever it illuminates.
1928 Stilt-Legged Chairs (Walking Chairs) (from Vandals from the Moon by - Marius)
An alien conveyance.
1928 Aeroplane Baseball (from The Educated Pill by Bob Olsen)
A standard-sized baseball making possible non-standard pitches.
1928 Harvest Power From Stray Energy (from The Golden Girl of Munan by Harl Vincent)
A means of collecting enough energy from stray electronic impulses to power a device.
1928 Atomic Percolator (from The Golden Girl of Munan by Harl Vincent)
Make coffee with radiation.
1928 Neutralizing Wall (from The Golden Girl of Munan by Harl Vincent)
A barrier that stops electrical and mechanical vibrations, rendering the protected area effectively invisible.
1928 Universal Sterilization Law (from A Biological Experiment by David H. Keller)
All young people were sterilized, and replacement people were generated artificially.
1928 Spacecraft Landing Wings (from Vandals from the Moon by - Marius)
A means of cutting speed from orbit, then landing.
1928 Atomobile (from The Moon of Doom by Earl L. Bell)
An atomic-powered car.
1929 Space Travel (from A Baby on Neptune by Clare Winger Harris (w/MJ Breuer))
Human movement through outer space.
1929 Spacesuit Testing (from The Shot Into Infinity by Otto Willi Gail)
A device and method for testing spacesuits.
1929 O-220 (from Tarzan at the Eath's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs)
Ultralight zeppelin
1929 Pneumatic Suit (from The Shot Into Infinity by Otto Willi Gail)
An airtight spacesuit.
1929 Electric Kitchen (from The Shot Into Infinity by Otto Willi Gail)
Food preparation in space requires safe equipment.
1929 Free Fall (from The Shot Into Infinity by Otto Willi Gail)
Phrase describing how bodies move in orbit.
1929 Brain Placed In Metal Body (from The Comet Doom by Edmond Hamilton)
A robotic body with a support system for a connected organic brain.
1929 Harbenite (from Tarzan at the Eath's Core by Edgar Rice Burroughs)
Ultralight metal.
1929 Life Chamber (from The Chamber of Life by G. Peyton Wertenbaker)
A machine-mediated, fully immersive experiential environment.
1929 Televisor (from The Phantom Teleview by Bob Olsen)
A viewing screen.
1929 Human Blood Chlorophyll (from The Murgatroyd Experiment by S.P. Meek)
Replacement of elements of human blood with chlorophyll.
1929 Vibration Machine (from The Comet Doom by Edmond Hamilton)
A device that neutralized the gravitational force of the sun on the earth.
1929 Ships Propelled By Light Pressure (from The Comet Doom by Edmond Hamilton)
Space ships that use light pressure from a distant source for propulsion
1929 Flying Platform (from Locked Worlds by Edmond Hamilton)
Simple black squares that fly and hover.
1929 Magnetic Shoes (from The Silent Destroyer by Henri Dahl Juve)
Footgear magnetized for working on steel hulls.
1929 Reflectocosmic Spectrometer (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
A device that detects and measures cosmic rays that reflect from different metals.
1929 Ships With Legs (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
Space ships with mechanical limbs for walking the Earth.
1929 Ship Pushes Moon (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
Altering the course of a small moon by pushing on it with a rocket motor.
1929 Fan Ray (from The Onslaught From Venus by Frank Phillips)
A protective ray screen in the shape of a cone.
1929 Shovel-Handed Digging Machines (from The Onslaught From Venus by Frank Phillips)
Huge multi-legged machines used to dig and manipulate earth.
1929 Boring Heat Machine (from The Onslaught From Venus by Frank Phillips)
Takes tunnel boring material and turns it into building material.
1929 Helium Tubes (from The Cubic City by Louis Tucker, D.D.)
Lighting that exactly mimics the frequencies of sunlight.
1929 Inurbanity (Inurbane) (from The Cubic City by Louis Tucker, D.D.)
Criminal penalties for persons who are unable to behave properly in crowded cubic cities.
1929 Sunparlor (from The Cubic City by Louis Tucker, D.D.)
A vast esplanade enclosed in glass, to permit sunbathing without leaving an immense building.
1929 Pay Per View TV (from The Threat of the Robot by David H. Keller)
The broadcast of games and matches to private televisions for a fee.
1929 Force-Ray (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
A large, hand-held spear of force.
1929 Television Sheet (from The Threat of the Robot by David H. Keller)
A large, flat screen television set.
1929 Atomic Shell (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
A nuclear munition, fired from a cannon.
1929 Disrupter Ray (Molecule Disrupter) (from The Silent Destroyer by Henri Dahl Juve)
Atoms of materials no longer adhere to each other.
1929 Moon Weaponized (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
A military application of moons, planetoids and asteroids; dropping them from space.
1929 Anti-Fatigue Pill (from The Silent Destroyer by Henri Dahl Juve)
A pill that counteracts the effects of fatigue and lack of sleep.
1929 Local Time Clock (from The Silent Destroyer by Henri Dahl Juve)
A clock for use in airships that always indicates the time for the place they are flying over.
1929 Indirect Cold Light (from The Silent Destroyer by Henri Dahl Juve)
Apparently source-less lighting, highly efficient, with no waste heat.
1929 Instant Photography (from The Silent Destroyer by Henri Dahl Juve)
A photograph that develops immediately inside the camera.
1929 Diagnostic Type Sense Transmitter (from The Sky Maniac by Henri Dahl Juve)
Allows the doctor to directly feel the same sensations that the patient feels.
1929 Cubic City (from The Cubic City by Louis Tucker, D.D.)
A city contained in a single, immense building.
1929 Pocket Gravity Nullifier (from The Sky Maniac by Henri Dahl Juve)
Personal device stops gravity's effect.
1929 Position Locator Display (from Flight of the Eastern Star by Ed Earl Repp)
Screen shows the position of hundreds of aircraft;
1929 Teleview (from The Phantom Teleview by Bob Olsen)
A device for seeing at a distance.
1929 Electro-Culturer (from The Ancient Brain by A.G. Stangland)
A device used to artificially stimulate cell growth and development.
1929 Personal Metallic Record Disc (from The Ancient Brain by A.G. Stangland)
A stamped metal record that contains all of a person's data in a convenient form.
1929 Mechanical Men (from The Ancient Brain by A.G. Stangland)
Remote controlled robots used to perform dangerous work.
1929 Spinner Ship (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
Pinwheel rockets created centrifugal forces like gravity.
1929 Aircycle (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
Motorcycle for the air with gravimetric coils instead of wheels.
1929 Air Tunnel (from Through the Air Tunnel by Harl Vincent)
A means of sending trains through the air.
1929 Hypnotelevisor (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
A device that displays memories directly on a helmet screen.
1929 Gyrocosmically Stabilized Interplanetary Rocket (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
A mouthful, perfect for trips to the larger asteroids.
1929 Aerocab (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
A floating taxicab.
1929 Gravity Nullifier (from The Sky Maniac by Henri Dahl Juve)
Shields a large object from the effect of gravity.
1929 Ray-Pistol (from The War of the Planets by Harl Vincent)
An early version of the raygun.
1929 Robot Control Board (from The Robot Master by O.L. Beckwith)
Control panel with small screens showing the point of view of different robots.
1929 Space Craft (from Night-Thing by Wilford Allen)
A ship that travels through the airless void of space.
1929 Deflector (from Islands in the Air by L.H. Morrow)
In this case a gravity deflector, but the first use of the word 'deflector'.
1929 Overmind (from The Chemical Brain by Francis Flagg)
A consciousness that supersedes the minds of many individuals.
1929 Massive Open Learning (from The Threat of the Robot by David H. Keller)
Teach using standard videos prepared by the best teachers.
1929 Robots Take Human Jobs (from The Threat of the Robot by David H. Keller)
Robots displace human beings in the workforce.
1929 Governing Keyboard (from The Threat of the Robot by David H. Keller)
A remote-controlled robot responds to keyboard commands.
1929 Space Sailing (from The World, The Flesh And The Devil by J.D. Bernal)
Using the solar wind to propel a space vessel.
1929 Space Ship Starting Track (from The Shot Into Infinity by Otto Willi Gail)
A sloped track to assist a space ship taking off.
1929 Artificial Blood (Synthetic Blood) (from The Eternal Professors by David H. Keller)
A manufactured substitute for the genuine article.
1929 Metalloglass (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
A transparent "glass" made of metal.
1929 Sol (from Out of Void by L.F. Stone)
Familiar name for our own sun.
1929 Rescue Nets (from Flight of the Eastern Star by Ed Earl Repp)
Nets raised around the circumference of a vast air transport.
1929 Atmospheric Pressure Control Plane (from Around the World in 24 Hours by R.H. Romans)
A vessel that flies by creating pockets of high and low pressure.
1929 Chemical Brain (from The Chemical Brain by Francis Flagg)
A purely chemical artificial intelligence.
1929 Mechanical Hand (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
A large robotic hand or claw, large enough to grasp a person.
1929 Suitcase Airplane (from Suitcase Airplanes by E.D. Skinner)
A diminutive, collapsible, two-passenger biplane.
1929 Telephone Wire Tether (from The Shot Into Infinity by Otto Willi Gail)
A communication line that connects people floating in space beside a spaceship with the ship and with each other.
1929 Remote Telepresence Robot (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
A very early depiction of this basic idea.
1929 Ship's Artificial Gravity (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
A very early mention of the term.
1929 Rocket Engine Moves Moon (from The Space Dwellers by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Using the propulsive mechanism of a space ship to move a small moon or asteroid.
1929 Air-Freighter Cargo Plane (from The Invisible Raiders by Ed Earl Repp)
An enormous airplane used for transporting cargo across the country.
1929 Rocket Pistol (from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins))
Using pistol rounds to maneuver in space.
1929 Hyperstereoscope (from The Book of Worlds by Miles J. Breuer)
A book of three-dimensional pages.
1929 Transparent Aluminum (from The Space Hermit by E. Edsel Newton)
Invisible light steel.
1929 Steering Shot Pistol (from The Shot Into Infinity by Otto Willi Gail)
The simplest way to move in space, where every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
1929 Predictograph (from Futility by S.P. Meek)
Capable combining and projecting hundreds of complex curves into the future.
1930 Neutronium (from Skylark Three by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Extremely dense material.
1930 Shield (from Skylark Three by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Early name for a defensive force field.
1930 Asteroid Space Flyer (from The Death's Head Meteor by Neil R. Jones)
Specialized one-man craft for exploring asteroids.
1930 Anti-Glare Coated Glass (from The Death's Head Meteor by Neil R. Jones)
Special coated glass for space craft.
1930 Solar-Powered Aircraft (from The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell)
A plane powered entirely by solar energy.
1930 Dome Shelter (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
A permanent domed structure for living on the Moon.
1930 Space Lock (from The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell)
An airlock on a spacecraft.
1930 Invisible Cloak (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
A cloak that renders the wearer invisible.
1930 Ascension-Framework (from Evans of the Earth-Guard by Edmond Hamilton)
A tower to which the space craft is attached, holding it vertical for its flight upward.
1930 Vacuum Armor (from Skylark Three by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
An armor-plated space suit.
1930 The Cosmic Express (from The Cosmic Express by Jack Williamson)
A means of transmitting matter wirelessly.
1930 Robot Waiter (from Flamingo: A Drama of A.D. 1950 by Clarence Edward Heller)
Robotic restaurant servitor.
1930 Lux (from The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell)
A bar of solidified light.
1930 Artificial Gravity (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
Procuring gravitational forces without a suitably large mass.
1930 Artificial Transparent Element (from Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon)
A substance as strong as metal that you can see through.
1930 Paralyzing Ray (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
Stops body motions.
1930 Pencil Heat Ray (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
An offensive, man-portable heat ray.
1930 Glassite (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
A transparent material of great strength.
1930 Artificial Gravity System (from Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon)
Producing a gravity field without a large nearby mass.
1930 Iron Fingers (from The Death's Head Meteor by Neil R. Jones)
Special metal manipulators set on the hull of a space craft, and manipulated from the inside.
1930 Visiphone (from The Message From Space by David M. Speaker)
Visual as well as audio communication.
1930 Magnalloy (from The Cave of Horror by S.P. Meek)
A durable form of magnesium.
1930 Visiplate (from Skylark Three by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A flat screen for viewing remote images.
1930 Spaceport (from The Birth of a New Republic by M. Breuer (w/J. Williamson))
A location on the surface of a planet used for launching vehicles into space.
1930 Matched-Frequency Separable Units (from Skylark Three by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Devices that can draw power wirelessly from a matched source.
1930 Astronaut (from The Death's Head Meteor by Neil R. Jones)
A person who travels in space.
1930 Ray Gun (Handheld) (from The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell)
A weapon shaped like a handgun that shoots rays of energy.
1930 Death Projector (from The Stolen Mind by M.L. Staley)
Wide angle Ray of death!
1930 Shuttle (from Liners of Space by Jim Vanny)
A space craft that travels point to point in space.
1930 Automatic Car (Autonomous) (from Paradise and Iron by Miles J. Breuer)
A car that drives itself; an autonomous vehicle.
1930 Lunar Mining (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
Very early (first?) reference to mining operations on the moon.
1930 Planets Made Habitable (from Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon)
A plan to "terraform" a planet to improve its habitability by human beings.
1930 Low-scale Detectors (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
Magnifies even the smallest sound.
1930 Gravity Assist (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
Using the gravity and orbital speed of a celestial body to change speed and course of a spacecraft.
1930 Helicops (from The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell)
Small, private flyers for business commuting.
1930 Mother Ship (from The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell)
A large spacecraft that serves as home base for other (usually smaller) ships.
1930 Moon Walk (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
Very early realistic depiction of walking on the moon in low gravity.
1930 Gyroscope Seats (from The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell)
Your best bet for remaining at the right angle to the force of acceleration.
1930 Funnel-Shaped Landing Framework (from Evans of the Earth-Guard by Edmond Hamilton)
A special purpose landing dock area that is wider at the top until the craft is captured toward the bottom.
1930 Force-Field (from A Subterranean Adventure by George Paul Bauer)
A barrier to objects, created by projected forces.
1930 Tight-Beam (from Skylark Three by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A method of communication that uses a very narrowly-focused stream of energy.
1930 Space-Phone (from The Message From Space by David M. Speaker)
A device for communicating with space ships, both ship-to-ship and ground-to-ship.
1930 Eavesdropping Ray (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
A device that allows others to hear from outside ordinary locked rooms.
1930 Spherical Tires (from The Death's Head Meteor by Neil R. Jones)
Tires that are shaped like balls, rather than like squat cylinders.
1930 Brain Rejuvenation (from The Message From Space by David M. Speaker)
Erase unnecessary parts of memory to make room for new impressions.
1930 Ring-Table (from The Universe Wreckers by Edmond Hamilton)
A device that creates a 'group mind', a single mind, from the many gathered around it.
1930 Electric Plane (from Synthetic by Charles Cloukey)
An airplane powered entirely by electricity.
1930 Asteroid From Outside Solar System (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
An asteroid or similar body that comes from outside the solar system; an interstellar body.
1930 Face-Plate (from Skylark Three by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
The transparent front of a space suit helmet.
1930 Automatic Cultivators (from Piracy Preferred by John W. Campbell)
Agricultural robots.
1930 Oxygen Space Flare (from Brigands of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
A flare that burns inside a glass bulb with oxygen.
1930 No Steering Wheel Autonomous Car (from Paradise and Iron by Miles J. Breuer)
An autonomous vehicle without a wheel for human drivers.
1930 Synthetic Life (from Synthetic by Charles Cloukey)
Living animals made from scratch using inorganic elements.
1930 Artificial Eyes (from Synthetic by Charles Cloukey)
Eyes that are the duplicate of what humans are born with, produced entirely artificially from elements.
1930 Sound-Killing Air Fluid (from The Noise Killer by A.M. McNeill)
A means to eliminate all of the noise made by machines in a city, leaving the voices of human beings.
1930 Rubber Soled Feet (from The Robot Terror by Melbourne Huff)
Silent padding for clanky robots.
1930 Shock-Absorbing Seats (from Evans of the Earth-Guard by Edmond Hamilton)
Perfect for the many gravities of acceleration upon take-off.
1930 Trans-Oceanic Rocket Ship (from Berlin to New York in One Hour by Max Valier)
Rocket-propelled airplanes making short work of long trips on Earth.
1930 Space-Walker (from The Universe Wreckers by Edmond Hamilton)
Tall cylinder with a window at eye-level, and pincer-claws controlled by the wearer.
1930 Planet City (from The Message From Space by David M. Speaker)
A planet the surface of which is entirely covered over, forming one single city.
1930 House Cleaning Device (from Paradise and Iron by Miles J. Breuer)
A robotic means of thorough home cleaning.
1930 Supervision Robot (Squid) (from Paradise and Iron by Miles J. Breuer)
A wheeled device with tentacular grasping limbs.
1930 Nose-Tubes (from Evans of the Earth-Guard by Edmond Hamilton)
Rocket blasts from the front of a ship, to brake it.
1930 Leading Machine (from Paradise and Iron by Miles J. Breuer)
An exploratory device; it takes the form of an autonomous motorcycle.
1930 Bird-Like Robots (from Flamingo: A Drama of A.D. 1950 by Clarence Edward Heller)
Robotic birds used in a stage play.
1930 Life Tubes (from Liners of Space by Jim Vanny)
Escape pods for space ships.
1930 Vision-Based Autonomous Cars (from Paradise and Iron by Miles J. Breuer)
A vehicle that uses a visual sensor to gather information sufficient to safely drive.
1930 Rocket Side Tubes (from Evans of the Earth-Guard by Edmond Hamilton)
An early description of attitude jets, course correction by small emissions of gas.
1930 Electrical Brain (from Paradise and Iron by Miles J. Breuer)
A mechanism that grants memory an intelligence to machines.
1930 Artificial Island For Ocean Rocket Launch (from Between Earth and Moon by Otfrid von Hanstein)
An entirely artificial, floating island used as a launch platform.
1930 Theater Seat Indicators (from Flamingo: A Drama of A.D. 1950 by Clarence Edward Heller)
Vacant seats are clearly shown.
1930 Indoor Stadium (from Flamingo: A Drama of A.D. 1950 by Clarence Edward Heller)
An entirely enclosed baseball stadium.
1930 Autonomous Ship (from Paradise and Iron by Miles J. Breuer)
A sea-going vessel that can leave port, traverse vast distances, and then dock, entirely without human assistance.
1930 Puff-Pipe (from Flamingo: A Drama of A.D. 1950 by Clarence Edward Heller)
Pipe with lighting built in.
1930 Spectrumoscope (from Flamingo: A Drama of A.D. 1950 by Clarence Edward Heller)
Provides sight directly to the brain-cells of the sightless.
1930 Nearside (Near Side) (from The Moon Master by Charles W. Diffin)
The side of the moon closest to the earth.
1930 Artificial Skin (from Between Earth and Moon by Otfrid von Hanstein)
Tight-fitting material that keeps the heat of the body from escaping into space.
1930 Altitude Suit (from The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell)
Special gear for venturing out at high altitude or even space.
1930 Electromagnetic Gun (from The Moon Conquerors by R.H. Romans)
An electromagnetic railgun angled up a mountainside, which uses electricity for the power to launch a space ship.
1930 Group Mind (from Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon)
A shared consciousness between a number of individuals.
1930 Television 'Phone (from The Sword and the Atopen by Taylor H. Greenfield)
A video call.
1930 Air-Shoes (from An Adventure in Time by Francis Flagg)
Footgear provides the wearer with the ability to "walk" through the air, climbing as needed.
1930 Engineless Automobile Hover (from An Adventure in Time by Francis Flagg)
No engine, no steering wheel, yet it runs.
1930 Tabletop Display (from An Adventure in Time by Francis Flagg)
A display monitor built into a flat, horizontal table surface.
1930 Ray Pistol (from The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell)
A handheld device for projecting radiative force of some kind.
1930 Radio-Controlled Mechanical Man (from The Robot Terror by Melbourne Huff)
A remote-controlled robot.
1930 Warp of Space (from In 20000 A.D.! by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A fault or pucker in spacetime.
1930 Space Pirate (from Evans of the Earth-Guard by Edmond Hamilton)
Space ships taken against their will.
1930 One-Man Rocket (from Evans of the Earth-Guard by Edmond Hamilton)
A small rocket ship with only a pilot.
1930 Robot Doctor (from Flamingo: A Drama of A.D. 1950 by Clarence Edward Heller)
A mechanical physician.
1930 Exodus Ship (from Tani of Ekkis by Judson W. Reeves)
A generation ship to save a culture from extinction.
1930 Space Fleet (from Through the Meteors by L.H. Morrow)
A group of mighty ships capable of space travel - and fighting.
1930 The Sleep (from Tani of Ekkis by Judson W. Reeves)
Use of a special technique to lessen the supplies required for long space voyages.
1930 Interplanetary-Liner (from Liners of Space by Jim Vanny)
A vast passenger ship in space.
1931 Astrogator (from The Conquest of Space by David Lasser)
A person who acts as navigator for s space ship.
1931 Dimensoscope (from The Fifth-Dimension Catapult by Murray Leinster)
A telescope for peering into other dimensions.
1931 Helio-Beryllium (from Out Around Rigel by Robert H. Wilson)
Unusual alloy combines a metal and a gas.
1931 Photoelectric Course Warning (from Out Around Rigel by Robert H. Wilson)
A means of keeping a spaceship on course using a selected star and a photoelectric cell.
1931 Dressing Machines (from The Revolt of the Machines by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Semi-autonomous guided devices that could dress a person in ordinary clothing.
1931 Thought Screen (from The Emperor of the Stars by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A material screen that is worn by the user, upon which are projected the mental images of the user.
1931 Ownership of Machines (from The Revolt of the Machines by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Who will own the machines that produce material abundance?
1931 Reaction-Motors (from Twelve Hours To Live by Jack Williamson)
A spacecraft engine that works by firing matter out at high speed.
1931 Neutronic Dust (from Twelve Hours To Live by Jack Williamson)
What's left over when you've annihilated matter.
1931 Annihilator Beam (from The Conquest of Gola by L.F. Stone)
A deadly ray that literally dissolved matter!
1931 Deviatoscope (from The Emperor of the Stars by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A device that registered how much your course diverged from what you intended.
1931 Space-Helmet (from The Sargasso of Space by Edmond Hamilton)
A 'fishbowl-style' head covering for space explorers.
1931 Spaceyacht (from The Sargasso of Space by Edmond Hamilton)
Interplanetary spacecraft for the well-to-do.
1931 Sargasso of Space (from The Sargasso of Space by Edmond Hamilton)
A "dead area" in which the gravitational fields of the planets are cancelled out.
1931 Gravograph (from The Sargasso of Space by Edmond Hamilton)
A graphical representation of gravitational fields.
1931 Wreck-Pack (from The Sargasso of Space by Edmond Hamilton)
An agglomeration of wrecked spacecraft drawn together by mutual gravitational attraction in the 'dead area' of the solar system.
1931 Suit-Phone (from The Sargasso of Space by Edmond Hamilton)
A means of wireless communication between individuals dressed in space suits.
1931 Meteorite Deflector (from On Board the Martian Liner by Miles J. Breuer)
A means of pushing aside asteroids that get in the path of your space ship.
1931 Propulsion Gun (from Venus Mines, Incorporated by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
What can you push against in space?
1931 Space-Liner (from Twelve Hours To Live by Jack Williamson)
A passenger ship in space.
1931 Transparent Spherical Ship (from The Emperor of the Stars by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A huge sphere of quartz housing a platform for space use.
1931 Matter Annihilation Ray (from Twelve Hours To Live by Jack Williamson)
A beam that forces electrons into protons, thereby destroying ordinary matter.
1931 Protonite (from Twelve Hours To Live by Jack Williamson)
Radioactive fuel for spacecraft.
1931 Thigh Grips (from The Power Planet by Murray Leinster)
Special chair feature for space ships undergoing accelerations.
1931 Gate (from The Gate to Xoran by Hal K. Wells)
A opening through spacetime to other worlds.
1931 Spacegram (from An Adventure on Eros by J. Harvey Haggard)
Telegrams of the space lanes.
1931 Power Planet (from The Power Planet by Murray Leinster)
A satellite that supplies the Earth with power.
1931 Skycar (from Prima Donna 1980 by Bernard Brown)
A personal means of transportation that flies.
1931 Evolution Machine (from The Man Who Evolved by Edmond Hamilton)
A device that accelerates the process of evolution by millions of times.
1931 Ultra-Light Vision System (from Spacehounds of IPC by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A viewing technology able to see through and even within most objects.
1931 Space Men (from The Exiles of Venus by Jim Vanny)
Beings who travel and work in space.
1931 Faster-Than-Light (from Islands of Space by John W. Campbell)
Describes something that exceeds the usual speed limit on physical objects of 186,282 miles per second in vacuum.
1931 Gravity Detector (from The Lunar Chrysalis by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A device capable of detecting the gravitational field of a distant mass.
1931 Thought Coil (Machine Intelligence) (from The Revolt of the Machines by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Specially designed hardware that imparts intelligence to machines.
1931 Master Machine (from The Revolt of the Machines by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
One single machine to run a civilization!
1931 Energy Curtain Key (from Venus Mines, Incorporated by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A small handheld "key" to shut off a force field.
1931 Curtain (Force Barrier) (from Venus Mines, Incorporated by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
An easily set-up protective force barrier.
1931 Artificial Atmosphere Machine (from Venus Mines, Incorporated by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Not just oxygen, this gives you what you need in space.
1931 Disintegrator Plate Ray (from The Revolt of the Machines by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Ray cuts through metal like butter.
1931 Jovium (from Venus Mines, Incorporated by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Rocket fuel catalyst that makes space travel commercially practical.
1931 Argento-Platinoid Dispatch Box (from Venus Mines, Incorporated by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Impenetrable message carriers.
1931 Command-Disk (from Creatures of the Comet by Edmond Hamilton)
A device that sends out audible tones to control flesh-monsters.
1931 Cometeering (from Creatures of the Comet by Edmond Hamilton)
Exploring a comet!
1931 Emergency Corrective Rockets (from The Emperor of the Stars by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Used when you seem to be off-course in your spaceship.
1931 Space Suit (from The Emperor of the Stars by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Special protective gear worn as protection in space.
1931 Death Bath (from The Revolt of the Machines by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A suicide chamber.
1931 Disruptor Tube (Disruptor Ray) (from The Emperor of the Stars by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A device that interrupted the very bonds between atoms.
1931 Needle Gun (from In the Spacesphere by Charles Cloukey)
A weapon that fires thin slivers of metal.
1931 Matter Transmitter (from The Conquest of Gola by L.F. Stone)
Device which causes a physical object to disappear from one place and reappear in another.
1931 Attractor (from The Conquest of Gola by L.F. Stone)
A beam capable of holding objects motionless, as well as adjusting their position.
1931 Object-Finder Beam (from The Conquest of Gola by L.F. Stone)
A unique device that projected a beam that found what you wanted.
1931 Mechanical Thought Transformers (from The Conquest of Gola by L.F. Stone)
Machinery to expedite the process of thought transfer.
1931 Gravito-Statoscope (from The Emperor of the Stars by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
An instrument used to detect the gravitational influences on a space ship.
1931 Zero-Ray (from An Adventure in Futurity by Clark Ashton Smith)
Inflicts a fatal frostbite on living tissue.
1931 Atmosphere Tester (from The Emperor of the Stars by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A device used to test the composition of a sample of the atmosphere on another planet, to see if it is breathable by humans.
1931 Magnetic Clamps (from Twelve Hours To Live by Jack Williamson)
Used for attaching your craft to a larger spaceship.
1931 Landing Arms (from Creatures of the Comet by Edmond Hamilton)
Arms that poke out from a space craft to allow it to land on solid ground, in gravity.
1931 Teleradio Control (Hand Flash) (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A device that can call a vehicle to a driver; it drives itself in a near-autonomous fashion to the caller.
1931 Flame Pistol (from Invisible Ships by Harl Vincent)
A hand-held weapon that incinerates opponents.
1931 Pneumatic Tube Station (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Passengers are sealed into a narrow cylinder that is shot through a pressurized tube to their destination.
1931 Tractor Beam (from Spacehounds of IPC by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A force field used to pull objects.
1931 Synthetic Food Factories (from The Revolt of the Machines by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Food production without soil.
1931 Space Liner (from On Board the Martian Liner by Miles J. Breuer)
A large, passenger-carrying space ship.
1931 Vitalium (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
A rare radioactive metal which enables solar power cells.
1931 City of Space (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
A very early reference to an enormous cylindrical space station.
1931 Sunship (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
A space craft powered entirely by the sun.
1931 Pressor (Pressor Beam) (from Spacehounds of IPC by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A force-field beam that pushes, rather than pulls.
1931 Robot Vending Machine (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
Machinery displaces news boys selling papers on street corners.
1931 Stationary Sidewalk (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A sidewalk that is fixed permanently in one location; not a sliding walkway.
1931 Virtual Assembly (from If The Sun Died by R.F. Starzl)
Use of holograms to accomplish an assembly of people.
1931 Pentavalent Nitrogen (from Spacehounds of IPC by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A high explosive formed from nitrogen.
1931 Positive Ray Propulsion (Ion Drive) (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
An ion drive.
1931 Normal Space (from Islands of Space by John W. Campbell)
As opposed to hyperspace.
1931 Sodaluminum (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Lightweight and tough!
1931 Radio Meteor Detector (from Islands of Space by John W. Campbell)
A device carried by space ships that could detect meteors in space early enough to avoid them.
1931 Conveyor Ribbon (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A moving sidewalk.
1931 Recoil Pistol (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A handheld device that permits a spaceman to manuever in zero gravity.
1931 Kundrenaline (from The Hands of Aten by H.G. Winter)
Revives even a dead man's heart.
1931 Selective Electric Eye (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A facial recognition device.
1931 Sensitive Robot Fingers (from The Exile of Time by Ray Cummings)
Special sensory capabilities of robotic appendages.
1931 Alpha Insert (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A special compound used to seal punctures in space craft.
1931 Centipede-Machine (from Monsters of Mars by Edmond Hamilton)
Multi-legged transport.
1931 Tele-Audiovized Meeting (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Teleconferencing done right.
1931 Rocket Liner (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A rocket designed for point-to-point Earth journeys; it goes well into the stratosphere.
1931 Integral Calculator (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A device that accepts complex equations and solves them.
1931 Communication Disk (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A wearable device that told the time as updated from a central source.
1931 Food Factory (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Mechanized production of food by entirely artificial means.
1931 Televisiophone (from Islands of Space by John W. Campbell)
A device that combines picture with sound for personal communication.
1931 Time-Telespectroscope. (from The Exile of Time by Ray Cummings)
See other time-travelers.
1931 Self-Sustaining Space Craft (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
A spacecraft ecosystem.
1931 Photograph of Earth from Space (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
An aerial photograph from outside the atmosphere.
1931 Motor Torpedo (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
A terrestrial torpedo, driven by ion beams.
1931 Vita-Light (from If The Sun Died by R.F. Starzl)
A special form of bulb or light source that could keep people who were never exposed to the sun perfectly healthy.
1931 Paralyzing Blast (from The Exile of Time by Ray Cummings)
A red Ray of light that freezes those it falls upon.
1931 Thought Shield (from Back to 20,000 A.D. by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A device that removes intrusive thoughts from your mind.
1931 Groundling (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
A person who does not fly, especially into space.
1931 Gravity Belt (from Venus Mines, Incorporated by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Adds 'weight' for walking on asteroids.
1931 Robot Revolt (from The Exile of Time by Ray Cummings)
Robots to throw off the yoke of Man?
1931 Zeta-Ray (from The Death Cloud by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
Makes and maintains vast holes - even in ocean water!
1931 Lens-Tube (from The Doom From Planet 4 by Jack Williamson)
A kind of seeing device like a short-range telescope.
1931 Metal Monster with Jointed Limbs (from The Doom From Planet 4 by Jack Williamson)
A large robotic device with legs.
1931 Beam-Powered Propulsion (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
Using a powerful energy source as motive power for a projectile.
1931 Satellite Photography for Surveillance (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
Use of pictures taken from near Earth orbit for reconnaissance in a military operation.
1931 Control Disk (from The Slave Ship From Space by A.R. Holmes)
1931 Ultra-Telescope Ray (from The Moon Weed by Harl Vincent)
A transporter Ray that works over interplanetary distances.
1931 Telucid (from If The Sun Died by R.F. Starzl)
A holographic projector.
1931 Thought-receptor Vote-counting Machine (from If The Sun Died by R.F. Starzl)
That's one way to do a plebiscite.
1931 Moon Run (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
An accurate representation of running on the moon.
1931 Terrene (from An Adventure in Futurity by Clark Ashton Smith)
Pertaining to the Earth.
1931 Sound Nullifier (from Prima Donna 1980 by Bernard Brown)
A barrier to sound; the cancellation of sound waves.
1931 Message Cylinder (Message Bomb) (from The Cosmic Cloud by Bruno H. Burgel)
A means of sending dispatches from space via a small projectile dropped from orbit; effectively a message rocket.
1931 Telephotography (from The Cosmic Cloud by Bruno H. Burgel)
Sending pictures over a distance, displaying them on a vast screen.
1931 Adoption of Television (from Prima Donna 1980 by Bernard Brown)
Prediction of TV penetration in homes and the death of movie houses.
1931 Magnetic Boots (from Atomic Fire by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Special footgear holds spacemen to the metal deck in spite of the lack of gravity.
1931 Filling Station Moon (from A Daring Trip To Mars by Max Valier)
The idea that Man could first go to the Moon to obtain fuel or propellant.
1931 Iron Inlay Plates (from A Daring Trip To Mars by Max Valier)
Works perfectly with an electromagnetic table to maintain place settings.
1931 Selenium Photo-Electric Televisor (from A Daring Trip To Mars by Max Valier)
A specialized photo-electric cell.
1931 Telectroscope (from Islands of Space by John W. Campbell)
A much better telescope than yours.
1931 Braking Disks (from A Daring Trip To Mars by Max Valier)
Used when the ship is falling through a planetary atmosphere.
1931 Time Stream (from Time Stream by John Taine)
The total sequence of events considered as a kind of flow.
1931 Mutation (from The Man Who Evolved by Edmond Hamilton)
An organism that has come into being through genetic mutation.
1931 Ultra-Terrene (from An Adventure in Futurity by Clark Ashton Smith)
Originating from some world other than Earth.
1931 Sapience (from The Planet Entity by E.M. Johnson (w/C.A. Smith))
The ability of a species to think, to reason with discernment and wisdom.
1931 Magnetic Ray (from The Exiles of Venus by Jim Vanny)
A powerful magnetic beam.
1931 Space Madness (from A Daring Trip To Mars by Max Valier)
The monotony of space travel could drive you crazy.
1931 Ozone Radiation Shield (from A Daring Trip To Mars by Max Valier)
Filling the gap between the inner and outer hull with ozone.
1931 Reaction Attachment (from The Asteroid of Death by Neil R. Jones)
Independent maneuvering for space suits.
1931 Heliocar (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
Ground vehicle that can also lift off like a helicopter.
1931 Light Speed (from Out Around Rigel by Clyde Wilson)
Using the speed of light at a unit of velocity.
1931 Asteroid Belt (from The Disc-Men of Jupiter by Manly Wade Wellman)
The circular region of space containing many small celestial bodies.
1931 Perfect Voice Modulation (from Prima Donna 1980 by Bernard Brown)
Artificially creating the perfect human singing voice.
1931 Robotic Microhands (from Microhands (Микроруки) by Boris Zhitkov)
Mechanical replica of hands, that mimic the movements of actual human hands.
1931 Matter Transmitter and Receiver (from Monsters of Mars by Edmond Hamilton)
A device that transports matter through space.
1931 Self-Sustaining Nuclear Reaction (from Atomic Fire by Raymond Z. Gallun)
An 'atomic fire' is started that consumes all matter in reach!
1931 Rocket Float (from Too Many Boards! by Harl Vincent)
A sea-going floating platform for rocket launches.
1931 Telepadion Instructor (from An Adventure on Eros by J. Harvey Haggard)
A device that places an entire sensory experience directly into the brain.
1931 Air Tank Flying (from The Power Planet by Murray Leinster)
Using little blasts of compressed air to fly around inside a space station.
1931 Ship's Telescope (from A Daring Trip To Mars by Max Valier)
A large telescope built into the main axis of the ship.
1931 Solar Power Apparatus (from A Daring Trip To Mars by Max Valier)
An ingenious device to gather solar energy, melt water, power a turbine and get hydrogen and oxygen fuel from ice.
1931 Radium Repeller ray (from The Asteroid of Death by Neil R. Jones)
Move inbound asteroids aside to keep ships safe.
1931 Porter Televox-Robot (from On Board the Martian Liner by Miles J. Breuer)
A robot that carries your bags through the passageways of space liners.
1931 Machine Masters (from The Reign of the Masters by Edmond Hamilton)
Humans did less and less, and machines did more and more, until machines became the masters.
1931 Blue Beam (from The Reign of the Masters by Edmond Hamilton)
A pitiless pale blue beam of death!
1931 Observation Room Recreation Center (from The Power Planet by Murray Leinster)
A vast internal space in a space station, often used for exercise and amusement.
1931 Invasion Gate For Aliens (from Monsters of Mars by Edmond Hamilton)
Using alien instructions to create a gate for alien invasion.
1931 Scanning-Disk Telescope (from The Power Planet by Murray Leinster)
A telescope which uses a television-like monitor instead of an eyepiece.
1931 Foot Loops (from The Power Planet by Murray Leinster)
Hold yourself down in zero gravity situations with this low-tech device.
1931 Optophone (Opto) (from Too Many Boards! by Harl Vincent)
A video call system.
1931 Centrifugal Force Creates 'Artificial Gravity' (from The Prince of Space by Jack Williamson)
Using centrifugal force in a rotating cylinder as a substitute for gravity.
1931 Space-Tent (from The Lunar Chrysalis by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A small, portable air-tight structure used on the lunar surface.
1931 Jetta Tube (from Revolt on Inferno by Victor Rousseau)
Spray causes immediately a trance-like state where a person’s body becomes rigid.
1931 Spacehound (from Spacehounds of IPC by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
An experienced spaceman.
1931 Dark Side (from The Power Planet by Murray Leinster)
Referring to the unlit part of a planet's surface.
1931 Meteor Hulls Ship (from Moon People Of Jupiter by Isaac R. Nathanson)
A small meteor tears all the way through a ship
1931 Hand Grip (from Islands of Space by John W. Campbell)
Means of pulling oneself through a space ship at zero gravity.
1931 Prison Planet (Penal Settlement) (from Revolt on Inferno by Victor Rousseau)
A prison so far from Earth.
1931 Terminator Zone (from Exiles of the Moon by Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat))
The area between solar illumination and shade.
1931 Multigyros (from Revolt on Inferno by Victor Rousseau)
Allows known stable movement in four dimensions, thus making space travel possible.
1931 Landing Stage (from Atomic Fire by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Parking spot for space craft.
1931 Ten Million Mile Searchlight (from Revolt on Inferno by Victor Rousseau)
You need to see where you're going.
1931 Robot-Deranger (from The Exile of Time by Ray Cummings)
A ray that discombobulates robots of all kinds.
1931 Reflected Artificial Sun (from Revolt on Inferno by Victor Rousseau)
Sending light to another planet via mirror.
1931 Space Navy (from Pirates of Space by B.X. Barry)
Spacefaring professional soldiers.
1931 Air-Dock (from Revolt on Inferno by Victor Rousseau)
A docking mechanism that seems to catch a descending space-ship in mid-air.
1931 Gravity Neutralizers (from Pirates of Space by B.X. Barry)
The force of gravity is suspended!
1932 Electro-Bullet (from Pirates of the Gorm by Nat Schachner)
Fired by an electro-gun.
1932 Atomic Pistol (from Mutiny on Mercury by Clifford Simak)
Reduces the target to atomic dust.
1932 Torpoon (from Seed of the Arctic Ice by H.G. Winter)
Clever portmanteau of "torpedo" and "harpoon", an underwater whaling craft.
1932 Electro-Magnet Anchor (from The Space Rover by Edwin K. Sloat)
Attach a line to a spacecraft hull.
1932 Isolation Barrage (from Wandl, The Invader by Ray Cummings)
Device prevents eavesdropping.
1932 Sun-Tube (from Slaves of Mercury by Nat Schachner)
A slicing ray of death!
1932 Mirror Grid Multiple-View Surveillance Panel (from Wandl, The Invader by Ray Cummings)
Very modern presentation combining multiple camera viewpoints, selectable using one monitor screen.
1932 Space-Tanned (from Slaves of Mercury by Warren Hammond)
The characteristic darkening of the men of the spaceways.
1932 Vacuum Cylinder (from Wandl, The Invader by Ray Cummings)
Traveling first class, but like mail, in a tube system.
1932 Wandering Worlds (from When Worlds Collide by Edwin Balmer (w/P. Wylie))
Planets that are attached to no sun, and roam interstellar space.
1932 Speed Belt (Ribbon Conveyor) (from Slaves of Mercury by Nat Schachner)
A great moving belt carrying people between cities.
1932 Antigravity (from The Vanguard of Neptune by J.M. Walsh)
A force opposed to gravity.
1932 Meteor Warning System (from A Conquest of Two Worlds by Edmond Hamilton)
A system that provided rockets in flight with early warning of meteors.
1932 Electro-Gun (from Pirates of the Gorm by Nat Schachner)
It shoots electro-bullets.
1932 Magnet Grapnel (from The Space Rover by Edwin K. Sloat)
Used to pull another vessel closer when boarding in space.
1932 Rigid Metallic Clothing (from A Conquest of Two Worlds by Edmond Hamilton)
An early exoskeleton.
1932 Battle Sphere (from The Space Rover by Edwin K. Sloat)
An armored space ship using the simplest geometric shape.
1932 Super-Photon (from Invaders From The Infinite by John W. Campbell)
Three photons in one.
1932 Attraction Ray (from Pirates of the Gorm by Nat Schachner)
In effect, a tractor beam.
1932 Asteroid Mining (Blasting) (from Asteroid of Gold by Clifford Simak)
Setting charges on an asteroid.
1932 Feelies (Feely) (from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley)
Device adds the tactile element to entertainment.
1932 Alpha Plus (from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley)
Intervening in the physical development of humans can result in enhancements.
1932 Bokanovsky's Process (from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley)
A very early description of cloning.
1932 Hypnopædia (Sleep-Teaching) (from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley)
The idea that a person can learn explicit subject matter while sleeping.
1932 Centrifugal Bumble-Puppy (from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley)
Futuristic children's game.
1932 Artificial Womb (from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley)
A room in which a human embryo waits for the necessary months as a fetus, preparing for birth (decanting).
1932 Pocket-Planet (from The Duel on the Asteroid by P. Schuyler Miller (w/D. McDermott))
An asteroid.
1932 Water Pool Cushions Acceleration (from The Derelicts of Ganymede by John W. Campbell)
The use of water to cushion and protect against extreme ship accelerations.
1932 Space-Armor (from Revolt of the Star Men by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Special shielding worn against rays and explosives.
1932 Bone-Building Compounds (from A Conquest of Two Worlds by Edmond Hamilton)
Combat heavy gravity on other planets by building greater bone density in workers and colonists.
1932 Surta (from The Great Dome of Mercury by Leo Zagat)
A base material for synthetic food.
1932 Quartzite Leak Foil (from The Great Dome of Mercury by Leo Zagat)
Special material for space dome leaks.
1932 Smoke Jets (Air Leak Detection) (from The Great Dome of Mercury by Leo Zagat)
A means of determining the location of air leaks in a building built on an airless moon.
1932 News-Dispenser (from After Armageddon by Francis Flagg)
Audio news ready when you are.
1932 Space Marine (from Captain Brink of the Space Marines by Bob Olsen)
A space-based military force, or members of such a force.
1932 Negative Gravity Field (from 50th Century Revolt by A.G. Stangland)
Antigravity effect produced for space ship propulsion.
1932 Scent-Organ (from Brave New World by Aldous Huxley)
A device that output specified odors.
1932 Sunward (from The Space Rover by Edwin K. Sloat)
The direction leading toward the center of the solar system.
1932 Automatics (from Wandl, The Invader by Ray Cummings)
Machinery capable of running some aspect of a space ship's operation on its own.
1932 Space-Boat (from Revolt of the Star Men by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A small space-worthy craft for use in emergencies.
1932 Reaction Pistol (from Martian Guns by Stanley D. Bell)
A hand-held device for maneuvering in zero gravity in a space suit.
1932 Polarization Apparatus (from Slaves of Mercury by Nat Schachner)
A device that caused a space ship to repel the Earth and send a space ship on its way.
1932 Space Freighter (from The Space Rover by Edwin K. Sloat)
A large spacecraft used for heavy cargo; can lift off from the Earth or other planets.
1932 Diskoid (from Slaves of Mercury by Nat Schachner)
A huge flying saucer.
1932 Weather Machine (from Slaves of Mercury by Nat Schachner)
A device for controlling the weather.
1932 Tele-Screen (from After Armageddon by Francis Flagg)
A display screen for live events.
1932 Ship's Magnetic Plates (Magnetic Mooring) (from Asteroid of Gold by Clifford Simak)
Keeps a mining ship attached to the surface of an asteroid.
1932 Space-Boots (from The Passing of Ku Sui by Anthony Gilmore)
Special footgear for spacemen.
1932 Search Beams (from Slaves of Mercury by Nat Schachner)
Penetrating rays that disclose the contents of rooms, ships, etc.
1932 Transfer Tube Between Ships (from Electronic Siege by John W. Campbell)
A means of going between ships in space without needing space suits.
1932 Space Force (from Wandl, The Invader by Ray Cummings)
That branch of the military with a presence outside the atmosphere.
1932 Emergency Space-Boat (from Revolt of the Star Men by Raymond Z. Gallun)
An escape ship.
1932 Laboratory Planet (from The Pygmy Planet by Jack Williamson)
A toy planet created in a laboratory; a fully functional world in miniature.
1932 Violet Shrink Ray (from The Pygmy Planet by Jack Williamson)
A miniaturization ray.
1932 Jump (from Invaders From The Infinite by John W. Campbell)
Instantaneous movement over vast distances, points many light-years apart.
1932 Negrian Death Ray (from Invaders From The Infinite by John W. Campbell)
A ray that causes the cessation of life processes.
1932 Sol-Ido (from Water-Bound World by Harl Vincent)
The universal language of interplanetary travelers.
1932 Time-Space Television (from Water-Bound World by Harl Vincent)
A device for seeing into the past.
1932 Emergency Space-Suit (from Pirates of the Gorm by Nat Schachner)
A compacted space-suit stored for emergency use.
1932 Space-Drive (from Invaders From The Infinite by John W. Campbell)
A means of providing propulsion for a spacecraft.
1932 Neo-Crystal (from Master of the Asteroid by Clark Ashton Smith)
Unbreakable transparent window material.
1932 Spaceboat (from Waves of Compulsion by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Runabout for outer space.
1932 Electric Boat (from The Great Drought by S.P. Meek)
A surface vessel powered by electricity.
1932 Self-Propulsive Space Suit (from The Bluff of the Hawk by Anthony Gilmore)
A space suit outfitted with its own means of movement.
1932 Earth Normal (from The Pygmy Planet by Jack Williamson)
Using the earth standard.
1932 Pneumatic-Tube Zone (from Mechanocracy by Miles J. Breuer)
The portion of a city that is served by direct tubes to each dwelling.
1932 Gravity Beam (from Wandl, The Invader by Ray Cummings)
An conical attractive ray, it pulls ships to their doom.
1932 Hinged Mittens (for Space Suit) (from The Bluff of the Hawk by Anthony Gilmore)
Space worthy mittens for space suits.
1932 Protolectric Gun (from Electronic Siege by John W. Campbell)
Fires twin beams of protons and electrons.
1932 Pent House (from The Pent House by David H. Keller)
An island in the sky - a hermetically sealed skyscraper isolated entirely from its surroundings.
1932 Manufactured Planet (from The Heritage of the Earth by Harley S. Aldinger)
Is that a moon - or a space station?
1932 Spaceship Garden (from The Heritage of the Earth by Harley S. Aldinger)
A fully-enclosed garden on a spaceship producing edible foodstuffs.
1932 Disk-Shaped Landing Pads (from The Swordsman of Sarvon by Charles Cloukey)
Used instead of typical landing gear with wheels.
1932 Automatic Truck (from Mechanocracy by Miles J. Breuer)
A cargo-carrying vehicle that autonomously drives to the selected destination.
1932 Rotating Hollow Planetoid Habitat (from Electronic Siege by John W. Campbell)
An asteroid (or planetoid) hollowed out, spun for artificial gravity, used as a habitat.
1932 Government Machine (from Mechanocracy by Miles J. Breuer)
The automata that constitute the entire government, all in one building.
1932 Gravity-Plates (from The Bluff of the Hawk by Anthony Gilmore)
Reliable, controllable gravity force.
1932 Daisy Projector (from The Derelicts of Ganymede by John W. Campbell)
Beam of energy penetrates the Heaviside layer to enable communication from planet to planet.
1932 Ether-Traffic (from The Duel on the Asteroid by P. Schuyler Miller (w/D. McDermott))
The communications spectrum of the solar system.
1932 Light Beam Propulsion (Light-Ship) (from The Radium World by Frank K. Kelly)
Use of brilliant light as motive power for a space ship.
1932 Shock-Rod (from Mechanocracy by Miles J. Breuer)
Knock out stick.
1932 Luminous Stake-Markers (from The Radium World by Frank K. Kelly)
Illuminated pole designating a staked claim on the surface of a planet, moon or asteroid.
1932 Landing-Cradle (from The Radium World by Frank K. Kelly)
A supporting structure for a space craft landing on a planetary surface.
1932 Ostler Insulation Beam (from The Radium World by Frank K. Kelly)
A beam of energy stretching from one planet to another that protects space craft from radiation.
1932 Flame Projector (from Water-Bound World by Harl Vincent)
Handheld device shoots flame.
1932 Anti-Gravity Drive (from The Last Evolution by John W. Campbell)
Electric force curves space.
1932 Intergalactic (from Invaders From The Infinite by John W. Campbell)
Going between galaxies.
1933 Electric Machine Gun (Railgun) (from The Battery of Hate by John W. Campbell)
A device that accelerates small projectiles magnetically using a strong electric current.
1933 Synthetic Food (from Unto Us A Child Is Born by David H. Keller)
Edible food for humans, grown in the laboratory.
1933 Gateway (from Wanderer of Infinity by Harl Vincent)
A device that opens a portal to another dimension.
1933 Crystal Cylinder Ship (from The Three Suns of Ev by Edwin K. Sloat)
A transparent space ship in the shape of a cylinder.
1933 Drink the Fungi (from The Three Suns of Ev by Edwin K. Sloat)
A method of suicide or criminal punishment involving ingestion of spores.
1933 Granton Motor (from Into the Meteorite Orbit by Frank K. Kelly)
Spacecraft propulsion system based on gravital radiation.
1933 Human Serial Number (from Unto Us A Child Is Born by David H. Keller)
A unique number tattooed on body of a person.
1933 Food Preparation Machine (from Unto Us A Child Is Born by David H. Keller)
An automated device for the production of complete meals.
1933 Vibra-Transmitter (Teleportation) (from Into the Meteorite Orbit by Frank K. Kelly)
An early use of the notion of matter transmission.
1933 Magnetic Anchor (from Dead Star Station by Jack Williamson)
A means of affixing an anchor point on a spacecraft hull.
1933 Landing on an Asteroid (from Murder on the Asteroid by Eando Binder)
An elaborate flight plan for landing a space ship on an asteroid.
1933 Ether Boat (from Murder on the Asteroid by Eando Binder)
A space craft.
1933 Globular Glass Helmet (from Murder on the Asteroid by Eando Binder)
A bowl-shaped space helmet.
1933 Space-Suit Rockets (from Into the Meteorite Orbit by Frank K. Kelly)
Attached rockets allow movement in zero-gee space.
1933 Solar-Powered Electric Helicopter (from Into the Meteorite Orbit by James Patrick Kelly)
An electric helicopter, with sun cells.
1933 Etheric Propulsion-Vibrations (from The Star-Roamers by Edmond Hamilton)
Faster-than-light travel.
1933 Flip to Brake (from Murder on the Asteroid by Eando Binder)
Maneuver to put the tail end (with rocket output) in the forward direction of travel to use for lowering velocity.
1933 Vibratium Wall Time Machine (from Ancestral Voices by Nat Schachner)
An element that is unstable in time makes time travel possible and enables the Grandfather Paradox.
1933 Space-Sailor (from The Star-Roamers by Edmond Hamilton)
A spaceman; someone who makes his living by voyaging in space.
1933 Iron Man Robot With Human Brain (from Iron Man by Paul Ernst)
A huge robot with a tub containing a human brain.
1933 Seleno-Cosmo-Tel (from A Race Through Time by Donald Wandrei)
Device to automatically avoid asteroids or other bodies.
1933 Conscious Retarded Animation (from A Race Through Time by Donald Wandrei)
A kind of hibernation, but leaves the user fully conscious, but aging at an incredibly slow rate.
1933 Corporol (from A Race Through Time by Donald Wandrei)
Preserves and maintains the body.
1933 Anadrenalin (from A Race Through Time by Donald Wandrei)
Has the opposite effect of adrenalin.
1933 Meteor Miner (from Salvage in Space by Jack Williamson)
Someone who roams the solar system, hunting for metal in meteors.
1933 Transfer Cable (from Dead Star Station by Jack Williamson)
Move between two ships in space.
1933 Osprey Space Armor (from Salvage in Space by Jack Williamson)
Space suit you can live in.
1933 Helix Gun (from Salvage in Space by Jack Williamson)
A device for capturing ferrous meteors.
1933 Space Tug (from Murder on the Asteroid by Eando Binder)
A small vessel used to maneuver other ships.
1933 Historical Listening Machine (from The Machine That Knew Too Much by A.T. Locke)
Device can hear sounds from down through the ages.
1933 Lunar Tunnel (Human Pendulum) (from Captive of the Crater by D.D. Sharp)
A tunnel through the center of the moon, and the man who fell through it.
1933 Checker-City (from The Star-Roamers by Edmond Hamilton)
A city planned as a checker-board of alternating vegetation and buildings.
1933 Cosmo-Craft (from A Race Through Time by Donald Wandrei)
A spacecraft for traveling through time and space.
1933 Asteroid Rocket (from Salvage in Space by Jack Williamson)
An engine attached to an asteroid to drive it through space.
1933 Tubular Space-Gangway (from The Star-Roamers by Edmond Hamilton)
A means of traversing the short distance between two ships in space.
1933 Belt Automatic-Equalizers (from The Star-Roamers by Edmond Hamilton)
The wearer's experience of gravity will be just like Earth's.
1933 Spectro-Flash Analysis (from Salvage in Space by Jack Williamson)
Device for determining the content of meteorites.
1933 Spaceways (from Shambleau by C.L. Moore)
A set route though space.
1934 Spy Ray Goggles (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A form of radiation that can penetrate walls to allow the user to 'see' what is happening on the other side.
1934 Standish (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A beam weapon of frightful intensity.
1934 Ether-Wall (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
An invisibility field.
1934 Acceleration-tank (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A water-filled tank used to ease the strains of acceleration.
1934 Flying Wing (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A V-shaped plane capable of flight to the edge of the atmosphere.
1934 Platinum Alloy Disc (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A silvery disc used for data record storage.
1934 Protective Shield (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
An energy shield for one person.
1934 Baby Robot (from Life Everlasting by David H. Keller)
An infant robot.
1934 Energy Weapon (from The Mightiest Machine by John W. Campbell)
A device that fires pure energy, used as a weapon.
1934 Manual Search For Habitable Planet (from Skylark of Valeron by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A tedious search for habitable planets by hand.
1934 Emergency Lifeboat (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A small craft used as a bail-out vehicle from a large space station or spacecraft.
1934 Ablative Heat (Reentry) Shield (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A single-use shield or covering designed to accept the heat of reentry and burn off.
1934 Moving a Planet (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Early use of the concept of moving a planet to a new sun.
1934 Vibrowriter (from The Lost Language by David H. Keller)
A device that translated speech and typed it out for you.
1934 Deep-Space (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Typically refers to the vast empty regions of interstellar space.
1934 Aircab (from The Barrier by Harl Vincent)
A flying autonomous taxi cab.
1934 Credit (from The Mightiest Machine by John W. Campbell)
A basic unit of currency.
1934 Synthetic Food Dispenser (from Twilight by John W. Campbell)
A machine that could make whatever food you wanted from basic elements.
1934 Electro-Telescope (from The Mines of Haldar by Maurice G. Hugi)
A device that could clearly image space battles and space ships, even from a great distance.
1934 Sound-Transposing Machine (from The Lost Language by David H. Keller)
A device that scans a printed page and reads it out loud.
1934 Machine City (from Twilight by John W. Campbell)
A city that is a self-maintaining whole entity.
1934 Darkness Bomb (from The Mightiest Machine by John W. Campbell)
A small bulb containing a vapor that causes darkness to occur.
1934 Space Warp (from Redmask of the Outlands by Nat Schachner)
The very fabric of space-time.
1934 Homorium (from The Last Men by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.)
A kind of nursery that could bring a human being to maturity in a single year.
1934 Bergenholm Drive (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A device that renders a spaceship free of inertia.
1934 Liquid Mirror Telescope on Mars (from Old Faithful by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A large telescope using a spinning bowl of mercury as the mirror.
1934 Electric-Space-Strain Projector (from The Mightiest Machine by John W. Campbell)
Device enables the wireless transmission of power.
1934 Inertialess Drive (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Faster-than-light travel achieved!
1934 Invisibility Shield (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A means of concealing a physical object to the naked eye.
1934 Air-Car (from A Matter of Size by Harry Bates)
A personal flying car
1934 Ingestible Communication Capsule (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A tiny transmitter that can be swallowed, which makes possible voice communication.
1934 Lewiston (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Standard blaster pistol with terrifying power.
1934 3D Tank Display (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A transparent cube showing a three-dimensional display.
1934 Radio-Dirigible Torpedo (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A drone missile that is controlled remotely by an operator.
1934 Extradimensional (from Skylark of Valeron by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
From another dimension.
1934 Cone of Battle (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
An offensive formation of space ships providing the ultimate in firepower.
1934 Planetary Propulsion-Blasts (from Thundering Worlds by Edmond Hamilton)
Devices capable of moving and steering planets to new orbits or new stars.
1934 Artificial Planet (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A very large constructed object in space.
1934 Ultrawave (from Triplanetary by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A means of faster-than-light (FTL) communication.
1934 Robot-Surgeon (from Rex by Harl Vincent)
A perfect robot for perfected human beings.
1934 General Strike of the Robots (from Rex by Harl Vincent)
All over the world, robots cease their labors.
1934 Robot-Control Wave Band (from Rex by Harl Vincent)
Special command circuit for robots.
1934 Robot Skin Covering (from Rex by Harl Vincent)
Realistic covering for the bodies of robots.
1934 Self-Aware Robot (from Rex by Harl Vincent)
A robot that thinks and reasons for itself.
1934 Aliens Speak English (from The Mines of Haldar by Maurice G. Hugi)
The skeleton men of Mercury speak English, but have a good reason for it.
1934 Communicator (from Skylark of Valeron by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A small device that works to communicate over large distances.
1934 Hypomatrin (from The Confession of Dr. DeKalb by Stanton A. Coblentz)
A spinal anesthetic that allows the reformation of personality.
1934 Mutant (from The 100th Generation by Nat Schachner)
A new organism resulting from an alteration in the DNA sequence of its genome or chromosome.
1934 Healing Crystal (from A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum)
A small object that burns off diseased tissue, leaving healthy tissue unharmed.
1934 Glass Pistol (from A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum)
A clear glass gun that fires poisoned splinters.
1934 Impermite (from Redmask of the Outlands by Nat Schachner)
A substance that is impervious to penetration.
1934 Out-Worlder (from A Matter of Size by Harry Bates)
A person from another planet.
1934 Robots Refuse To Serve Man (from The Mentanicals by Francis Flagg)
When robots evolve their own perspectives, and ultimately refuse to act as servants to human beings.
1934 Penetron (from Redmask of the Outlands by Nat Schachner)
A synthetic substance that is opaque unless penetrated by infra-red.
1934 Levitators (from Lost City of Mars by Harl Vincent)
Allows free flight in the interior volume of a vast sphere in space.
1934 Needle-Ray (from Skylark of Valeron by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Very thin beam of destruction.
1934 Gyrocars with Photo-Electric Braking (from Photo Control by Bernard Brown)
Force the tires into maximum contact with the road, then use photo-electric sensors to control braking and turns.
1934 Automatic Parking (from Twilight by John W. Campbell)
Vehicle autonomously heads for a public hangar.
1934 Positron Beam (from The Great Thirst by Nat Schachner)
Vast numbers of positrons, the antimatter counterpart of the electron, are beamed around the Earth.
1934 Electron Gun (from The Great Thirst by Nat Schachner)
How to add a lot of electrons to a lot of positrons?
1934 Black Cube Teaching Machine (from The Flame From Mars by Jack Williamson)
A device that offers recorded images, teaching the user.
1934 Wine Pellets (from Redmask of the Outlands by Nat Schachner)
Fine wine in convenient, dried form.
1934 Solar Engine (from A Matter of Size by Harry Bates)
A space ship that gets it motive power from the rays of the sun.
1934 Metallic Fingers (from Rex by Harl Vincent)
Robot fingers.
1934 Invisibility Magnets (from Redmask of the Outlands by Nat Schachner)
They can cloak a space ship by bending light around it.
1934 Space Mittens (from Space Flotsam by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Protect your hands in space.
1934 Evacuating Arms (from Space Flotsam by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Empty out the contents of an airlock exposed to space.
1934 Wrist Search Display (from A Matter of Size by Harry Bates)
A wearable device that uses its own search beam to view scenes close by.
1934 Silica Sphere (Dyson sphere) (from Lost City of Mars by Harl Vincent)
An enclosed environment, excavated on Mars, and then placed into the heavens (it's Phobos)
1934 Laws Against Human Drivers (from Photo Control by Bernard Brown)
The idea that autonomous vehicles should be the only cars on the road, for safety.
1934 Living Machines (from The Mentanicals by Francis Flagg)
Robots that are able to learn.
1934 Mentanical Communication (from The Mentanicals by Francis Flagg)
Thinking, learning robots have a special means of communication.
1934 Automatic Navigator (from A Matter of Size by Harry Bates)
Device steers your spaceship to its destination without additional effort from you.
1934 Stratoplane (from Colossus by Donald Wandrei)
An airplane that flies up to the edge of the atmosphere.
1934 Metal Message In Space (from The Menace From Space by John Edwards)
A message sent to other worlds, inscribed on metal.
1934 Mentanicals (from The Mentanicals by Francis Flagg)
Robots capable of mentation - i.e., thought.
1934 Beam Car (from Lost City of Mars by Harl Vincent)
A vehicle like an elevator car, but which travels on a radio and magnetic beam, from the surface of a planet up to a satellite.
1935 Thermide (from Parasite Planet by Stanley G. Weinbaum)
A chemical which, added to water, boiled and sterilized it instantly.
1935 Mudshoes (from Parasite Planet by Stanley G. Weinbaum)
Footgear specialized for the semisolid soil of Venus
1935 Machine (Thinking Machine) (from The Machine by John W. Campbell)
A very early reference to a thinking machine in charge of a planet.
1935 Automatic Toll Payment (from The Living Machine by David H. Keller)
An automated car that pays its own toll.
1935 Driverless Taxi (from The Living Machine by David H. Keller)
A taxi that does not require a driver.
1935 Automatic Air Mail Plane (from The Living Machine by David H. Keller)
A pilotless airplane for delivery of cargo.
1935 Floater (Vehicle) (from The Machine by John W. Campbell)
A conveyance distinguished primarily by antigravity power.
1935 Transkin (from Parasite Planet by Stanley G. Weinbaum)
A hooded protective suit worn on Venus.
1935 Xixtline (from Parasite Planet by Stanley G. Weinbaum)
Venusian drug provides a rejuvenate effect.
1935 Thermlectrium (from Blindness by John W. Campbell)
An alloy that turns heat directly into electricity.
1935 Micro-Telescope (from The Cosmic Pantograph by Edmond Hamilton)
An astronomical instrument for looking at objects in a miniature universe.
1935 New Suns From Old (from The Cosmic Pantograph by Edmond Hamilton)
Creating new stars by crashing together the cinders of dead stars.
1935 Space Traffic (from Satan in Exile by Arthur William Bernal)
The movement of numbers of ships through space.
1935 Ball-Taxi (from Earth Rehabilitators, Consolidated by Henry J. Kostkos)
A floating, spherical cab.
1935 Air-Tight Cities (from The Cosmic Pantograph by Edmond Hamilton)
Cities with breathable air constructed on worlds with no atmosphere.
1935 Trans-Oceanic Rocket (from The Worlds of If by Stanley G. Weinbaum)
Also, a rocket-plane.
1935 Micro-Cosmos (Microcosm) (from The Cosmic Pantograph by Edmond Hamilton)
The universe in miniature.
1935 Magno-Bars (from The Meteor Miners by L.A. Eshbach)
Electromagnet-tipped rods used by meteor miners to capture iron-rich asteroids in space.
1935 Unattended Factory (from The Hidden Colony by Otfrid von Hanstein)
A factory that works entirely automatically, without human guidance.
1935 Time Line (from Liners of Time by John Russell Fearn)
Time seen linearly, as a distinguishable series of events.
1935 Electric Menu (from Liners of Time by John Russell Fearn)
Ordering of food is automated, without waiters.
1935 Bloodhound Machine (from Crimes of the Year 2000 by Ray Cummings)
Could positively identify a person using their scent alone.
1935 First Contact (from Proxima Centauri by Murray Leinster)
The initial encounter with a non-human race.
1935 Living Space Ship (from Proxima Centauri by Murray Leinster)
A space ship made of a living substance, in this case cellulose.
1935 Subjunctivisor (from The Worlds of If by Stanley G. Weinbaum)
Projects a possible future, based on your own impressions.
1935 Sink Hole of Space (from Star Ship Invincible by Frank K. Kelly)
A rip in space, a hole that pulls in passing objects.
1935 Horsten Psychomat (from The Worlds of If by Stanley G. Weinbaum)
Re-creates a mental scene for the viewer.
1935 Doughpot (from Parasite Planet by Stanley G. Weinbaum)
A mass of white, dough-like protoplasm, ranging in size from a single cell to perhaps twenty tons of mushy filth.
1935 Conscious Farm Machines (from The Hidden Colony by Otfrid von Hanstein)
Farm machinery that worked on their own.
1935 Emotion Meter (from The Emotion Meter by W. Varick Nevins, III)
A device for empirically determining human emotion.
1935 Meteor Swarm Mining (from The Meteor Miners by L.A. Eshbach)
A fleet of ships hunting for meteoric iron - in space!
1935 Danler Spacial Chart (from Star Ship Invincible by Frank K. Kelly)
A representation of space around a ship.
1935 Magic Spectacles (from Pygmalion's Spectacles by Stanley G. Weinbaum)
Very early take on virtual reality hardware.
1935 Fruit-Picking Machine (from The Hidden Colony by Otfrid von Hanstein)
An humanoid machine for automatic fruit picking.
1936 Dark Vapor Bubble (from Man-Jewels for Xothar by H.G. Wells)
A kind of field that keeps an alien base provided with an atmosphere.
1936 Photoelectric Telescope (Photoelectric Eyes) (from The Cometeers by Jack Williamson)
An astronomical telescope that uses the photoelectric effect to gather light, and then to present the finished image on a screen.
1936 Multi-Generation Space Vessel (Generation Ship) (from The Return of the Murians by Nat Schachner)
A space ship and voyage intended to last across multiple human generations.
1936 Volplane (from Blood of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
A small vehicle used in transporting people around the moon's surface.
1936 Tubular Field of Force (from The Cometeers by Jack Williamson)
Can pull an object through space.
1936 Radiation Shield (from The Ultimate Weapon by John W. Campbell)
A clever use for the water you need to take anyway.
1936 Cartograph (from The Cometeers by Jack Williamson)
A device that shows you a record of your travels - a GPS readout.
1936 Indoor Weighted Belt (from Blood of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
Device to stay grounded in low gravity on the Moon.
1936 Shoggoths (from At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft)
Bioengineered creatures, able to change shape, created for labor.
1936 Emergency Repulsion (Repulsive Ray) (from Blood of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
A beam of force that repels one object from another.
1936 Wire Gun (from Shadow Gold by Ray Cummings)
Shoots a length of constricting wire.
1936 Starways (from Blood of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
The well-traveled paths from star to star.
1936 Planetary Engineering (from The Cometeers by Jack Williamson)
Remaking or modifying an entire planet.
1936 Audiphone (from Blood of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
Communication between space suits in the airless void of space.
1936 Zed-Ray (from Blood of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
A penetrating beam that would disclose the details inside of a closed object.
1936 Robot With Human's Brain (from Revenge of the Robot by Otis Adelbert Kline)
A very early example of encasing a human brain in a robotic body.
1936 Paralyzing Ray (Bolar Current) (from Blood of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
A beam that forces a person to remain rooted to a particular spot.
1936 Atom Compactor (Metal Earthworm) (from Death Dives Deep by Paul Ernst)
A tunneling device.
1936 Wireless Wrist Intercom (from The Shape of Things To Come by H.G. Wells)
A portable wireless intercom, worn on the wrist.
1936 Space Legs (from Flight of the Typhoon by Clifton B. Kruse)
The ability to walk under high gee acceleration on a space ship.
1936 Android (from The Cometeers by Jack Williamson)
A synthetic being having the form of a human being.
1936 Vision Tubes (from The Scarab by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Microminaturized vision for UAV's.
1936 Luxobe Crystals (from Moon Crystals by J. Harvey Haggard)
They give light.
1936 Electronized Gravity Plate (from Blood of the Moon by Ray Cummings)
Artificial gravity for use on space stations and spacecraft.
1936 Automated Search For Habitable Planets (from Cosmic Quest by Edmond Hamilton)
Automated use of telescopes and other devices to search the universe for Earth-like planets.
1936 Needle Beam Gat (from Moon Crystals by J. Harvey Haggard)
A thin disintegrator beam.
1936 Dimension Shifting Apparatus (from Cosmic Quest by Edmond Hamilton)
Achieves faster than light space travel by moving into a different, parallel dimension.
1936 Transparent Flat Panel Display (from The Shape of Things To Come by H.G. Wells)
A fifty-inch flat panel display that is (or can be) transparent.
1936 Scarab Robot Flying Insect (from The Scarab by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A tiny flying robotic machine, used for surveillance.
1936 Giant Flat Panel Display (from The Shape of Things To Come by H.G. Wells)
Movie screen-sized flat panel display for live televised images.
1936 Geodynes (from The Cometeers by Jack Williamson)
Spacecraft propulsion that pushes against the very fabric of space itself.
1936 Probability Time Wave Tube (from Elimination by John W. Campbell)
A device that allows the user to see every possible event.
1936 Vitrisheen (from Moon Crystals by J. Harvey Haggard)
A translucent glass-like fashion choice.
1936 Beckerley Electrical Field (from Smothered Seas by R.M. Farley (w/SG Weinbaum))
An energy field that can protect a city or large area.
1936 Protective Energy Halo (from The Scarab by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A device that cast a hemisphere of protective beams.
1936 Desktop Flat Panel Intercom (from The Shape of Things To Come by H.G. Wells)
A small desktop screen intercom system.
1936 Telespectroscope (from Cosmic Quest by Edmond Hamilton)
Device for searching for habitable (Earth-like) planets.
1936 Time Loop (from The Time Entity by Eando Binder)
A series of events repeats, the stream crosses over itself.
1936 Chronoscope (from Elimination by John W. Campbell)
A device used to see into specific internals of time.
1936 Molecule Replacement Lamp (from Red Storm on Jupiter by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.)
A means of attaining practical invisibility.
1936 Foam Station Sprayer (from Red Storm on Jupiter by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.)
A device that stills the stormy Great Red Spot on Jupiter.
1936 Solar Radiant Energy Weapon (from The Weapon by Raymond Z. Gallun)
The device absorbs solar rays and then emits a powerful, coherent ray.
1936 Electric Tractor (from World of Purple Light by Warner Van Lorne)
A farm cultivator that runs entirely on electricity.
1936 Bladder Birds (from Redemption Cairn by Stanley G. and Helen Weinbaum)
Alien life well adapted.
1936 Violet-Gun (Ion Gun) (from The Brain Stealers of Mars by John W. Campbell)
Ultra-violet fury!
1936 Lanson Screen (from The Lanson Screen by Leo Zagat)
An elliptical shield of force large enough to enclose a city.
1936 Emergency Repulsion Ray (from Earth-Venus 12 by Gabriel Wilson)
A handheld means of propulsion in space.
1936 Jupiter Mining Shoes (from Red Storm on Jupiter by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.)
Specialized footgear for walking on the Great Red Spot.
1936 Teaching Machine (from The Return of the Murians by Nat Schachner)
A helmet placed on the head focuses illimitable knowledge into even the head of an earth man.
1936 Husk of an Atom (from The Roaring Blot by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.)
A negative universe substance.
1936 Radiation-Proof Oxygen Suit (from Red Storm on Jupiter by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.)
A specialized space suit for use in radium mining on Jupiter.
1936 Meteor Particles (Sand Blast) (from Flight of the Typhoon by Clifton B. Kruse)
Tiny sand-sized asteroids sand-blasting the hull of a spacecraft.
1936 Asteroid Lanes (Blasted) (from Flight of the Typhoon by Clifton B. Kruse)
Actually clearing safe routes through asteroid belts.
1936 Sounding Projectile (from Mad Robot by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Provides a way to tell whether there’s a soldid surface on a cloudy planet.
1936 Synthetic Intellect (from Mad Robot by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A device for providing a robot with intelligence.
1936 Automat (from Mad Robot by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Unusual name for an intelligent robot; short for "automaton"?
1936 Golden Ray of Synchronized Vibrations (from The Return of the Murians by Nat Schachner)
Disrupts matter by hurling electrons out of their energy states and scattering them.
1936 Rocketrix (from Redemption Cairn by Stanley G. and Helen Weinbaum)
A female rocket pilot.
1936 Nutrient Gelatin Tank (from The Isotope Men by Nat Schachner)
Essential hardware for creating a new, improved humanity - isotope men!
1937 Blast-Off (from The Cavern of the Shining Pool by Leo Zagat)
The act of firing a rocket into space.
1937 Alien Life Form (from The Hothouse Planet by Arthur K. Barnes)
Living organisms of non-Earth origin.
1937 Subphoton Search Ray (from The Shining One by Nat Schachner)
A special ray beam that penetrates into hidden bunkers; images are caught on special film cameras.
1937 Artificial Planet (from Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon)
Constructed bodies the size of planets for habitation.
1937 Sub-Space (from Crystallized Thought by Nat Schachner)
A dimension or a transmission medium other than our own, which allows faster-than-light communication or movement.
1937 Miniature Universe (from Fessenden's Worlds by Edmond Hamilton)
A microcosmic universe created in the laboratory.
1937 Opaque Helmet (from Wanderer of the Void by Dr. Arch Carr)
A spacesuit helmet that has no see-through components at all; fully enclosed metal.
1937 Gravity Neutralizing Disks (from Fessenden's Worlds by Edmond Hamilton)
Two plates between which Earth's gravitational influence is cancelled out.
1937 Near-Space Solar Energy Collectors (from Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon)
Generating power from solar radiation closer to the source.
1937 Wind-Suncatcher (from Down on the Farm by Simpson Stokes)
A combination wind turbine and solar energy gathering device.
1937 Concentrated Light (from The Shining One by Nat Schachner)
Beam of powerfully concentrated light pressure.
1937 Multiple Sample Voice (from The Shining One by Nat Schachner)
The use of multiple voice samples to create a single, smoothed voice.
1937 Blast Rifle (from Exiles of the Stratosphere by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.)
A gun that creates a short-range energy blast.
1937 Groundcar (or Ground Car) (from Galactic Patrol by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A non-skimming, non-flying vehicle.
1937 Mechanical Cow (Nibbler) (from Down on the Farm by Simpson Stokes)
An autonomous mechanism that performs some of the actions of an ordinary bovine.
1937 Artificial eye (from Galactic Patrol by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A surgically-implanted artificial eyeball.
1937 Drop Shaft (Neutralization of Inertia) (from Galactic Patrol by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
An 'elevator shaft' in which the user can fall at the speed of gravity, then be stopped without inertia (i.e., instantly).
1937 Vibration Screen (from The Shining One by Nat Schachner)
Subtle rays prevent electronic surveillance.
1937 Ultra-Communicator (from Galactic Patrol by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A communication system that transfers voice commands from one person to selected others.
1937 Proton Pistol (Proton Beam) (from A Menace in Miniature by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A device that unleashed a 'protonic storm' of energy.
1937 Designed Bacteria (from Seeds of the Dusk by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Very early reference to the idea of bacteria designed to wipe out a particular species, and no others.
1937 Ultra-microrobot (from A Menace in Miniature by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A nanomachine; a machine whose parts are no bigger than atoms.
1937 Gold-Fish-Bowl World (from Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon)
An artificial water planet.
1937 Automatic Reversed Memory (from Brain Control by Dave Cummins)
A device that activates memories and plays them back in reverse order.
1937 X Gun (X-Beam Projector) (from Diamond Planetoid by Gordon A. Giles)
A device that projected soft x-rays into small planetoids to determine their composition.
1937 Needler (from Galactic Patrol by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Small palm-sized weapon firing thin bolts of energy.
1937 Etherometer (from Spawn of the Red Giants by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.)
A device that looked at the 'ether' pervading space as a means of determining gravitation field strength.
1937 Atomic Drill (from Minus Planet by John D. Clark, Ph.D)
An atomic-powered auger, for use in drilling deep into planets and asteroids.
1937 Heat Generating Magnetic Disks (from Spawn of the Red Giants by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.)
Devices used to artificially raise the temperature of the surface of moons to a reasonable level.
1937 Sono-Induction Coils (from The Shining One by Nat Schachner)
A public address system consisting of buried coils.
1937 Spectroscopic Robot Converter (from Diamond Planetoid by Gordon A. Giles)
Accepted the return of soft x-ray radiation, and translated it into Fraunhofer spectra.
1937 Light Traps (Dyson Sphere) (from Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon)
Surrounding a sun, a set of devices to capture or focus solar power.
1937 Plani-Glass (from Crystalized Thought by Nat Schachner)
Transparent and light and has the tensile strength of steel!
1937 Ether Eddy (from The Cavern of the Shining Pool by Leo Zagat)
A shimmering region of space marking a break-through into another universe.
1937 Repulsor Screen (from Crystalized Thought by Nat Schachner)
Diverts troublesome asteroids.
1937 Rocket Tug (from Crystalized Thought by Nat Schachner)
The equivalent of a tug boat for space ships.
1937 Robot Dog (from The Iron World by Otis Adelbert Kline)
A mechanical, robotic dog.
1937 Mercy Gas (from The Saga of Pelican West by Eric Frank Russell)
Breathe it and die.
1937 Poldek (from The Saga of Pelican West by Eric Frank Russell)
Ability to sense life.
1937 Space Dock (from Diamond Planetoid by Gordon A. Giles)
Like a port for spacecraft; they can deliver their passengers and cargo.
1937 Thionite (from Galactic Patrol by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A deadly drug.
1937 Black Hole (from Rift in Space by Paul Ernst)
A massive space object that emits no light.
1937 Locatimeter (from The Iron World by Otis Adelbert Kline)
A method for a plane to know its location over the Earth.
1937 Photo-Electric Mosaic (from Beyond Which Limits by Nat Schachner)
A means of capturing astronomical images.
1937 Electelscope (from The Cavern of the Shining Pool by Leo Zagat)
Telescope uses electronics applied to optics.
1937 Antron (from Minus Planet by John D. Clark, Ph.D)
A single particle of antimatter - an antiproton.
1937 Self-Propelled Space Suit (from The Cavern of the Shining Pool by Leo Zagat)
A vacuum suit with a means of propelling itself built in.
1937 Space Laboratory (from Crystalized Thought by Nat Schachner)
A specialized space station, for scientific research.
1937 Space Bursts (from When Space Burst by Edmond Hamilton)
When space itself inflates and eventually blows up.
1937 Space-Sphere (from When Space Burst by Edmond Hamilton)
A bubble of reality.
1937 Spaceplane (from Zarnak by Max Plaisted)
A craft able to land on Earth and take off directly for space.
1937 Stratocar (from The Cavern of the Shining Pool by Leo Zagat)
A vehicle intended for use in traveling through the upper atmosphere.
1938 Invisible Watchmen (from Murder in the Void by Edmond Hamilton)
Automated 'home security' sentry system that targets and eliminates intruders.
1938 Control Helmet (from Easy Money by Edmond Hamilton)
A device which causes an entire race of people to think and feel the same as the wearer.
1938 Field-Projector (from Easy Money by Edmond Hamilton)
A device that dematerializes a person and then sends forth a ray that will then rematerialize a person at the end.
1938 Radium Salt (from Murder in the Void by Edmond Hamilton)
Radioactive materials used as an assassination weapon.
1938 Brain-Case (from Murder in the Void by Edmond Hamilton)
A device designed to transport a living human (or alien, if similar) brain.
1938 Surface Car (from Satellite Five by Arthur K. Barnes)
A specialized vehicle for traveling on a planetary surface.
1938 Psychoprobe (from Satellite Five by Arthur K. Barnes)
Get to the truth.
1938 Teleray (from Cosmic Teletype by Carl Jacobi)
Destruction over great distances.
1938 Air-o-Stat (from Satellite Five by Arthur K. Barnes)
Provides life-giving air in spacecraft.
1938 Sub-Etheric (from Legion of Time by Jack Williamson)
Below the level at which ordinary light is propagated.
1938 Robot Cook (from Helen O'Loy by Lester del Rey)
A household robot that can cook meals.
1938 Helen O'Loy (from Helen O'Loy by Lester del Rey)
A robot is enhanced to offer feelings and affection.
1938 Robot Emotions (from Helen O'Loy by Lester del Rey)
Devices or techniques that give rise to emotions in robots.
1938 Visi-Screen (from Satellite Five by Arthur K. Barnes)
A display device.
1938 Automatic Commercial Deletion (from Satellite Five by Arthur K. Barnes)
Device automatically detects commercials and turns off the set for the duration.
1938 Steel-Lined Space Boots (from Roamer of the Stars by Clyde Wilson)
In combination with a magnetized floor, allows the user to walk in zero gravity.
1938 Coronium Ore (from Roamer of the Stars by Clyde Wilson)
A radiolite substance to revolutionize industry.
1938 Magnetic Flame Gun (from Roamer of the Stars by Clyde Wilson)
Device shoots charged positive nuclei.
1938 Reversal Coils (from The Infinite Enemy by Jack Williamson)
Provide both entry into a negative universe and propulsion.
1938 Interplanetary Passport (from Murder in the Void by Edmond Hamilton)
Required document for space travelers.
1938 Artificial Eye Drone (from Glimpse by Manly Wade Wellman)
A remote flying device that transmits its view to the operator.
1938 Hand-Rocket (from Murder in the Void by Edmond Hamilton)
A handheld device that used reaction matter to aid explorers in space suits to move around easily in zero gee.
1938 Air-Blanket (from Hollywood on the Moon by Henry Kuttner)
A dome-less protective air shield.
1938 Preserved Brains (from Murder in the Void by Edmond Hamilton)
Preserving a brain, and then communicating with it.
1938 Mass Detector (Gravitator) (from Roamer of the Stars by Clyde Wilson)
A device that finds substantial masses, particularly in the path of a space craft.
1938 Psychode (from The Infinite Enemy by Jack Williamson)
A device that enables communication by thought alone.
1938 Pneumatic Bumpers (from The Brain Pirates by John W. Campbell)
An inflatable bumper system for ground-based motor vehicles.
1938 Beam-Pistol (from Murder in the Void by Edmond Hamilton)
A handheld ray gun.
1938 Paralysis Ray (from Satellite Five by Arthur K. Barnes)
A special ray that produces paralysis.
1938 Cosmic Teletype (from Cosmic Teletype by Carl Jacobi)
A device that utilizes the fourth dimensional continuum to achieve communication at great distances.
1938 Atomic-Powered Lifting Suits (from The Brain Pirates by John W. Campbell)
Special exoskeletons that would allow an ordinary human being to walk in doubled gravity.
1938 Selective Television (from The Challenge of Atlantis by Arthur J. Burks)
A special kind of 'television' that let the user choose any scene around the world.
1938 Teleoperated Robot Surrogate (from The Robot and the Lady by Manly Wade Wellman)
A robot that is entirely controlled remotely by a person who sees with the point of view of the robot.
1938 Gogglelike Televisors (from The Robot and the Lady by Manly Wade Wellman)
A screen technology placed very close to the eyes.
1938 Tiny Atomic-Power Drive Unit (from The Brain Pirates by John W. Campbell)
A very small power generator that is atomic powered.
1938 Mech (from Helen O'Loy by Lester del Rey)
An alternative name for simplified robot.
1938 Individual Flyer (from Asteroid Pirates by Royal W. Heckman)
Personal antigravity and wing unit.
1938 Interplanetary Restaurant (from Asteroid Pirates by Royal W. Heckman)
An eatery and watering hole designed for use by a variety of space-faring races.
1938 Buggaroo (from The Secret of the Canali by Clifton B. Kruse)
Martian creature for transportation.
1938 Proxy Robot (from Hotel Cosmos by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A remote-controlled floating telepresence robot, for use by aliens who cannot share an atmosphere.
1938 Lightweight Vacuum Armor (from Hotel Cosmos by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A simplified space suit, used where conditions were similar to Earth rather than in the more rigorous conditions of space.
1938 Autobus (from Tidal Moon by Stanley G. and Helen Weinbaum)
Robot-guided public transportation.
1938 Atomic Explosive (from Hotel Cosmos by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A handheld bomb that melted its way into an armored door, then detonated.
1938 Time Tunnel (from Rule 18 by Clifford Simak)
A gateway into the past.
1938 Alcatraz of Space (from Reunion on Ganymede by Clifford Simak)
A planetoid prison.
1938 Liquid Metal (from The Dual World by Arthur K. Barnes)
Metal that can be sprayed on.
1938 Eros Ship-Planetoid (from The Great Illusion by Will Garth)
A vast cylindrical ship, long thought to be a planetoid.
1938 Tetrahedron Interference Projector (from The Great Illusion by Will Garth)
Projects a field of force around the Solar System, bending the light of stars to make them seem more distant.
1938 Robot Animals (from Reunion on Ganymede by Clifford Simak)
Artificial animals created using robotic elements.
1938 Rocketeering (from Ra For The Rajah by John Victor Peterson)
Racing around in rockets
1938 Artificially Produced Speech (from Hotel Cosmos by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Speech produced by mechanical means, rather than with vocal chords.
1938 Cube Being (from The Infinite Enemy by Jack Williamson)
A living being comprised of linked cubes.
1938 Vacuum-Cupped Sandals (from Voyage 13 by Ray Cummings)
Used for walking in weightless environments.
1938 Space-Court (from Murder in the Void by Edmond Hamilton)
The place of judgement for crimes committed in interstellar space.
1938 Tractor Boots (from Magician of Dream Valley by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Space suit footgear that has atom-driven caterpillar treads.
1938 Emergency Air-Suit (from Voyage 13 by Ray Cummings)
A light-duty space suit.
1938 Electronic Brain (from Alchemy of Outer Space by D.L. James)
Inorganic matter functioning as a source of intelligence and action.
1938 Zero-Gravity (from If Science Reached the Earth's Core by John R. Binder)
A state in which gravity is effectively absent or cancelled out.
1938 Basic Robot Personality (from Simultaneous Worlds by Nat Schachner)
Providing simple personalities to robots.
1938 Banning Gun (from Voyage 13 by Ray Cummings)
Shoots a pencil heat ray.
1938 Etherphone Receiver (from Hotel Cosmos by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A special earpiece to hear coded updates.
1938 Helicoptomic (from Ra For The Rajah by John Victor Peterson)
A hovering craft used by referees in rocket polo.
1938 Gyrotomic (from Ra For The Rajah by John Victor Peterson)
A small gyrostabilized hovercraft.
1938 Rocket-Polo (from Ra For The Rajah by John Victor Peterson)
Polo played with rocket-powered craft.
1938 Transfer Refuge (from Hotel Cosmos by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A portable environment chamber, able to support unique and different lifeforms.
1938 Multispecies Hotel (from Hotel Cosmos by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A hotel set up to serve beings from different planets.
1939 Chronovitameter (from Lifeline by Robert Heinlein)
Device that can determine a person's date of birth - and the date on which he or she will die.
1939 Inertia Tank (from Masson's Secret by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A device that protected its delicate contents by cushioning.
1939 Inertia Screen (from Space Rating by John Berryman)
A device that canceled out the law of inertia to help decelerating space craft occupants.
1939 Neuronic Control Apparatus (from Masson's Secret by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A device that communicated with a brain implant, granting both sight and control.
1939 Ballistic Calculator (from Misfit by Robert Heinlein)
An on-board computer for a spaceship to calculate its course and perform other related tasks.
1939 Microsurgery Tool (from Masson's Secret by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Miniaturized device for surgical precision.
1939 Synthetic Spider Silk (from Misfit by Robert Heinlein)
Artificial fabric thread as strong as steel.
1939 Barber Helmet (from Ben Gleed, King of Speed by Don Wilcox)
Cuts your hair quickly and efficiently.
1939 Metal Desk Car (from Ben Gleed, King of Speed by Don Wilcox)
A combination work desk and vehicle for librarians and researchers; part desk part carnival ride.
1939 Inflatable Roofed Valley (from Misfit by Robert Heinlein)
A habitat on an asteroid created by placing a tent-like roof over a natural valley or depression, and then inflating it.
1939 Radio-Facsimile Receiver (from Ben Gleed, King of Speed by Don Wilcox)
A device that prints a newspaper in your home.
1939 Movie Pill (Movie Substitute) (from Ben Gleed, King of Speed by Don Wilcox)
Gives you the experience of having seen a movie.
1939 Electric Brain Stimulator (from Ben Gleed, King of Speed by Don Wilcox)
A device that coordinated the waves of the brain with an external device to improve performance.
1939 Permalloy (from Fugitives From Earth by Nelson S. Bond)
Protects ships from the hazards of space.
1939 Smoke Filter (from Misfit by Robert Heinlein)
Allows grizzled spacemen to smoke in space ships.
1939 Acceleration Hammock (from Pioneer - 1957 by Henry Gade)
Webbing used to cushion acceleration in spacecraft.
1939 Ultra-Vibrator (from Into Another Dimension by Maurice Duclos)
Transports objects into another dimension through intense vibration.
1939 Neuronic Receptor-Transmitter (from Masson's Secret by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A device which, implanted in the brain, can both transmit sight and sound, and enable control of the body by a remote operator.
1939 Rocket Racing (from Habit by Lester del Rey)
Use of reaction mass vehicles for races held within the solar system.
1939 Ultraset (Ultrawave Set) (from Habit by Lester del Rey)
A device that used ultrawave faster-than-light (FTL) communication.
1939 Visual Pattern Recognition (from Rust by Joseph E. Kelleam)
A robot's ability to respond to programmed visual stimulus
1939 Killer Robot (from Rust by Joseph E. Kelleam)
An autonomous robot made for the express purpose of killing living creatures.
1939 Move an Asteroid (from Misfit by Robert Heinlein)
Using practical techniques to change the orbit of an asteroid or small moon.
1939 Hand-Jetting (from A Question of Salvage by Malcolm Jameson)
Making use of hand-held rockets or other reaction devices to move through space.
1939 Durite (from Misfit by Robert Heinlein)
Super-strong material used to counter reaction-blasts.
1939 Thermalite (from Planet of Eternal Night by John W. Campbell)
A transparent material that allows almost no heat to escape.
1939 Solar-Powered Robot (from Rust by Joseph E. Kelleam)
A robot powered by sunlight.
1939 Shock Hammock (from Habit by Lester del Rey)
Special netting oriented for pilots in high gee spacecraft.
1939 Synthite Food (from Planet of Eternal Night by John W. Campbell)
Compact food for space travelers.
1939 Force-Screen (from The Dweller in Outer Darkness by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.)
A variation on the force shield idea.
1939 Spacedog (from A Question of Salvage by Malcolm Jameson)
Experienced hands on space ships.
1939 Gravitic (from A Question of Salvage by Malcolm Jameson)
Relating to gravity.
1939 Super-Weapon (from Robot Nemesis by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A generic term for an advanced destructive device or technology.
1939 Extraecliptic Travel Lanes (from A Question of Salvage by Malcolm Jameson)
Organized interplanetary travel using routes not confined to the ecliptic.
1939 Anti-Acceleration Engine For Space Suits (from Black Destroyer by A.E. van Vogt)
Counteracts the effects of high acceleration.
1939 Directed Cars in Tunnels (from The Lord of Tranerica by Stanton A. Coblentz)
Self-driving vehicles.
1939 Brain-Plate (from Women's World by David C. Cooke)
Ensures the obedience of robots.
1939 Vortex Gun (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
A device that projects whirling fields of atomic instability.
1939 Spacecraft Invisibility Electronics (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
A means of rendering a spacecraft invisible to detection by electromagnetic means.
1939 Pleasure Planet (from After World's End by Jack Williamson)
A vast world devoted to enjoyment.
1939 Chart Cabinet (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
Used in astrogation, this device can see the positions of stars and planets over a thousand year period.
1939 Polyceltron Iconoscope Televisor (from Newscast by Harl Vincent)
A portable camera and microphone setup that could broadcast on-the-spot news.
1939 Hall of Euthanasia (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
A place for (mostly) voluntary suicide.
1939 Orbiting Casino Advertising Sign (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
The mightiest billboard in the Solar System!
1939 Portable Atomic Heater (from Misfit by Robert Heinlein)
Compact source of energy.
1939 Metalite (from Black Destroyer by A.E. van Vogt)
Strong metal you can see through.
1939 Mechanical Judge (from The Lord of Tranerica by Stanton A. Coblentz)
A device that makes legal decisions.
1939 Electrical Valet (from The Lord of Tranerica by Stanton A. Coblentz)
A robotic manservant, skilled in dressing its owner.
1939 Automatic Delivery Library (from The Lord of Tranerica by Stanton A. Coblentz)
A library able to deliver any volume within a few moments.
1939 Identification Ring (from Sinister Barrier by Eric Frank Russell)
An apparently ordinary ring, which minutely describes and identifies its wearer.
1939 Asteroid Prison (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
A jail is the sole occupant of an asteroid.
1939 Geofractor Shield (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
Protects the bearer against unwanted geofractor use.
1939 Etheric Typhoon (from A Question of Salvage by Malcolm Jameson)
The idea that space itself can have disturbances.
1939 Floating Spherical Pool (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
Control of gravity permits mid-air pools of water.
1939 New Moon Casino Satellite (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
An enormous artificial moon, it was far easier to get to than the Old Moon.
1939 Manmade Black Hole (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
Using the power of a hole in the continuum.
1939 Space Walk (from Moon Heaven by Dom Passante)
Standard term for moving through the void of space.
1939 Moon Valley Breathable Atmosphere (from Moon Heaven by Dom Passante)
Atmosphere is retained in a deep valley on a moon or otherwise airless body.
1939 Space-Post (from Episode On Dhee Minor by Harry Walton)
A trading post in space.
1939 Ideophore (from The Fortress of Utopia by Jack Williamson)
A device that quickly and (almost?) painlessly transfers knowledge from one brain to another.
1939 Robot Observatory (from Space Rating by John Berryman)
A fully automated astronomical observatory, placed on a planet (typically, one that does not support human life).
1939 Stereoscopic Vernier and Cube (from Sinister Barrier by Eric Frank Russell)
A means of photographing in depth.
1939 Geofractor (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
Device provides instantaneous teleportation of selected objects over vast distances.
1939 Galaxy Superbrain (from Short-Wave Madness by Robert Castle)
The idea that the galaxy itself is a conscious entity.
1939 Synthetic Intellect (from The Machine That Thought by William Callahan)
A machine mind, created and improved by more primitive machine minds.
1939 Adaptene (from The Impossible World by Eando Binder)
Parent of all hormones, it makes possible the adaptation of the human organism to alien worlds.
1939 Telescribe (from A Question of Salvage by Malcolm Jameson)
Creates a written record of distress signals and other reports.
1939 Transparent Car Roof (from Sinister Barrier by Eric Frank Russell)
You can see through the roof of the car.
1939 Visiwave (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
Even faster than ultrawave! a means of instantaneous communication over lightyear distances.
1939 Duplication Chamber (from The 4-Sided Triangle by William F. Temple)
A means of precisely duplicating an object.
1939 Opti-Phone (from The Impossible World by Eando Binder)
Yet another name for a videophone.
1939 Corrosite Gas (from The Machine That Thought by William Callahan)
A highly corrosive gas.
1939 Space-Contraction Drive (from After World's End by Jack Williamson)
Slip through endless interstellar space by making the distance smaller.
1939 Extra-Terra Bio-Institute (ETBI) Bio-Conditioning (from The Impossible World by Eando Binder)
The overarching work of adapting human beings to alien worlds.
1939 Electric-Powered Caterpillar Shovels (from The Fortress of Utopia by Jack Williamson)
Mining equipment powered by electricity.
1939 Air-Mine (from The Space Visitors by Edmond Hamilton)
Fight invasion from above with an analogous method to mining the surface of the sea.
1939 Outbound Interplanetary Traffic (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
The rules of the spacelanes.
1939 Robot-Boss (from Women's World by David C. Cooke)
A mechanical device that tells people what to do.
1939 Space Charts (from After World's End by Jack Williamson)
A pictorial representation of suns in space.
1939 Colony World (from The Impossible World by Eando Binder)
A planet settled by a single group.
1939 Geopeller (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
An atomic powered, miniaturized means of propulsion.
1939 Meteoric Dust Cloud (from Secret of the Buried City by John Russell Fearn)
A vast cloud in space, through which the solar system moved for a decade.
1939 Robot Surgery (from Secret of the Buried City by John Russell Fearn)
Robots operate an advance operating theater.
1939 Cosmic Storm (from After World's End by Jack Williamson)
A vast tempest in space!
1939 Atomic Torch (from One Against The Legion by Jack Williamson)
An atomic-powered cutting and welding tool.
1939 Sun-Engine (from Valley of Lost Souls by Eando Binder)
A device that absorbs solar rays for power.
1940 Vibroblade (from If This Goes On... by Robert Heinlein)
A knife-like weapon.
1940 Steel Tortoise (from Coventry by Robert Heinlein)
An all-terrain vehicle, grandfather to the four-wheeler.
1940 Knockdown Cabin (from Coventry by Robert Heinlein)
A portable shelter; had solid walls and could be assembled quickly.
1940 Barrier (Force Field) (from Coventry by Robert Heinlein)
Force-field fence.
1940 Sunpower Screen (from Coventry by Robert Heinlein)
A solar cell array used to provide power for a vehicle.
1940 Gravitational Disks (from Revolt on Io by Jack West)
Maintain your footing on those low-gravity celestial bodies.
1940 Refreshing Chamber (from Coventry by Robert Heinlein)
Replaces the bathroom in the future history of Robert Heinlein.
1940 Hyperbolic Solenoid (from The Exhalted by L. Sprague de Camp)
Device that creates and manipulates magnetic fields.
1940 Methuen Treatment (from The Exhalted by L. Sprague de Camp)
Injections that increase intelligence.
1940 Slow Glass Rod (from The Exhalted by L. Sprague de Camp)
A transparent glass rod that makes light travel so slowly that it can trap light within its depths.
1940 Telelubricator (from The Exhalted by L. Sprague de Camp)
Makes any surface or substance perfectly frictionless.
1940 Space Tramp (from The Invisible World by Ed Earl Repp)
An old, slow spacecraft.
1940 Gesturing Robot (from Robbie (Strange Playfellow) by Isaac Asimov)
A robot that uses gestures to communicate.
1940 Talking Robot (from Robbie (Strange Playfellow) by Isaac Asimov)
An impractical robot, for display only.
1940 Life-Ship (from The Invisible World by Ed Earl Repp)
An emergency escape or survival craft.
1940 Air Blast (from Coventry by Robert Heinlein)
An air dryer for personal use.
1940 Escape Port (from Hell Ship of Space by Frederic Arnold Kummer, Jr.)
Emergency egress from a space ship for one person.
1940 Solar Reception Screen (from The Roads Must Roll by Robert Heinlein)
A device for converting sunlight to electricity
1940 Rolling Road (from The Roads Must Roll by Robert Heinlein)
A set of fast-moving strips to move people over distances.
1940 Tesseract House (from -And He Built A Crooked House by Robert Heinlein)
A house built in the shape of a four-dimensional figure.
1940 Childcare Robot (from Robbie (Strange Playfellow) by Isaac Asimov)
A robot constructed to take care of a small child.
1940 Two-Wheeled Car (from The Roads Must Roll by Robert Heinlein)
A small passenger vehicle with two centerline wheels.
1940 Iridium-Sponge Brain (from Adam Link's Vengeance by Eando Binder)
A human-like metal brain for robots.
1940 Robot Suicide (from Adam Link's Vengeance by Eando Binder)
A robot decides to commit suicide, and sets up a mechanism to put his decision into effect.
1940 Trumpaphone (from The Voyage That Lasted 600 Years by Don Wilcox)
A loud, brassy instrument.
1940 Asbestos Sunshade (from The Achilles Heel by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A means of shielding oneself from the sun's rays.
1940 Atomic Automatic (from Revolt on Io by Jack West)
Fires a special, rocket-like bullet.
1940 Atomic Blast Weapon (from The Achilles Heel by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Reduces the target to atoms.
1940 Hush-a-Phone (from The Roads Must Roll by Robert Heinlein)
A special kind of telephone that reduced noise while talking.
1940 Conversion Gun (from Hell Ship of Space by Frederic Arnold Kummer, Jr.)
The ray converts the heat in an object to light.
1940 Space Shuttle (from Hell Ship of Space by Frederic Arnold Kummer, Jr.)
A space-going vessel for trips from the surface of a planet to a ship in orbit, and back.
1940 Solid Power (from Revolt on the Tenth World by Edmond Hamilton)
A concentrated form of easily accessed energy to supply any need.
1940 Atom-Gun (from Revolt on the Tenth World by Edmond Hamilton)
A handheld device that sprays atomic fire.
1940 Neutronium Slippers (from Revolt on the Tenth World by Edmond Hamilton)
Special footgear to keep ones footing in lower gravities.
1940 Paralysis Bomb (from If This Goes On... by Robert Heinlein)
A device like a hand grenade that released paralyzing radiation.
1940 Soft Speaker (from The Exhalted by L. Sprague de Camp)
A device that sends a tightly-controlled beam of sound.
1940 Merry-Go-Round Life Suspension (Refrigerator Plant) (from The Voyage That Lasted 600 Years by Don Wilcox)
A device that offered cold sleep.
1940 Mind-Shield (from Slan by A.E. van Vogt)
A mental defense or barrier that prevents access to one brain by another person or device.
1940 Paralyzing Gun (from The Achilles Heel by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Renders senseless any human in its path.
1940 Atom-Shifter (from The Worlds of Tomorrow by Manly Wade Wellman)
A device that 'softens' matter, making it possible for a person to pass through.
1940 Electro-Automatic Pistol (from The Worlds of Tomorrow by Manly Wade Wellman)
Circular, pocket-sized weapon.
1940 Tumblebug (from The Roads Must Roll by Robert Heinlein)
A monocycle; a motorcycle that balances on a single wheel.
1940 Moon Skis (from Requiem by Robert Heinlein)
Special wide skis for travel on lunar powder.
1940 Ferretscope (from If This Goes On... by Robert Heinlein)
A counter-surveillance tool to detect the presence of listening devices.
1940 Synthetic Personality (from If This Goes On... by Robert Heinlein)
A artificial identity, a legal fiction of a person.
1940 Rocket-Belt (from The Worlds of Tomorrow by Manly Wade Wellman)
A single-user propulsion pack.
1940 Silk-Metal (from The Worlds of Tomorrow by Manly Wade Wellman)
A very tough fabric.
1940 Rocket Cruiser (from The Worlds of Tomorrow by Manly Wade Wellman)
A privately owned space ship.
1940 Tectogenetic (from Crisis in Utopia by Norman L. Knight)
Deliberate manipulation of genes to produce unique species.
1940 Pocket-Caller (from The Worlds of Tomorrow by Manly Wade Wellman)
Private communication device that fits in your pocket.
1940 Radium-Action Lighter (from The Worlds of Tomorrow by Manly Wade Wellman)
A personal device used to ignite tobacco products.
1940 Telechronometer (from Blowups Happen by Robert Heinlein)
A watch that synchronizes itself to a remote source.
1940 Dream-Machine (from Doom Over Venus by Edmond Hamilton)
The mechanism that sent standardized dreams into the brain.
1940 Synthetic Voice (from The Amazon Fights Again by Thornton Ayre)
Artificial human speech.
1940 San-Ray Projector (from Hell Ship of Space by Frederic Arnold Kummer, Jr.)
Device produces a habit-forming, nerve-tingling ray that clouds the mind.
1940 Death-Capsule (from Doom Over Venus by Edmond Hamilton)
A tiny implanted explosive capsule can be activated remotely.
1940 Robot Prohibition (from Robbie (Strange Playfellow) by Isaac Asimov)
Robots may not wander alone.
1940 Planetary ID Card (from Doom Over Venus by Edmond Hamilton)
Identification for every person on every planet in the solar system.
1940 Electrically Heated Clothes (from Repetition by A.E. van Vogt)
Using artificial heating to counteract the cold of space.
1940 Synthetic Flesh (from The Amazon Fights Again by Thornton Ayre)
Material resembles human flesh, handy for disguises.
1940 Humanoid (from Homo Sol by Isaac Asimov)
An alien with a human-like shape and appearance.
1940 Grapple-Ray (from Exit From Asteroid 60 by D.L. James)
A version of the tractor beam idea.
1940 Planetfall (from Quicksands of Youthwardness by Malcolm Jameson)
Making a landing on a planet from space.
1940 Stratospheric Traffic (from The Great God Awto by Clark Ashton Smith)
Bad traffic at every level.
1940 Floating Villa (from Doom Over Venus by Edmond Hamilton)
An artificial island several acres in extent.
1940 Solar Station Switch Room (from Doom Over Venus by Edmond Hamilton)
A power station for the entire solar system.
1940 Air Scooter (from Space Double by Nat Schachner)
A flying personal vehicle.
1940 Test Box (from The Devil's Pocket by F.E. Hardart)
A remote-controlled device for capturing small objects from open space.
1940 Solar-Powered Electric Runabout (from Let There Be Light by Lyle Monroe)
A vehicle powered from the sun.
1940 Darkened Glass Face Plate (from The Achilles Heel by Raymond Z. Gallun)
The use of darkened glass on the face plate of a space suit helmet to protect the wearer from solar radiation.
1940 Vacuum Wall Compartments (from The Achilles Heel by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Shielding against heat by using walls with evacuated sections.
1940 Autosight Achronic Beam (from Hindsight by Jack Williamson)
A range-finder for weaponry that isn't limited by time, for the ultimate in accuracy.
1940 Sun Plant (Solar Motor) (from The Lotus-Engine by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A huge system of mirrors collects light and focuses it on a boiler for energy.
1940 Double-Pane Vacuum Window (from The Achilles Heel by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Double-pane glass separated by vacuum.
1940 Robots Build Robots (from Robbie (Strange Playfellow) by Isaac Asimov)
Using robot labor exclusively to build more robots.
1940 Dream-House (from Doom Over Venus by Edmond Hamilton)
An establishment wherein one could find the finest dream adventures placed in his own mind.
1940 Solar Power Screen (from Let There Be Light by Lyle Monroe)
Absorb all solar energy, and emit electrical energy.
1940 Hydroponics (from The Hydroponic Monster by Maria Moravsky)
Growing food without soil, typically from water saturated with nutrients.
1940 Voder (from Exit From Asteroid 60 by D.L. James)
Device that produces speech by purely mechanical means.
1940 Warp Drive (from The Tides of Time by R.M. Williams)
Traveling across the gap between universes.
1940 Bifocal TV Screen Lenses (from Doom Over Venus by Edmond Hamilton)
Using the bottom lens of bifocals as a TV screen.
1940 Cyclotronic Ore-Hurler (from Exit From Asteroid 60 by D.L. James)
Using the magnetic properties of an asteroid to send ore hurling across space!
1940 Lighting Panel (from Let There Be Light by Lyle Monroe)
A large panel that presents illumination without heat.
1940 Dream-Adventures (from Doom Over Venus by Edmond Hamilton)
Dreams sent directly to the brain are more popular than movies.
1941 Disinto (from Robot AL-76 Goes Astray by Isaac Asimov)
A disintegrating ray.
1941 Pseudogravity (from Common Sense by Robert Heinlein)
Gravity produced by artifice, rather than by a suitably large mass.
1941 Asteroid Claim Law (from Jurisdiction by Nat Schachner)
The legal steps required in claiming an asteroid
1941 Space Lawyer (Sky-Lawyer) (from Jurisdiction by Nat Schachner)
A lawyer with special knowledge of space law.
1941 Hypnotic injunction (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A method of hypnosis that prevents people from revealing particular information.
1941 Golden Shuttles (Mechanical Mice) (from The Mechanical Mice by Maurice G. Hugi)
Very small robots with an appetite for watch parts.
1941 Thermatite (from Jurisdiction by Nat Schachner)
Pure energy fuel mined on asteroids.
1941 Bee Wing (from Slacker's Paradise by Malcolm Jameson)
A flapping wing aircraft in use on Mars.
1941 Astrogation (to Astrogate) (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
To navigate in space.
1941 Joy-boat Junior (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A private space yacht, capable of suborbital journeys.
1941 Electrono-Mirror (from The Day We Celebrate by Nelson S. Bond)
Focuses the sun's rays on a planetary surface for terraforming purposes.
1941 Momentum Screen (from Completely Automatic by Theodore Sturgeon)
Allows a spacemen to avoid the problem of "high gee" forces on take-off.
1941 Paralyzing Eye (from The Best-Laid Scheme by L. Sprague de Camp)
False eye contains mechanism for causing brief paralysis.
1941 Self-Lighting Cigarette (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A cigarette with a matchhead built in.
1941 Dewlog (from The Traitor by Kurt von Rachen)
A drug with the side-effect of virtually eliminating hunger.
1941 Metal Solvent Ray Thrower (from Lost Rocket by Manly Wade Wellman)
Acts like a flame thrower in space.
1941 Magnetic Sandals (from Star of Dreams by Jack Williamson)
Special footgear to walk in zero-gee spacecraft.
1941 Solar Station (from Reason by Isaac Asimov)
A satellite that gathers solar energy in space and then beams it to Earth (or other planetary surface).
1941 Improve Memory (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
Help immortals make sense of their memories.
1941 Blastick (from The Traitor by Kurt von Rachen)
A scorching beam weapon
1941 Space Tanned (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A tan acquired by being exposed to sunlight while outside the atmosphere.
1941 Charted Planetoid Mines (from The Day We Celebrate by Nelson S. Bond)
Charting the planetoids and minor bodies for mining purposes.
1941 Space Placers (from The Day We Celebrate by Nelson S. Bond)
Miners who use placer mining techniques adapted from Earth geology.
1941 Flitter (from Vortex Blaster by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A small craft used for short-range journeys.
1941 A-Bomb (from Sixth Column by Anson MacDonald)
Abbreviation for "atomic bomb".
1941 Epileptigenic Ray (from Sixth Column by Anson MacDonald)
Ray causes uncontrollable spasms in human subjects.
1941 Traffic Control Camera (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
An automated camera system that photographs license plates as cars move past on a road system.
1941 Antigrav Boots (from The Day We Celebrate by Nelson S. Bond)
Footgear that negate gravity.
1941 Howard Families (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A project designed to produce a group of people with exceptionally long life.
1941 Camden Speedster (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A super sports utility vehicle (SUV); it drives on the highway, the water and jumps into the air for short periods.
1941 Sleep Surrogate (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
Pharmaceutical designed to make up for lost sleep.
1941 Controlway (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
An automated highway system that takes full operational control of vehicles traveling upon it.
1941 Mind Control Genetically Modified Food (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
Plants that are modified to produce specific combinations of flavors.
1941 Space Overalls (from Lost Rocket by Manly Wade Wellman)
Light-duty space suit.
1941 Vanwinkling (from The Best-Laid Scheme by L. Sprague de Camp)
Another name for time-traveling into the future.
1941 Roving Bomb (from Lost Rocket by Manly Wade Wellman)
Special zero-gee guided bomb.
1941 Instant Customized Clothing (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A machine that produced a selected item of clothing, on the spot, based on customer demand.
1941 Newsbox (News-Receptor) (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
Also referred to as a microviewer; could search media programming for news on a particular words used in the broadcast.
1941 Talking Speedometer (from Biddiver by Theodore Sturgeon)
A gauge that tells you its value verbally
1941 Lunar Used Spacecraft Lot (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A sales lot for used spacecraft
1941 Group Ego (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A group mind; a single entity that shares a number of bodies.
1941 Cold-Sleep (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A state of hibernation, created by lowered temperature and metabolism.
1941 Oxygen Freshener (from Lost Rocket by Manly Wade Wellman)
A device that removed carbon dioxide from air and replaced it with fresh oxygen.
1941 Parking Orbit (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
An orbit from which access to the planet's surface via a small auxiliary vessel is quick and uncomplicated.
1941 Cold-Rest (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
Lowering body temperature and metabolic levels, as in hibernation; also called reduced temperature somnolence.
1941 Magnetized Boots (from Lost Rocket by Manly Wade Wellman)
Special shoes to allow walking in and around a metal ship with no artificial gravity.
1941 Neoterics (from Microcosmic God by Theodore Sturgeon)
Pure engineering genius on tap.
1941 Automatic Speeding Fine (from Old Fireball by Nat Schachner)
An automated device that not only computes the speed of a vehicle, but registers and then issues an electronic citation.
1941 Alterable License Number (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A device which permits a driver to alter the license plate without leaving the vehicle.
1941 Robot Mother (from The Mechanical Mice by Maurice G. Hugi)
A self-replicating robot, which creates a series of helper bots that adapt to conditions as needed.
1941 Automated Hotel Reservation (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
A hotel that did not use clerks; a self-service hotel.
1941 Positronic Brain (from Reason by Isaac Asimov)
A computer CPU with the capacity to rival a human brain.
1941 Weather Integrator (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
An entire technology for controlling the weather.
1941 Stunner (from Fire-Power by S.D. Gottesman)
A non-lethal weapon; typically used like a firearm but only renders its victim unconscious.
1941 Fresher (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
Short for "refreshing chamber,", it is the future of personal hygiene technology.
1941 Interplanetary Union Of Spacemen (from Old Fireball by Nat Schachner)
An organized union of people who work in space.
1941 Orbital Mirror (from Completely Automatic by Theodore Sturgeon)
A huge reflective surface in orbit around a planet or moon, the purpose of which is to focus sunlight onto the surface.
1941 'Chatterbox' News-Receptor (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
An appliance for listening to the news that lacked content controls.
1941 Solar Energy Beam (from Masquerade by Clifford Simak)
A solar energy plant on Mercury provides power for projects all over the solar system.
1941 Psychophone (from The Mechanical Mice by Maurice G. Hugi)
A device that allows the user to tune their mind to a future reality - a time-traveling device.
1941 Robopark (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
An automated parking garage.
1941 Hell-Stone (from Star of Dreams by Jack Williamson)
An incomparably beautiful and rare jewel.
1941 Sweep Field (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
Pulls in interplanetary matter for space ship propulsion.
1941 Robopsychologist (from Liar by Isaac Asimov)
One who examines the thought processes of robots.
1941 Robot Music (from The Robot God by Ray Cummings)
Music created and performed entirely by robots.
1941 Chardion Field (from Star of Dreams by Jack Williamson)
Electronic 'envelope' that retained atmosphere on tiny worldlets.
1941 Robot AI Driven Mad (from Liar by Isaac Asimov)
Placing an artificial intelligence or autonomous robot in a situation in which its brain is unable to make a decision and is destroyed or driven mad.
1941 Robotics (from Liar by Isaac Asimov)
The engineering field encompassing the creation and maintenance of robots.
1941 Geodesic Inflexors (from Star of Dreams by Jack Williamson)
Propulsion provided not by pushing against matter, but against spacetime.
1941 Anti-Robot Propaganda (from Liar by Isaac Asimov)
Human activity against robots.
1941 Wall Screen (from Star of Dreams by Jack Williamson)
A large size display for video, anchored to a wall, or actually forming the wall itself.
1941 Uranatomic (from Backlash by Jack Williamson)
An atomic pile that generates electricity.
1941 Docking-Cradle (from They Never Came Back by Fritz Leiber)
Holds a space craft in gravity.
1941 Psycho-History (from Beyond All Weapons by Eric Frank Russell)
The application of psychology to historical data.
1941 Hypnosis Ray (from Beyond All Weapons by Eric Frank Russell)
Eases the words of dictators into the minds of the credulous.
1941 Sleep Destroying Field (from Biddiver by Theodore Sturgeon)
Causes lack of sleep.
1941 Automatic Refueling Screen (from Biddiver by Theodore Sturgeon)
Repels objects that are too big, and gathers small ones for fuel.
1941 Delayed Action Stereoscopic Principle (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
Distinguishing far off space craft by relative speed against the fixed stars.
1941 Identification Beacon (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
Radio pulse to identify orbiting craft.
1941 Space Rush (from Jurisdiction by Nat Schachner)
The Outer Space equivalent of the gold rush.
1941 Asteroid Lanes (from Jurisdiction by Nat Schachner)
Regular routes traversed by asteroids.
1941 Squeaker (from Beast of Space by F.E. Hardart)
Used to search out radium in asteroids.
1941 Quench Field (from The Purple Light by E. Waldo Hunter)
Stopped runaway nuclear reactions by quenching the cascades of neutrons.
1941 Space Station (from Backlash by Jack Williamson)
A base of operations in space, typically in orbit around a larger body.
1941 Pilot Beam (from Methuselah's Children by Murray Leinster)
A signalling device that space craft in orbit descending to Earth could home in on and land.
1941 Bone Conduction Receiver (from Sixth Column by Anson MacDonald)
A concealed radio receiver.
1941 Time Line (from Time Wants A Skeleton by Ross Rocklynne)
The sequence of events leading up to, and past, this moment.
1941 Roboticist (from Robot AL-76 Goes Astray by Isaac Asimov)
A person who creates or works with robots.
1941 Moon-Terror (from Star of Dreams by Jack Williamson)
A syndrome common to people who live in less than half Earth-normal gravity.
1941 Space Socks (from Lost Rocket by Manly Wade Wellman)
Protective garments for the lower extremities.
1941 Floating Robot (from The Floating Robot by David Wright O'Brien)
A robot that floats in mid-air.
1941 Solar Car (from The Man Who Bought Mars by Polton Cross)
A car the energy for which comes from the sun.
1941 Young Blood - New Blood For Old (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
Replacing the blood plasma of older people with material from younger people.
1941 Charging Arm (from Masters of Chance by William Morrison)
A specialized device allowing a robot to charge itself.
1941 Visible Halo (from Sixth Column by Anson MacDonald)
Providing a religious figure with a technological sign of grace.
1941 Atmospherics Switchboard (from Lie on the Beam by John Victor Peterson)
Make sure each hotel room has the right atmosphere from the right planet.
1941 Spacehound (Beast) (from Beast of Space by F.E. Hardart)
Oddly canine, telepathic beast digs in asteroids for metal.
1941 Space Tunnel (from The Man Who Bought Mars by Polton Cross)
An enclosed gang plank extended between space ships.
1941 Interplanetary Clearance (from Methuselah's Children by Robert Heinlein)
Bureaucratic red tape associated with busy space ports.
1942 Venus Equilateral Relay Station (from QRM - Interplanetary by George O. Smith)
A converted asteroid that served as the relay station for telecommunications throughout the solar system.
1942 Interplanetary Communications Center (from QRM - Interplanetary by George O. Smith)
The backbone for a solar system-wide communications system.
1942 Waldo (from Waldo by Robert Heinlein)
A telefactoring device; also known as the Waldo F. Jones Synchronous Reduplicating Pantograph.
1942 Time Dredge (from Time Dredge by Robert Arthur)
A device that scoops up material from the past, and returns it to the present.
1942 Atomics (from Nerves by Lester del Rey)
The field of nuclear energy.
1942 Radiant Power Receptor (DeKalbs) (from Waldo by Robert Heinlein)
A device which received and used energy transmitted from a station or satellite.
1942 Sobriety Ray (from The Twonky by Lewis Padgett)
A ray of a particular wavelength and intensity, that conferred instant sobriety on those it shone upon.
1942 Directrix Z9M9Z (from Gray Lensman by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A control center ship for a vast space armada.
1942 Capillotomer (from Beyond This Horizon by Robert Heinlein)
An automatic shaving machine
1942 Control Natural (from Beyond This Horizon by Robert Heinlein)
A person who is allowed to have an unmodified genetic makeup.
1942 Martian Sawgrass (from QRM - Interplanetary by George O. Smith)
Specialized variety of plant that is used to provide oxygen for space stations.
1942 Gravanol (from QRM - Interplanetary by George O. Smith)
A medicine or supplement that helps astronauts deal better with high accelerations.
1942 News Roundup (from Beyond This Horizon by Robert Heinlein)
A device that presents brief story outlines, any of which can be chosen to find details.
1942 Black Coating (from Gray Lensman by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A material that absorbs practically all incident light.
1942 Insosuit (from Runaround by Isaac Asimov)
A space suit specially designed to resist extreme heat.
1942 Terraforming (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
The process of modifying a planetary surface to resemble those of an ideal earth; affects the entire biosphere.
1942 Slideway (from Beyond This Horizon by Robert Heinlein)
A slidewalk, or moving walkway, that moves people forward.
1942 Three Laws of Robotics (Rules of Robotics) (from Runaround by Isaac Asimov)
The original formulation of Asimov's laws of robotics.
1942 Broomstick Speedster (from Waldo by Robert Heinlein)
A two-seater craft capable of spaceflight; it used radiant power to achieve orbit.
1942 Wheelchair Space Station (from Waldo by Robert Heinlein)
A home in space.
1942 Space Tugs (from Describe a Circle by Eric Frank Russell)
Early use of familiar ocean vehicle in space.
1942 Wabbler (from The Wabbler by Murray Leinster)
An autonomous underwater robot.
1942 Stasis Field (from Beyond This Horizon by Robert Heinlein)
Energy field which prevents time from passing inside the field walls; no time passes, nobody gets hurt.
1942 The Twonky (from The Twonky by Lewis Padgett)
A robotic device from the future, constructed to look like a 1940's radio cabinet.
1942 Gravitation Paralysis (from The World With A Thousand Moons by Edmond Hamilton)
Dread illness of space travelers striking when changing from very weak to very strong gravities.
1942 Groundhog (from Waldo by Robert Heinlein)
Not a space professional.
1942 Radiation Garment (from Waldo by Robert Heinlein)
Clothing worn by ordinary citizens to reduce the risk of radiation exposure.
1942 Meteorscope (from The World With A Thousand Moons by Edmond Hamilton)
A device that probes ahead in space detecting swarms of deadly meteors.
1942 Telaudiogram (from The World With A Thousand Moons by Edmond Hamilton)
An interplanetary communication method.
1942 Weight-Shoes (from The World With A Thousand Moons by Edmond Hamilton)
Devices intended to make it easier to walk on celestial bodies with weaker gravity.
1942 Zero-G Ashtray (from Waldo by Robert Heinlein)
An ashtray designed for use on a space station.
1942 Vestan Parasite (from The World With A Thousand Moons by Edmond Hamilton)
Semi-intelligent creatures that take control of the nervous system of other animals.
1942 Vac Suit (from Child of the Sun by Leigh Brackett)
A space suit, designed for use in vacuum.
1942 Electric Wall (from The World With A Thousand Moons by Edmond Hamilton)
A wall of electric force.
1942 Seetee Blinker (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
A marker of contraterrene matter (antimatter) asteroids, to aid in interplanetary navigation.
1942 Space-Burned (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
Analogous to sun-burned.
1942 Fire Storm (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
When clouds of antimatter dust encountered ordinary matter spaceships.
1942 Thermodyne Heat Ray (from A Brand New World by Ray Cummings)
Device focuses, and projects, a heat beam.
1942 Fairy Digits (Tiny Waldoes) (from Waldo by Robert Heinlein)
Waldoes used for very fine work.
1942 Antigravity Plate (Antigravity Raft) (from Co-Operate or Else by A.E. van Vogt)
A thin, circular craft that floats.
1942 Up-and-Down Orientation (from Waldo by Robert Heinlein)
Designed and constructed as if gravity were a factor.
1942 Chronanalyzer (from Waldo by Robert Heinlein)
Isolate specific movements for analysis.
1942 Tiny Robot Planes (from Blood on the Sun by Hal K. Wells)
A swarm of very small independently maneuverable unmanned aerial vehicles.
1942 Xenephrene Interstellar World (from A Brand New World by Ray Cummings)
A planet not attached to a solar system.
1942 Alien Self-Government (from Co-Operate or Else by A.E. van Vogt)
Rules to assure intelligent aliens the right to govern themselves in freedom.
1942 Auto-Clerk (from Beyond This Horizon by Robert Heinlein)
An automated accounting system.
1942 Hive Mind (from The Face of the Deep by Edmond Hamilton)
A group mind.
1942 Contraterrene Matter (Antimatter) (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
Contraterrene (CT) Matter (sometimes abbreviated "Seetee").
1942 Asterite (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
A person who was born and lived amongst the asteroids.
1942 Levitator Pack (from Gears for Nemesis by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Handy anti-gravity when you need it.
1942 Thermalarm Relays (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
Detects objects by their heat radiation, so space craft can maneuver around them.
1942 Paragravity (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
Artificial gravity.
1942 Pilot-Robot (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
The piloting gear of a space tug.
1942 Plastifoam (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
Used to seal large leaks in space craft.
1942 Negative Safety-Field (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
A paragravity-based shield for space craft.
1942 Dirigible Space Armor (Working Space Suits) (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
Heavy-duty space suits for mining work on asteroids.
1942 Concentrated Cosmic Radiation (from The Face of the Deep by Edmond Hamilton)
Passing through a region of intense radiation alters lifeforms.
1942 Cubics (from The Face of the Deep by Edmond Hamilton)
Small, square animals that can combine to create a larger entity.
1942 Igloo-Shaped Space Shelter (from Collision Orbit by Jack Williamson)
Easy to set up on airless asteroids.
1942 Energy Converter (from Runaround by Isaac Asimov)
Massive unit on the sunside of Mercury converts heat into energy, and beams it around the solar system.
1943 Force Pencil (from Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber)
Device straps to forearm, projects a force beam.
1943 Rod of Wrath (from Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber)
A sword made of light.
1943 Impervium (from Clash by Night by Lawrence O'Donnell)
Unique material is impenetrable and indestructible.
1943 Micro Book (Microbook) (from One Way Trip by Anthony Boucher)
A very small volume, possibly an electronic book.
1943 Pain Canopy (from Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber)
Pain by nerve induction improves interrogation.
1943 Robot Chef (from Robinc by Anthony Boucher)
Creative, autonomous robotic cook.
1943 Usuform Robot (from Q.U.R. by Anthony Boucher)
A robot designed strictly along functional lines.
1943 Meteor-Spotting Radar (from Recoil by George O. Smith)
A device to warn spacecraft of oncoming meteors.
1943 Usuform Robot Bartender (from Q.U.R. by Anthony Boucher)
A robotic bartender that is designed along purely functional lines.
1943 Robot Taste Buds (from Robinc by Anthony Boucher)
A sensor for robots that would allow it to taste foods like a human being.
1943 Verhaeren Factor (from Robinc by Anthony Boucher)
Provides autonomous robots with the capacity for independent creative action.
1943 Solidograph (from Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber)
Long distance projection of three-dimensional images.
1943 Rocketeer (from Sunward Flight by Leo Zagat)
A person who pilots rockets.
1943 Stratoyacht (from Sunward Flight by Leo Zagat)
A privately-owned pleasure craft capable of attaining orbit.
1943 Filmag (from Sunward Flight by Leo Zagat)
A video magazine.
1943 Inviolability Field (from Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber)
A kind of field of force built into a robe, to protect an individual person.
1943 Adjustable House (from Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber)
A house with elastic walls and structural members, the shape of which can be changed.
1943 Visigraphic Crowd Emotional Record (from Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber)
A graphic record of the emotions of a crowd.
1943 Personality Alteration (from Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber)
Permanent alternation of personality, the tools of the trade.
1943 Telesolidograph (from Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber)
Projects three-dimensional images at great distances.
1943 Coldlight (from Sunward Flight by Leo Zagat)
A means of producing illumination that does not produce heat.
1943 Zeroentropy Spray (from Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber)
A method of reducing the disorder of an object as much as possible, reducing the temperature close to absolute zero.
1943 Plastibulb (from The Proud Robot by Lewis Padgett)
A squeezable drink container.
1943 Airpolo (from Sunward Flight by Leo Zagat)
Polo played in mid-air with special aircraft and helium-filled balls.
1943 Durasteel (from Sunward Flight by Leo Zagat)
More durable than steel?
1943 Viewscreen Pentagon (from Sunward Flight by Leo Zagat)
A display with a central, pentagonal display surrounded by square displays attached to the sides.
1943 Mixed Men (from The Storm by A.E. van Vogt)
A mostly human being, but with an additional robot brain.
1943 Space Weather Map (from The Storm by A.E. van Vogt)
A map that details hazardous space conditions.
1943 Deceleration Chambers (from The Storm by A.E. van Vogt)
Stressed, the ship breaks apart into parts that may survive.
1943 Gum Tree (from Symbiotica by Eric Frank Russell)
A huge tree that lashed out with a mind of its own.
1943 Aladur (from Sunward Flight by Leo Zagat)
High tensile strength, lightweight material.
1943 Space Cadet (from Sunward Flight by Leo Zagat)
A young person training to be a spaceman.
1943 Royalties For Machine Learning Subjects (from Q.U.R. by Anthony Boucher)
A payment to people who are used as subjects for imitation learning by robots.
1943 Treatment of Extramundane Aborigines (from Symbiotica by Eric Frank Russell)
Laws for aliens on their own planet.
1943 Robot Cop (from Pacifist of Hell's Island by R.M. Williams)
A robotic police officer.
1943 Sea Robot (from The Metal Monster (Jarvis) by E.K. Jarvis)
An enormous robot able to function in the ocean.
1943 Flame Barrier (from The Storm by A.E. van Vogt)
A form of protective force field.
1943 Polyfrequency Neutralizer (from Gather, Darkness! by Fritz Leiber)
Dissolves projected solidographs (holograms).
1943 Vastening (from The Proud Robot by Lewis Padgett)
It's hard to describe, but it's a robotic sense perception.
1943 Off-World (from Judgement Night by C.L. Moore)
Not of Earth.
1943 Pneumo-Slacks (from The Proud Robot by Lewis Padgett)
Pants that make you look beefier.
1943 Hooman (from Castaways of Eros by Nelson S. Bond)
An alternative spelling.
1943 Manshell (from Sunward Flight by Leo Zagat)
A spaceship large enough for just one man; also an escape pod.
1944 Automatic Massager (from Far Centaurus by A.E. van Vogt)
An autonomous massage machine with robotic arms and hands.
1944 Eternity Drug (from Far Centaurus by A.E. van Vogt)
A medication that puts a person into a deep hibernation-like sleep for decades at a time.
1944 Life Blanket (from Ogre by Clifford Simak)
Sentient moss which, when draped over the shoulders of a human being, becomes fully self-aware, providing valuable services.
1944 Battle Integrator (from The Bureaucrat by Malcolm Jameson)
A three-dimensional representation of warfare in space.
1944 Solar Beam (from The Long Way by George O. Smith)
Obtaining solar power by means of a direct connection with the sun.
1944 Asteroid Mining Robot (from Catch That Rabbit by Isaac Asimov)
An autonomous robot able to effectively mine asteroids.
1944 Star Base (from Star Base X by R.M. Williams)
An installation or station at an important interstellar location.
1944 Robot Lawn Mower (from City by Clifford Simak)
An automated lawn mower.
1944 Suit-Radio (from The Long Way by George O. Smith)
A means of communication between two individuals clad in space suits.
1944 Slidewalk (from Sanity by Fritz Leiber)
A moving sidewalk; a conveyor belt for people.
1944 Gravitics (from Tricky Tonnage by Malcolm Jameson)
The science of using gravity as a technology.
1944 Relations with Extraterrestrial Life (from Ogre by Clifford Simak)
Instructions to earth citizens on how to behave when encountering alien civilizations.
1944 Robot Voice (from Catch That Rabbit by Isaac Asimov)
A voice box for a robot that is an analog of the human voice system.
1944 Robot Team (from Catch That Rabbit by Isaac Asimov)
A set of robots, with the leader able to coordinate the activities of less intelligent subsidiary robots.
1944 Robotic Arm (from City by Clifford Simak)
A specialized robotic reaching and grasping device.
1944 Energy Screen (from Far Centaurus by A.E. van Vogt)
A field of force.
1944 Reserve Bracelet (from Plague by Murray Leinster)
A means of sending a message via tiny shocks in code, delivered to the wrist.
1944 Gyrocar Monorail (from The Anarch by Malcolm Jameson)
A self-balancing vehicle.
1944 Mal de Void (from Off the Beam by George O. Smith)
Literally, space sick.
1944 Turnover (from Off the Beam by George O. Smith)
The point in a torchship's trajectory when it must flip over and point its fiery tail toward its destination to decelerate.
1944 Hide in the Asteroids (from Plague by Murray Leinster)
Match speed with the asteroids and become undetectable.
1944 Hollow Asteroid (from Juke Box Asteroid by Joseph Farrell)
An asteroid that has been hollowed out for use as a space habitat.
1944 Planetoid With Earth Gravity (from The Soul Eaters by William Conover)
1944 Asteroids From Outside Solar System (from Mr. Meek Plays Polo by Clifford Simak)
Small bodies from beyond the solar system are captured by major planets.
1944 Simple Organisms Do Math (from Mr. Meek Plays Polo by Clifford Simak)
Insects show unusual signs of intelligence.
1944 Rust Ray Pistol (from Gambler’s Asteroid by Manly Wade Wellman)
Makes the hardest steel or iron crumbly.
1945 Geosynchronous Satellite (from V2 for Ionospheric Research by Arthur C. Clarke)
A communications satellite that appears to "hover" over one spot on the earth's surface; it goes around the earth in twenty-four hours.
1945 Vision Plate (from First Contact by Murray Leinster)
A flat panel monitor.
1945 Sleeve Communicator (from First Contact by Murray Leinster)
An electronic device controller built into clothing.
1945 Overdrive (from First Contact by Murray Leinster)
A propulsion technology that allows a craft to travel at faster-than-light speed.
1945 Plastic Constructor (3D Printer) (from Things Pass By by Murray Leinster)
A 3D printer - for spaceships.
1945 Games Machine (from World of Null-A by A.E. van Vogt)
A vast computer system.
1945 Meteor Blasters (from First Contact by Murray Leinster)
Energy beams that would destroy space debris or rocks that lay in the path of a spacecraft.
1945 Electronic Locator (from World of Null-A by A.E. van Vogt)
A device that determines the location of a person.
1945 Ship Hull Thermobatteries (from The Ethical Equations by Murray Leinster)
Solar activated and charged batteries built into the hull of a spacecraft.
1945 Escapecraft (from The Ethical Equations by Murray Leinster)
A small spacecraft used when abandoning the main ship.
1945 Matter Duplicator (from Pandora's Millions by George O. Smith)
Makes a perfect copy of any material object.
1945 Star-Globe (3D Map) (from Pi in the Sky by Frederic Brown)
A celestial star map, done in three dimensions.
1945 Cosmoquake (from Things Pass By by Murray Leinster)
Gravity waves ripple across the solar system.
1945 Fixed Star Advertising (from Pi in the Sky by Frederic Brown)
In which the positions of the fixed stars are changed to form advertising.
1946 Star Travel (from Forgotten World by Edmond Hamilton)
Undertaking a journey between the stars.
1946 Tanks (from A Logic Named Joe by Murray Leinster)
Device that provides mass storage of information.
1946 Pocket Universe (from Pocket Universes by Murray Leinster)
A created, separate space within the normal space of the universe.
1946 Gravity Port (from Shadow Over Venus by Frank Belknap Long, Jr.)
Used for refueling.
1946 Plastic Igloo (from Love Among The Robots by Emmett McDowell)
A heavy plastic shelter for use in airless environments.
1946 Carson Circuit (from A Logic Named Joe by Murray Leinster)
A means of distinguishing betweem millions of different information sources - the secret of the Internet.
1946 Logics (from A Logic Named Joe by Murray Leinster)
Machines that let you request information, and then display it for you on a screen.
1946 Logics Service (from A Logic Named Joe by Murray Leinster)
A networked service that retains all of your personal information, schedules and phone messages online.
1946 Mining Worm (Robot) (from Love Among The Robots by Emmett McDowell)
An autonomous mining robot shaped like a worm.
1946 Asteroid Mine (from Love Among The Robots by Emmett McDowell)
The practice of seeking out and mining asteroids for their ore.
1946 Roboticist (from Evidence by Isaac Asimov)
A person who works on robots.
1946 Spotcast (from The Little Things by Henry Kuttner)
A new form of one-to-many communication.
1946 Robot Cat (from The Cat and the King by Raymond F. Jones)
A biological feline with mechanical parts.
1946 Robot Bus (from The Little Things by Henry Kuttner)
An autonomous vehicle to transport groups of people.
1946 Wandering Sunless Planet (from Dead Hand by Isaac Asimov)
A planet that is not bound to a star.
1947 Ion Drive (from Equalizer by Jack Williamson)
A space drive that emits a stream of ions as reaction mass; it starts out slow but builds up to interstellar speeds.
1947 Gyrocab (from You Are Forbidden! by Jerry Shelton)
A flying taxi.
1947 Planet-Smasher (from Propagandist by Murray Leinster)
Devices capable of destroying an entire planet.
1947 Hedgerly Effect (from Meddler's Moon by George O. Smith)
A means of producing a gravitational field artificially.
1947 Psychoscanner (from Propagandist by Murray Leinster)
A device capable of taking impressions, feelings and memories from living brains; it can be used on animals as well.
1947 Synchrophased Power Beams (from Propagandist by Murray Leinster)
Focuses energy beams from multiple planets on the same object.
1947 Wango Wave (from Propagandist by Murray Leinster)
Energy surge that accompanies the entrance into, and exit from, overdrive outside of normal space.
1947 Gravitic Generator (from Meddler's Moon by George O. Smith)
A device that produces an artificial gravity field.
1947 Mechanical Funeral (from The Coffin by Ray Bradbury)
An entirely autonomous burial rite.
1947 Asteroid Nets (from Asteroid Justice by V.E. Thiessen)
Capturing small asteroids or fragments using rocket nets.
1947 Space-Split (from The Star of Life by Edmond Hamilton)
Access to other dimensions provided by splitting space itself.
1947 Machine Servant (from The Star of Life by Edmond Hamilton)
A wheeled plastic box with universal-joint arms.
1947 Vitalizer (from The Soma Racks by Margaret St. Clair)
Tired? Try Henderson's Vitalizer!
1947 Self-Opening Box (from Child's Play by William Tenn)
Don't show this to Apple.
1947 Space-Dory (from Asteroid Justice by V.E. Thiessen)
A small spacecraft sometimes used as a life boat.
1947 Prime Directive (from With Folded Hands by Jack Williamson)
The first and most important rule; usually protective.
1948 Personal Rocket Jet (from Space Cadet by Robert Heinlein)
A small, handheld jet pack that can be used to maneuver freely in space.
1948 Novel-Writing Machines (from 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) by George Orwell)
A device that automatically produces fiction.
1948 Gravity Centrifuge (from Space Cadet by Robert Heinlein)
Used in low gravity environments to build up muscle for visits to Earth, or other high gravity worlds.
1948 Speakwrite (from 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) by George Orwell)
A dictation machine that also transcribes the speech into typed words.
1948 Brain Erasure (from The Knowledge Machine by Edmond Hamilton)
Deleting selected knowledge from the brain using electrical impulses.
1948 Moonbase (or Moon Base) (from 240,000 Miles Straight Up by L. Ron Hubbard)
A base of operations on Earth's moon.
1948 Precog (v) (from Police Operation by H. Beam Piper)
To see the future.
1948 High-Frequency Oven (from Space Cadet by Robert Heinlein)
This describes the essence of a microwave.
1948 Electro-Education (from The Knowledge Machine by Edmond Hamilton)
The latest thing in electrically stimulated learning.
1948 Telescreen (from 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) by George Orwell)
Very early use of the idea of using technology to monitor human activity at a distance.
1948 Rewriting History (from 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) by George Orwell)
Use of sophisticated technology to continuously rewrite the historical record.
1948 Learning-Cap (from The Knowledge Machine by Edmond Hamilton)
A special metal helmet for electro-education.
1948 Crimestop (from 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) by George Orwell)
The faculty of stopping short, as though by instict, at the threshold of any dangerous thought.
1948 Doublethink (from 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) by George Orwell)
A mental discipline that is an exact contradiction to the basic principles of scientific inquiry.
1948 Atmospheric Braking (from Space Cadet by Robert Heinlein)
Using a planet's atmosphere to gradually decelerate a spacecraft.
1948 Tag-Along Balloon (from Gentlemen, Be Seated by Robert Heinlein)
A bladder-like device that both finds and temporarily fixes leaks in moon tunnels or space station habitats.
1948 Microwavable Food (from Space Cadet by Robert Heinlein)
Food that is prepared specifically for use in a microwave (high-frequency) oven.
1948 Star Drive (from Genius by Poul Anderson)
The propulsion unit for an interstellar space craft.
1948 Solidograph-Projector (from Police Operation by H. Beam Piper)
A device that projected a 3D image of objects or a person.
1948 Moonquake-Proof Habitats (from Gentlemen, Be Seated by Robert Heinlein)
Moonbases that are built to withstand quakes on the Moon.
1948 Space Ark (from Decision Illogical by N.B. Wilkinson)
A very large ship used to transport a large group of people.
1948 Memory Hole (from 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) by George Orwell)
A receptacle for unwanted documents.
1948 Portable Telephone (from Space Cadet by Robert Heinlein)
The essence of a cell phone.
1948 Nerve Control Lines (from The Rull by A.E. van Vogt)
Designs that take control of human nervous systems.
1948 Atomician Sign Language (from The Faceless Men by Leo Zagat)
Specialized sign language used by those who work with atomics.
1948 Survey Craft (from The Rull by A.E. van Vogt)
Light duty ship for use in atmosphere, to explore planets.
1948 Versificator (from 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) by George Orwell)
A device that composes words to music.
1948 Tubecar (from The Faceless Men by Leo Zagat)
A pneumatic tube that carries people.
1948 Beltway (from The Faceless Men by Leo Zagat)
A moving sidewalk.
1948 Automatic Defensors (from The Rull by A.E. van Vogt)
Devices that follow along with you, providing extra viewpoints.
1949 Stationary Automatic Blaster (from Red Planet by Robert Heinlein)
An automated defensive blaster.
1949 Mind-Parasite (from Agent of Vega by James Schmitz)
Takes over the cognition of a host organism.
1949 Mind-Lock (from Agent of Vega by James Schmitz)
A device that confines a mind within its own shielded area.
1949 Telepath Transmitter (from Agent of Vega by James Schmitz)
A device for long distance communication that makes use of telepathy.
1949 Skimmer (from Lost Ulysses by W.L. Bade)
Low-flying, hovering vehicle.
1949 Metal Calculator Planet (from Limiting Factor by Clifford Simak)
A planet covered entirely with machinery to a height of twenty miles and covered with a metal roof.
1949 'Fresher (from Gulf by Robert Heinlein)
Short for 'refreshing chamber', a device that performs various personal services.
1949 Desert Cabbage (from Red Planet by Robert Heinlein)
A giant plant that regulates its internal temperature even on Mars.
1949 Repulsor (from What Mad Universe by Frederic Brown)
A device that inhibits the action of a spacewarp drive.
1949 Spacewarp Drive (from What Mad Universe by Frederic Brown)
A means of faster-than-light travel.
1949 Visiglobe (from Agent of Vega by James Schmitz)
A display that provided a spherical, 3D visualization of a scene.
1949 Emergency Treatment Tank (Chamber) (from Agent of Vega by James Schmitz)
A fully enclosed regeneration device.
1949 Synthetigrav (from Agent of Vega by James Schmitz)
General term for any of the fields produced by synthetic gravity devices.
1949 Vivo-Gel (from Agent of Vega by James Schmitz)
Semi-living material.
1949 Quizzer (from Agent of Vega by James Schmitz)
An autonomous mind-probe.
1949 Gee (from Sacred Martian Pig (Idris' Pig) by Margaret St. Clair)
Using the standard letter designation in physics for gravity.
1949 Plastiskin (from Unforeseen by Roger P. Graham)
Artificial human skin to cover prosthetics.
1949 Robot Introspection (from Unforeseen by Roger P. Graham)
A robotic brain grows and learns about itself.
1949 Fluor Strips (from Sacred Martian Pig (Idris' Pig) by Margaret St. Clair)
Lighting long narrow devices.
1949 Bubble Armor Space Suit (from Agent of Vega by James Schmitz)
Steel bubble-shaped space suit.
1949 Cybernetic Brain (from The Cybernetic Brain by Charles Recour)
An artificial brain to control the movements of an prosthetic leg using nerve impulses.
1949 Martian Canal Ice (from Red Planet by Robert Heinlein)
Open water ice on the fourth planet.
1949 Spider Robot (from The Mystery of Element 117 by Milton K. Smith)
A mechanism in the form of a spider.
1949 Space Scurvy (Kenoalgia) (from Sacred Martian Pig (Idris' Pig) by Margaret St. Clair)
A wasting disease of space travel.
1949 Shari (from Sacred Martian Pig (Idris' Pig) by Margaret St. Clair)
A multipurpose net worn as clothing.
1949 Bolt Anti-Grav (from Sacred Martian Pig (Idris' Pig) by Margaret St. Clair)
This device produces a torus-shaped discharge that causes weightlessness.
1949 Painted Respirator Masks (from Red Planet by Robert Heinlein)
Children choose to decorate otherwise uniform equipment masks.
1949 Three Generation Work (Century Piece) (from The Sub-Standard Sardines by Jack Vance)
An artwork created by three consecutive generations of artists, in exactly one century.
1949 Resilian (from The Howling Bounders by Jack Vance)
A natural fiber that is as strong as steel.
1949 Herculoy (from The Howling Bounders by Jack Vance)
A very strong alloy like steel.
1949 Self-Igniter (from The Howling Bounders by Jack Vance)
A self-lighting cigarette.
1950 Computer-Controlled House (from The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury)
A residence that is an autonomous robotic system.
1950 Repair Robots (from The Well-Oiled Machine by H.B. Fyfe)
Autonomous robots that carry out maintenance functions on a space ship.
1950 Syntho-Steak (from Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein)
Artificially produced meat.
1950 Walker Wagon (from Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein)
Robotic vehicle with a trough-like body and many mechanical legs.
1950 Culture Tank (from Needle by Hal Clement)
Germs that eat garbage and produce oil.
1950 Quickthaw (from Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein)
A microwave oven to heat food items quickly.
1950 Fontema (from First Lensman by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A strange two 'wheeled' animal.
1950 Mass-Conversion Ship (from Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein)
A spacecraft that uses the ultimate in fuel sources.
1950 Helicab (from Heli-Cab Hack by John Weston)
A taxi cab that flies using helicopter rotors.
1950 Torch (from Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein)
The orifice from which issued the reaction mass of an atomic powered space craft.
1950 Robotic Dishwasher (from The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury)
A fully automated solution to the dishwashing problem.
1950 Tractatruck (from The Moon is Hell by John W. Campbell)
Combination tractor and truck used for hauling and exploration.
1950 The Machines (from The Evitable Conflict by Isaac Asimov)
A few of these can run a planetary economy.
1950 Building With Lunar Materials (from The Moon is Hell by John W. Campbell)
Using a planet's materials to make what you need.
1950 Robot Mice (from The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury)
Tiny cleaning robots.
1950 Gravity Drive (from Star Ship by Poul Anderson)
A spaceship propulsion method that uses gravity or gravity waves.
1950 Voice-Clock (from The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury)
A clock that could state the time out loud.
1950 Diaheliper (from The Morning of the Day They Did It by E.B. White)
Offers delivery of diapers by air.
1950 Space Platform (from The Morning of the Day They Did It by E.B. White)
The Space Platform for Checking Aggression is a military orbital weapons platform.
1950 Stratovideo (Television Plane) (from The Morning of the Day They Did It by E.B. White)
An aircraft with studios that continuously broadcast line-of-sight television.
1950 Earthport (from The Ballad of Lost C'Mell by Cordwainer Smith)
A massive spaceport that reared up from the surface of the earth to the edge of the atmosphere.
1950 Yeast Steak (from The Evitable Conflict by Isaac Asimov)
Growing custom strains of yeast as food.
1950 Tri-D (from The Morning of the Day They Did It by E.B. White)
A remarkable pesticide.
1950 Sand Ship (from The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury)
A wind-powered vehicle in the desert.
1950 Zag House (from Time Quarry by Clifford Simak)
A means of implanting dreams.
1950 Hybrid Mass Driver (from The Man Who Sold The Moon by Robert Heinlein)
A device for launching space craft on the first stage of a journey to space.
1950 Haberman (from Scanners Live in Vain by Cordwainer Smith)
Modified humans controlled by cybernetic implants.
1950 Nexialist (from Voyage of the Space Beagle by A.E. van Vogt)
A person with a coordinative knowledge across a variety of sciences.
1950 Robotic Chess Expert (from Time Quarry by Clifford Simak)
A robot that plays chess at a level that no human can match.
1950 Automatic Light Switch (from The Man Who Sold The Moon by Robert Heinlein)
A device that senses if an illuminated room is empty, and turns off the light.
1950 Mentophone (from Time Quarry by Clifford Simak)
A device that facilitates long-distance telepathy.
1950 Two-Wheeled Ground Car (from First Lensman by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
A gyro-stabilized vehicle like an enclosed motorcycle.
1950 Underpeople (from The Ballad of Lost C'Mell by Cordwainer Smith)
An animal modified to be human in shape and intellect.
1950 Anti-Tri-D Shot (from The Morning of the Day They Did It by E.B. White)
Counteracts the deadly pesticide Tri-D.
1950 Self-Adjusting Furniture (from Time Quarry by Clifford Simak)
Automatic adjustment for a perfect fit.
1950 Shipboard Medical Treatment (from Contagion by Katherine MacLean)
An elaborate system to guard against infection in returning space explorers.
1950 Earther (from The Five Gold Bands by Jack Vance)
A person born on planet Earth.
1950 Water From Lunar Gypsum (from The Moon is Hell by John W. Campbell)
Extracting water (and therefore oxygen, by electrolysis) from apparently dry lunar material.
1950 Nucleocat Cureall (from Contagion by Katherine MacLean)
Only human cells can survive contact.
1950 Palm Key-Plate (from The Stars are The Styx by Theodore Sturgeon)
A plate that accepts palms that have been verified.
1950 Black Bag (from The Little Black Bag by C.M. Kornbluth)
A medical kit from the future.
1950 Regeneration Tank (from Contagion by Katherine MacLean)
A nutrient bath large enough to enclose a person that preserved life and treated disease.
1950 FTL (from The Enchanted Forest by Fritz Leiber)
Abbreviation for "faster than light".
1951 The Veldt (from The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury)
A nursery that comes alive for the viewer.
1951 Autocab (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
An fully automated taxi cab.
1951 Dirt-Farming (from The End of the Line by James Schmitz)
An archaic method of food production.
1951 Movable Slideway (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
A slideway (moving sidewalk) that can be extended to a spaceship to ease the debarkation process.
1951 Trantor (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A city that covers the entire surface of the planet.
1951 Happylife Home (from The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury)
An automated multi-media home, which provided the good life to its inhabitants.
1951 Martian Perambulator (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
A mechanized transport for heavy gravity environments for beings born in lower gravity environments.
1951 Ultrawave Relay or Hyperwave Relay (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Instantaneous, faster-than-light communication system.
1951 Metal Foil Advertisement (from The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury)
An advertising circular made out of metal.
1951 Dominator (from The End of the Line by James Schmitz)
Device implants a psychological block.
1951 Anti-Spying Device (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Foolproof means of defending against spy beams.
1951 Calculator Pad (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Used to make psychohistoric calculations
1951 Teledar (from The Jester by William Tenn)
Three-dimensional television.
1951 Surrogate Skin (from The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein)
False skin that is sprayed onto damaged areas.
1951 Neutron Disruption Blaster (from The Complete Paratime by H. Beam Piper)
Beam pistol which splits neutrons into protons and electrons, releasing enormous energy.
1951 Gravitic Repulsion Elevator (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
The elevator was of the new sort that ran by gravitic repulsion.
1951 Static Field (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A defense against a spy beam.
1951 Self-Sealing Plastic (from Asteroid of Fear by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Transparent sheeting with a layer of material that would flow to staunch tiny leaks.
1951 Spy Beam (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A surveillance device that projects energy into a room, revealing conversation taking place.
1951 Plasto-Textile (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A fabric that cannot be stained.
1951 Agricultural World (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Planet set aside for the production of food for another world.
1951 Personal Capsule (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
An impenetrable device containing information for your eyes only.
1951 Personal Force-Shield (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A portable force-shield small enough to be carried by a single man.
1951 Directional Ticket (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A ticket that also has the property of glowing while you are going toward what you bought.
1951 Airtight Tent (from Asteroid of Fear by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A temporary structure for living on an airless moon or asteroid.
1951 Shuttle Ship (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
A spacecraft that could take off from a planet, rendezvous with an object in orbit, and fly back to the surface like a glider.
1951 Pocket Nucleo-Bulb (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A nuclear-powered pocket-sized flashlight.
1951 Robass (from The Quest for Saint Aquin by Anthony Boucher)
A robotic beast of burden.
1951 Suction Mail Tube (from The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury)
An evacuated tube system carrying mail to residences.
1951 Vocalex Kitchen (from The Jester by William Tenn)
Voice command automatic kitchen.
1951 Winged Rocket Shuttle (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
A sort of plane that briefly reached space while traveling between points on a planet.
1951 Odorophonics (from The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury)
A system capable of reproducing selected scents capable of fooling the human nervous system.
1951 Flying Saucer (from The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein)
Spacecraft flown by the androgynes of Titan - under control of the Puppetmasters.
1951 Selector Card (from The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein)
Pneumatic delivery of book films by using a mechanical form of data storage; selector cards - probably punch cards.
1951 Molecule Matrix (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
Storing information in individual molecules and atoms.
1951 Cold-Sleep (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
A form of induced suspended animation, in which a person enters a state like hibernation.
1951 Polaron Beam (from Earthlight (Novella) by Arthur C. Clarke)
A unique beam of energy that scatters some of its light at right angles to the direction of propagation.
1951 Half-Sphere Force Field (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
A protective force field that can manifest even as a half-sphere.
1951 Security Restraint Field (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
A force field that restricts personal movement.
1951 Microwire (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
A very thin wire used for recording purposes.
1951 Meson Filter (from The Jester by William Tenn)
Provides robots with the ability to tell the difference between jokes that provide a chuckle and jokes that provide a belly laugh.
1951 Variable Modifier (from The Jester by William Tenn)
Provides the capability of altering standard jokes to fit new circumstances.
1951 Vibratory Mass Penetrator (from Rock Diver by Harry Harrison)
A device that allows a person to walk through earth and even solid rock.
1951 Powered artificial exoskeleton (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
A robotic device designed to support someone too weak to comfortably move in high gravity.
1951 Negative Molecular Motion (from The Universe Between by Alan E. Nourse)
A state of matter that has a temperature below absolute zero.
1951 Ontogenetic Adaptation (from The End of the Line by James Schmitz)
Immediate genetic-level ability to eat alien plants.
1951 Neuronic Whip (from The Stars, Like Dust by Isaac Asimov)
A weapon that stimulated the nerve endings to cause extreme discomfort.
1951 Psychohistory (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Branch of mathematics describes the behavior of human beings en masses.
1951 Finger Watch (from Key Decision by H.B. Fyfe)
A ring that contains a working timepiece and a display.
1951 Audio Relay (from The Puppet Masters by Robert Heinlein)
A communication device implanted behind the ear; also used as an alarm for wake-up calls.
1951 Force-Field Penknife (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A pocket-sized knife, the blade of which is a force-field.
1951 Butler-Valet Robot (from The Jester by William Tenn)
A gentleman's servant, roboticized.
1951 Spinning Pressurized Drum (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
Put a spin on just a part of a space station.
1951 Guided Missile Control Station (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
An orbital missile base.
1951 Flavor-Fix Rheostat (from The Jester by William Tenn)
Technology makes sure that the flavor of automatically-produced food is perfect.
1951 Space Transfer Station (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
An orbiting space station primarily used as a stepping-off point from Earth.
1951 Genetic Engineering (from Dragon's Island by Jack Williamson)
Direct manipulation of genetic material
1951 Vat Meat (Albert) (from The End of the Line by James Schmitz)
Meat grown in a vat.
1951 Nuclear Shears (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Device uses nuclear power to accomplish basic shop tasks.
1951 Asteroid Homesteaders' School (from Asteroid of Fear by Raymond Z. Gallun)
An institution of learning where regular folks learned how to start a farm on an asteroid.
1951 Machine Test Scoring (from The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov)
A device that scans a specially prepared grade sheet and determines a student's score.
1951 Robot Comedian (from The Jester by William Tenn)
Joke-telling feature added to a standard butler robot.
1951 Mechanical Teacher (from The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov)
A computer device able to teach children.
1951 Helmet-Mounted Display Screen (from Rock Diver by Harry Harrison)
A small electronic display mounted for easy viewing.
1951 Asteroid Garden (from Asteroid of Fear by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A method for building a greenhouse on a small, airless body.
1951 Jump Through Hyperspace (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Device that makes faster-than-light travel possible.
1951 Telebook (from The Fun They Had by Isaac Asimov)
A book made available in text on a television screen.
1951 Planetruck (from The Slave Ship to Andrigo by Ross Rocklynne)
Huge vehicle for planetary surface transport.
1951 Smarter People Having Fewer Children (from The Marching Morons by C.M. Kornbluth)
The original argument that less suitable human pairs are having proportionally more children.
1951 Boarding Space-Line (from Tyrann by Isaac Asimov)
A method for two ships to connect at a distance, allowing a passenger to move safely between ships.
1951 Coffee Cube (from The Marching Morons by C.M. Kornbluth)
Concentrated coffee that boils itself!
1951 Air Speedster (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Highly maneuverable air vehicle for hunting.
1951 Oxygen Concentrator (from Duel on Syrtis by Poul Anderson)
Gathers oxygen from a thin atmosphere until it is breathable, supporting life.
1951 Suspensine (from Duel on Syrtis by Poul Anderson)
Slows biological functions enough to survive in airless space - for a time.
1951 Space Station One (from The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke)
Describes an early space station similar to the International Space Station, that grew over time by accretion.
1951 Artificial Intelligence (from Moon of the Unforgotten by Edmond Hamilton)
A machine or other created system able to respond in a human-like way to questions or problems.
1951 Booklegger (from Between Planets by Robert Heinlein)
A smuggler of books.
1951 Oxygen Weeds (from The Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke)
Plants that create oxygen on a planet with little breathable air.
1951 Single Vehicle Tunnel (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A small diameter tunnel that accepts a single vehicle to a single destination.
1951 Retard-Jets (from Brother Worlds by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Rockets to slow down.
1951 Ultra-Light (from Rock Diver by Harry Harrison)
Allows the user to see into rock or other solid matter.
1951 Star-Globe (Ship) (from Brother Worlds by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A spherical spacecraft.
1951 Sun-Room (from Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
On a planet-wide city, the only way to get some sun without going to the roof.
1951 Robot Detector (from Assignment in the Unknown by Frank Quattrocchi)
A device that can sense robotics.
1951 Pail of Air (from A Pail of Air by Fritz Leiber)
A small bucket filled with (liquid) air.
1951 Sun Dome (from The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury)
Used on Venus to give relief from the endless rain.
1952 Wall-Light (from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov)
The walls of a room provide illumination.
1952 Electronic Spy (from Ring Around the Sun by Clifford Simak)
An autonomous device that kept itself hidden while keeping track of an individual's activity.
1952 Flat Cat (from The Rolling Stones by Robert Heinlein)
A nearly two-dimensional furry little beast.
1952 Pocket Projector (from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov)
A personal device for replaying media.
1952 Contragravity Suit (from Uller Uprising by H. Beam Piper)
A suit with antigravity.
1952 Menslator (from Troubled Star by George O. Smith)
A translator that works by examining the mental image of what you are trying to say.
1952 Spray-On Gloves (from Abercrombie Station by Jack Vance)
Fashionable evening gloves that are sprayed onto the hand and arm.
1952 Barytrine Field (from Troubled Star by George O. Smith)
Very large scale stasis field.
1952 Spray-On Clothing Web (from Abercrombie Station by Jack Vance)
A 'web' clothing foundation that can be sprayed on and then molded by a couturier.
1952 Panatrope (from Surface Tension by James Blish)
A device that modifies human dna to ensure survival in harsh alien environments.
1952 Soot-Extractor Nostril Plugs (Antisoot Plugs) (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
A small device worn to filter industrial pollutants out of breathing air.
1952 Solar-powered Prefab House (from Ring Around the Sun by Clifford Simak)
A pre-built house that can live off the grid.
1952 Space Beacon (from Troubled Star by George O. Smith)
An ordinary sun is transformed into a beacon for use by spacecraft when in hyperspace.
1952 Psychic Probe (from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov)
A device capable of discerning truthful information in a living human brain.
1952 Stun Pistol (from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov)
A hand-held device that causes unconsciousness.
1952 Gas Giant (from Solar Plexus by James Blish)
Large planet consisting primarily of gas with a solid core.
1952 Medical Use for Weightlessness (from Accidental Flight by W.F. Wallace)
Early reference to the idea of using a weightless environment for medical purposes.
1952 Toaster (from Accidental Flight by W.F. Wallace)
A handheld beam weapon.
1952 Self-Repairing Robot (from Accidental Flight by W.F. Wallace)
A mechanism that can detect faults in itself and repair them.
1952 Lunocycle (Lunar Bicycle) (from The Rolling Stones by Robert Heinlein)
A bicycle specially adapted for lunar travel.
1952 Monoline (from Big Planet by Jack Vance)
A wind-driven overland transport.
1952 Plastissue (from Accidental Flight by W.F. Wallace)
Artificial flesh.
1952 Off-Planet (from Uller Uprising by H. Beam Piper)
Away from a planet, towards another or into space.
1952 Hydropathic bed (from The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester)
A heated bed that used something more comfortable than water.
1952 Coffiest (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
It's coffee that you can't live without.
1952 Animal-tissue Culture Vat (from Uller Uprising by H. Beam Piper)
A means of producing artificial meat for food.
1952 Gravital Unit (from Accidental Flight by W.F. Wallace)
Device that maintains Earth-comparable gravity on an asteroid.
1952 Automated Wake-Up Call (from The Kokod Warriors by Jack Vance)
A device that provides automated wake-up calls.
1952 Mnemiphot (from The Kokod Warriors by Jack Vance)
A device used to search for information, which is then presented on a convenient screen.
1952 Broomstick (from Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke)
Device to ease movement in a zero-gravity environment.
1952 Triple Airlock (from Uller Uprising by H. Beam Piper)
Special device to protect against extremely corrosive atmospheres.
1952 Airjeep (from Uller Uprising by H. Beam Piper)
A small military air vehicle.
1952 Free Robot (from Robot Unwanted by Daniel Keyes)
A robot without a master.
1952 Ribbon World (from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov)
A planet that presents the same face to its sun has a small habitable area - the ribbon between light and dark.
1952 Nuclear-Field Depressor (from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov)
A device that causes nuclear-powered devices to stop working.
1952 Chicken Little (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
Very early reference to meat grown in a vat for food.
1952 Hypnoteleset (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
A device that guarantees quick, surrogate sleep.
1952 Plasticocoon (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
Holds a prisoner motionless.
1952 Water Bulb (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
A zero-gee dispenser of liquids.
1952 Kite-Copter Car (from The Kokod Warriors by Jack Vance)
An observation car suspended below a device that supplies lift.
1952 Retinal Projection (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
A method for projecting advertisements directly on the retina.
1952 Magneslippers (from Accidental Flight by W.F. Wallace)
Shoes that adhere to metal space ship floors, useful in null gravity situations.
1952 Visi-Sonor (from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov)
An entertainment device which appeared to create both sound and light by acting directly on brain cells. It also stimulated emotions directly.
1952 Hilsch Vortex Tube (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
A T-shaped device that admits air under pressure and outputs hot air from side and cold from the other.
1952 Water Bulb (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
A zero-g way to enjoy water.
1952 Prism Window (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
A device for getting a better view of the ground from inside an airplane.
1952 Airplane Window Ads (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
An airplane window that allows you to - see advertisements!
1952 Automatic Pilot (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
A device to control the movement of aircraft using computer components.
1952 Chlorella Plantation (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
A skyscraper designed for food production.
1952 Personal Solar Plant (from Ring Around the Sun by Clifford Simak)
A single-home solar-powered energy source.
1952 Tourist Rocket (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
A cheap, unpleasant way to do space travel.
1952 Flavor-Capsule (from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov)
A small pill used to turn ordinary water into a flavored beverage.
1952 Compulsive Subsonics (from The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
An advertising agency works with every part of the audience's brain.
1952 Recorded Books (from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov)
Electronically recorded books.
1952 Ullran Enunciator (from Uller Uprising by H. Beam Piper)
Special prosthesis needed to aid humans in speaking an alien language.
1952 Tiny Nuclear Generator (from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov)
A complete nuclear-based generator of power no bigger than a walnut.
1952 Levitating Path (from A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury)
Anti-gravity metal used to make a floating walkway.
1952 Droid (First Use) (from Robots of the World! Arise! by Mari Wolf)
Contraction of "android".
1952 Depilatory Soap (from Gravy Planet by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
A labor-saving combination of soap and a agent that removes hair.
1952 Mechanical Dentist (from Make Mine Mars by C.M. Kornbluth)
No human graduated from dental school here.
1952 Light Absorbing/Emitting Ink (from Gravy Planet by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
Ink that can absorb light and then emit it in a burst for advertising purposes.
1952 Self-Maintaining Circuit Monitoring and Repair (from Gramp and his Dog by Frank Quattrocchi)
A computer that monitors itself for repair.
1952 Flesh Men (from Robots of the World! Arise! by Mari Wolf)
Thinking beings that are not mechanical robots - human beings.
1952 Moon-Dome (from Last Blast by Eric Frank Russell)
A transparent hemisphere used as a habitat.
1952 Leak Disk (from Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke)
Simple device to temporarily close a leak in a spacecraft.
1952 Cylinder Space Suit (from Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke)
A mostly rigid, cylindrical space suit.
1952 Robot Strike (from Robots of the World! Arise! by Mari Wolf)
When robots refuse to work.
1952 Photo Crystal (Cube) (from Foundation and Empire by Isaac Asimov)
A small handheld display for a picture
1952 Vision Strip (from Orphans of the Void by Orville Shaara)
A circular vision strip for robots.
1952 Moonwalk (from Moonwalk by H.B. Fyfe)
To traverse the Earth's moon on foot, in a space suit.
1952 Analogue Treatment (from Ticket to Anywhere by Damon Knight)
Hypnotic drug treatment that normalizes behavior in humans.
1952 Zero 'g' (Zero Gee) (from Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke)
In a ship in orbit, in free fall.
1952 Tree-Grown Wood (from Gravy Planet by Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth))
The natural product, obtained by cutting down a living tree.
1952 Robot Ramp (from Robot Unwanted by Daniel Keyes)
A special means of ingress and egress solely for use by mechanical help.
1952 Magnetic Coil Slippers (from Abercrombie Station by Jack Vance)
Maintain your footing in zero gravity.
1952 Magnetized Cloth Pajamas (from Abercrombie Station by Jack Vance)
Sleeping in zero gee - just like on Earth!
1952 Monowheel (from Firewater by William Tenn)
A single-wheeled police car.
1952 Singularity (from All The Time In The World by Arthur C. Clarke)
In science, a condition in which spacetime breaks down; in society, a technological advance causes social conditions to break down.
1952 Spy-Eyes (from Manners of the Age by H.B. Fyfe)
Tiny robotic surveillance devices fly using propellers.
1952 Vacuum Tractor (from Moonwalk by H.B. Fyfe)
A small transport used on the surface of the moon, in vacuum.
1952 Supervisor Robot (from Manners of the Age by H.B. Fyfe)
A robot that watches over and gives orders to other robots.
1952 Law of Contact (from Orphans of the Void by Orville Shaara)
Non-interference in the development of other worlds.
1952 Silencer-Padding (from Robot Unwanted by Daniel Keyes)
Robots need to have special padding on the bottoms of their lower limbs, so they don't clank as they walk.
1952 Robot Manumission (from Robot Unwanted by Daniel Keyes)
The freeing of a robotic being from a state of being owned property.
1952 Space-Weather Men (from Revenge of the Robots by Lawrence Chandler)
Predictors of the 'weather' in space.
1952 Beeper (from Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke)
A handheld radar set, used to find items that have drifted off.
1952 Esper (from The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester)
A person to perceive the contents of another person's mind.
1952 Lead-Bodied Android (from Robots of the World! Arise! by Mari Wolf)
A robot designed for use in the nuclear industry.
1952 Warp-Speed (from Yachting Party by Fox B. Holden)
Faster than light spaceships.
1952 Robotic Law Tape Safety Valve (from Robot Unwanted by Daniel Keyes)
A specific impulse that warns robots contemplating breaking the laws set forth for their behavior.
1952 Robot Tennis Player (from Manners of the Age by H.B. Fyfe)
A purely mechanical, autonomous foe on the court.
1952 Robodore (from Robot Unwanted by Daniel Keyes)
A robot specialized for use as a stevedore, emptying the contents of ships in port.
1953 Stardrive (from Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke)
Propulsion method that quickly brings a ship's speed to nearly that of light.
1953 Hypertracer (from Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A device that allows a pursuer to follow a spaceship through hyperspace.
1953 Merc-Pool (from Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov)
A device that stores information in vibration patterns on a mercury surface.
1953 Voice-Activated Door (from Assignment to Aldebaran by Kendall Foster Crossen)
A door that opens upon verbal command.
1953 Robot Psyche Tester (from Colony by Philip K. Dick)
An automated psychiatric evaluation device.
1953 Self-Sufficient House (from Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke)
A single family residence that required no surrounding infrastructure.
1953 Control Screen (from Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke)
An alien display device.
1953 Morality Rating-Computer (from Assignment to Aldebaran by Kendall Foster Crossen)
A computer system able to determine moral deviancy.
1953 News Receptor (from If There Were No Benny Cemoli by Philip K. Dick)
Devices used by homeostatic newspapers to gather news autonomically.
1953 Claws (Attack Robot) (from Second Variety by Philip K. Dick)
Autonomous guard robots that attack living tissue.
1953 Big Flue (from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
Enormous incinerators serviced directly by helicopter.
1953 Homeostatic Newspaper (from If There Were No Benny Cemoli by Philip K. Dick)
An autonomous news-gathering and publishing entity; abbreviated as homeopape.
1953 Salamander (from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
Name given to the fire trucks of the future, which carry kerosene rather than water, and are used to burn houses.
1953 Space Weakness (from Space Tug by Murray Leinster)
Early description of what happens to the human body in zero gravity.
1953 Mechanical Hound (from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
An eight-legged robotic "hound" with hypodermic poison fangs.
1953 Green Bullet (from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
A very compact (for 1950) radio transceiver, worn in the ear like a hearing aid.
1953 Yeast-Culture Vats (from Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov)
Using cultured yeast as the basis for food production.
1953 Parlor Wall (TV Parlor) (from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
The original "big screen TV" takes up an entire wall of a room.
1953 Electronic-Eyed Snake (from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
A fully automated stomach pump.
1953 Legislation Analyzer (from The Trouble With Bubbles by Philip K. Dick)
Device analyzes potentially biased bills.
1953 Spot-Wavex Scrambler (from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
Provides a more personalized experience of television, by letting the announcers talk to you personally.
1953 Sideglance Robe (from The Trouble With Bubbles by Philip K. Dick)
A dress that is invisible or opaque, depending on how you look at it.
1953 Dressing Machine (from Roll Out the Rolov! by Christopher Anvil)
A robotic device to serve as a mechanical dresser.
1953 Air-Propelled Train (from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
A silent means of mass transit.
1953 Artificially Pulsating Star (from The Cosmic Blinker by Eando Binder)
A star that has been modified to pulsate with a message to the entire universe.
1953 Robot Door (from Colony by Philip K. Dick)
Automated door has some decision-making capabilities, in addition to speech recognition capabilities.
1953 Seashell Radio (Thimble Radios) (from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
Small radios that fit into the ears like hearing aids or ear buds.
1953 Rolov (from Roll Out the Rolov! by Christopher Anvil)
A specialized robot for the bedroom.
1953 Preserving Machine (from The Preserving Machine by Philip K. Dick)
A device that would create a unique animal from a piece of classical music.
1953 Brains (Computer) (from The Cosmic Blinker by Eando Binder)
An electronic brain that is able to do problem solving. This idea seems to be the impetus behind current artificial intelligence that seeks to solve problems, rather than to simulate human intelligenc
1953 Worldcraft Bubble (from The Trouble With Bubbles by Philip K. Dick)
An incredibly detailed mechanical simulation of a world.
1953 City Ship (from Star of Wonder by Julian May)
A generation ship, a spacecraft that carries a people to another star.
1953 Sliver Gun (from The Unreliable Perfumist by Margaret St. Clair)
A firearm that shoots fine darts.
1953 Permanent Skywriting (from Soap Opera by Alan Nelson)
Non-wispy skywriting letters.
1953 Zero-G Cups (from Space Tug by Murray Leinster)
Cups that were specially designed to be usable under zero gravity conditions.
1953 Ring Road (from Starman Jones by Robert Heinlein)
A magnetically levitated train.
1953 Eetee (E.T. - extraterrestrial) (from Button, Button by Thomas Wilson)
A sentient being not of this Earth.
1953 Lens Image (from Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A presentation of the night sky, calculated for any planet or point in space.
1953 Private Flyer (from Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke)
A privately-owned air vehicle that used no control surfaces for maneuvering.
1953 Vistascreen (from Assignment to Aldebaran by Kendall Foster Crossen)
Large screen entertainment.
1953 Garbage Screen (from Space Tug by Murray Leinster)
Use of bits of metal to confuse radar targeting of space stations.
1953 Spacecraft Ejection Seat (from Space Tug by Murray Leinster)
An ejection seat for spacecraft, to be used in the event of problems during launch.
1953 Sound Analysis (from Assignment in Eternity by Robert Heinlein)
Improving language teaching by showing the waveform of a spoken word or phrase, and comparing it to standard speech.
1953 Gravity-Simulator Harness (from Space Tug by Murray Leinster)
Device that simulates gravity's effect on muscles to keep in shape while in space.
1953 Message Tree (from A Case of Conscience by James Blish)
A tree growing out of a huge cliff of crystal provides communication for a world.
1953 Space Wagon (from Space Tug by Murray Leinster)
A space vehicle without a cabin, used for short-range towing.
1953 Speedtalk (from Assignment in Eternity by Robert Heinlein)
A constructed language that uses a single sound to stand for a word, achieving great improvements in communication speed.
1953 Galactography (from Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Geography on a galactic scale.
1953 Voice in the Ear (from Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke)
Project a voice or sound to one individual's ears only.
1953 Sunlight Blocker (from Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke)
A roughly circular field which denies sunlight to an area of a planet.
1953 Planetary Globe (from Star of Wonder by Julian May)
A craftsman's model of a planet.
1953 Pocket Phone (or pocketphone) (from Assignment in Eternity by Robert Heinlein)
A telephone that is not hard wired to the network; a mobile or cell phone.
1953 Robot Pianist (from Virtuoso by Herbert Goldstone)
A robot learns the fine art of playing classical music on the piano.
1953 Automatic Ticket Machine (from Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Get your ticket to Trantor automatically.
1953 Robant (from The Impossible Planet by Philip K. Dick)
A robotic servant.
1953 Prime Radiant (from Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A projector that puts all of a vast collection of writings on the wall of a special conference room. You could interact with it by writing on the wall; changes were stored.
1953 Machine Evolution (from Second Variety by Philip K. Dick)
An early look at the idea that machines can evolve all by themselves, physically and intellectually.
1953 Transcriber (from Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A automated transcriptionist - a machine which perfectly translates human speech into words on paper.
1953 Torchship (from Sky Lift by Robert Heinlein)
A spaceship capable of high acceleration.
1953 The Shed (from Space Tug by Murray Leinster)
Enormous building needed to assemble giant space craft or space stations.
1953 Pinlight (from The Game of Rat and Dragon by Cordwainer Smith)
Thimble-sized photonuclear bomb.
1953 Inflatable Air Lock (from Space Tug by Murray Leinster)
Air lock making use of inflatable side walls to achieve large size.
1953 Magnetic-Soled Shoes (from Space Tug by Murray Leinster)
A means of walking on a surface in zero gravity.
1953 Planet Buster (from Assignment to Aldebaran by Kendall Foster Crossen)
A bomb so powerful it could destroy a planet.
1953 Pushpot (from Space Tug by Murray Leinster)
An independent rocket motor that can attach itself to an object bound for space.
1953 Space Flight Simulator (from Space Tug by Murray Leinster)
Very early description of a way to practice flying in space while still on Earth.
1953 Planoforming (from The Game of Rat and Dragon by Cordwainer Smith)
A form of "faster than light" travel allows for interstellar travel.
1953 Short-Wave Surgical Knife (from Boomerang (A Great Deal of Power) by Eric Frank Russell)
A means of performing an internal cut without breaking the skin.
1953 R. Daneel Olivaw (from Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov)
A human-like robot, skilled in police work.
1953 Robotaxi (from Dugal Was A Spaceman by Joe Gibson)
A fully automated, driverless taxi.
1953 Plasta-Skin (from Star Rangers (The Last Planet) by Andre Norton)
Artificial Skin
1953 Time Scoop (from Paycheck by Philip K. Dick)
Retrieved objects from other points in time.
1953 Automatobile (from Sally by Isaac Asimov)
An autonomous private car.
1953 Panoramic Viewer (from Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke)
Permits observation at a distance, as well as the projection of a holographic image.
1953 Earplug Decision (Restraint of Advertising) (from Captive Audience by Anne Warren Griffith)
A Supreme Court judgement that declared that earplugs used to block advertising were unconstitutional.
1953 Space Phobia (from Let 'em Breathe Space! by Lester del Rey)
When astronauts have had enough.
1953 Ruum Spherical Robot (from The Ruum by Arthur Porges)
An autonomous spherical robot, possibly liquid metal, self-energizing, of alien design; a collector.
1953 Galactic Damping Field (from Brain Wave by Poul Anderson)
A vast field of force emanating from the center of the galaxy.
1953 Dirtside (from Starman Jones by Robert Heinlein)
The surface of a planet.
1953 Visicastor (from Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A person who presents video broadcasts.
1953 Vapor Cloud (from The Cosmic Poachers by Philip K. Dick)
Corrosive gas destroys ships.
1953 Travel-Rug (from Roll Out The Rolov! by Christopher Anvil)
A rug that conveyed you around your house.
1953 Paint-to-Order Robot Artist (from The Music Master by F.L. Wallace)
A robotic mechanism that could produce a unique picture, given subject and artistic style.
1953 Pilot's Tank (from Sky Lift by Robert Heinlein)
For high gee boosting.
1953 Robotic Conductor (from Paycheck by Philip K. Dick)
A robot charged with conductor's duties aboard a bus or other public transportation.
1953 Mental Static Device (from Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Cloak the minds of individuals with a kind of 'noise'.
1953 Ovoid 3D Galactic Model (from Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A handheld display of a galaxy.
1953 Leady (from The Defenders by Philip K. Dick)
A radiation-resistant robot.
1953 Farming Trantor (from Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Taking apart a vast city, and returning to farming the land.
1953 Synthony (from The Music Master by F.L. Wallace)
A musical performance by robots.
1953 Buttered Toast Robot (from Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury)
What it says on the tin.
1953 Autonomous Car Intercommunication (from Sally by Isaac Asimov)
Automatic cars talk to each other about everything.
1953 Buy-Me-Discs (from Captive Audience by Anne Warren Griffith)
Tiny disks attached to products in stores that received transmitted ads to share with consumers.
1953 Automatobus (from Sally by Isaac Asimov)
An autonomous or self-driving bus seating a number of people.
1953 Master Ventriloquism Corporation (MV) (from Captive Audience by Anne Warren Griffith)
A central source of product advertising, commercials sent out to every product.
1953 Self-Cleaning Autonomous Car (from Sally by Isaac Asimov)
An automatic vehicle that keeps itself clean.
1953 Positronic Motor (from Sally by Isaac Asimov)
A combination of motor and brain; an engine with a cerebellum and a carburetor.
1953 Sub-C (from The Impossible Planet by Philip K. Dick)
Of ships, older models that travel at speeds below that of light.
1954 Sentry Trees (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
A set of trees that will allow only those with the safe signal to pass.
1954 Metal Insects (from The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem)
Small autonomous flying winged robots.
1954 Radiant Shield (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
A device that would effectively prevent an implanted radiant from being detected or read.
1954 Hypno-Motor Control (from Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick)
A means of controlling the body remotely, cutting off the need for local control (ie, by your mind).
1954 Synapsis-Coils (from Last of the Masters by Philip K. Dick)
Human-like storage for computers.
1954 Inorganic Evolution (from The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem)
A process by which robots could alter their own structure, or the ways that they interact with other robots, to adapt to a changing world.
1954 Gravity neutralizing paint (from Last of the Masters by Philip K. Dick)
Paint or coating that neutralized the effects of gravity on whatever it was painted on.
1954 Compassion Circuit (from Compassion Circuit by John Wyndham)
A special robotic component that allows the robot to weigh harm and benefit in carrying out commands.
1954 Tri-Type Record (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
A printed card that stores information about a person, including a perfect three-dimensional representation.
1954 Radiant (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
A chip that is injected into the shoulder, providing positioning and information about the subject.
1954 Visual Ad (from Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick)
An advertisement that forces its way directly into the brain of the viewer.
1954 Commute Ship (from Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick)
Spacecraft used for traversing daily grind between Earth and the planet you work on.
1954 Retinal Vid-Screen (from Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick)
A tiny display surgically implanted directly in the retina of the eye.
1954 Sales Robot (Robot Salesman) (from Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick)
Fully automated robots giving untiring, incessant sales pitches to customers.
1954 Prethink (from The Golden Man by Philip K. Dick)
The ability to predict the future in a routine perceptual manner.
1954 House Trees (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
Living trees grown as houses; large hollow pods serve as living spaces.
1954 Nanomachine Swarm (Black Cloud) (from The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem)
A cloud of tiny machines, able to work together autonomously.
1954 Dermal-Mist Spray (from Prominent Author by Philip K. Dick)
Very refreshing for suburbanites.
1954 Jiffi-scuttler (from Prominent Author by Philip K. Dick)
A device providing near instantaneous travel between two points.
1954 Mnemonic Service (from Sucker Bait by Isaac Asimov)
Dedicated humans who collected bits of data in hopes of catching key correlations between fields of study.
1954 Robot Cab Driver (from A Present for Pat by Philip K. Dick)
You think you have problems? Robots have the worst problems of anyone.
1954 Boat-Tree (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
A tree, the pods of which can be grown as boats.
1954 Spacelanes Traffic Jam (from Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick)
Fanciful description of commuters in space.
1954 Copter Harness (from The Star Beast by Robert Heinlein)
A single person flying machine.
1954 Anti-Gerasone (from Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.)
Cheap immortality comes to your neighborhood convenience store.
1954 One-Way Passage (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
A different way to assure permanent egress.
1954 Universal Dictionary (from The Star Beast by Robert Heinlein)
A machine that provided references to anything known.
1954 Hopper (from Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus by Isaac Asimov)
A vehicle with a single leg and rotors to enhance 'hang time.'
1954 Robot Farmer (from The Turning Wheel by Philip K. Dick)
A humanoid robot used for agriculture.
1954 Reading Plate (from The Star Beast by Robert Heinlein)
A flat screen that provided computer output for viewing.
1954 Web (Data Network) (from Souvenir by Philip K. Dick)
An information network.
1954 Plastirobe (from Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick)
A dress that varies in opacity by distance.
1954 Relay (from Souvenir by Philip K. Dick)
A central information system used to coordinate all of human culture and technology.
1954 Trace Web (from Souvenir by Philip K. Dick)
A small, handheld device that contacts (and even instantiates) the larger network.
1954 Mother-Scanner (from The Turning Wheel by Philip K. Dick)
A device that can see your future through your next birth.
1954 Space Capsule (from Space Capsule by E.R. James)
A minimal space craft.
1954 Mechanical Bride (from The Mechanical Bride by Fritz Leiber)
A perfect robotic replica of a woman.
1954 Human Quarter (from James P. Crow by Philip K. Dick)
A ghetto for human beings; in this case, in a world of robots.
1954 Lash-Tube (from The Golden Man by Philip K. Dick)
Device emits an energy beam.
1954 Suit-Shield Fabric (from The Golden Man by Philip K. Dick)
A kind of mesh fabric that could absorb energy bolts.
1954 Histo-Research (from The Meddler by Philip K. Dick)
Historical research using a time machine.
1954 Central Guide-Beam (from Shell Game by Philip K. Dick)
A kind of signal that demonstrates the best possible path to a destination in space and even provides motive power.
1954 Truth Meter (from The Star Beast by Robert Heinlein)
A lie detector.
1954 Law Clerk Robot (from The Midas Plague by Frederik Pohl)
A robotic lawyer.
1954 Feeler-Planes (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
Special sensors that make extremely detailed three-dimensional models.
1954 Self-Selling Robot (from Sales Pitch by Philip K. Dick)
A robot that sells itself.
1954 Sceneshifter (from Last of the Masters by Philip K. Dick)
An automated display device that produced random pictorial presentations.
1954 The Dip (from The Meddler by Philip K. Dick)
A device that randomly dredges up things from the past... or the future.
1954 Mecho-Clothing (from Last of the Masters by Philip K. Dick)
Apparel created entirely by machines.
1954 Tanglefoot Field (from The Star Beast by Robert Heinlein)
A force field that would not harm but merely entangle and stop anyone (or anything) caught in it.
1954 Robot Guard (from The Turning Wheel by Philip K. Dick)
Very early reference to a guard robot.
1954 Pod-Chair (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
A living chair, grown by the Iszc to perform its function.
1954 TBR (Talk Between Robots) Circuit (from The Midas Plague by Frederik Pohl)
A special means of communications used by robots to speak with each other.
1954 Airmakers (from The Big Rain by Poul Anderson)
Machine to create breathable air from the constituent materials on an alien planet.
1954 Automatic Companion Robot (from The Midas Plague by Frederik Pohl)
A robotic replacement for a pet or friend.
1954 Consumption Robots (from The Midas Plague by Frederik Pohl)
Humanoid robots placed in the position of consuming material goods to relieve human beings of the burden.
1954 Cephaloscope (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
A device used to detect lying.
1954 Guide-Beam (from Time Pawn by Philip K. Dick)
A wireless means of controlling and directing the movement of a passenger vehicle.
1954 Mechanical Tune-Maker (from Last of the Masters by Philip K. Dick)
An electromechanical device that created unique music.
1954 Shatter-Gun (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
A hand-held device that literally scrambles the brains of the victim.
1954 Micro-Android (Micro-Robot) (from Dawn of the Demigods by Raymond Z. Gallun)
An extremely tiny robot or nanobot.
1954 One-Man Car (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
A small transport vehicle.
1954 Public Vehicle Tube (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
Underground transportation tubes.
1954 Finger Jet Bath (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
The ultimate in luxury tubs.
1954 Time Quake (from Breakfast at Twilight by Philip K. Dick)
Too much energy applied to a time-fault may have started this.
1954 Control Helmet (from Dawn of the Demigods by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Direct control of a robot from the brain.
1954 Rom (Robot Operated Missiles) (from Breakfast at Twilight by Philip K. Dick)
Intercontinental robotic weapons.
1954 Beer Robot (from How-2 by Clifford Simak)
A robot prepared and filled with draft beer.
1954 Polarized Window (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
Rather than curtains, use the window to control the light.
1954 Thought Pattern Divination (from The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance)
Attempting to construct the thoughts of a person by imitating their actions.
1954 Snake Boring Truck (from Breakfast at Twilight by Philip K. Dick)
A long thin truck like a snake, with a boring tip.
1954 Protoplast (from Dawn of the Demigods by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Artificial life, tougher than protoplasm.
1954 Roboscribe (from End as a Robot by Richard Marsten)
A robotic writer of hard-bitten detective yarns.
1954 Voicewriter Screen (Computer Monitor) (from Granny Won't Knit by Theodore Sturgeon)
A screen that displays characters.
1954 Solar-Powered Ball (from Dawn of the Demigods by Raymond Z. Gallun)
An autonomous round toy that powers itself.
1954 Click-Band (from The Meddler by Philip K. Dick)
Worn on the wrist, it helps you locate your transport.
1954 Bodyphone (from The Star Beast by Robert Heinlein)
A unique designation for a personal phone you can carry with you.
1954 Maid-Robot (from The Midas Plague by Frederik Pohl)
A mechanical automaton does the work of a lady's maid.
1954 Lawyer Robot (from How-2 by Clifford Simak)
An autonomous, robotic lawyer.
1954 Escape Pod (from The Vanisher by Michael Shaara)
A small automated ship attached to a larger ship or station, used in the event of an emergency.
1954 Temporal Paradox (from The Toy by Brian Berry)
The paradoxical idea that making changes in the past results in changes in the present.
1954 Spaceward Lunar Hemisphere (from Dawn of the Demigods by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Another name for the lunar far side.
1955 Grill-Screen Adaptor (from Foster, You're Dead by Philip K. Dick)
Approved General Electronics Corporation solution for bomb shelters, in response to Soviet bore-pellets.
1955 Stiletto Beam (from Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke)
A beam of molten metal, projected electromagnetically.
1955 Dashboard TV (from The Chromium Fence by Philip K. Dick)
A television placed in the dashboard of your car or similar vehicle.
1955 Bore-Pellets (from Foster, You're Dead by Philip K. Dick)
Anti-underground bomb shelter ordinance.
1955 Nanny Robot (from Nanny by Philip K. Dick)
A child-care robot with a surprisingly competitive side.
1955 Swibble (from Service Call by Philip K. Dick)
An artificially evolved telepathic metazoan-based mind control device.
1955 Simulacrum Window (from Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein)
A 'window' that provides a realistic outdoor view in an interior room.
1955 Diabological Armory (from Diabologic by Eric Frank Russell)
A set of verbal tools based on a higher form of reasoning.
1955 Lunar Monorail (from Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke)
A monorail constructed above the surface of the Moon.
1955 Unit Analyst Robot (from The Chromium Fence by Philip K. Dick)
A robotic psychoanalyst.
1955 Monocab (from Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke)
A single compartment monorail car.
1955 Robot Taxi (from Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick)
A taxicab with a robotic driver.
1955 Magnetic Grapple-Beams (from Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick)
Short range magnetic field to guide flying cars and park them properly.
1955 Protine (from Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick)
A mutant algae that can be engineered to look and taste similar to normal food.
1955 Human Habit Pattern Machines (from The Tunnel Under The World by Frederik Pohl)
Imposing human habits onto machines.
1955 Hand Wave Control (from Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick)
Control an electronic or other device with gestures.
1955 Multivac (from Franchise by Isaac Asimov)
A computer with millions of facts.
1955 Schrieber Analyzer (from Diabologic by Eric Frank Russell)
Superior automatic air testing - for the discriminating space traveler.
1955 Autofac (Nanorobots) (from Autofac by Philip K. Dick)
Very small robots working on self-replication
1955 Central City (Lunar Habitat) (from Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke)
An early example of a non-military lunar habitat.
1955 Scout-Base (from Diabologic by Eric Frank Russell)
Artificial sphere functions as a frontier outpost.
1955 Inflatable Lunar Resort (from Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick)
An inflatable structure on the moon, intended to provide rest and relaxation to lunar residents.
1955 Robot Gardener (from War Veteran by Philip K. Dick)
An autonomous gardening robot, taking care of plants in parks or fields.
1955 Robot Surgeon-Hand (from War Veteran by Philip K. Dick)
A skilled surgical robot that attaches at the end of the surgeon's arm.
1955 Agile Recording Robot (from Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick)
A recording machine that moves toward its subject.
1955 Landing-Grid (from Sand Doom by Murray Leinster)
A constructed landing area on a planetary surface for space craft.
1955 Ramsbotham Gate (from Tunnel in the Sky by Robert Heinlein)
A means of getting from point A to point B without traversing the space in-between.
1955 Artigraft (from Solar Lottery by Philip K. Dick)
Artificial skin graft.
1955 Generation Ship (from Star Ship by E.C. Tubb)
A spacecraft that carries a complete social group over many years.
1955 Visual Report Screen (from Nanny by Philip K. Dick)
A device that allows a robot nanny to let the owners view what the robot sees from a remote location.
1955 Guard Robot (from The Hood Maker ('Immunity') by Philip K. Dick)
Early reference to a robot performing the functions of a security guard.
1955 Automatized Factory (from The Tunnel Under The World by Frederik Pohl)
A factory consisting of machines with imposed human abilities.
1955 Neck-Phone (from The Chromium Fence by Philip K. Dick)
An implanted telecommunications device.
1955 Commute Disk (from The Chromium Fence by Philip K. Dick)
Flying autonomous commuter vehicle.
1955 Probe Screen Hood (from The Hood Maker ('Immunity') by Philip K. Dick)
A device that blocks attempts to see into the contents of the brain mind.
1955 Slide Rule w/Radio Attachment (from Mission to the Stars by A.E. van Vogt)
Slide rule communicates results immediately with computer.
1955 Anti-Burglar Installations (from The Angry House by Richard R. Smith)
Every electronic house should have automated defenses.
1955 Mechavalet (from The Angry House by Richard R. Smith)
An entirely automated dressing assistant.
1955 Search-Bug (from Autofac by Philip K. Dick)
An exploratory robot.
1955 Heat-Suit (from Sand Doom by Murray Leinster)
Perfect for those incredibly hot planets with breathable atmospheres.
1955 Automatic Factory (from Autofac by Philip K. Dick)
Manufacturing facility that functions entirely autonomously.
1955 Network Repair Team (from Autofac by Philip K. Dick)
Dispatched to collect remains of destroyed machines.
1955 Pizzled (Semantic Garble) (from Autofac by Philip K. Dick)
Use of nonsensical statements to deliberately confuse an artificial intelligence.
1955 Synthetic Milk (from Autofac by Philip K. Dick)
Milk made without cows.
1955 Electronic Analogue of Living Brain (from The Tunnel Under The World by Frederik Pohl)
Imposing the abilities of a human brain into a computer
1955 Robot Factory Representative (from Autofac by Philip K. Dick)
An ambulatory agent of an automatic factory.
1955 Mechanical Newsmachine (from Foster, You're Dead by Philip K. Dick)
An automated device that delivers on-the-spot news.
1955 Raw Material-Tropic (from Autofac by Philip K. Dick)
Moves towards desirable raw materials.
1955 Autonomous Truck (from Autofac by Philip K. Dick)
A truck that drives itself and unloads itself.
1955 Caterwheel (from Sand Doom by Murray Leinster)
A uniquely styled ground vehicle with fat, splayed out tires.
1955 Automatic Ore Cart (from Autofac by Philip K. Dick)
An autonomous truck for raw ore processing.
1955 Chest-Lens (from War Veteran by Philip K. Dick)
Part of an automatic photograph-and-send system.
1955 Production Prescription (from The Magellanic Cloud by Stanislaw Lem)
A file that can be used to reproduce an object.
1955 Finely Divided Dust Propellant (from Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke)
Reaction mass to drive spacecraft.
1955 Machines Colonize Universe (from Autofac by Philip K. Dick)
A brief description of a how automated machines might spread.
1955 Trion Library (from The Magellanic Cloud by Stanislaw Lem)
An early visualization of the Internet.
1955 Space Craft Rope Ladder (from Diabologic by Eric Frank Russell)
Equipment used for debarking from a space craft.
1955 Water Brain Fountain (from War Veteran by Philip K. Dick)
A drinking fountain that locates your mouth, rather than you having to lean down to the spout.
1955 Juiciveal (from Lazarus by Margaret St. Clair)
Artificially grown veal.
1955 Pocket Receiver (from The Magellanic Cloud by Stanislaw Lem)
An early visualization of the smartphone.
1955 Artibase (from War Veteran by Philip K. Dick)
An artificial asteroid base between planets.
1955 Light-Absorbing Paint (from Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke)
Space stealth!
1955 Synthimeat (Crop Protein) (from Lazarus by Margaret St. Clair)
A more general name for synthetic meat
1955 Cold-Beam (from War Veteran by Philip K. Dick)
Puts a cloud of extreme cold around the target.
1955 Robus (from Terror in the Stars by John A. Sentry)
A robotic bus.
1956 Disposal-Safe (from Exploration Team by Murray Leinster)
Device to store and, if necessary, destroy documents.
1956 Mutated Kodiak Bears (from Exploration Team by Murray Leinster)
Animals modified for increased intelligence for defense and companionship.
1956 Regen-Buds (from The Velvet Glove by Harry Harrison)
Small collection of cells that can regrow into human limbs.
1956 Sargasso Asteroid (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
A planetoid built from natural rock and the salvaged wreckage of space craft.
1956 Retinal Light (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
An internal flashlight.
1956 Metal BIrds (from Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K. Dick)
Surveillance robots that carried weapons, in addition to using their metal bodies.
1956 Robotic Hand (from The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein)
A dexterous manipulator for robots.
1956 Dental Switchboard (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
A control device tied in with teeth and nerve endings.
1956 Space-Boat (Rocket Boat) (from Exploration Team by Murray Leinster)
Small craft designed for descent and then take-off from a planetary surface.
1956 Bug (from Brightside Crossing by Alan E. Nourse)
A compact vehicle for planetary surfaces - like Mercury.
1956 Empath (from Empath by J.T. McIntosh)
A being capable of telepathic empathy with others.
1956 Fottengill Process (from Gypped by Lloyd Biggle, Jr.)
An early mention of the idea that energy can be derived from random noise.
1956 Planet Rules (from Drop Dead by Clifford Simak)
Regulations governing the behavior of the away team on a new planet.
1956 Space-Beacon (from Exploration Team by Murray Leinster)
Device used to guide a space craft into finding an inhabited planet or colony on a planet.
1956 Flexible Frank (from The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein)
An all-purpose household robot.
1956 Virtual Immortality (from The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke)
A method for storing the mind and memories of a person, and recalling and reconstituting them at will.
1956 Precog (from The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick)
A person with precognitive ability (can predict the future).
1956 Puddinged (from Pay for the Printer by Philip K. Dick)
A poorly formed 3D printed copy, with an interior that was a mass of malformed material.
1956 Window-Willie (from The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein)
A robot that cleaned windows by electrostatic repulsion of dust and grime.
1956 Maximum-security Booth (from Double Star by Robert Heinlein)
A special phone booth for receiving high-security, scrambled telephone calls, calls which included 3D visuals.
1956 PyrE (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
A thermonuclear explosive that is detonated by thought alone.
1956 Whisper Line (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
A means of communication between prisoners held in wide separation.
1956 Analogue (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
A combination of a drug and a particular mental state allow a person to devolve to an animal level of their choice.
1956 Solido (from Chance of a Lifetime by Milton Lesser)
Abbr. for solidograph; a device that produced a solid three dimensional image.
1956 Precrime Analytical Wing (from The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick)
Contains the precognitives and the machinery need to hear and analyze their predictions of future crimes.
1956 Vulcan 3 (from Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K. Dick)
Artificially intelligent self-modifying supercomputer.
1956 Fluid Metal Letters (from Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K. Dick)
A smooth metal display able to display words.
1956 Central Computer (from The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke)
A computer capable of running an entire city.
1956 Anti-Heptant (from To Live Forever by Jack Vance)
A compound that erases specific areas of the brain.
1956 Refurbished Nervous System (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
Your nerves are rewired for 5-10 times the speed of a normal person.
1956 Post-Crime (from The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick)
Criminal activities after they have actually happened.
1956 Jaunte Stage (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
A cleared space that existed to serve the needs of people who would jaunte (teleport) into that space.
1956 Floating Lunar Dust (from Dust Rag by Hal Clement)
Electrostatically charged particles that float above the surface of the Moon.
1956 Sympathetic Block (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
A way to keep certain mental contents from being spoken or revealed.
1956 Mechanotherapy (from Bad Medicine by Robert Sheckley)
A mechanism or device-based therapy that cures (or palliates) alcoholism.
1956 Hired Girl Robot (from The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein)
The amazing floor-cleaning robot!
1956 Robot Tracking Device (from Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K. Dick)
Small UAV robot remotely operated by an artificially intelligent computer.
1956 Saga (from The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke)
You become a part of the great adventures of history.
1956 Hammer (from Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K. Dick)
Flying blunt trauma weapon remote-controlled by an artificially intelligent computer.
1956 Thorsen Memory Tube (from The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein)
Computer component that allows a machine to learn through experience.
1956 Bendix Anxiety Reducer (from Bad Medicine by Robert Sheckley)
Machine-based psychotherapy.
1956 Diaspar Memory (from The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke)
The city's memory could store works of art, and reproduce them upon request.
1956 Planet-Busting Bomb (from Testing by J.J. Ferrat)
A munition with sufficient power to destroy an entire planet.
1956 Transdermal Drug Capsule (from Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K. Dick)
A drug capsule that delivers medication by being placed on the skin.
1956 Stasis (Cold Sleep, Hibernation) (from The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein)
Hibernation for human beings, lasting for many years.
1956 Interactive Blackboard (from Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K. Dick)
Early description of an interactive display device for lectures and demonstrations.
1956 Blue Collar Robot (Self-Repairing) (from The Velvet Glove by Harry Harrison)
An autonomous robot required to find its own work.
1956 Undercover Detective Robot (from The Velvet Glove by Harry Harrison)
Specialized robot masquerades as different robot types to spy on criminals.
1956 Mechanical Jokester (from Jokester by Isaac Asimov)
A vast computer system learns about humor.
1956 Alcoholic Reliever (from Bad Medicine by Robert Sheckley)
Mechanized relief from alcoholism.
1956 Rex Regenerator (Mechanotherapist) (from Bad Medicine by Robert Sheckley)
Mechanotherapy device cures homicidal urges.
1956 Home Therapy Appliances, Inc. (from Bad Medicine by Robert Sheckley)
A store at which a variety of therapy devices are made available
1956 Living Advertising Character (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
Modifying an ordinary person to create a living likeness of a company's brand symbol or character.
1956 Biltong Life Form (from Pay for the Printer by Philip K. Dick)
Remarkable organic manufacturing aliens, probably indigenous to the Centaurus system.
1956 Radioactive Coding for Checks (from The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein)
Special coding system to easily recognize checks.
1956 Juvenile (from The Man Who Japed by Philip K. Dick)
A robot designed to sneak around and spy on people.
1956 Pencil Beam (from Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K. Dick)
A thin tube-like laser beam weapon.
1956 Electrotruck (from The Corkscrew of Space by Poul Anderson)
An autonomous, electric truck.
1956 Internal Body Power Pack (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
A tiny battery used to power implants.
1956 Bounce Tube (from Double Star by Robert Heinlein)
A people-sized pneumatic tube system used for short, quick trips in the vertical dimension.
1956 Hush Corner (from Double Star by Robert Heinlein)
A space made private by canceling sound waves in that area.
1956 Hand Computer (from The Dead Past by Isaac Asimov)
A small pocket-sized computing device.
1956 Vacutubes (from Double Star by Robert Heinlein)
A system of public transportation that used partially evacuated tubes and capsules big enough for passengers.
1956 Robot Bartender (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
An automated, mechanical bar tending robot.
1956 Universal Checkbook (from The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein)
Fully electronic banking system, which allows easy withdrawal of funds from any bank.
1956 Drafting Dan (from The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein)
The first computer software drafting program (Computer Aided Design - CAD).
1956 Cider Press (from Double Star by Robert Heinlein)
Device used to make acceleration above 1 gravity more tolerable for groundhogs.
1956 Matter Organizer (from The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke)
A device that could cause a computer-generated image to be constructed as a real object.
1956 Teakettle (from Double Star by Robert Heinlein)
A standard rocket (uses hydrogen as a booster to leave the atmosphere).
1956 Eager Beaver (from The Door Into Summer by Robert Heinlein)
Your friendly robot helper.
1956 Eagle With Camera (from Exploration Team by Murray Leinster)
A live bald eagle equipped with a transmitting camera.
1956 Bard (from Someday by Isaac Asimov)
A machine that invents randomized stories and can read them out loud or animate them for viewing.
1956 Invulnerable Wall (from Jackpot by Clifford Simak)
A material created by insects that grew stronger as it was compressed.
1956 Robots Learn With Cameras (from The Instigators by Raymond E. Banks)
Robots learn new actions by recording them with a camera, doing away with expensive programming.
1956 Robot Fish (Metal Fish) (from Atom Drive by Charles Fontenay)
Fake flounders for sport fishermen on Martian canals.
1956 Robot Row - Robots For Consumers (from The Instigators by Raymond E. Banks)
The adoption curve for personal robots will accelerate like the curve for automobiles.
1956 Vehicle Sleep Sensor (from The Velvet Glove by Harry Harrison)
Better stay awake, the machines know if you're sleeping.
1956 Fusion Power (from The Judas Valley by Gerald Vance)
Creating energy from nuclear fusion reactions.
1956 Robot Interception Aerial Mines (from The World Jones Made by Philip K. Dick)
Loitering explosives overhead.
1956 Chronoscopy (from The Dead Past by Isaac Asimov)
Using a device to view different points in time.
1956 Trolling Tether Cable (from Atom Drive by Charles Fontenay)
Simple fishing technique applied to moving cargo off-planet.
1956 Landing Pit (Drydock and Construction) (from The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester)
A cylindrical hole with anti-gravity screens for use in spacecraft landings and repair.
1956 Hypersee (from The Best of Fences by Gordon Randall Garrett)
Faster than light.
1956 Tune-Maker (from The World Jones Made by Philip K. Dick)
Automated music production.
1956 Lethe-Mirror (from The World Jones Made by Philip K. Dick)
Induces sleepy mindedness.
1956 Boxing Robot (from Steel by Richard Matheson)
Robots that fight in exhibitions, in the ring, for spectators.
1956 Slug (from Dragon in the Sea by Frank Herbert)
An underwater "barge", consisting of a giant tube for transporting oil.
1956 Underwater Robot (from The Velvet Glove by Harry Harrison)
An autonomous mechanical for use underwater.
1956 Life Wand (from Double Star by Robert Heinlein)
Shoots a powerful ray of energy.
1956 Precrime (from The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick)
A system by which criminal acts are known before they occur.
1956 Infiltrators (from Vulcan's Hammer by Philip K. Dick)
Surveillance devices, small and insectile.
1957 Robot-Referee (from Jingle in the Jungle by Aldo Giunta)
An autonomous robot judge at athletic events.
1957 Proselytizing Robot (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
A robotic preacher; designed for use where believers are unwelcome.
1957 Tin Cabby (Flying Robotic Taxi) (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
An autonomously controlled flying taxi cab.
1957 Teleoperated Lab Robot (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
A robot is used to conduct experiments in an environment too extreme for humans.
1957 Fight Machine (Boxing Robot) (from Jingle in the Jungle by Aldo Giunta)
An autonomous boxer.
1957 Project X (from Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand)
A device that produces sound rays that are intolerable to living things.
1957 Dirac Transmitter (also Tranceiver or Communicator) (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
A device that provides instantaneous communication anywhere in the galaxy.
1957 Crop Algae (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
Growing algae in tanks as a source of basic food stock.
1957 Manshonyagger (from Mark Elf by Cordwainer Smith)
An autonomous fighting robot.
1957 Spindizzy (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
A device that made use of a relationship between electron spin, electromagnetism and gravity allowed any object to leave the Earth's surface.
1957 Magnetic Control of Nebulae (from The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle)
Controlling the structure and shape of nebulae using magnetic fields.
1957 Glass Bees (from The Glass Bees by Ernst Junger)
Walnut-sized flying automata.
1957 Storer-Gulls Wings (from The Menace From Earth by Robert Heinlein)
Recreational aid for lunar colonists; lightweight wings for cave flying.
1957 City Fathers (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
A set of computer systems which run every mechanical system in a city.
1957 Brood Assembly (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
Artificially intelligent computers that can replicate themselves.
1957 Remote Control Taxicab (from The Unreconstructed M by Philip K. Dick)
A cab that is piloted by a remote operator.
1957 Fenton Silencer (from Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke)
A device to cancel noise over a broad area.
1957 Inter-Universal Messenger (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
A device intended to travel to another dimension.
1957 Gravity Well (from Life Cycle by Poul Anderson)
If you visualize spacetime as a flat, elastic plane, a planet will deform it, and it sits at the bottom of its own hole.
1957 Battle Tank Display (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
Three-dimensional display showing tactical information for space battles.
1957 Anti-agathic drugs (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
Drugs that indefinitely postpone death from old age.
1957 Accelerated Schooling (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
Knowledge force-fed directly into the brain.
1957 Accelerated Schooling Helmet (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
A device that stimulates the brain and imparts knowledge directly.
1957 Peeper (from Shadow World by Clifford Simak)
A device that unlocked the dreams and fantasies inherent in the user's brain.
1957 Molecular Sieve (from Tales from the White Hart by Arthur C. Clarke)
A device that can extract any element from seawater.
1957 Roller (from Shadow World by Clifford Simak)
Two passenger vehicle designed for off-road use on alien planets.
1957 Neural Door Lock (from The Unreconstructed M by Philip K. Dick)
A device that provides access based on neurological data.
1957 Police Detection Robot (from The Unreconstructed M by Philip K. Dick)
An automated evidence-gathering robot.
1957 Death-Rattle (from The Unreconstructed M by Philip K. Dick)
A device that sends a signal upon brain death of the user.
1957 Robot Situation Neurosis (from The Unreconstructed M by Philip K. Dick)
Robots go mad when given competing instructions.
1957 Mechanical Cleaning Device (from The Unreconstructed M by Philip K. Dick)
A small, ground-based autonomous robot doing basic janitorial work.
1957 Eavesdropper (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
Device to detect the presence of recording devices.
1957 Gravity-Polarized Explosive (TDX) (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
A chemical explosive that acts at an angle to the local gravitational field.
1957 Space Armor (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
Armored space suits for use in vacuum.
1957 Teleoperated Beetle Car (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
A remotely-operated robotic vehicle that permitted telepresence.
1957 Bethé blasters (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
Powerful enough to destroy a flying city.
1957 Bats' Cave (from The Menace From Earth by Robert Heinlein)
A natural cavern used by moon colonists for air storage - and entertainment.
1957 Machine Surveillance (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
The use of artificially intelligent computer systems to learn by monitoring all human interaction within a city.
1957 The Machine (M) (from The Unreconstructed M by Philip K. Dick)
An autonomous robot able to alter its appearance and functionality at will.
1957 Machine Psychologist (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
A computer that understands and uses its knowledge of human psychology to benefit human users.
1957 Toposcope (from Cities in Flight by James Blish)
A special helmet used in a form of sleep teaching.
1957 Jumpship (from The Lady Was A Tramp by Rose Sharon)
A spaceship capable of making interstellar jumps, that is, it could move over vast distances instantaneously.
1957 Planetary Computer Network (from Dialogues by Stanislaw Lem)
A global data net.
1957 Launching Cradle (from Needler by Gordon Randall Garrett)
A place for a spherical space craft to sit in gravity.
1957 Robobus (from Robots Are Nice? by Gordon R. Dickson)
An autonomous vehicle for picking up some number of passengers.
1957 Flying Cone (from Fugitive of the Stars by Edmond Hamilton)
A vehicle for 1-3 persons that hovers and has mechanical arms.
1957 Automated Factories (from The Peacemongers by Poul Anderson)
Manufacturing facilities that do not require human workers.
1957 Jurymech (from Wanted in Surgery by Harlan Ellison)
A robotic entity serving the function of a trial jury.
1957 Jump-Along (from The Lady Was A Tramp by Rose Sharon)
Computer used for calculating jumps between stars.
1957 Robocop (from Wanted in Surgery by Harlan Ellison)
A robotic police officer.
1957 Phymech (from Wanted in Surgery by Harlan Ellison)
A robotic physician.
1957 Galactovue (from Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert Heinlein)
Star display.
1957 Oxygen Pill (from Get Out Of Our Skies! by E.K. Jarvis)
Meets your need for oxygen without additional breathing.
1957 Stellar Analog Computers (from The Lady Was A Tramp by Rose Sharon)
Special systems used to calculate safe "jumps" for interstellar trips.
1957 Robocide (from Robots Are Nice? by Gordon R. Dickson)
Deliberate destruction of robots.
1957 Prosthetic Robotic Arm (Thought-Attuned) (from Bleekman's Planet by Ivar Jorgensen)
A detachable robotic arm, controlled directly through neural linkage.
1957 Dropshaft (from Deeper Than the Darkness by Harlan Ellison)
An elevator shaft with no elevator - the "lift" is from gravity or suppressed inertia.
1957 Lunar Advertisement (from Watch This Space by Arthur C. Clarke)
An 'ad' on the lunar surface that can be seen by its audience on Earth.
1957 Spacefaring (from Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert Heinlein)
A nation or people who explore and trade in space.
1957 Prime Command (from Robots Are Nice? by Gordon R. Dickson)
A universal order or principle carried out by every robotic device.
1958 Police Robot (from Arm of the Law by Harry Harrison)
A fully autonomous, man-shaped robotic police officer.
1958 Field-Minder (from But Who Can Replace A Man by Brian Aldiss)
An agricultural robot.
1958 Landing Legs (from No Planet Is Safe by Harlan Ellison)
Projections from the base of a space craft that allow it to land upright in gravity.
1958 Photosight (from The Sign of the Tiger by Alan Nourse (w/Meyer))
An automotive device that automatically follows a painted white line on the roadway, letting the car drive itself.
1958 Pocket Computer (from The Feeling of Power by Isaac Asimov)
A pocket-sized computer.
1958 Gyro Two-Wheeled Truck (from The Sign of the Tiger by Alan Nourse (w/Meyer))
A gyroscopically-stabilized truck with just two wheels.
1958 Neutronic Shielding (from The Sign of the Tiger by Alan Nourse (w/Meyer))
Very high density monomolecular shielding
1958 Tik-Talker (from The Sign of the Tiger by Alan Nourse (w/Meyer))
A method of scrambling spoken speech for encoded transmission.
1958 Nose Gun (from Arm of the Law by Harry Harrison)
Weapon system located up high.
1958 Palm Plate (from The Mechanical Monarch by E.C. Tubb)
A device that scanned for a palm print prior to opening a door.
1958 Ethical Suicide Parlor (from Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.)
A comfy environment in which you might commit ethical suicide, and thereby serve society.
1958 Life Detector (from Cease Fire by Frank Herbert)
A device that was capable of detecting living tissue within a set radius.
1958 Predictable Crime (from All the Troubles in the World by Isaac Asimov)
A criminal act that computers were able to foresee in advance.
1958 Para-Beam (from The Mechanical Monarch by E.C. Tubb)
A beam of energy that paralyzes the victim.
1958 Machine Suicide (from All the Troubles in the World by Isaac Asimov)
A self-aware computer system wants to destroy itself.
1958 Life Detector Shield (from Cease Fire by Frank Herbert)
An electronic field that is intended to shield living tissue from a Life Detector.
1958 Robot Conductor (from The Woman You Wanted by Robert Silverberg)
A robot that serves as the conductor on a bus.
1958 Flexible Wall Sheet Display (from The Mechanical Monarch by E.C. Tubb)
A large clear sheet that displays information.
1958 Computers Improve Computers (from The Feeling of Power by Isaac Asimov)
The idea that it will be possible for computers to design more advanced computers.
1958 Self-Service Cafeteria (from The Mechanical Monarch by E.C. Tubb)
Food on demand.
1958 Chin Plates (from Have Space Suit - Will Travel by Robert Heinlein)
A means of control within a space suit helmet; switching between options with the chin.
1958 Metamen (from The Mechanical Monarch by E.C. Tubb)
A human brain placed in a purely mechanical, robotic body.
1958 Asteroid-Metal (from The Mechanical Monarch by E.C. Tubb)
Metal mined from asteroids.
1958 Impactor Determines Composition (from The Mechanical Monarch by E.C. Tubb)
The use of an impactor to smash into a small celestial body; watching the impact can determine the composition of the small body.
1958 Cone of Silence (from Cease Fire by Frank Herbert)
Distortion field that limits the carrying power of voice or other vibration; it accomplishes noise reduction with an image-vibration 180 degrees out of phase.
1958 Edge Controls (from The Feeling of Power by Isaac Asimov)
A pocket-sized device using controls on the edge of the device, leaving the face for display purposes only.
1958 Espionage Machine (from No, No, Not Rogov! by Cordwainer Smith)
A machine that makes it possible to experience the sensations of another person at a distance.
1958 Hypo Arm (from Simulated Trainer by Harry Harrison)
A robotic arm used to autonomously deliver pharmaceuticals to patients.
1958 Pressurized Penthouse (from Bread Overhead! by Fritz Leiber)
A stratospheric perch - if buildings are tall enough, you'll need this.
1958 Walking Mill (from Bread Overhead! by Fritz Leiber)
The ultimate combine - giant metal centipede walks through fields, harvesting wheat, threshing, grinding and finally baking bread right in the field.
1958 Robot Snake (from Bait for the Tiger by Lee Chaytor)
A mechanical reptile, with no legs.
1958 Lunar Observatory (from We Have Fed Our Sea by Poul Anderson)
Putting an observatory on the far side of the Moon could have advantages.
1958 Firebulance (from Vector by Margaret St. Clair)
An ambulance equipped to sterilize by fire.
1958 Farside (from We Have Fed Our Sea by Poul Anderson)
The portion of the Moon's surface that faces away from Earth.
1958 Thought-Record Helmet (from Menace From Vega by Robert Randall)
A wearable history book.
1958 Celestial Atlas (from No Planet Is Safe by Harlan Ellison)
Planet-by-planet descriptions throughout known space.
1958 Magnetic Pinions (from Worlds of Origin by Jack Vance)
Remote control electromagnetic handcuffs.
1958 Robot Brother (from Brother Robot by Henry Slesar)
A roboticist brings home a robot brother for his natural son.
1958 Circuit Inhibiting Destructiveness (from To Please The Master by Margaret St. Clair)
Ensuring that robots take on the responsibility of pleasing their masters, and obeying their orders.
1958 Skew-Flip Turnover (from Have Space Suit - Will Travel by Robert Heinlein)
Used halfway to the destination by torch ships to slow for one's destination.
1958 The Hub (from Worlds of Origin by Jack Vance)
A large space resort consisting of inhabitable bubbles in a metal framework.
1958 Plastotek (from Menace From Vega by Robert Randall)
False skin disguise.
1958 Build A Planet With Asteroids (from And Then the Town Took Off by Richard Wilson)
The idea that it is possible to gather up enough of the asteroids in the solar system to "build" a planet out of the scraps.
1958 Venus Cities Float In Atmosphere (from Bread Overhead! by Fritz Leiber)
Cloud cities on Venus.
1958 Chin Window (from Have Space Suit - Will Travel by Robert Heinlein)
An aperture that allows an astronaut to see his own feet (greater field of view).
1958 Space Suit Helmet Rearview Mirror (from Have Space Suit - Will Travel by Robert Heinlein)
Having a way to easily see behind you while wearing a spacesuit.
1959 Hands Free Helmet (from Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein)
The helmet of a powered suit has controls activated by head movements.
1959 Electromechanical Educator (from The Fourth R by George O. Smith)
An automated teaching machine.
1959 Toy Testing Dummy (from War Game by Philip K. Dick)
A child-sized device used to test suspect toys.
1959 Robot Spectra Analyzer (from The Repairman by Harry Harrison)
Device used to find ones position in real space.
1959 Hyperspace Beacon (from The Repairman by Harry Harrison)
Located in real space, these devices provide reference points in hyperspace to make navigation possible.
1959 Flying Eye (from The Repairman by Harry Harrison)
A remote-controlled device for surveillance overflight.
1959 Robot Judge (from Robot Justice by Harry Harrison)
Artificially intelligent legal machine - robes and all.
1959 Powered Armor (or Powered Suit) (from Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein)
An armored suit that magnifies the power of the soldier's muscles, along with other weapons.
1959 Personality Death (from Robot Justice by Harry Harrison)
Punishment leaves the body intact.
1959 Mark IV Door Keeping Robot (from The Man Who Could Not Stop by A. Bertram Chandler)
A robotic device for responding (and scanning) people who come to your door.
1959 Robotic Trash Can (from Robot Justice by Harry Harrison)
A sensor-equipped waste can capable of autonomous cleaning - and legal judgement.
1959 Human Object Recognition (from Robot Justice by Harry Harrison)
System uses human beings as an aid to robotic object recognition.
1959 Metallic Marx (from The Robots Strike by Harry Harrison)
A robot who strikes for better working conditions.
1959 Talking Bomb (from Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein)
A psychological warfare weapon that talks to the enemy.
1959 Memo-Voice (from War Game by Philip K. Dick)
Paper memos that read themselves out loud.
1959 Intelligent Trash Sorting (from Robot Justice by Harry Harrison)
Robots sort the garbage - almost completely.
1959 Grass Carpet (from The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.)
An indoor home or office floor covering - living grass.
1959 Neodog (from Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein)
Canine-derived animal, genetically engineered for increased intelligence and speech.
1959 Saddle (from The Big Front Yard by Clifford Simak)
A comfortable riding saddle - minus the horse.
1959 Robot Trash Collectors (from Robot Justice by Harry Harrison)
Robots that drive and operate garbage trucks.
1959 Magnetically Floating Furniture (from The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.)
Furniture that is suspended at the proper height using magnetic forces.
1959 Sentenced Man (from Robot Justice by Harry Harrison)
A person who commits asocial actions and lives in society, but in reduced circumstances.
1959 Clone (from The Clone by Theodore L Thomas)
The aggregate of individual organisms descended by asexual reproduction from a single sexually produced individual.
1960 Adiabatic Pods (from The Lady Who Sailed The Soul by Cordwainer Smith)
Tiny space capsules large enough to hold one passenger.
1960 Bolo (from Combat Unit by Keith Laumer)
An highly advanced combat tank controlled by a sophisticated Artificial Intelligence.
1960 Indestructible Contract (from Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson)
Legal document in which can't be easily altered or damaged.
1960 Spring-Rifle (from Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson)
Projectile weapon designed to be resistant to countermeasures.
1960 Power Holster (from Deathworld by Harry Harrison)
Puts the sidearm right in your hand.
1960 Dermal Spray (from Dr. Futurity by Philip K. Dick)
A color coating for the skin, applied as a jet of vapor.
1960 Dixon Pump (from Dr. Futurity by Philip K. Dick)
An temporary mechanical heart to circulate blood.
1960 Cold-Pack (from Dr. Futurity by Philip K. Dick)
Technology for indefinite cold storage of human beings.
1960 Self-Charging Robot (from Callahan and the Wheelies by Stephen Barr)
A robot that is able to autonomously find an electrical outlet and plug itself in to recharge.
1960 Semi-Conducting Graphite-Gel (from Callahan and the Wheelies by Stephen Barr)
Computer brain structured like animal brain.
1960 Art-Derm (from Dr. Futurity by Philip K. Dick)
Artificial skin sprayed directly on the body.
1960 Chameleon Battle-Dress (from Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson)
Camouflage that allows its wearer to visually blend into the environment.
1960 Starlight Sail (Light Sail) (from The Lady Who Sailed The Soul by Cordwainer Smith)
A light sail capable of sailing between solar systems.
1960 Learning Robot (from Callahan and the Wheelies by Stephen Barr)
A robot that learns from its own experiences.
1960 Bacteria-Destroying Radiation (from Dr. Futurity by Philip K. Dick)
A special beam that created a sterile field for operations.
1960 Ball and Hammer Ship (from Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson)
Spaceship comprised of two sections connected by a shaft.
1960 Domed Mapviewer (from Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson)
Illuminated hemispherical map display.
1960 Single Sheet Molecule (from Dorsai! by Gordon R. Dickson)
A counterfeit-proof way to output unique documents.
1961 Living Grass Carpet (from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein)
An indoor area covered with grass, in the manner of a carpet.
1961 Lyle Drive (from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein)
Propulsion system for use inside the solar system.
1961 Grok (from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein)
To understand fully; become one with (from the Martial verb "to drink").
1961 Space Bubble (Bubb) (from The Planet Strappers by Raymond Z. Gallun)
An inflatable spacecraft.
1961 Pleasure Cap (from A Planet Named Shayol by Cordwainer Smith)
A device that delivers amps of pleasure directly to the brain.
1961 Lecton (from Return from the Stars by Stanislaw Lem)
A device that would read aloud an electronic text book.
1961 Calster (from Return from the Stars by Stanislaw Lem)
A handheld device that printed legal currency on the spot.
1961 Interactive Map (from Return from the Stars by Stanislaw Lem)
A small book with a 'touch-screen' paper interactive map.
1961 Reading Machine (from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein)
A projector which showed text on a screen or the ceiling for easy reading.
1961 Waterbed (Hydraulic Bed) (from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein)
A bed that uses water instead of springs and stuffing.
1961 Stereo Tank (from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein)
A receiver for three-dimensional televised images.
1961 Igloo Inflatable Moon Habitat (from A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke)
An inflatable, portable lunar shelter that can be easily moved and set up.
1961 Sky Ceiling (from Return from the Stars by Stanislaw Lem)
Ceilings that consist of large screens, on which are presented images of the sky.
1961 Air-Restorer Capsule (from The Planet Strappers by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A device that re-oxygenates air in space suits.
1961 Sun-Powered Ionic Drive Motor (from The Planet Strappers by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A rocket propulsion system that takes solar energy to power an ion drive.
1961 Crystal Corn (from Return from the Stars by Stanislaw Lem)
Tiny data storage crystals.
1961 Stereovision Tank (from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein)
Three dimensional mass media (the grandson of television).
1961 Screensaver (Inventor of) (from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein)
Screen savers are used to prevent phosphor burnout in CRTs, and to provide restful entertainment on computer screens.
1961 Jump Harness (from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein)
A device small enough to be worn as a backpack, that gave booster power for jumping.
1961 Dust-Ski (from A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke)
Special vehicle adapted for quick travel over powdered lunar soil.
1961 Dust-Cruiser (from A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke)
Specialized lunar transport able to negotiate dust-filled craters on the Moon.
1961 Electronic Book Store (from Return from the Stars by Stanislaw Lem)
A place to pick up your electronic books.
1961 Mental Radio-Handicap (from Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.)
A device that destroys concentration.
1961 Opton (from Return from the Stars by Stanislaw Lem)
Very early description of an electronic book, with storage media.
1961 Parastatics (from Return from the Stars by Stanislaw Lem)
Means of completely eliminating injury in vehicles during crashes.
1961 Hydroponics in Space (from The Planet Strappers by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Growing plants for food without soil on a spacecraft.
1961 Emotional Register (ER) (from The Primal Urge by Brian Aldiss)
A small disk worn in the forehead that discloses the emotional state of the wearer.
1961 Carniculture Plants (from Four-Day Planet by H. Beam Piper)
Industrial plants that grow meat protein.
1961 Self-Guided Rocket Bullets (from The Planet Strappers by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A rifle made for airless environments shoots rocket bullets.
1961 Transmit Camera (from Four-Day Planet by H. Beam Piper)
A camera that both takes pictures and uploads it directly to a news station.
1961 Recording Radio (from Four-Day Planet by H. Beam Piper)
A handheld device that both recorded sound and transmitted it live to a remote broadcasting location.
1961 Mind Destroyer (from A Planet Named Shayol by Cordwainer Smith)
A method for wiping clean the mind of a human being, leaving only enough to run the body's functions.
1961 Stellene (from The Planet Strappers by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A tough, transparent material used to make domes or even spacecraft.
1961 Electrosecretary (from A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke)
An automatic transcription device.
1961 Betrization (from Return from the Stars by Stanislaw Lem)
An in utero method of reducing human aggression.
1961 Chlorophane (from The Planet Strappers by Raymond Z. Gallun)
Similar to chlorophyll but synthetic and far more efficient.
1961 Taper (from Time is the Simplest Thing by Clifford Simak)
A device that records details about a visit to a distant planet.
1961 Moondozer (from A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke)
A bulldozer for lunar conditions.
1961 Teleprinter (from Four-Day Planet by H. Beam Piper)
A device that printed out a copy of today's newspaper.
1961 Spray-On Clothing (from Return from the Stars by Stanislaw Lem)
Body coverings from a spray can.
1961 Hunting Robe (from Time is the Simplest Thing by Clifford Simak)
A very thin, furry hunter that captures by constriction.
1961 Star Machine (from Time is the Simplest Thing by Clifford Simak)
A device that serves as a boost to psychokinetic powers of mind, enabling paranormals to send their awareness to distant planets.
1961 Butcher Vegetable (from Time is the Simplest Thing by Clifford Simak)
A plant that grows steaks (protein).
1961 Dimensino (from Time is the Simplest Thing by Clifford Simak)
An alien entertainment center that provides the ultimate in immersive experience.
1961 Gobathian (from Time is the Simplest Thing by Clifford Simak)
An alien medical technology that enables full body healing in the event of traumatic injury.
1961 Transo (from Time is the Simplest Thing by Clifford Simak)
Teleportation of objects and personnel, used as the basis for "Trading Post" stores across the planet.
1961 Dromozoa (from A Planet Named Shayol by Cordwainer Smith)
Life forms that cause the human body to bud new parts for harvesting.
1961 Green Guk (from The Beat Cluster by Fritz Leiber)
Algae that produces essential oxygen as a byproduct.
1961 IntruGrab (from The Hunch by Christopher Anvil)
A system designed to capture intruders.
1961 Plexiskin (from A Spaceship Named McGuire by Gordon Randall Garrett)
A means of disguise.
1961 Magnetic Soles (from A Spaceship Named McGuire by Gordon Randall Garrett)
Magnetized footwear for easy walking on low gravity metal surfaces.
1961 Inflatable Living-Globe (from The Beat Cluster by Fritz Leiber)
An inflatable bubble in space, suitable for human habitation.
1961 Astroposit (from The Hunch by Christopher Anvil)
Retro-style system provides a readout on your position anywhere in the galaxy.
1961 Electronic Image Intensifier (from A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke)
Much more sensitive than the human eye.
1961 Sealingsilk (from The Beat Cluster by Fritz Leiber)
Transparent and flexible material, even against hard vacuum in space.
1961 Skip-Glide (from The Planet Strappers by Raymond Z. Gallun)
A means of using the atmosphere to delicately slow a space craft during re-entry.
1961 Sun-Quilt (from The Beat Cluster by Fritz Leiber)
A colorful fabric with a silvered backing used to shield the interior of a living-globe from excessive sunlight.
1961 Precipitrons (from The Beat Cluster by Fritz Leiber)
Filtration system to remove dust and other particulates from the atmosphere in space stations.
1961 Flitterboat (from A Spaceship Named McGuire by Gordon Randall Garrett)
A one-man cargo space craft.
1962 Laminated Mouse Brain Computer (from Think Blue, Count Two by Cordwainer Smith)
A computing device that makes use of neurons from a mouse.
1962 Dumbler (from Hothouse by Brian Aldiss)
Half-sentient spores of the whistle thistle.
1962 Plastex (from The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista by J.G. Ballard)
A combination of plaster and latex, it allows houses to change shape for you.
1962 Senso-Cells (from The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista by J.G. Ballard)
Sensors that recorded personal characteristics of the owners of a house, to better serve their needs.
1962 Lunar Web (from Hothouse by Brian Aldiss)
The moon ensnared by cobwebs.
1962 Carniculture Vat (from Space Viking by H. Beam Piper)
Technology to grow meat sans animal.
1962 Static House (from The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista by J.G. Ballard)
A house that was once fully psychotropic and malleable, but which had been frozen in one configuration.
1962 Veridicator (from Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper)
A device that measured physiologic responses (biometric data) and translated it to a set of colors that unerringly reported whether or not the measured person was telling the truth.
1962 Serving Robot (from Space Viking by H. Beam Piper)
A non-humanoid robot designed to serve.
1962 Psychotropic House (from The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista by J.G. Ballard)
Buildings designed to sense, and mirror, the psychological state of their owners.
1962 Solar Sail (Light Sail) (from Sail 25 (Gateway to Strangeness) by Jack Vance)
A form of propulsion for spacecraft; a sheet of lightweight material reflects light from the sun or other light source.
1962 Celestial Armamentarium (from The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance)
A small crystal planetarium, in which the stars and planets surrounding Aerlith are seen.
1962 Cataclysmite (from Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper)
A high explosive.
1962 Alcodote (from Space Viking by H. Beam Piper)
A compound that maintains sobriety while drinking.
1962 Robot Librarian Filer (from The Robot Who Wanted to Know by Harry Harrison)
A device that works as a librarian, automatically filing books in the stacks.
1962 Robot Earthworm (from War With The Robots by Harry Harrison)
Autonomous swarming robots the size of earthworms, with similar earth-digging capabilities.
1962 Self-Healing Building (from The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista by J.G. Ballard)
A building that responds to stresses or cracks in walls by healing the damaged portion.
1962 Luminescent Vial (from The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance)
A glass tube full of luminescent algae; used to provide some measure of light underground.
1962 Diamagnetic Levitation (from The Currents of Space by Isaac Asimov)
Levitation accomplished using magnetic field's interference with the motion of electrons orbiting the atoms or molecules of a material.
1962 Tand (from The Dragon Masters by Jack Vance)
A metal sculpture, made in contemplation, which has great meaning for the initiates.
1962 Light-Sail Ship (from Think Blue, Count Two by Cordwainer Smith)
A spacecraft that used a huge sail moved by light pressure.
1962 Rat-Robot (from Anything You Can Do by Gordon Randall Garrett)
A small remotely-operated surveillance robot.
1962 Photonic Sail (from Think Blue, Count Two by Cordwainer Smith)
A sail that uses light pressure for propulsion.
1962 Freezebox (from Think Blue, Count Two by Cordwainer Smith)
A chamber for long term sleep between the stars.
1962 Delivery Robot (from Podkayne of Mars by Robert Heinlein)
A small autonomous device that will bring goods directly to a person or place.
1962 Facial Recognition (from Rogue Psi by James Schmitz)
A device that scans a person, compares to a database, and brings out more stored information.
1963 Homotropic News Vending Machine (from The Game Players of Titan by Philip K. Dick)
An autonomous news-selling robot, that was able to specifically seek out human beings.
1963 Solar Yacht Periscope (from Sunjammer by Arthur C. Clarke)
A device used in the small cabin of a solar yacht.
1963 Jump Drive (from Ethical Engineer by Harry Harrison)
A means of propulsion used on spacecraft that allows a ship to travel from point to distant point without actually needing to traverse the space in between.
1963 Sleep-Inducer (from Sunjammer by Arthur C. Clarke)
A device that electronically imposes sleep on a human being.
1963 Rabbit-Paper (from The Game Players of Titan by Philip K. Dick)
A paper pregnancy test that showed immediate results.
1963 Alcohol-Sensing System (from The Game Players of Titan by Philip K. Dick)
A vehicle subsystem that detected alcohol use in the driver, and then took control of the car away from the driver.
1963 Way Station Materializer (from Way Station by Clifford Simak)
By sending impulses that describe a creature from star to star, transport across the galaxy is accomplished.
1963 Tattletale (from The Game Players of Titan by Philip K. Dick)
A device is attached to a criminal suspect, ensuring that his whereabouts are always known.
1963 Multiverse (from The Sundered Worlds by Michael Moorcock)
A set or series of universes in parallel with our own.
1963 Desk Secretary (from The Long Result by John Brunner)
A desk with a computerized secretary built into it.
1963 Perky Pat Layout (from The Days of Perky Pat by Philip K. Dick)
A very special playset into which adults could project their very being.
1963 Rifle Range (Virtual Shooting Range) (from Way Station by Clifford Simak)
Virtual skeet shooting gallery with clay pigeon traps created by aliens.
1963 Talisman (from Way Station by Clifford Simak)
Device that causes beings nearby to experience truth and peace; works only in the hands of rare adepts.
1963 Way Station (from Way Station by Clifford Simak)
A device used to transport individuals across the galaxy.
1963 Subliminal Billboards (from The Subliminal Man by J.G. Ballard)
Enormous outdoor billboards that are totally blank - or are they?
1963 Unicephalon 40-D (from Stand-By by Philip K. Dick)
A problem-solving supercomputer.
1963 News Clown (from Stand-By by Philip K. Dick)
A person who delivers specially selected light news.
1963 Free Telephone Call (from The Subliminal Man by J.G. Ballard)
All telephone calls are free - in exchange for short commercials.
1963 Fold Box (from Glory Road by Robert Heinlein)
A chest that is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
1963 Transparent, Frictionless Coating (from Way Station by Clifford Simak)
An absolutely frictionless, impenetrable coating.
1963 Solar Yacht (from Sunjammer by Arthur C. Clarke)
A space craft whose motive power is light pressure on a solar sail.
1963 Ice-Nine (from Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.)
A crystalline form of water so stable that in practical terms it would never melt.
1963 Shadow People (from Way Station by Clifford Simak)
Alien knowledge leads to alien results - for humans.
1964 Skin Toning (from The Star King by Jack Vance)
Using artificial means to effect a temporary change in skin color.
1964 Stick-Tight (from The Star King by Jack Vance)
A general term for surveillance devices that will follow a subject and record speech or video.
1964 Identificator (from The Star King by Jack Vance)
A hologram projector used to flash door signs.
1964 Single Seat Scooter (from The Star King by Jack Vance)
A self-service monocycle.
1964 Undersea Restaurant (from The Star King by Jack Vance)
A restaurant located in its entirety under the sea.
1964 Universal Technical Consultative Service (from The Star King by Jack Vance)
Interstellar travel plans calculated, reserved and confirmed.
1964 Color Generator (from The Killing Machine by Jack Vance)
A variable spectrum light source
1964 Jet-Powered Aquaplane (from The Star King by Jack Vance)
Overpowered surface boat.
1964 Chalf (Quick-Scribe Powder) (from The Tactful Saboteur by Frank Herbert)
A special powder that forms itself into words and symbols.
1964 Fake-Meter (from The Killing Machine by Jack Vance)
A pocket-sized counterfeit currency detector.
1964 Court Robo-Clerk (from The Tactful Saboteur by Frank Herbert)
A robotic law clerk.
1964 Rhetorizer (from The Penultimate Truth by Philip K. Dick)
A computerized assistant for writers.
1964 Famnexdo (from The Simulacra by Philip K. Dick)
A set of four simulacra, one adult male, one adult female and two children; the family next door.
1964 Auto Shovel (from The Simulacra by Philip K. Dick)
Automated mining equipment for use in space.
1964 Optical-Effect Suit (from The Hounds of Hell by Keith Laumer)
An invisibility garment.
1964 Police Control-Override (from The Hounds of Hell by Keith Laumer)
A device that allows police officers to take control of an otherwise normal vehicle.
1964 Autonomic Food-Processing System (from Cantata 140 by Philip K. Dick)
Technology allows food to be prepared untouched by human hands.
1964 Word Tab (from Cantata 140 by Philip K. Dick)
A feature of an e-paper document; touch the word tab and get more information.
1964 Artif-Org (from Cantata 140 by Philip K. Dick)
A mechanical version of a human organ.
1964 Live Memo (from The Simulacra by Philip K. Dick)
A paper memo or short letter that reads itself and can even argue with or exhort its reader.
1964 Poison-Bearing Invisible Glove (from Lies, Inc. by Philip K. Dick)
Membranous apparel for the hands, used to dispense poisons.
1964 Syn-Cof (from Cantata 140 by Philip K. Dick)
Synthetic coffee.
1964 Ident-Key (from The Penultimate Truth by Philip K. Dick)
Allows the retrieval of a person's entire history of reading material, allowing the prediction of his future thinking.
1964 Empathy Box (from The Little Black Box by Philip K. Dick)
A device which allows a group of people to empathize with a single person (like television lets many people view the same broadcast).
1964 Agfom Potent-Shot (from Clans of the Alphane Moon by Philip K. Dick)
Special film allows user to take a picture of what happens in the next thirty minutes.
1964 Manual Closet (from Clans of the Alphane Moon by Philip K. Dick)
An old-fashioned storage room for clothing, which required the user to place and organize articles of apparel by hand.
1964 Surgical Hand (from Clans of the Alphane Moon by Philip K. Dick)
A specialized robotic hand used for surgery.
1964 Auto Course-Finding Pilot (from Clans of the Alphane Moon by Philip K. Dick)
A device that not only pilots the craft, but will also plot out a course for you.
1964 Cephalic Sniffer (from Clans of the Alphane Moon by Philip K. Dick)
Device can locate an individual using brain patterns.
1964 Pry-Vie (Robotic Detective) (from Clans of the Alphane Moon by Philip K. Dick)
A robotic private eye; autonomic detection services.
1964 Autonomic Plow (from Clans of the Alphane Moon by Philip K. Dick)
A set of farm implements able to combine and perform as a weapon.
1964 Boulder (from Cantata 140 by Philip K. Dick)
A device that homed in on a person's brain wave pattern; a very specific assassination device.
1964 Creditor Jet-Balloon (from Lies, Inc. by Philip K. Dick)
A small, hovering device that hounds debtors.
1964 Robot Busboy (from Lies, Inc. by Philip K. Dick)
A robotic device able to autonomously clear tables in a restaurant.
1964 Surface Slider (from The Star King by Jack Vance)
A small, lightweight craft.
1964 Platform Flyer (from The Star King by Jack Vance)
A small craft suitable for journeys close to the ground.
1964 Commercial Fly (from The Simulacra by Philip K. Dick)
An autonomous, fly-sized manufactured creature that presents commercial advertisements.
1964 Solar Updraft Tower (from Shortstack by Leigh and Walt Richmond)
A renewable-energy scheme that generates power from air movement inside a tall chimney.
1964 Chairdog (from The Tactful Saboteur by Frank Herbert)
A chair that is alive and partly sentient; it shapes itself to the person sitting in it.
1964 Cephalotropic Dart (from Lies, Inc. by Philip K. Dick)
A slim, short-range device that homes in on the brain wave pattern of the target.
1964 Flexible Stem (from The Killing Machine by Jack Vance)
A long flexible tube that can expand and contract its length quickly.
1964 Time-Warping Construct (from Lies, Inc. by Philip K. Dick)
A device that appears to cause alternate worlds or paraworld.
1964 Courtarena (from The Tactful Saboteur by Frank Herbert)
A combination of a court of law, and an arena of combat, in which every participant could be called out and executed under legal circumstances.
1964 Bibs (from Cantata 140 by Philip K. Dick)
People who are put in cold-sleep because there is no niche for them in society.
1964 Chalf-Memory Stick (from The Tactful Saboteur by Frank Herbert)
Device that organizes special dust in the shape of words and symbols.
1964 Housefly Monitor (from Lies, Inc. by Philip K. Dick)
A living fly that is outfitted with sensors for surveillance work.
1964 Walking Fort (from The Killing Machine by Jack Vance)
A biomimetic fort based on the model of a centipede.
1964 Ampek F-a2 Recording System (from The Simulacra by Philip K. Dick)
A device that incorporated a living protoplasm, used as a recording and playback system.
1964 Adjustable Television (from The Simulacra by Philip K. Dick)
A television that allowed viewers to adjust the content of political speeches.
1964 Reporting Machine (from The Simulacra by Philip K. Dick)
A robotic roving reporter.
1964 Weary Deep-Sleep (from Lies, Inc. by Philip K. Dick)
Phildickian old-sleep.
1964 Uptime (from The Traps of Time by John Baxter)
Forward in time.
1964 Bug Chasers (from Lies, Inc. by Philip K. Dick)
Anti-surveillance devices.
1964 Suicide Tooth (from Lies, Inc. by Philip K. Dick)
A false tooth containing poison.
1964 Downtime (from The Traps of Time by John Baxter)
Traveling back in time.
1964 Cholinesterase-Destroying Gas (from Lies, Inc. by Philip K. Dick)
Horrific anti-personnel poison.
1964 Automated Laboratory (from The Shores of Death by Michael Moorcock)
A fully automated machinery of invention.
1964 Power-skis (from Selection by Ursula Le Guin)
Just the accoutrement for exploration, depending on the world.
1964 Jump Point (from Bill for Delivery by Christopher Anvil)
A specific location in space where an interstellar jump can be accomplished.
1964 Control Harness (from A Game of Unchance by Philip K. Dick)
Connects to the brain and nervous system of a host organism for control purposes.
1964 Simulacrum (Sim) (from Clans of the Alphane Moon by Philip K. Dick)
An autonomous construct that is a perfect likeness to a human person.
1964 Microrob (from A Game of Unchance by Philip K. Dick)
Small stature robots.
1964 Phantomatic Generator (Virtual Reality) (from Summa Technologiae by Stanislaw Lem)
A computer-generated experience.
1964 Nipple-Assist (from Lies, Inc. by Philip K. Dick)
A multi-purpose electronic device worn upon the nipple.
1964 Adjustment (from Placement Test by Keith Laumer)
Making sure the man fits the job!
1965 Paracompass (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A very specialized compass that makes use of local magnetic anomalies.
1965 Dispensing Tooth (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A device shaped like a tooth that dispenses gas.
1965 Jubba Cloak (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
An all-purpose garment in common use on Arrakis
1965 Glowglobe (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Floating spherical light bulb with organic energy source.
1965 Minimic Film (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Very fine message medium.
1965 Krimskell Fiber (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A "claw" fiber which will rubs against itself in such a way that, the tighter the rope is pulled, the stronger the knot becomes.
1965 Shigawire (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A very fine wire, used as a recording medium (among other things).
1965 Fanmetal (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
High tensile strength material; used in collapsible structures opened by "fanning" them out.
1965 Ego-Likeness (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
An extremely detailed portrait played through a shigawire projector; capable of reproducing minute movements said to convey the ego essence of a person.
1965 Doorseal (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A portable plastic seal used in temporary camps to keep moisture from escaping from dwelling places.
1965 Lasgun (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A continuous-wave laser projector; can be used as a weapon or as a cutting tool.
1965 Battle Language (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A special-purpose language designed for both clear communication of information related to war, and difficulty of translation.
1965 Smart Dust (from The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age by Stanislaw Lem)
Very tiny computers.
1965 Chromoplastic Dew Collector (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A small, egg-shaped device that uses a special surface to collect morning dew on the desert planet of Arrakis.
1965 Cutteray (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A laser used in a range of tools - including mining equipment.
1965 Carryall (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A flying wing (aircraft); used to pick up a sandcrawler (harvester factory)
1965 Rolem (Wrestling Robot) (from This Immortal by Roger Zelazny)
A robotic wrestling companion.
1965 Dr. Smile (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
A suitcase-sized analyst; a machine that served as a psychotherapist.
1965 Oil Lens (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Oil held in tension in an enclosing force field, used as an optical component.
1965 Commuter Cooling Unit (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
A portable air conditioner for commuters.
1965 Distrans (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Device produces a temporary neural imprint on the nervous system of Chiroptera or birds.
1965 Sunshades (from This Immortal by Roger Zelazny)
Sunglasses that darken and lighten based on ambient lighting.
1965 Servok (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
An 'automatic' or clock-set mechanism to perform simple tasks.
1965 Ramscoop (from World of Ptavvs by Larry Niven)
An enormous magnetic field precedes a spaceship moving through space, directing interstellar hydrogen inward for use as fuel.
1965 Sietch (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A cave warren designed to protect a tribal community, with a population of thousands, with its own water supply in an endless desert.
1965 Autodoc (from World of Ptavvs by Larry Niven)
An automated physician, a fully autonomous surgical robot.
1965 Gnostotron (from The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age by Stanislaw Lem)
Computing device capable of producing an informational model of absolutely everything in existence.
1965 Wakeshot (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
An injection designed to bring a person out of sleep to full wakefulness.
1965 Gigagnostotron (from The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age by Stanislaw Lem)
Enormously powerful computing device.
1965 Personalized Fashion Display (from Bill the Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison)
A set of displays that show you dressed in different uniforms.
1965 Robomule (from Bill the Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison)
The robotic equivalent of a mule.
1965 Semuta (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A combination of a specific drug and music, which penetrated to the deepest levels of consciousness.
1965 Heat-Removing Staff (from The Dead Lady of Clown Town by Cordwainer Smith)
Device absorbs all heat from its target.
1965 Message Cylinder (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A small metal object containing some form of message media and a mechanism for either playing or extruding the medium; secured communication device.
1965 Cephalic Pattern Door (from The Zap Gun by Philip K. Dick)
A door that only opens for specific people.
1965 Crysknife (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A knife blade ground from the tooth of a giant sandworm of Dune.
1965 Gauzy (from This Immortal by Roger Zelazny)
A feather-light tent, made of a fabric just one molecule thick.
1965 Heighliner (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Enormous starship used by the Spacing Guild for interstellar travel.
1965 Medical Mech (from Warrior by Gordon R. Dickson)
A medical robot designed to prevent death during emergencies.
1965 Leybyrdite (from Subspace Explorers by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Extremely tough crystalline metal.
1965 Poison Snooper (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A device that checked food and drink for poisons.
1965 Remote-Cast Snooper (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A small, easily concealed poison snooper.
1965 Dew Gatherers (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Devices used to gather morning dew as a source of drinking water.
1965 Filt-Plug (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A nose plug worn to collect moisture from exhaled air.
1965 Suspensor (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
An energy field that can nullify gravity for small objects.
1965 Palm Lock (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A lock or seal which can be opened only by contact with the palm of the human hand to which it has been keyed.
1965 Fencing Mirror (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A dummy fighting instructor for the young Kwisatz Haderach-in-training.
1965 'Thopter (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Describes any plane capable of wing-beat flight in the manner of birds.
1965 Suspensor Lamp (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A lamp that will float in mid-air, and will stay where you put it.
1965 Chemelectric Afferent Nerve-Analogues (from This Immortal by Roger Zelazny)
An engineered sensory skin.
1965 Plasteel (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Extremely tough form of steel, stabilized with stravidium fibers grown into its crystal.
1965 Battery-Powered 3D Comic Book (from The Zap Gun by Philip K. Dick)
A comic book the pages of which were animated by battery power.
1965 Sandsnork (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A device like a snorkel that would provide air to a tent buried by a sand storm.
1965 Slow Pellet Stunner (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A projectile device that throws darts in a manner calculated to get past a force shield.
1965 Golden Lights (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Another unusual use of the suspensor field; lights are suspended in it.
1965 Autonomic Interviewer (from The Zap Gun by Philip K. Dick)
A robotic reporter.
1965 Imperial Handicraft Globe (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Perfectly crafted globe for planetary governors.
1965 Garbage-can Banger (from The Zap Gun by Philip K. Dick)
An elaborate noise-based weapon.
1965 Sprung-Samser Treatment (from This Immortal by Roger Zelazny)
A medical treatment to extend human life.
1965 Pain Box (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A small box which induced pain into the nerves of the hand.
1965 Simicolor (from This Immortal by Roger Zelazny)
Artificial coloring for the body.
1965 Suspensor Chair (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A chair that suspends itself above the floor.
1965 Diptray (from This Immortal by Roger Zelazny)
A hovering tray of drinks, used for parties.
1965 Sheep Dip Isolator (from The Zap Gun by Philip K. Dick)
A non-lethal malodorant weapon.
1965 N-e (Needle-eyeification) Weapon (from The Zap Gun by Philip K. Dick)
A class of weapons that had the most precise effect imaginable.
1965 Cardioplate (from 'Repent Harlequin' Said the Ticktockman by Harlan Ellison)
A device that could take seconds or minutes off your life, one beat at a time (or all at once).
1965 Kingdom in a Box (from The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age by Stanislaw Lem)
An entire civilization in miniature - in an interactive box.
1965 Filmbook (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A storage medium for information, both text and video.
1965 Mnemonic Pulse (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A feature of filmbook recordings that helps imprint knowledge on the mind of the user.
1965 Handicloset (from The Zap Gun by Philip K. Dick)
A self-organizing closet
1965 Spatial-Postal Card (from Bill the Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison)
Mail from home - that hungry soldiers can also eat.
1965 Death-rattle File (from The Zap Gun by Philip K. Dick)
A cache of information set to destroy itself upon the death of its owner.
1965 Teddy Bear Robot (from I Always Do What Teddy Says by Harry Harrison)
A special toy bear given to every child in the world.
1965 Civic Notification Distorter (from The Zap Gun by Philip K. Dick)
A device that subtly damages databases full of government information.
1965 Electronic Bard (from The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age by Stanislaw Lem)
A computing machine that is able to write original poetry.
1965 Voice (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Combines exceptional insight into personalty with voice modulation to achieve control over individuals.
1965 Rachag (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A caffeine-style stimulant.
1965 Water Repellent Surface (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A surface that water flows over without sticking at all.
1965 Sapho Juice (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Unique substance enhanced the cognitive performance of Mentats.
1965 Model the Universe (from The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age by Stanislaw Lem)
A computer capacious enough to contain a representation of the entire universe.
1965 Femfatalatron (from The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age by Stanislaw Lem)
A device that reverses an infatuation for a particular woman.
1965 Steel Teeth (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
Artificial teeth welded to the bone.
1965 Radson Skimmer (from This Immortal by Roger Zelazny)
A small vehicle designed for a small number of passengers; capable of low, slow flight.
1965 Robot Bar (from Bill the Galactic Hero by Harry Harrison)
A combination bartender and bar; a robot capable of dispensing beverages.
1965 Thumper (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A short stake with a spring-driven clapper at one end; used to call sandworms.
1965 Autonomic Cab (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
An automated taxicab (without robotic driver).
1965 Inter-Vehicle Communication (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
The ability to talk car-to-car directly.
1965 Stilltent (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A small, sealable enclosure which reclaimed moisture from the breath of occupants.
1965 Antithermal Shield (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
A material that protected against climate warming.
1965 Maula Pistol (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A spring-loaded projectile device.
1965 Stillsuit (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
It covers almost the entire body, provides cooling and ensures that almost no moisture is lost.
1965 Interchangeable Hands (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
Specialized manual extremities.
1965 Windtrap (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A device which precipitates water from the air for use by people.
1965 Luxvid Eyes (Jensen Wide-Angle) (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
Artificial, unmoving implanted eyes.
1965 Implanted Steel Teeth (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
Replacement teeth implanted in the jaw.
1965 Mentat (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A person who has been specially trained and conditioned for excellence in
1965 Bubblehead (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
A person who as undergone E therapy, and achieved the frontal lobe of their dreams.
1965 Truffle Skins (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
Genetically unique skins are the common currency; their special genetic makeup makes forgery impossible.
1965 Watertube (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Carries water to and from the catchpockets in a Fremen stillsuit.
1965 Catchpocket (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A small container in a stillsuit that stored reclaimed water.
1965 Radar Mesentery (from This Immortal by Roger Zelazny)
A thick covering that supports a network of sensors.
1965 Solido Projector (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Projects 3-dimensional images.
1965 Dekon Type DCQ (from Subspace Explorers by E.E. 'Doc' Smith)
Decontamination foam.
1965 Ornithopter (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Also called a 'thopter, it had adjustable wings and was jet-powered. Describes any plane capable of wing-beat flight in the manner of birds.
1965 Filament Paper Book (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Very small book, made for space travelers in an era when the smallest added weight was costly.
1965 Factory Crawler (or Harvester Crawler) (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A mobile factory which filtered and processed the sands of Dune for the spice, mélange.
1965 Poison Tongue Dart (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
Weapon surgically implanted in the tongue.
1965 Residual Poison (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A poison that, once administered, resides in the body; only regular intake of the antidote keeps the person alive.
1965 Filterable Virus (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
A special virus that is instantly carcinomatous.
1965 Hunter-seeker (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
An assassination device that floats in mid-air; kills by entering the body and following nerve pathways to vital organs.
1965 Chowlock (from The Starfox by Poul Anderson)
A small opening in a space helmet for food insertion.
1965 Spice (Melange) (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
The spice must flow.
1965 Communinet (from Dune by Brian Herbert)
A public data network.i
1965 Sleep Machine (from Short Trip to Nowhere by R.M. Williams)
A device guaranteeing a good night's sleep.
1965 Hypno-Ligation (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A means of psychological control over an individual.
1965 Humming-Code (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A personal communication.
1965 Amtal Rule (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Testing to destruction
1965 Family Atomics (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
Noble houses had their own atomic weapons.
1965 Gom Jabbar (from Dune by Frank Herbert)
A needle with deadly poison, used to test for humans.
1965 CAN-D (from The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K. Dick)
Illegal narcotic chewed to alter the state of colonists.
1965 Slaver Sunflowers (from World of Ptavvs by Larry Niven)
Plants evolved to reflect light to burn natural enemies.
1966 Cellphone Voice Mail (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
Callers speak into their instrument, and the content of the call is stored by the network for the user to replay at will.
1966 General Products Hull (from Neutron Star by Larry Niven)
Nearly indestructible outer skin for spaceships; pick your hull size and put what you want inside.
1966 Babel-17 (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
An alien weapon in the form of a language.
1966 Virtual Keyboard (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
A keyboard that appears at the right moment in game play.
1966 Virtual Reality Video Game (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
A description of a computer game simulation played in real time as entertainment.
1966 Drinking Bulb (from The Warriors by Larry Niven)
A small container, used for drinks.
1966 Voice Dialing (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
Speak the name of the person and call them on the phone.
1966 Big Screen Control (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
Display content from your personal device on a large shared screen.
1966 Mass-Driver Catapult (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
An escape-speed induction catapult to launch material into orbit.
1966 Networked Personal Device (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
The idea that the true power of a mobile device lies in it's backend network capabilities.
1966 Cellphone Tranquilizing Spray (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
A mild sedative administered automatically by your cellphone.
1966 Cellphone Credit Card (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
Cellphone that can act as a credit card.
1966 Online Employability Profile Testing (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
An online test that determines the best areas in which you might search for a job.
1966 Dream Console (from The Dream Master (He Who Shapes) by Roger Zelazny)
Device allows a therapist to enter and create dreams in patients.
1966 Vision Implant (from The Dream Master (He Who Shapes) by Roger Zelazny)
Photoelectric cell implanted in the forehead grants some vision to the blind.
1966 Auto-Navigation (from The Dream Master (He Who Shapes) by Roger Zelazny)
Automatic car navigation, provided on a video console in the dashboard.
1966 Auto-Driven Auto (Spinner) (from The Dream Master (He Who Shapes) by Roger Zelazny)
A vehicle that accepts coordinates and proceeds to its destination automatically.
1966 Decorative Implant (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
Small devices that can be implanted subcutaneously in the body and then controlled consciously.
1966 Photosensitive Pigment (from Cry Hope, Cry Fury! by J.G. Ballard)
Special paint that stays 'blank' until exposed to a scene.
1966 Life Recorder (from The Dream Master (He Who Shapes) by Roger Zelazny)
Record the details of your life.
1966 Sand-Yacht (Land Schooner) (from Cry Hope, Cry Fury! by J.G. Ballard)
A vehicle that used wind power upon its sails to move on the land.
1966 Lunar Greenhouse Tunnel (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
A multipurpose conservatory on the Moon.
1966 Ro-Womb (from The Dream Master (He Who Shapes) by Roger Zelazny)
Device enfolds the patient during therapy.
1966 Lunar Ice Mining (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
The practice of mining for ice on the moon.
1966 Online Job Search (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
Networked assets allow ordinary people to search through nationwide job listings upon providing a short set of qualifications.
1966 Belter (from The Warriors by Larry Niven)
A person who was born and raised in the asteroid belt around Sol.
1966 Right Angle Projectile (from The Mad Metropolis by Philip E. High)
A missile that turns at right angles after being fired.
1966 Bubbleworld (from At the Bottom of a Hole by Larry Niven)
A rigid space station that is shaped like a cylinder, rotated to achieve centripetal gravity.
1966 Ramrobot (Ramscoop Robot) (from Bordered in Black by Larry Niven)
An autonomous interstellar exploration craft using gathered hydrogen for fuel.
1966 Laser Cannon (from Neutron Star by Larry Niven)
A laser source powerful enough to provide significant light pressure to a "light sail."
1966 Miniaturization (from Fantastic Voyage (Novel) by Isaac Asimov)
Making a physical object smaller in size.
1966 Erased Memory (from We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick)
A procedure that deletes selected memories from the human mind.
1966 Cyborg Pilot (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
A combination of a human being (at least the thinking part) and a machine.
1966 Artificial Gill Outfit (from We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick)
A diving suit that pulls air from the water.
1966 Telepathic Transmitter (Telep-transmitter) (from We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick)
A device using living alien tissue to transmit your thoughts.
1966 Self-Guided Tractors (from At the Bottom of a Hole by Larry Niven)
A farm vehicle that drives itself.
1966 Hush Hood (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
A device that cancels noise, ensuring that others cannot overhear.
1966 TANSTAAFL (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.
1966 Gravity Planer (from The Warriors by Larry Niven)
Device that creates a gravity field.
1966 Voice-Enabled Smartphone (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
A smartphone capable of complete voice-enabled operation.
1966 Extra-Factual Memory (from We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick)
A "memory" placed in a person's mind by artifice, rather than by real life experience.
1966 Computer Humorist (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
A computer acquires the ability to tell original jokes.
1966 Interests Profile (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
An intelligent agent; a software program with your personal tastes on file.
1966 Adam Selene (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
A computer generates a human avatar for itself.
1966 Self-Assembling Robots (from The Witches of Karres by James Schmitz)
Robots with the capacity to assemble themselves from components, and then switch themselves on.
1966 Sheem Spider Robot (from The Witches of Karres by James Schmitz)
A robotic spider.
1966 Flexible Armor Suit (from Neutron Star by Larry Niven)
A pressure suit that, while flexible, becomes rigid like armor upon impact.
1966 Sleeping Plates (from Neutron Star by Larry Niven)
A pair of plates that nullify gravity for the being(s) sleeping between them. Is null gravity the answer to your sleep problems?
1966 Mike (Mycroft Holmes - Fair Dinkum Thinkum) (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
A large computer that woke up - an artificially intelligent, self-aware machine.
1966 Laser Rifle (from Door to Anywhere by Poul Anderson)
A laser weapon shaped (and fired) like a traditional rifle.
1966 Auto-Scan (from This Moment of the Storm by Roger Zelazny)
Automated control of remote surveillance drones.
1966 Eyes (from This Moment of the Storm by Roger Zelazny)
Flying remote-operated surveillance drones.
1966 Corpsicle (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
Cryogenically frozen person who could (hopefully) be revived later.
1966 Ansible (from Rocannon's World by Ursula Le Guin)
Faster-than-light communication.
1966 Specialized Prosthetic Arm (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
A set of prosthetics that provide different functionality in place of missing arm.
1966 Joymaker (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
A networked personal digital assistant - that really is an assistant.
1966 Morphogen (from Fantastic Voyage (Novel) by Isaac Asimov)
A drug that party relieves the need for sleep.
1966 Garbage Device (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
Autonomous garbage collection device.
1966 Death-Reversal Equipment (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
Brings you back from losing a duel.
1966 Martian Print Amoeba (from Now Wait For Last Year by Philip K. Dick)
An organism able to mimic consumer goods.
1966 Virtual Reality Construct (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
A means of projecting a virtual reality experience without special headsets.
1966 Robant Bill Collector (from Now Wait For Last Year by Philip K. Dick)
A robot designed to collect overdue bills, no matter what.
1966 Surgical Homeostatic Unit (from Now Wait For Last Year by Philip K. Dick)
An autonomous surgical robot, able to drill into the body and perform surgery.
1966 Tru-Mem Systems (from We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick)
Organic process of recalling personal events.
1966 Neuristor (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
A solid-state computer component that mimics the human neuron.
1966 Fusion Sunlight Tube (from At the Bottom of a Hole by Larry Niven)
Central light source for a spun cylinder space station.
1966 Caller Contact List (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
A list of callers kept on the phone instrument.
1966 Reciprocal Name (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
A nickname or familiar name used to specify a more completely defined full name and telephone number.
1966 Virtual Kiss (Tactile Net) (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by Frederik Pohl)
A phone-like device that will communicate a kiss in a tactile manner.
1966 Cloaking Device (from Balance of Terror by Paul Schneider)
A force field that renders an object invisible to human eyes as well as other sensor devices.
1966 Ebony Teeth (from Now Wait For Last Year by Philip K. Dick)
Completely black artificial teeth.
1966 Discorporate Sector (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
An electronic afterlife.
1966 Language Net (from The Sorceror Pharesm by Gerald Vance)
Endows the user with the ability to understand any language.
1966 Filing Crystal (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
Part kiosk, part storage system.
1966 Antigravity Globe Arena (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
A spherical arena for wrestling.
1966 Multi-View Surveillance Display (from This Moment of the Storm by Roger Zelazny)
Lots of different video sources combined into one display.
1966 Morgue (Recall Stage) (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
Storage and retrieval of frozen bodies.
1966 Confinement Asteroid (from At the Bottom of a Hole by Larry Niven)
A place where asteroid miner's babies stay to experience some needed gravity.
1966 Tensile Memory Polarized Matter (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
The same piece of material can take pre-determined shapes.
1966 TW-55 Spy (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
Conscious control of facial characteristics.
1966 Alternate Computer Personality (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
A computer system that can take on complete, alternate personalities.
1966 Transparent Platisplasm Cage (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
A replacement framework for a body joint - in this case, the shoulder.
1966 Vivatape (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
Perfectly seals cuts also helps through-skin implants heal.
1966 Stellarimeter (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
Used by space navigators.
1966 Discorporaphone (from Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany)
For speaking with the electronic dead.
1966 Ground-to-Orbit Ferry (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
A kind of space shuttle craft.
1966 Van Goom's Gambit (from Von Goom's Gambit by Victor Contoski)
A chessboard pattern that unhinges the mind of any player who sees it.
1966 Simulogs (Simulated Playmates) (from The Age of The Pussyfoot by John Brunner)
Computer-generated playmates.
1966 Kzinti Lesson - Propulsion As Weapon (from The Warriors by Larry Niven)
The power of a craft's means of propulsion repurposed as an offensive weapon.
1966 Moon As Prison (from The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein)
The moon is a prison without bars.
1967 Mining Disintegrator (from The Arsenal Out of Time by David McDaniel)
A special-purpose boring machine.
1967 Embryonic Robots (from Counter Clock World by Philip K. Dick)
Very small robots, possibly a very early reference to nanotechnology in science fiction.
1967 Palm Flower (from Logan's Run by William Nolan (w/G.C. Johnson))
It's like a life clock.
1967 Mechanical Cobra (from Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny)
An assassination device; senses brain waves to find its victim.
1967 Pray-Machine (from Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny)
A kind of energy receiver that could retrieve a soul from the radiation belt surrounding a planet.
1967 Fornixation (from Riders of the Purple Wage by Philip Jose Farmer)
Electrical stimulation of the pleasure centers of the brain.
1967 Purple Wage (from Riders of the Purple Wage by Philip Jose Farmer)
Guaranteed subsidy paid to every citizen.
1967 Fido (from Riders of the Purple Wage by Philip Jose Farmer)
Combination television, news camera and surveillance device.
1967 Rogue Planet (from Satan's World by Poul Anderson)
A planet without a sun, it wanders through galactic space.
1967 Syrup Sac (from The Last Castle by Jack Vance)
A device used to provide an efficient source of nutrition to Meks, servants of the aristocrats of Earth.
1967 AM (from I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison)
A supercomputer that hates.
1967 Pray-o-Mat (from Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny)
A device that would offer prayers in exchange for a few coins properly deposited.
1967 Scientific Reincarnation (from Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny)
Technology to allow a person to transfer themselves to a new, healthy body.
1967 Sub-microscopic Medical Robots (from These Savage Futurians by Philip E. High)
Tiny robots travel the bloodstream, killing bacteria.
1967 Power-Wagon (from The Last Castle by Jack Vance)
Wagon powered by muscular creature from Etamin 9; uses carbohydrate syrup for fuel.
1967 Full-Shift Set Variable (from Return Match by Philip K. Dick)
Infinite possibilities built into a game machine.
1967 Dolphin's Hands (from Handicap by Larry Niven)
Digital prosthetic for dolphins.
1967 Energy-Cannon (from The Last Castle by Jack Vance)
Device projects destructive power.
1967 Skycycle (from Handicap by Larry Niven)
A flying Harley; motorcycle of the skies.
1967 Floating Booths (from Handicap by Larry Niven)
Comfortable bar booths that float around and come together for conversation.
1967 Win-Reducing Gambling Circuit (from Return Match by Philip K. Dick)
Circuitry in a game that detects winning strategies and then alters the game to make winning more difficult.
1967 Soft Weapon (from The Soft Weapon by Larry Niven)
A device that changes its shape to alter its function.
1967 Multifunction Gun (from Logan's Run by William Nolan (w/G.C. Johnson))
Offers a selection of lethal and non-lethal alternatives.
1967 Cloud Sculpting (from The Cloud Sculptors of Coral D by J.G. Ballard)
Using gliders and chemical showers to shape clouds artistically.
1967 Shuttlecraft (from Star Trek by Author Unknown)
A small spaceship designed for short journeys.
1967 Organlegging (from The Jigsaw Man by Larry Niven)
Technology needed to deal in illicitly obtained body parts.
1967 Homer (from Logan's Run by William Nolan (w/G.C. Johnson))
A device fired from a gun that ends the life of a citizen, based on the color of their palm flower.
1967 Sleep Pod (from Mantis by Chris Boyce)
A special place for snoozing.
1967 Slowboat (from The Ethics of Madness by Larry Niven)
An interstellar craft carrying people.
1967 Lift Chair (from The Last Castle by Jack Vance)
A single occupant lifted by great birds.
1967 Sleepshop (from Logan's Run by William Nolan (w/G.C. Johnson))
A quiet place to die.
1967 Tangler (from Logan's Run by William Nolan (w/G.C. Johnson))
Strong webbing in a tiny capsule, it expands to a net, capturing a suspect.
1967 Vapor Charge (from Logan's Run by William Nolan (w/G.C. Johnson))
A bullet that discharges gas.
1967 Specific Gene Weapon (from The Mannichon Solution by Irwin Shaw)
An organic or inorganic weapon aimed at a specific genetic population.
1968 Wholographik (from Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner)
Hologram-style picture.
1968 Auto-Seal (from Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner)
Automatically deployed cover for power outlets; instant child-proofing.
1968 Total Environmental and Mental Simulator (from Crown of Infinity by John M. Faucette)
An AI that could create and discard whole branches of science in pursuing the answer to a problem.
1968 False Animal Repairman (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
A specialized roboticist who repaired robotic animals.
1968 Cheekplate Container (from A Specter is Haunting Texas by Fritz Leiber)
Special compartment of an exoskeleton; provides easy access to medical supplies related to survive heavy gravity environments.
1968 Exoskeleton (Medical) (from A Specter is Haunting Texas by Fritz Leiber)
Specially designed for Thins, eight-foot tall microgravity humans.
1968 Penfield Wave Transmitter (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
A device that directs some sort of energy wave into a person's brain, allowing them to experience a chosen (dialed) mood.
1968 Kipple (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
The collection of useless bits of trash we wallow in; all the paper and junk that is not recycled.
1968 Cyborg Collar (from A Specter is Haunting Texas by Fritz Leiber)
A device worn around the neck that controls the person for the duration of a working day.
1968 Architectural Coral (from A Gift From Earth by Larry Niven)
A structure grown to a specific shape using small coral-like organisms.
1968 Replicant (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
An android; an artificial human being.
1968 Mobile Lab (from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke)
1968 Newspad (from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke)
A notebook-sized computer and display screen for reading news stories or other text matter.
1968 TMA-1 (from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke)
The Tycho Monolith.
1968 Android Safety Mechanism (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
A device that temporarily incapacitates an android.
1968 Nexus-7 Android (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
The next version after the Nexus-6.
1968 Mining Worm (Organic) (from A Gift From Earth by Larry Niven)
Genetically altered earthworm created just for mining.
1968 Stasis Box (from There is a Tide by Larry Niven)
A space entirely enclosed by a Slaver stasis field, in which time does not pass.
1968 Slow Glass (Scenedow) (from Light of Other Days by Bob Shaw)
A window made of Bose-Einstein Condensate that slows light to a snail's pace.
1968 Hibernaculum (from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke)
A small, self-contained chamber in which a person could endure months of enforced sleep.
1968 HAL 9000 (from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke)
The canonical example of an artificially intelligent computer.
1968 Mood Organ (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
A device which allows you to dial the mood you would like to have.
1968 Electric Sheep (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
An electronic farm animal; a non-organic robot covered with sheepskin that acts like a sheep.
1968 Voight-Kampff Empathy Test (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
A test consisting of a set of images and questions, asked while the subject's biometric data are gathered; intended to separate humans from non-humans.
1968 Andy (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
A slang term for "android" - an artificially created humanoid being.
1968 Nexus-6 Brain Unit (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
The processing power behind android intelligence.
1968 Icon Thumbsized Image (from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke)
A very early reference to a screen icon.
1968 Crackers (from The Time Mercenaries by Philip E. High)
Bouncing, explosive mines.
1968 Sun Goggles (from Grendel by Larry Niven)
Lenses darken in spots to block the brightness of alien suns.
1968 Sinclair Molecule Chain (from A Gift From Earth by Larry Niven)
A monofilament fiber, used for strength.
1968 Oat-Tropic Circuit (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
A robotic feature that caused electronic animals to move toward offered food.
1968 Karatand (from Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner)
A special glove made of impact-sensitive plastic.
1968 Mercy Rifle (from Grendel by Larry Niven)
Device fired slivers of anesthetic as darts.
1968 Disease Circuit (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
A feature of robotic animals which indicated a need to repair by emulating animal sickness.
1968 Synthesist (from Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner)
A person who did nothing but make cross-references between one field and another.
1968 Flex-Wheels (from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke)
Special wheels designed for getting around on the Moon.
1968 Steam Rifle (from Omnivore by Piers Anthony)
A gun that propels projectiles with steam.
1968 Loitering Micro-Missile (from Invader on My Back by Philip E. High)
A small missile that does not need line-of-sight and can move at a slow pace until it finds its target.
1968 Grip Shoes (from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke)
Shoes with velcro soles used to walk in weightless environments.
1968 Artificially Grown Organs (from A Gift From Earth by Larry Niven)
Human organs suitable for transplantation, grown outside the body.
1968 Newspad Electronic Newspaper (from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke)
An electronic version of a newspaper.
1968 Robot Bird (from Invader on My Back by Philip E. High)
A small winged UAV that can mimic a bird in flight.
1968 Panic Alarm (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
Alarm senses intruders and instills mindless panic.
1968 Electric Cat (Robot Cat) (from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick)
A robot presenting the appearance of a common domestic cat.
1968 Sensory-Syrynx (from Nova by Samuel R. Delany)
A complex musical instrument.
1968 Illyrion (from Nova by Samuel R. Delany)
Super-heavy and super-stable elements with atomic numbers greater than 296.
1968 Emergency Shelter (from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke)
A small cubicle that provides a last refuge in case the spacecraft's atmosphere is lost.
1968 Robot Self-Assembly (from Meccano by Hugo Correa)
A robot separated into many pieces reassembles itself.
1968 Seven Vane Starship (from Nova by Samuel R. Delany)
A faster-than-light ship with seven vanes of energy controlled by human nervous systems.
1968 Electro-Binox (from A Specter is Haunting Texas by Fritz Leiber)
Binoculars with electronic focusing.
1968 Sleep Generator (from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke)
An automated way to impose sleep on the brain.
1969 Axolotl Tank (from Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert)
A device to regenerate or reshape organic material.
1969 Nothing (from It was Nothing - Really! by Theodore Sturgeon)
A super-hard substance created by carefully removing material.
1969 Electrical Grandmother (Robot Grandma) (from I Sing The Body Electric! by Ray Bradbury)
A robotic companion.
1969 Cold-Pac Bin (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
A special coffin-sized chamber used to maintain half-life.
1969 Synthetic Flesh (from Super-Toys Last All Summer Long by Brian Aldiss)
Provides robots with realistic coverings, not just plastic.
1969 Singleship (from Death by Ecstasy by Larry Niven)
A spacecraft designed for use by one person.
1969 Plastic-Eating Bacteria (from The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton)
Mutated bacteria able to 'eat' or dissolve rubber and plastic.
1969 Moratorium (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
A place that kept people in cold-pac after death, providing them a kind of half-life.
1969 Protophason Amplifier (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
Detects brain activity of those in half-life.
1969 Self-Powered Broom (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
A broom for use in small apartments that cleans under its own power.
1969 Webfoam Cradle (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
A means of softening the landing for humans inside spacecraft.
1969 Vision Cube (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
A solid-state memory device.
1969 Teep Rod (from Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick)
A device that gathers the thoughts of an individual.
1969 Stillsuit Desert Boots (from Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert)
Special boots that offered parasitic power harvesting.
1969 Float-home (from Whipping Star by Frank Herbert)
Living entity genetically designed for use as a houseboat.
1969 Disruptor Bomb (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
A bomb with a very special purpose; when detonated in space, it makes it impossible to detect the center of the explosion from the dispersion of the fragments.
1969 Face Dancer (from Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert)
Mimicry enhanced through genetic manipulation.
1969 Artiforg (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
An artificial organ kept 'on line' in the body.
1969 Electronic Body Analyzer (from The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton)
A replacement for the human doctor.
1969 Vortal Tube (from Whipping Star by Frank Herbert)
An energy passage providing instantaneous transportation between points across the galaxy
1969 Pseudoflesh (from Whipping Star by Frank Herbert)
Meat (protein) that is produced apart from an animal; great steaks without rumination.
1969 Caliban Beachball (from Whipping Star by Frank Herbert)
Dwelling place for unusual lifeform who make jumpdoors possible.
1969 Reality Tape (from The Electric Ant by Philip K. Dick)
The medium upon which the life experience of an electric ant - a robotic person - is presented.
1969 Jumpdoor (from Whipping Star by Frank Herbert)
The entrance to an energy passage providing instantaneous transportation between points across the galaxy.
1969 Spray-Foam Blouse (from Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick)
Clothing that is sprayed on fresh.
1969 Sniggertrance (from Whipping Star by Frank Herbert)
The state of a person receiving a call mediated by a Taprisiot; interiorized consciousness accompanied by spastic, jerking body movements.
1969 'Pape Machine (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
Yet another name for the homeostatic newspaper; this one has special features including news search.
1969 Tranquilizing Gum (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
Chewing gum with a tranquilizing agent.
1969 Automatic Vein Finder (from The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton)
A device to automatically locate veins for intravenous needle insertion.
1969 Ecstasy Plug (from Death by Ecstasy by Larry Niven)
An implanted module that allowed a wirehead to plug himself into ordinary house current.
1969 Memory Plastic (from Death by Ecstasy by Larry Niven)
Takes various shapes impressed into it on command.
1969 Automated Apartment Maintenance (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
Automated devices that would oversee the maintenance of a rented apartment.
1969 Multi-function Living Room (from Death by Ecstasy by Larry Niven)
A small living space with a variety of functions built-in.
1969 Gravity Web (from Whipping Star by Frank Herbert)
Device for limiting the extent to which a person is subject to gravitational attraction.
1969 SSA Machine (from Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick)
A machine that compares two people for compatibility; it sees sub specie aeternitatis, literally 'under the aspect of eternity' or outside of time.
1969 Ultraflash (from The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton)
A device that sterilizes the skin by a pulse of light.
1969 Robotic Horse - Faithful Cybernetic Companion (from The Warlock in Spite of Himself by Christopher Stasheff)
A robot that is specifically designed to closely resemble a horse.
1969 Ident Darts (from The Electric Ant by Philip K. Dick)
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that track individuals.
1969 Diagnostat (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
A device able to diagnose and treat most human ailments.
1969 Teddy (from Super-Toys Last All Summer Long by Brian Aldiss)
A very intelligent and highly mobile robotic teddy bear.
1969 Physiognomic Template (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
A method for changing the appearance of your face at will.
1969 Tleilaxu Eyes (Metal Eyes) (from Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert)
Tleilaxu eye surgery replaces natural eyeballs damaged or destroyed.
1969 Parenthood Lottery (from Super-Toys Last All Summer Long by Brian Aldiss)
A means of restricting population growth.
1969 Book of the Kalends (from Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick)
The ever-changing book without a title; the documented history of a world.
1969 Voice Encyclopedia (from Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick)
Access to information via robotic voice recognition over the phone.
1969 Weightless Work Area (from Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick)
A small workspace within which there is no gravitational pull.
1969 Geriatric Rooming-House (from Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick)
An apartment building with rooms built especially with the very senior citizen in mind.
1969 Rapid-Transit Hover Blimp (from Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick)
Public transportation for a paranoid age.
1969 Ersatz Window (from Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick)
A display device used in a room without an actual view of the outside; it shows a projection of a real scene.
1969 Automatic Gun (from The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton)
A sentry gun that could target and decide to fire without any human intervention.
1969 Psycho-Lease Encephalic Gadget (from Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick)
A device that provided the conviction that a faked scene was, in fact, real.
1969 Padre Booth (from Galactic Pot-Healer by Philip K. Dick)
Device that provides religious aid and comfort on demand.
1969 Ghola (from Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert)
A living, functioning person who is regrown or recreated from the tissues of a dead person.
1969 Whologram (from Super-Toys Last All Summer Long by Brian Aldiss)
Presents a realistic illusion.
1969 Recording Eye (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
A surveillance device that can survive being dropped from space; transmits images in a wide view.
1969 Flight Stick (from The Flight of the Horse by Larry Niven)
A personal flying vehicle, stripped down to the basics.
1969 Homeopape (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
A automated device that produces a newspaper without human assistance.
1969 Crosswell Tape Worm (from Super-Toys Last All Summer Long by Brian Aldiss)
Device that allows you to eat without gaining weight.
1969 Gyrocar (Gyro) (from The Ring by Piers Anthony (w/R. Margroff))
A gyroscopically stabilized car; a one-wheeled vehicle.
1969 Droud (from Death by Ecstasy by Larry Niven)
A transformer to step down house current for the wire providing current directly to the pleasure center of the brain.
1969 Window Wavelength (from Super-Toys Last All Summer Long by Brian Aldiss)
Display's that provide 'views' as if they were windows.
1969 Membrane Balloon Helmet (from The Flight of the Horse by Larry Niven)
A selectively permeable membrane worn as a helmet.
1969 Project Scoop (from The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton)
A space craft feature that collects dust for study.
1969 Toll Door (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
An apartment door that operates on a cash-only basis.
1969 Flying Robot Drone Probe (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
A remote-controlled flying drone used for remote investigation and surveillance.
1969 Construct (from Retief, the Long-Awaited Master by Keith Laumer)
An artificial being, a pastiche of living and robotic pieces.
1969 Claim Beacon (from Retief, the Long-Awaited Master by Keith Laumer)
A electronic device that proclaims that a planet has been claimed by a given party.
1969 Protective Field (Safety Field) (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
An static energy field used to protect a city.
1969 Drop-Capsule (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
Minimal spaceship.
1969 Rod (from Wolfling by Gordon R. Dickson)
In a fight, it is used in a manner similar to a sword and a flamethrower.
1969 Ubik Spray Can (from Ubik by Philip K. Dick)
One of many definitions of Ubik. Take only as directed.
1969 Rubber Hoof (from The Warlock in Spite of Himself by Christopher Stasheff)
Silent running for robot horses.
1969 Mnemonic Flutter System (Pulse-Sychronizer) (from Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert)
A device to imprint particular facts from a book upon the brain of the reader.
1969 Mass Detector (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
Hunting aid.
1969 Artificial Telepathy (from We All Died At Breakaway Station by Richard Meredith)
Using technology to determine thoughts, and then translate it to speech that could be shared electronically.
1969 Bot (from We All Died At Breakaway Station by Richard Meredith)
The first use of this contraction for "robot".
1969 Messagecraft (from The Faithful Messenger by George Scithers)
An autonomous spacecraft and drone that serves as a communication node in a network that spans star systems.
1969 Automatic City (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
A city designed to protect itself and maintain itself over millions of years.
1969 Viewing Tank (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
A display monitor.
1969 Remote-Control Slavery (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
Mental control (possibly mediated by radio waves) of individuals of other species.
1969 Device Replication (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
Manufacturing devices from a template to save space on space craft.
1969 Mole Probe (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
Automated devices that seek underground routes, burrowing as they go.
1969 Automated Drone Probes (from The Man in the Maze by Robert Silverberg)
Human-sized robot probes for exploration.
1969 Stone Burner (from Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert)
Atomic weapon which burrows deep into a planet; its radiation also attacks selected nerve tissues.
1969 Voicecorder (from Whipping Star by Brian Herbert)
A device that records verbal output and determines truth or falsehood.
1970 Jack In (from Tower of Glass by Robert Silverberg)
To open one's nervous system to a computer's virtual world.
1970 Trumps (from Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny)
Magical Tarot cards that permitted both communication and transportation.
1970 Transmat (from Tower of Glass by Robert Silverberg)
A teleportation device.
1970 Killalc Pills (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
Counteracts the effects of alcohol consumption.
1970 Kemplerer (Klemperer) Rosette (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Planets without a sun; they orbit a central point.
1970 Luggage Robot (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
Perfect helper at robotic hotels.
1970 Riding Robot (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
A single person means of bipedal transportation.
1970 Holo (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Abbreviation of "hologram".
1970 Sound Deadener (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Device that acts to damp excessive noise produced by different species.
1970 Refrigeration Tape (from Tower of Glass by Robert Silverberg)
A strip of material that can be used to keep large tracts of tundra nicely frozen.
1970 Shadow Square (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
An enormous blind that orbits a star.
1970 Floating Castle (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
A vast building floating freely above the land surface of Ringworld.
1970 Electromagnetic Cannon (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
A set of devices on the Ringworld used to land spacecraft safely on the fast-moving rim.
1970 Stepping Discs (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Open air teleportation pads.
1970 Squib (from Our Friends From Frolix 8 by Philip K. Dick)
A simple form of ground transportation.
1970 Sonic Fold (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Force field that guides air around an air vehicle.
1970 Unichapel (Robotic Confession Booth) (from THX 1138 by George Lucas)
Automated religious confessional with monotone, programmed responses.
1970 Crash Balloons (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Inflatable bags that would both cushion and hold a flycycle driver in the event of a crash.
1970 Great Ear (from Our Friends From Frolix 8 by Philip K. Dick)
An electronic telepathic listening device that monitors thousands of people simultaneously.
1970 Neck Radio (from Our Friends From Frolix 8 by Philip K. Dick)
Commercial radio from an implanted device.
1970 Airmaker (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
A device that creates a specific breathable mix directly from the atmosphere.
1970 Osmosis Generator (Cziltang Brone) (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
A device that can render a solid permeable to matter.
1970 Food Brick (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Appropriate manufactured food for any species.
1970 Slaver Disintegrator (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Sometimes used as a digging tool.
1970 Light-Sword (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
A laser tuned for use as a cutting tool.
1970 Gaussrifle (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
Projectiles driven by electromagnetic forces.
1970 Tower of Glass (from Tower of Glass by Robert Silverberg)
An enormous glass tower built to communicate outside the solar system.
1970 Robutler (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
A robotic butler.
1970 Nerve Machine (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
A device that delivers pure pain via neural currents.
1970 Powdered Alcohol (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
Alcohol in non-liquid form.
1970 Transparent Overalls (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
Perfect for prisoners, because nothing can be concealed.
1970 Shadow Square Wire (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Very fine, very light, very strong wire.
1970 Screamer (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
An acoustic weapon.
1970 Blackout Gas (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
Cuts input from the optic nerve.
1970 Inert-Wear (from Say Goodby to the Wind by J.G. Ballard)
Clothing made of dead fibers; clothing that is unmoving, static.
1970 Sigfrid von Shrink (from Gateway by Frederik Pohl)
An automated therapist.
1970 Bio-Fabric (from Say Goodby to the Wind by J.G. Ballard)
Living cloth that constantly adapts itself to the personality and needs of its wearer.
1970 Translator Discs (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Wearable devices that wirelessly connected to a speech translation computer.
1970 Slaver Stasis Field (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
A force field that protects everything inside it by creating a space in which time is suspended.
1970 Scrith (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
The material used to build Ringworld; has remarkable tensile strength
1970 Flywheel Cycle (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
A motorcycle powered by a flywheel.
1970 Ringworld (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
A 50 foot thick ribbon of matter around a star, a million miles across and as long as Earth's orbital circumference.
1970 Variable Sword (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
A sword that could vary in length, and cut through anything.
1970 Robotnik Automated Hotel (from The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge by Harry Harrison)
A fully-automated hotel; no human interaction required.
1970 Sleep Set (Sleep Headset) (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
An electronic device for inducing deep sleep.
1970 Computer Virus (from The Scarred Man by Gregory Benford)
A software program that copies itself to other computers.
1970 Flashlight Laser (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Small cylindrical device that generates a green beam of variable intensity and focal length; can illuminate or cut.
1970 Flycycle (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
Combination flying motorcycle, kitchen and autodoc.
1970 Tasp (from Ringworld by Larry Niven)
A device that induces a current in the pleasure center of the brain, at a distance.
1970 Nearleather (from What's Become of Screwloose? by Ron Goulart)
Fake leather.
1971 Skin Suit (from Dinosaur Beach by Keith Laumer)
A very tight-fighting spacesuit, or disguise.
1971 Impact Suit (from The Flying Sorcerers by David Gerrold (w/L, Niven))
A body suit that is flexible, but upon a hard impact becomes rigid and impenetrable.
1971 Pocket Display Projector (from The Anome by Jack Vance)
A pocketsized projector capable of displaying high resolution images so they can be viewed by a group of people.
1971 Batacitor (from The Fabulous Riverboat by Philip Jose Farmer)
A storage device for electricity that could be charged in a very short time.
1971 Launching Laser (from The Fourth Profession by Larry Niven)
A set of very high-powered lasers used to power spacecraft.
1971 Verse Transcriber (from Studio 5, The Stars by J.G. Ballard)
A device that would produce perfect poetry, given the necessary parameters.
1971 Robot Pope (from Good News From the Vatican by Robert Silverberg)
An artificially intelligent robotic cardinal ascends to the Throne of St. Peter.
1971 Selektrogel (from And All The Stars A Stage by James Blish)
An over-the-counter gel to choose the sex of a child at conception.
1971 Nowhen (from A Feast for the Gods by Poul and Karen Anderson)
At no time.
1972 Copseyes (from Cloak of Anarchy by Larry Niven)
A small floating "eye-in-the-sky" surveillance drone used by police in an extensive park.
1972 Implant-Watch (from Cloak of Anarchy by Larry Niven)
Subcutaneous timepiece; uses patterns of colored lights to show the time.
1972 Artificial Muscles (from Cyborg by Martin Caidin)
Replacement for organic muscle tissue.
1972 Ilse (from Long Shot by Vernor Vinge)
The first intelligent ship brain.
1972 WatchdØg (Watchdog) (from WatchdØg by Jack C. Haldeman)
1972 King's Free Park (from Cloak of Anarchy by Larry Niven)
A park in which anarchy reigned; a very long, narrow park.
1972 Ironing Robot (from Iron (утюг) by Mikhail Mikheev)
A robot that smooths the wrinkles out of clothing.
1972 The Krang (from The Tar-Aiym Krang by Alan Dean Foster)
An enormous musical instrument (or weapon).
1972 Chemical Orders (from Hellstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert)
Use of chemical triggers for behavior and behavior modification.
1972 P-Terminal Implant (from The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton)
A device consisting of implanted power pack, control and electrodes placed near pleasure centers of the brain.
1972 Tickler (from Eurema's Dam by R.A. Lafferty)
Clears smog and saves the residue for later use.
1972 Key Club (from Flash Crowd by Larry Niven)
A social club made exclusive by teleportation booth; may be in a chain with other physically identical locations.
1972 Newstaper Gear (from Flash Crowd by Larry Niven)
The devices used by a person who serves as a reporter, cameraman and story finder.
1972 Displacement Booth (from Flash Crowd by Larry Niven)
A teleportation portal.
1972 Flash Crowd (Flash Mob) (from Flash Crowd by Larry Niven)
What you call a group of people who suddenly appear at an interesting location.
1972 Spider Tripod Robot (from Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke)
Three-legged alien robot.
1972 Cyborg (from Cyborg by Martin Caidin)
A cybernetic organism - man in union with machine
1972 Bionic Arm (from Cyborg by Martin Caidin)
An artificial arm that responds in a manner similar to the 'original equipment' item.
1972 Bionic Legs (from Cyborg by Martin Caidin)
Human legs rebuilt and improved.
1972 Mini-Sneaker (from The Godmakers by Brian Herbert)
A small, airborne surveillance device.
1972 Implanted Tranceiver (from The Godmakers by Frank Herbert)
Device enables two-way communication with needing to carry a device.
1972 Polawindow (from The Godmakers by Frank Herbert)
A window-sized polarizer filter that allows changes in light intensity and color.
1972 Selectacol (from The Godmakers by Frank Herbert)
A device that automates the interior design process, providing a choice of color schemes for a roomful of furniture.
1972 Atlotl/Gibiril Regimen (from The Godmakers by Frank Herbert)
A method of altering the flow of energy in the body to aid in regrowth of damaged or missing tissue.
1972 Nightmask (from Hellstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert)
Night vision mask (similar to a diving mask) with an infrared light source.
1972 Crechepod (from The Godmakers by Frank Herbert)
A small, enclosed medical device providing full life support as well as advanced regrowth technologies.
1972 Window-Cleaner Robots (from Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke)
Robots that perform the task of cleaning and polishing transparent surfaces.
1972 Ultraminiature Spy-Circuit (from The Unknown by Christopher Anvil)
Tiny bits of 'smart dust' used as surveillance devices.
1972 Procreative Stump (from Hellstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert)
A woman's torso, kept alive for the purpose of using the womb as an incubator.
1972 Biot (from Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke)
A biological robot.
1972 Stunwand (from Hellstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert)
1972 Go-Buggy (from The Godmakers by Frank Herbert)
A ground-only vehicle.
1972 Transmit-Paper (from The Godmakers by Frank Herbert)
Paper form with a built-in capability to transmit the information written with a stylus to a remote computer network.
1972 Rotating House (from The Godmakers by Frank Herbert)
A single family home built upon a central pivot; it can be turned at will.
1972 Hubrizine (from We Can Build You by Philip K. Dick)
A drug that brings about greater alertness and cheerfulness.
1972 City of Glass (from The Godmakers by Frank Herbert)
An entire city made of unique structural glass and ceramic.
1972 Superluminal (from Patterns of Chaos by Colin Kapp)
Faster than the speed of light.
1972 Cryosleep (from Flight of Exiles by Ben Bova)
Use of extreme cold to cause suspended animation.
1972 Dragonfly Sky-Bike (from Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke)
An ultralight human-powered flyer.
1972 Autobutle (from The Godmakers by Frank Herbert)
An automated servant.
1972 Hive-Sign (from Hellstrom's Hive by Frank Herbert)
Specialized sign language developed by an offshoot of humanity.
1972 Filter-Mask (from The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner)
Perfect for dystopian future air pollution.
1972 Electrofriend (Artificial Friend) (from Automatthew's Friend by Stanislaw Lem)
A tiny electric friend, which nestles in your ear, and provides advice and information.
1973 Ultramicrominiature Waldo (from Time Enough For Love by Robert Heinlein)
A device for transforming ordinary human hand movements into extremely small-scale surgical motions.
1973 Welton Cube (from Time Enough For Love by Robert Heinlein)
High-density storage device.
1973 Ram Field (from Protector by Larry Niven)
A specialized version of the hydrogen-gathering field for a Bussard Ramjet.
1973 Twing (from Protector by Larry Niven)
Used in the hold of spaceships to keep articles all together, and to prevent them from floating around in free fall, or falling during periods of acceleration.
1973 Artificial Gravity-Assisted Childbirth (from Time Enough For Love by Robert Heinlein)
Using an artificial gravity field to assist (and accelerate) the process of childbirth.
1973 Light-Sculpture (from Light Verse by Isaac Asimov)
A creative work that was both sculpture and light.
1973 Slowboat (from Protector by Larry Niven)
Slower than lightspeed spacecraft used for interstellar colonization.
1973 Gravity Lens (from Protector by Larry Niven)
An optical lens created using the lightbending properties of gravity.
1973 Frictionless Cups (from Protector by Larry Niven)
Cups with a special surface to which liquid does not adhere.
1973 Implanted Interface With Retinal Nerves (from The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe (The Unsleeping Eye) by D.G. Compton)
Circuitry that provides a 'look' at what the eye sees.
1973 Monopole Mining (from Protector by Larry Niven)
Looking for natural sources of monopoles.
1973 Decibel Alarms (from A Bridle for Pegasus by Anne McCaffrey)
Alarms that would go off if the noise in public gathering places was rising to riotous levels.
1973 Hypno-Encyclopedic Techniques (from Time Enough For Love by Robert Heinlein)
If you plan to live for centuries, you need to organize your memories.
1973 Moon Hopper (from Rider in the Sky by Raymond F. Jones)
A jet-powered single-person vehicle for the Moon.
1974 Talking Pamphlet (from Ellison Wonderland by Harlan Ellison)
An instructional pamphlet that instructs you through ordinary speech.
1974 Projection Commercials (from The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester)
A three-dimensional advertisement that is placed in your path in a public place like a bar.
1974 Laser Finger (from The Forever War by Jack C. Haldeman)
Special powered suit add-on makes you even quicker on the draw.
1974 Armor Cloth (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
Extremely tough synthetic fabric.
1974 Metal Paste (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
A conductive metal that could be easily squirted from a tube.
1974 Acceleration Shell (from The Forever War by Joe Haldeman)
A special suit designed to help people survive accelerations of up to twenty-five gravities.
1974 Eccentric Projection (from The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree, Jr.)
Remote manipulation of a body not your own.
1974 Placental Decanters (from The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree, Jr.)
Perfect human bodies with control implants for remote use.
1974 Handbag Computer (from The Futurological Congress by Stanislaw Lem)
Device capable of carrying on your conversation for you.
1974 Pressure Curtain (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
A force field that creates a barrier that people can pass through but air cannot - an airlock in a spacecraft.
1974 Harvesting Saturn's Rings (from The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester)
Mining the rings for industrial purposes.
1974 Powered Suit with Trauma Maintenance (from The Forever War by Joe Haldeman)
A powered suit (or powered armor) that is set up to save as much of your body as possible in worse case scenarios.
1974 Floating Building (from Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick)
An apartment building that floats a few feet off the ground.
1974 Collapsar Jump (from The Forever War by Joe Haldeman)
Travel between collapsed stars in no time at all.
1974 Robot Gas Station (from Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick)
An entirely automated station for dispensing fuel to consumer vehicles.
1974 Flesh Gun (from The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester)
A weapon that burns the skin and meat off the victim.
1974 Picphone (from Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick)
A small telephone that has a screen to show pictures.
1974 Phone-Grid Transex Network (from Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick)
Addictive network-enhanced sexuality.
1974 EEG-Gram Projection (from Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick)
Detection of unique characteristics at a distance.
1974 Numbitol (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
You guessed it, a topical anesthetic.
1974 KR-3 (from Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick)
A drug that breaks down the ability of the brain to perceive space and physical objects properly, or in sequence; a new universe opens.
1974 Skull Bug (from The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester)
A small electronic device implanted in the cranium at birth; used for monitoring and control.
1974 Assault Ship (from The Forever War by Joe Haldeman)
A one-way, one-use spacecraft for depositing troops at the scene of a space battle.
1974 Time Dingbat (from The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester)
Nickname for a time machine; used for a kind of WPA-like program for the past.
1974 Langston Field (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
A protective energy shield.
1974 Acceleration Chair (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
A specially-designed chair used to help crew stay mobile during periods of high acceleration.
1974 Gee Bath (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
Essentially a waterbed designed to help older or untrained people cope with high acceleration aboard spacecraft.
1974 Superconductor of Heat (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
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.
1974 Alderson Point (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
One end of a tramline, a path between stars that can be traversed using a hyperdrive engine.
1974 Seed Bomb (from Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick)
A tiny explosive that can be embedded under the skin.
1974 Atmosphere Control (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
Recently terraformed planets require constant maintenance.
1974 Microtransmitter Dot (from Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick)
A tiny transmitter placed on ID cards, used to track ID holders.
1974 Tramline (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
The line along which hyperspace (instantaneous travel) travel is possible.
1974 Acceleration Couch (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
A chair designed for use in during periods of high acceleration (multiple gravities).
1974 Projection (from The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester)
A means of projecting your image to a distant place.
1974 Stimtab (from The Forever War by Joe Haldeman)
A drug designed to keep the user awake and alert for long periods.
1974 Molemen (from The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester)
1974 Pressor Field (from The Forever War by Joe Haldeman)
A force field that pressed against anything that encountered it.
1974 Frictionless Toilet (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
A toilet bowl that does not require water, because its surface is frictionless.
1974 Home Ad Blocker (from The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester)
Device insulates house against intrusion by 3D advertisements.
1974 C-Plus Cannon (from Inhuman Error by Fred Saberhagen)
Weapon fire that can skip past the speed of light and back.
1974 Testing For Human (from Inhuman Error by Fred Saberhagen)
How can you distinguish the artificial from the real?
1974 Fyunch(click) (from The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
An alien assigned to become an expert in just one person.
1974 Robotrix (from Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Philip K. Dick)
A robot, female in appearance.
1974 Cryocapsule (from The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester)
A spaceship capsule that contains astronauts in special coffins, in suspended animation.
1974 Cryonaut (from The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester)
An astronaut placed in cryonic sleep.
1974 Cushion Fence (from The Computer Connection by Alfred Bester)
Gentle force field
1975 Inflatable Church (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
A church using an inflatable projection screen as an altar.
1975 Tiered Internet (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
The idea that some forms of Internet network traffic should be given priority over others.
1975 Data-Net (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
An early mention of the idea of a nationwide data network.
1975 Data-Retrieval Mode (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
A system for getting the thoughts and images out of a person's mind; recovering the data from a brain storage device.
1975 Electronic Voting (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
Using computer terminals to register votes from citizens.
1975 Personal Smelter (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
A device used to reduce metallic objects (like coins, pots, cables) to an ingot with known value.
1975 Computer Worm (Tapeworm) (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
The first description of a set of computer codes that moves from one computer to another on a network as a coherent entity.
1975 Autoporter (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
A device that carries your bag for you at airports.
1975 Coley Group (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
A musical form that involves dancing in a field of weak microwaves.
1975 Net Shutdown Worm (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
A tapeworm designed to shut down a nationwide network in the event of national emergency.
1975 Government Data Transparency (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
The idea that all of the information available to the government should be posted online and be easily accessible to everyone.
1975 National Network Surveillance (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
A system for providing the government with a way to monitor computer network use.
1975 Hearing Aid (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
A service that allows people to anonymously talk with another person who only listens.
1975 Retaliatory Tapeworm (Counter-Worm) (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
Using computers to deliberately damage another person's reputation and well-being.
1975 Modded Dog (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
A canine whose ancestors were genetically modified for higher intelligence; the trait breeds true in offspring.
1975 Paid Avoidance Zone (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
An area where the inhabitants agree, for a government-paid fee, to live without sophisticated services.
1975 Delphi Pool (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
A large group of people used as a statistical sampling resource; even if the correct answer is not known, responses tend to cluster around the correct answer.
1975 Computer Play Time (from Point of View by Isaac Asimov)
Allowing a computer to take time off from serious problems improves its performance.
1975 Satellite Search and Destroy (from The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner)
Destroying satellites in orbit.
1976 Sandcrawler (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A very large mobile home, used by jawas on the deserts of Tatooine.
1976 Landspeeder (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A small repulsion-based hovercraft capable of high speeds over flat terrain.
1976 Escape Pod (Life Pod, Boat Pod) (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A small ship used solely as a "life boat."
1976 RUMOKO (from My Name is Legion by Roger Zelazny)
A project to create additional land surface by deliberate stimulation of undersea volcanoes.
1976 Vaporator (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A device which extracted moisture from the air for use in farming.
1976 Death Star (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
The logical endpoint of a galactic empire.
1976 Womb Room (from A World Out of Time by Larry Niven)
The ultimate ship's bridge.
1976 Smother-Charge (from My Name is Legion by Roger Zelazny)
Molecularly-gimmicked explosive.
1976 Rhennius Machine (from Doorways in the Sand by Roger Zelazny)
Device of alien manufacture, which will reverse, or turn inside out, any object passed through its mobilator.
1976 Dog Suit (from Doorways in the Sand by Roger Zelazny)
A disguise worn by an alien detective, allowing him to look just like a domestic canine.
1976 Nemourlon (from West of Honor by Jerry Pournelle)
Material for special body armor.
1976 Lightsaber (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A sword the blade of which is formed by a beam of visible light which cuts like a laser.
1976 Star Stone (Speicus) (from Doorways in the Sand by Roger Zelazny)
An artificial intelligence shaped like a rock, which can communicate with living organisms telepathically.
1976 Comlink (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
Short for communications link; a small portable communicator.
1976 Hangman (from My Name is Legion by Roger Zelazny)
A telefactoring device that also was able to function independently.
1976 Robot Surgeon (from The Bicentennial Man by Isaac Asimov)
An autonomous robotic surgeon.
1976 Ion Cannon (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
Fires blasts of charged particles.
1976 Dray-Fish (from The Moon Moth by Jack Vance)
Large fish trained to be harnessed to large houseboats.
1976 Stimic (from The Moon Moth by Jack Vance)
A musical instrument consisting of three flutelike tubes equipped with plungers; thumb and forefinger squeeze a bag to force air across the mouthpieces.
1976 Asymptotic Drive (from Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke)
A propulsion drive that used a tiny black hole to generate energy.
1976 Bussard Ramjet (from A World Out of Time by Larry Niven)
Propulsion method that scoops hydrogen atoms from space via electromagnetic fields.
1976 Sensor Arm (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
An extendable multipurpose sensor cluster.
1976 Sonic Curtain (Sound Lock) (from My Name is Legion by Roger Zelazny)
An undersea sound curtain that keeps larger animals out.
1976 Moon Moth (from The Moon Moth by Jack Vance)
A rather plain and timid mask.
1976 Anabolic Protoplaser (from Spock, Messiah! by Theodore Cogswell (w/C. Spano))
Uses laser light to repair wounds.
1976 Biological Package Probe (from A World Out of Time by Larry Niven)
1976 Bubble Car (from A World Out of Time by Larry Niven)
Self-steering, hovering, this is the car of the future.
1976 RNA Shots (from A World Out of Time by Larry Niven)
An injection prepared from the tissues of a person with knowledge or experience that you need.
1976 Zero-Time Jail (from A World Out of Time by Larry Niven)
A building in which an energy field prevents time from passing.
1976 Restraining Bolt (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A device that makes sure a robot does what you want (rather than what it wants).
1976 Young-Forever (from A World Out of Time by Larry Niven)
A very particular formula for human immortality, which solves the most serious attendant problem (population explosion).
1976 Poster TV (from A World Out of Time by Larry Niven)
This display gives new meaning to the term "flat screen."
1976 Automatic Control Car (from Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke)
An autonomous vehicle.
1976 Gravity-assisted Subway (from A World Out of Time by Larry Niven)
The fastest way between continents (that does not entail leaving the ground).
1976 Droid (Star Wars) (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A contraction of "android", it actually describes one of a variety of robots.
1976 Bubble City (from My Name is Legion by Roger Zelazny)
Underwater domes provide living space for large communities.
1976 Empty Man (from A World Out of Time by Larry Niven)
A fully-functioning body, the personality of which had been wiped clean.
1976 R2-D2 (Artoo-Detoo) (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
Now the generic term for a small, maneuverable robot.
1976 Remote (or Seeker Remote) (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A training aid for use by Jedi knights.
1976 Neuristor Brain (from My Name is Legion by Roger Zelazny)
A computer device made up of neuristors.
1976 Deflector Shield (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A energy field used to shunt the energy of offensive weapons aside.
1976 Supralight Drive (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A propulsion system that allows a spacecraft to travel faster than light.
1976 T.I.E. Fighter (Tie Fighter) (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A highly maneuverable fighter spacecraft using an ion drive propulsion system.
1976 Tagalong (from In the Bowl by John Varley)
A backpack with legs; a robot that will carry things for you and match your movements.
1976 Skyhook (from West of Honor by Jerry Pournelle)
Part dirigible, part plane.
1976 3D 'Chess' Game Board (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
A flatbed 3D display which is used to play chess-style board games in three dimensions.
1976 Strakh (from The Moon Moth by Jack Vance)
The prestige or social prominence which serves as a medium of exchange on the planet Sirene.
1976 Environmental Happening (from The Phantom of Kansas by John Varley)
Weather created as a work of art.
1976 Lunar Disneyland (from The Phantom of Kansas by John Varley)
A vast cavern excavated on the Moon - used for entertainment. Very large scale entertainment.
1976 Ixian Sight Mask (from Children of Dune by Frank Herbert)
Device to allow the blind to see.
1976 Minisec (from Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke)
A device like a personal digital assistant (PDA) today.
1976 Magnetic Projector (from The Space Beyond by John W. Campbell)
Projects a vortex of magnetic force.
1976 Sandtrout Glove (from Children of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A living glove, formed of live creatures.
1976 Orbital Factory (from Bind Your Sons To Exile by Jerry Pournelle)
Putting manufacturing in space, orbiting the planet.
1976 Keyboard With Changing Keys (from Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke)
A computer keyboard with keys faced with little displays, so the label could change based on the application or language.
1976 Trans-Space Transmission (from The Moon Moth by Jack Vance)
A curious method of communication between worlds.
1976 Habitable Exoplanet Moon (from Star Wars by George Lucas)
An Earthlike moon that orbits a gas giant.
1976 Comsole (Home Communications Console) (from Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke)
A home computer, connected to data services.
1977 Nullfield (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
A field of energy that creates a barrier.
1977 Darkdawn City (from Dying of the Light by George RR Martin)
An entire city that is tuned to be played by the winds.
1977 Centrifuge Room (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
A small room on a planetoid that is spun to create artificial gravity.
1977 Antiholo Generator (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
Dispels intrusive hologram advertisements.
1977 Genoprinter (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
A device that does a 'live capture' of a biometric skin sample.
1977 Ghostsmoke (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
An advertisement projected onto a fine mist.
1977 Life Bank (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
A storage facility with the genetic material that was produced by Earth's ecosystem.
1977 Pork Tree (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
A plant that produces an analog to animal meat.
1977 Briefcase Computer (from Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan)
A portable computer workstation.
1977 Memory Recording (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
A means of recording the entirety of a person's experience and personality.
1977 Symb (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
A symbiont life form that provides its human with life-giving energy.
1977 Null-Suit (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
A device that projects a field of force that acts like a space suit.
1977 Gravity Train (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
An underground railway system that utilizes gravity for acceleration.
1977 Holomist (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
A means of projecting a commercial message onto a fine spray.
1977 Alien Zoo (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A zoo that brings together plants and animals from many planets.
1977 Chameleon Cloth (from Dying of the Light by George RR Martin)
Clothing that changes color and pattern to match its surroundings.
1977 Sky-Scoot (from Dying of the Light by George RR Martin)
A patch of antigravity foil used for flying.
1977 Glowstone (from Dying of the Light by George RR Martin)
A mineral that absorbs light by day and emits it by night.
1977 High Kavalaan Aircar (from Dying of the Light by George RR Martin)
Flying SUV equipped with laser weapons.
1977 Scramble Suit (from A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick)
A superthin membrane upon which are projected the characteristics of a million different people, it confers instant anonymity.
1977 Cephalochromoscope (Cephscope) (from A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick)
A brain-scan device with a screen to display neural patterns.
1977 Trimagniscope (from Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan)
A device that produced a usable cross-sectional image of any part of an object.
1977 Holo-Scanner (from A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick)
A small portable device that acquired holographic surveillance images.
1977 Transmitter Eyes (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
Closed circuit cameras that provided sight and sound to remote viewers of the Courtarena who wish to remain anonymous.
1977 Holo-Cube (from A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick)
A very large holographic display, that a person could walk into.
1977 Holo-Printing (from A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick)
Errors introduced in data storage media when recording under improper conditions.
1977 Rogue World (from Dying of the Light by George RR Martin)
A celestial nomad, a planetary body that is not tied to a particular sun.
1977 Taprisiot Monitor Bead (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A small bead to be swallowed that allowed the thoughts of a person to be transmitted and recorded during a specified interval.
1977 Armored Clothing (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
Ordinary apparel that contained both armor and muscle amplification devices.
1977 Uniflesh (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A type of artificial skin and underlying flesh.
1977 Zoo Fences (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
Caustic water moat
1977 Grapple Tracks (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A means of automating the process of parking and releasing passenger vehicles from a parking garage.
1977 Personality Simulator (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A device which, when fed enough data about a person, simulated their personality allowing the user to predict behavior in stated circumstances.
1977 Swimming Tubes (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
Used to connect buildings for use by amphibious species.
1977 Sonabarrier (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A type of energy fence, used to keep birds away from particular areas.
1977 Skitter (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A small passenger vehicle, for two beings, which uses a steering bar. It is parked in a structure that parks and releases vehicles automatically.
1977 Graluz (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A contained, concealed breeding pond for the frog-like Gowachin.
1977 Daily Schedule (DS) (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
The DS was an artificially intelligent day planner, a schedule keeper with voice recognition features; it also talked back when necessary.
1977 Caleban Contact (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A form of telepathy based on the use of unimaginably enormous amounts of energy.
1977 Bedog (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A sentient creature designed to be a bed.
1977 Network Monitoring Detection (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
Detection of someone monitoring your computer workstation
1977 Odalarm (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
An alarm clock that awakens the sleeper with a selected odor.
1977 Taprisiot (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A kind of symbiote, which attuned itself to the user, allowing an expansion of consciousness - telepathic communication anywhere in the galaxy in real time.
1977 Tracked Vehicle (from The Dosadi Experiment by Frank Herbert)
A heavily armored vehicle, typical of those in use, with a remarkable agility.
1977 Substance D (from A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick)
An addictive, psychoactive drug.
1977 Flexible Sprung Boots (from Inherit the Stars by James P. Hogan)
Boots designed to be flexible when walking, but upon a hard step, will have a spring characteristic.
1977 Javelin (from The Ophiuchi Hotline by John Varley)
A spacer who modified herself to more easily live in space.
1978 Orbiting Factories (from The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke)
Manufacturing centers in orbit around the Earth.
1978 CORA - Coronary Alarm (from The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke)
An implanted (or worn) ECG monitor that warns the user of coronary events.
1978 Personal Interest Profile (PIP) (from The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke)
A set of topics about which you would like to hear the latest news; known today as Google News Alerts.
1978 Hyperfilament (from The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke)
A very high tensile strength material structured as a long thin line or ribbon.
1978 Holopad (from The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke)
A small display like an iPad that shows 3D images.
1978 Operation Cleanup (from The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke)
The program that removed space debris in LEO that could harm the space elevator.
1978 Spinnerettes (from The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke)
A device that will unspool a nanowire filament and then pull it back in.
1978 1D Diamond Crystal (from The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke)
A continuous pseudo-one dimensional diamond crystal- maybe a nanotube?
1978 Space Elevator (Orbital Tower) (from The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke)
A physical link between a point on the surface of the Earth and a satellite in geosynchronous orbit.
1978 Spider Space Elevator Test Vehicle (from The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke)
A robotic testing device for the cables of a space elevator.
1978 Deposition (3D Printing) (from Assassin by James P. Hogan)
A method for creating any object, molecule by molecule.
1978 Structural Scanning (from Assassin by James P. Hogan)
Essentially, a whole-object camera, that would take a detailed picture of the structure of an object.
1979 Electronic Book (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
An early reference and description of electronic book hardware and operation.
1979 Solar Flare System (from Mobile Suit Gundam by Yoshiyuki Tomino)
Space-based parabolic reflector that focuses light for destructive purposes.
1979 Minovsky Particles (from Mobile Suit Gundam by Yoshiyuki Tomino)
A custom-generated subatomic particle with many technological applications.
1979 Self-Satisfied Door (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
A door that is much more satisfied with its functionality than it has any right to be.
1979 Needles (Chocolate and Vanilla) (from Sundiver by David Brin)
Inflated towers reaching 20 miles out of Earth's atmosphere.
1979 GPP Genuine People Personalities (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
Giving mechanisms their own unique affect.
1979 Spider (from The Web Between the Worlds by Charles Sheffield)
A robotic device that both extruded cable and climbed along it; a space construction robot.
1979 Supertank (from Hammer's Slammers by David Drake)
An air-cushioned armored combat vehicle powered by a fusion generator.
1979 Deep Thought (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
The second-largest computer ever made.
1979 Whale Waldo (from Sundiver by David Brin)
An electromechanical whale "suit" that obeys and amplifies your body's motions.
1979 Infinite Improbability Drive (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
Generates a field in which anything, no mater how improbable, can exist.
1979 Whoopee Drive (from Space Angel by John Maddox Roberts)
Spacecraft propulsion.
1979 Wire-Gun (from Mobile Suit Gundam by Yoshiyuki Tomino)
Device that aids movement in microgravity.
1979 Marvin the Robot (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
Another fine robot from the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation
1979 Nutri-Matic (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
A drink dispenser that scans the person to determine what might go down well.
1979 Gesture-Controlled Device (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
An electronic device that is controlled by hand gestures.
1979 Service Drones (from The Two Faces of Tomorrow by James P. Hogan)
Small flying construction and repair robots.
1979 Conductive Film (from The Face by Jack Vance)
A spray-on conductor capable of carrying a signal.
1979 Receptor Tape (from The Face by Jack Vance)
A thin, flexible material that can pick up sounds.
1979 Babel Fish (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
A living fish which, when placed in your ear, will live there and translate any form of language for you.
1979 Powergun (from Hammer's Slammers by David Drake)
A directed energy weapon.
1979 Computer Generated DigItal Music (from The Moon Goddess and the Son by Donald Kingsbury)
A computer composes music with a few simple inputs from the user.
1979 Mobile Armor (from Mobile Suit Gundam by Yoshiyuki Tomino)
Heavilly armed spacecraft with limbs.
1979 Mobile Suit (from Mobile Suit Gundam by Yoshiyuki Tomino)
A giant (typically 18 meters tall) humanoid-shaped armored combat vehicle.
1979 Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
Sunglasses that darken at the sight of danger.
1979 Gundarium (from Mobile Suit Gundam by Yoshiyuki Tomino)
A very sturdy, high-tensile composite.
1979 Towel (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
A simple scrap of cloth with surprisingly many uses.
1979 Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic (from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams)
A device which senses passing spacecraft; essential tool of interstellar hitchhikers
1979 Bulerite (from Macrolife by George Zebrowski)
A building material, too good to be true, with hidden properties.
1979 Coal Mole (from The Web Between the Worlds by Charles Sheffield)
Robotic device for asteroid mining chews through the interior, preparing raw materials for use
1980 Extreme Black (from Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams)
A material so absolutely black that it absorbed all incident light.
1980 Wunderland Treatymaker (from Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven)
A weapon based on a power mining technique - a bit more advanced than a shovel.
1980 Optic Prosthesis (from Changeling by Roger Zelazny)
A replacement for a damaged eye.
1980 Boosterspice (from Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven)
A substance that extends human life almost indefinitely.
1980 Wristband Viewer (from Changeling by Roger Zelazny)
A device for viewing aerial surveillance images that fits on your wrist.
1980 Jumble-Box (from Changeling by Roger Zelazny)
A device that jumbles sensory input.
1980 Deep-Radar (from Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven)
Device to image within large objects, even within mountains.
1980 Autonomously Recharging UAV (from Changeling by Roger Zelazny)
Unmanned aerial vehicles that recharge themselves automatically.
1980 Tracer-Bird (from Changeling by Roger Zelazny)
A prototype surveillance drone; a mechanical bird.
1980 Oort Cloud Processor (from Beyond the Blue Event Horizon by Frederik Pohl)
An alien ship that processes Oort cloud into food.
1980 Watercouch (from Beyond the Blue Event Horizon by Frederik Pohl)
A couch filled with water, rather than springs and cushions.
1980 Solar-Powered UAV (from Changeling by Roger Zelazny)
An unmanned aerial vehicle that is entirely solar-powered.
1980 Artificial Butterfly (from Changeling by Roger Zelazny)
A mechanical, robotic butterfly.
1980 Fuligin (from The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe)
A material the color of which is blacker than black.
1981 Monitored In-Home Security Camera (from Oath of Fealty by Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven))
Security cameras mounted inside your home that are monitored by a person outside your house, and not a member of your family.
1981 Iceberg Water Tub (from Oath of Fealty by Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven))
An enormous bag or tub that encloses an iceberg used to supply fresh water.
1981 Mechanical Mole (from Oath of Fealty by Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven))
A self-contained device for digging large tunnels.
1981 Briefcase Console (from Oath of Fealty by Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven))
A notebook computer
1981 International Fantasy Gaming Society (IFGS) (from Dream Park by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
A group dedicated to playing live action role-playing games.
1981 Cyborg Dolphin (Jones) (from Johnny Mnemonic by William Gibson)
A heavily modified war surplus dolphin.
1981 Communications Implant (from Oath of Fealty by Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven))
A surgically implanted device enabling the user to communicate with computer networks.
1981 Virtual world metaphor (from True Names by Vernor Vinge)
use of fanciful imagery to represent real-world data systems in a virtual world.
1981 Sleeve Watch (from Dream Park by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
Temporary watch imprinted on the sleeve of a chosen garment.
1981 Todos Santos Independency (from Oath of Fealty by Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven))
A city enclosed in a single building.
1981 Dream Park (from Dream Park by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
A vacation theme park in which the visitors participated fully in the different environments.
1981 Telepresence Bulldozer (from Oath of Fealty by Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven))
A bulldozer on the Moon that is operated remotely by a driver on Earth.
1981 Virtual World Kiss (from True Names by Vernor Vinge)
Kissing mediated by a computer system.
1981 Data Space (from True Names by Vernor Vinge)
Computer storage and processor time rented by the user.
1981 Portal (from True Names by Vernor Vinge)
Sensory experience of a data network.
1981 Personality Simulator (Virtual Person) (from True Names by Vernor Vinge)
A computer program that presents the appearance of being a person.
1981 Big Noodle (from The Divine Invasion by Philip K. Dick)
A vast artificial intelligence system used to process all of Earth's information.
1981 Tapeworm Tranquilizer (from Revolution from Rosinante by Alexis Arnaldus Gilliland)
Robotic suppository dispenses tranquilizer.
1981 Underground MagLev Train (from Dream Park by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
Magnetic levitation train that travels through a tunnel; a vacuum reduces drag.
1981 Robot Probes (Arr-twos) (from Oath of Fealty by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
Remote controlled robots that wander through a facility, bringing pictures and information to a central location.
1981 Gravity Whip (from Dream Park by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
A roller coaster designe to provide riders with a 'zero G' experience.
1981 Mattress Sleep Sensor (from Dream Park by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
Sleep problems? Make sure you get your body out of bed each day.
1981 Sensory Skinsuit (from Dream Park by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
A form-fitting garment with sensory connections.
1981 Dictatel (from God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A thought-based dictating machine.
1981 Ridulian Crystal Sheets (from God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert)
Exceptionally strong, surpassingly thin material.
1981 Black square (from God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A device for secret communication.
1982 SAL 9000 (from 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke)
Successor to the HAL 9000.
1982 Beanstalk (from Friday by Robert Heinlein)
Clever name for the space elevator.
1982 Cyberspace (from Burning Chrome by William Gibson)
A computer technology that allowed people to see a computer network as an internal experience.
1982 Hunter Program (from Mindkiller by Spider Robinson)
Searching for occupied dwellings by monitoring electric power usage.
1982 Public Eye (from Friday by Robert Heinlein)
A floating, free-roaming surveillance camera.
1982 Cutoff Switch (from 2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke)
A means of instantaneously switching off an artificial intelligence.
1982 Heritable Memories Bloodline (from The Time of the Dark by Barbara Hambly)
Using magical means to tie specific memories to the bloodlines of selected families.
1982 Advertising Airship (from Blade Runner by Ridley Scott)
A dirigible capable of reproducing full-color video ads on its sides.
1982 Micro Label (from Blade Runner by Ridley Scott)
A serial number or logo so small it can only be seen under extreme magnification.
1982 Flying Car (from Blade Runner by Ridley Scott)
Flying police car has VTOL.
1982 Shipstone (from Friday by Robert Heinlein)
A lot of power in a small, manufactured package.
1982 Voight-Kampff Test (from Blade Runner by Ridley Scott)
A test intended to distinguish human beings from replicants.
1982 Call Notification Unit (from Eye of Cat by Roger Zelazny)
A small portable device that let you know that you had a phone call at your home.
1982 Full-Motion Building Advertising Facade (from Blade Runner by Ridley Scott)
An advertising display that covers an entire skyscraper; it provides full-motion video to onlookers.
1982 Automated Travel Bureau (from Friday by Robert Heinlein)
A computer program that allows individuals to book their travel arrangements themselves, with a credit card.
1982 Designer Eyes (from Blade Runner by Ridley Scott)
Genetic designers create better-than-perfect eyes for replicants.
1982 Virtual Reality (Virtual Matrix) (from The Judas Mandala by Damien Broderick)
An early use of a term very similar to the idea of cyberspace.
1982 Trip-Box (from Eye of Cat by Roger Zelazny)
A teleportation device.
1982 UHF Shower (from Eye of Cat by Roger Zelazny)
And ultra high frequency shower, which do used energy instead of water to wash off.
1982 Command Microphone (from Diplomat At Arms by Keith Laumer)
A cloak that served as a microphone and public address system.
1982 Genetically Tailored Trees (from Eye of Cat by Roger Zelazny)
Trees that had been genetically altered to produce and concentrate usable oil.
1982 Matrix (from Burning Chrome by William Gibson)
A shared virtual reality space; users project their consciousness into a representation of networked data.
1982 Esper Photo Analysis (from Blade Runner by Ridley Scott)
A device that can find remarkable levels of detail from a photograph.
1982 Mindwipe (from Mindkiller by Spider Robinson)
A process that selectively and effectively erases human memory.
1982 Computers Can Dream (from 2010: Odyssey Two by Isaac Asimov)
A sufficiently complex AI computer can have activity similar to that of a human dreaming.
1983 Nullboxing Bubble (from Streetlethal by Steven Barnes)
The 'ring' used for a sport played out in free fall; essentially kickboxing in space.
1983 Speedcap (from Millennium by John Varley)
Short for speed capsule (?); sometimes, going ballistic is the fastest way to get there.
1983 AM-280 Needle Rifle (from A Matter For Men by David Gerrold)
Device shoots a stream of steel needles.
1983 Tether Space Station (from Tank Farm Dynamo by David Brin)
A station in two parts, separated by a one hundred mile tether.
1983 Skinsuit (from Millennium by John Varley)
Wearable artificial, full-body skin.
1983 Big Computer (from Millennium by John Varley)
Just like it says; this computer knows it all.
1983 Luggage (from The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett)
A trunk made from sapient pearwood.
1983 Spark Plug (Systematician) (from Dream Thief by Stephen Lawhead)
A person who draws information from diverse areas of knowledge.
1983 Twonky (from Millennium by John Varley)
A futuristic artifact left by time travelers in the past which, if discovered, could cause a paradox.
1983 Scooter (from Against Infinity by Gregory Benford)
Biotechnology working to bring you a better solar system - a creepy crawly created to do terraforming work on Jupiter's moon.
1983 Wimp (from Millennium by John Varley)
A special-purpose body; grown without personality, but physically intact.
1983 Revitalizer Console. (from Millennium by John Varley)
A kind of automated medical marvel; it optimizes your body chemistry for better health, tops off your fluids, etc.
1983 Post Office (from Millennium by John Varley)
A vault used to store time capsules left by travelers to the past; not your usual delivery service.
1983 People-Sorter (from Millennium by John Varley)
A device able to sort human beings with incredible speed.
1983 Time Capsule (from Millennium by John Varley)
A hollow block of metal, impervious to the elements, used by time travelers to send messages to the future.
1983 Timepress (from Millennium by John Varley)
A device that makes time go more quickly in a limited area.
1983 Gnome (from Millennium by John Varley)
A person who requires so much life support, they are built into the chair.
1983 Cerebral Microprocessors (from Millennium by John Varley)
Added boost for maxxed out minds.
1983 Microterm (from Cyberpunk! by Bruce Bethke)
A very small computer system.
1983 Cyberpunk (from Cyberpunk! by Bruce Bethke)
A person who codes without concern about law or social norms; the term is used exclusively to name a sf genre of stories featuring such persons.
1983 No Human Programmers (from Millennium by John Varley)
The idea that computers are too complicated and too important to be programmed by human beings.
1983 Wimp Vault (from Millennium by John Varley)
Lots of spare bodies.
1983 Smartcab (from Cyberpunk! by Bruce Bethke)
An automated taxicab, fully self-driving, that can be summoned from a portable device.
1983 Sherman (from Millennium by John Varley)
A sex robot.
1983 Unobtainium (from Startide Rising by David Brin)
A humorous reference to a substance both rare and unlikely.
1983 Skull Alarm (from Millennium by John Varley)
Implanted wakeup call.
1984 Sparkers (from Niven's Laws by Larry Niven)
A device used to deliver small amounts of electric current to chirpsithra, who use it for the same reason humans use alcohol.
1984 Proton Pack (from Ghostbusters by Harold Ramis)
The business end of a mobile particle accelerator.
1984 Edgar (from Electric Dreams by Rusty Lemorande)
Computer that falls in love with a human woman.
1984 Microsoft (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
A small piece of firmware inserted into the brain that provides data on a particular subject, or special features, for the user.
1984 Interactive Suicide Note (from Press Enter by John Varley)
A last message for the people you are leaving behind - that encourages their participation.
1984 Meat Puppet (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
A person with a neural cut out chip; the chip allows computer software to completely control their actions.
1984 Ixian Probe (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A device that looks at brain tissue so carefully that memories can be seen.
1984 Toothbud Transplant (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Implanted teeth that mimic the dentition of other species.
1984 Flexitime (from Master of Space and Time by Rudy Rucker)
A work system that actually tells you when you've put in your time.
1984 Planck Juice (from Master of Space and Time by Rudy Rucker)
A continuous pre-quark force-medium with no distinguishing characteristics (it's mostly gluons)
1984 Implanted Microprocessor Monitor (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Chips that are implanted in people to ensure compliance with company rules.
1984 Display-Induced Epileptic Seizure (from Press Enter by John Varley)
A computer program that flashes a computer display to induce an epileptic seizure in the user.
1984 Coffin Rack Capsule Hotel (from The Science Fiction Yearbook (ed. Jerry Pournelle) by William Gibson)
A hotel with very (very!) small rooms.
1984 Panther Modern (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Cyberterrorists for hire.
1984 Low-Gravity Velodrome (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
A bicycle track in an orbital resort.
1984 Computer-Created Dub (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Music created by an artificially intelligent computer for a specific audience.
1984 Talking Head (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
A mechanical head (with an analog voice) used as the output terminal for a computer.
1984 Freeside Orbital Resort (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
A resort that orbits the Earth.
1984 Robot Crab (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
An automated gardener.
1984 Temporary Quarters (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Device used to separate a large interior space in an off-planet satellite into various living spaces.
1984 No-Ship (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A ship that uses an Ixian field to be effectively invisible.
1984 JAL Shuttle (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Shuttle capable of attaining low earth orbit.
1984 Neural Cut Out Chip (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
An electronic device which, when implanted in the brain of the subject, allows software to take over that person's body..
1984 Vat Grown Meat (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Meat tissue for consumption, grown apart from an animal.
1984 House Records Archivist (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A specialist who correlated information within the House Records of the Bene Gesserit.
1984 Mirrorshades - Surgically Inset Glasses (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Glasses that were implanted in the face of the wearer.
1984 Mimetic Polycarbon Suit (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Clothing made from a fiber that could change colors based on either recorded images or real-time picture input.
1984 Ghost Trap (from Ghostbusters by Harold Ramis)
Device for capture and temporary storage of ectoplasmic entities.
1984 Electromagnetic Shotgun (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
A device to shut down an artificial intelligence if it becomes dangerous.
1984 Tug (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
A small space vehicle, used to provide a push or pull to objects floating in space without propulsion systems.
1984 Wintermute (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
An artificially intelligent computer system.
1984 Nullentropy Bin (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A compartment in which entropy was halted.
1984 Agony Box (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A device for causing non-lethal, non-injuring pain by nerve induction.
1984 Intellectual Cell (from Blood Music by Greg Bear)
A smart lymphocyte; a cell with enhanced capacity for memory, understanding and communication.
1984 SimStim (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Stimulation of the brain and nervous system of one person using a recording (or live broadcast) of another person's experience.
1984 Selected Melanin Boosting (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
The only way to get a designer tan.
1984 Optic Television (from Twenty Evocations by Bruce Sterling)
An eye that "sees" more than just its surroundings.
1984 Biological Circuit Fabrication (from The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe by Author Unknown)
Creating an electronic circuit using biologically-based means.
1984 Biologics (from Blood Music by Greg Bear)
A computer that is made of organic (biological) components, rather than inorganic materials like silicon.
1984 House Records (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
The vast archival information management system of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, covering millennia.
1984 Gynoid (from Divine Endurance by Gwyneth Jones)
A female android.
1984 Datacase (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A portable suitcase, containing useful electronics for the mobile business-person.
1984 Comeye (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A portable video camera, used by the mobile functionary to keep in touch with office.
1984 Medically Applicable Biochip (from Blood Music by Greg Bear)
A computer formed of organic components that is used for a medical purpose.
1984 Pulse-Timer (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A watch that uses your visual cortex for a read-out device.
1984 Construct (Digital) (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
A stored version of a person's particular skills and personal approaches to problems.
1984 Kuang Grade Mark Eleven Penetration Program (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Chinese virus software for breaking the ICE.
1984 Chirpsithra Supercomputer (from Niven's Laws by Larry Niven)
An alien race thoughtfully provides mankind with blueprints for the most intelligent computer ever made.
1984 Privacy Screen (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
A device that shields occupants from all possible forms of electronic intrusion and surveillance.
1984 ICE (intrusion countermeasures electronics) (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Electronic protection for computer databases.
1984 Repair Drone (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Autonomous robots repair damage or sabotage.
1984 Nikon Eyes (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Artificially cultivated eyes that can be transplanted to replace (or repair) your original pair.
1984 Joeboy (Muscle Grafts) (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Additional muscle tissue added through surgery.
1984 Composite Expert System (from Twenty Evocations by Bruce Sterling)
Intelligent teaching software - a computer interface with a heart.
1984 Life-shield Blanket (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A device that is capable of shielding the person using it against ordinary forms of detecting living beings.
1984 No-Globe (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
A large spherical living space that is concealed by special Ixian technology, making it impossible to detect by any known probe.
1984 Contact Venom (from Twenty Evocations by Bruce Sterling)
A poison that is absorbed through the skin.
1984 Shere (from Heretics of Dune by Frank Herbert)
Destroys cells so that memory cannot be deduced from the cells of the person even in death.
1984 Generate New Phone Number (from Press Enter by John Varley)
A software program that creates a new phone number for each call.
1984 Microlight (from Neuromancer by Joe Gibson)
Winged, unmanned aerial vehicle used for surveillance in the revolving space station.
1984 Image-Amps (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Boost the signal from the eyes to see in the dark.
1984 Dermadisk (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
A means of quickly administering drugs directly through the skin.
1984 Pseudo-Insects (Synsects) (from One Human Minute by Stanislaw Lem)
A swarm of self-guided, programmed microarmies.
1984 Razorgirl (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
Surgically implanted blades under the fingernails.
1984 Lado-Acheson System (from Neuromancer by William Gibson)
A device for "pumping in" sunlight into an enclosed space habitat.
1984 Bobble (Confinement Sphere) (from The Peace War by Vernor Vinge)
A sphere of force that entirely isolates the interior from the rest of the universe.
1985 Visor (from Freezone by John Shirley)
A snap-down video screen for your eyes only.
1985 Spider (Robotic Insects) (from Runaway by Michael Crichton)
Scuttling insect robots.
1985 Fieldstim (from Freezone by John Shirley)
A device that used stimulation of a large skin area to impart images to the user.
1985 Spetsdöd (from The Man Who Never Missed by Steve Perry)
A unique gun that is part of the shooter.
1985 Circumlunar (from Schismatrix by Bruce Sterling)
A large space habitat orbiting the moon.
1985 Deceleration Paste (from Schismatrix by Bruce Sterling)
Antidote for deceleration trauma.
1985 Video-Manicuring Program (from Schismatrix by Bruce Sterling)
Manipulates live video images in real time.
1985 Mechanist Drogue (from Schismatrix by Bruce Sterling)
1985 Car Sound Tape (from The Cat Who Walks Through Walls by Robert Heinlein)
Otherwise silent vehicle uses a recorded engine sound.
1985 Sniffer Robot (from Runaway by Michael Crichton)
A small robot that gathers odors from a crime scene for analysis.
1985 Beta Beam Satellite (from Limits by Larry Niven)
1985 Police Sketch Artist Software (from Runaway by Michael Crichton)
A tablet-style computer with sketch pad software to help identify suspects.
1985 Agricultural Robot Pest Controller (from Runaway by Michael Crichton)
An agricultural robot specifically designed to perform pest control activities.
1985 Drone Floater Camera (from Runaway by Michael Crichton)
A one-foot square aerostat capable of hovering with a camera to transmit images back to a base station.
1985 Bat Wings (from Limits by Larry Niven)
The dream of human-powered winged flight becomes a reality - in low gravity, of course.
1985 Smart Bullet (from Runaway by Michael Crichton)
Really a tiny missile capable of identifying and following a person.
1985 Survival Bubble (Beach Ball) (from Footfall by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
Simplest possible space survival pod.
1985 Millipede Train (from Eon by Greg Bear)
A train that is able to move without tracks or other supports.
1985 Resting Pits (from Limits by Larry Niven)
1985 Sours (from Schismatrix by Bruce Sterling)
The odor created in enclosed space environments due to the need for bacilli for healthy soil.
1985 Big Push (from Limits by Larry Niven)
A linear accelerator built on a long track; a mass driver.
1985 Michael (Orion Ship) (from Footfall by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
A spacecraft using nuclear bombs for propulsion.
1985 Free Play (The Mind Game) (from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card)
A computer simulation that presents an enjoyable game for young people that is also used for psychological evaluation.
1985 Sentient Room (from Schismatrix by Bruce Sterling)
A room constructed entirely of flesh, dominated by the personality of a geisha.
1985 Desk (Personal Computer) (from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card)
A computer for students.
1985 Battleroom (from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card)
A large, null-gravity space used for battle tactics training.
1985 Flash Suit (from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card)
Special suit for practice battles.
1985 Christmas Bush Motile Robot (from Rocheworld by Robert Forward)
Repair robot with extra-sensitive hands.
1985 Reactive Walls (from Freezone by John Shirley)
Wall surfaces designed for use in clubs; they reacted to the music played in the room.
1985 Skyball (from A Day For Damnation by David Gerrold)
Remote-controlled UAV.
1985 Flying Crowbars (from Footfall by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
Kinetic energy weapons deployed from space.
1985 Car Dashboard Drone Controller (from Runaway by Michael Crichton)
A screen and controls for using a remote drone.
1985 Plug-Ups (from Passage at Arms by Glen Cook)
Tiny plastic balls that seal leaks on spacecraft.
1985 Orbital Retirement Hotel (from Contact by Carl Sagan)
A retirement home placed in low earth orbit.
1985 Adnix (from Contact by Carl Sagan)
A device that muted the television to lessen the impact of commercials.
1985 Wire Act (from Freezone by John Shirley)
A person with special hardware modifications that allow him or her to create music by bodily movement.
1985 CCD Eyes (from Stone Lives by Paul Di Filippo)
Electronic eyes using charged-coupled devices provide a wide variety of functions.
1985 Subdermal Microchannels (from Stone Lives by Paul Di Filippo)
A means of personal adornment; think of day glow tattoos.
1985 Earmite (from Freezone by John Shirley)
A small speaker that you can put in your ear.
1985 Security Guard Robot (Sentry Robot) (from Runaway by Michael Crichton)
A robot that takes the place of a security guard in an office environment.
1985 Imp Personal Robot (from Rocheworld by Robert Forward)
A small 'subtree' robot that is designed for the personal use of astronauts.
1985 Military Spider (from A Day For Damnation by David Gerrold)
An eight legged telepresence robot.
1985 Microwave Beamer (from Limits by Larry Niven)
A hand-held fast cooking device.
1985 Digger Worm (from With Friends Like These by Connie Willis)
A robot shaped like a fat snake, or worm; used for mining.
1985 Freezone (from Freezone by John Shirley)
A vast floating island in international waters.
1985 Self-Propelled Road Mine (from Runaway by Michael Crichton)
A small, lightweight mine able to travel at highway speeds; guides itself to a marked target.
1985 Tube Rack (from Solstice by James Patrick Kelly)
A hotel consisting of a set of stacked tube-like living spaces.
1985 Sleep Tube (from Solstice by James Patrick Kelly)
A short, cylindrical living space.
1985 Mnemotropin (from Stone Lives by Paul Di Filippo)
A drug to improve the creation of long-term memories.
1985 Home Robot (from Runaway by Michael Crichton)
A robotic device designed to serve families in their homes.
1985 Construction Robot (from Runaway by Michael Crichton)
Autonomous robots work on construction sites.
1985 Interstellar Laser Propulsion System (from Rocheworld by Robert Forward)
A means of traveling to the stars, using a Sol-based laser system and light sail-equipped ship.
1985 Threat Team (of sf writers) (from Footfall by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
Gathering together a group of science fiction writers to try to predict what will happen, or to understand an unknown threat.
1986 Ghostwheel (from Blood of Amber by Roger Zelazny)
A sentient computer partially built with magic.
1986 Dustplug (from Count Zero by William Gibson)
A cover specially made to protect one's microsoft socket; a tongue retainer for your brain.
1986 Biosoft (from Count Zero by William Gibson)
A biography that includes actual life experience from the subject; a biographical download.
1986 Polycarbon Phone Screen (from Count Zero by William Gibson)
A telephone that provides videophone capability using a very thin screen that is folded away when not in use.
1986 Orbital Terminus (from Count Zero by William Gibson)
An airport in space; a terminal for low earth orbit flights.
1986 Blaupunkt Holostage (from Snake-Eyes by Tom Maddox)
A three-dimensional tabletop display.
1986 Robot Gun (from Aliens by Alan Dean Foster)
An automated gun; typically used for sentry duty.
1986 Memory Biochip (from Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold)
An implanted device that permits the user to 'play back' selected memories.
1986 Slamhound (from Count Zero by William Gibson)
An automated assassination device with a keen sense of smell.
1986 Effective Human Implant Technology (EHIT) (from Snake-Eyes by Tom Maddox)
Computer interface implanted directly into the human brain.
1986 Shiftsuit (from Matadora by Steve Perry)
A form of adaptive camouflage gear.
1986 Uterine Replicator (from Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold)
A device that simulates the functions of the human uterus.
1986 Lifebox (from Soft Death by Rudy Rucker)
A device that captures a person's life experience in software.
1987 Hostage Gas (from The Uplift War by David Brin)
A gas sprayed over a population; to survive, those who breathe it must report to centers for the antidote.
1987 Webcast (from Armageddon Blues by D.K. Moran)
A broadcast accomplished over a data network.
1987 Predator Wrist Display (from Predator by John McTiernan)
A wrist bracelet with a variety of useful functions.
1987 Hushicopter (from Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain by Isaac Asimov)
A nearly-silent helicopter.
1987 Electric Monk (from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams)
Robotic device provides belief services.
1987 Robot Cells (Crystal-Shaped Modules) (from Isaac Asimov's Odyssey : Robot City: Book1 by Michael P. Kube-McDowell)
Minute dodecahedral units that could combine into different shapes to become full robots.
1987 Chiphead (from Nanotime by Bart Kosko)
A person whose organic brain has been effectively superseded by a firmware (integrated circuit or more advanced technology) device.
1987 Raisin (from Nanotime by Bart Kosko)
A small device like a hearing aid that fits inside the external part of the ear; combines an intelligent agent and wireless access to the network.
1987 Birthing egg (from Nanotime by Bart Kosko)
A chamber for in vitro fertilization (IVF), combining the DNA of two people to produce a child, without all the usual bother.
1987 Superacid (from Nanotime by Bart Kosko)
Smart acids that could be created to ignore particular compounds and dissolve others.
1987 Smart Lanes (from Nanotime by Bart Kosko)
Roadways that monitored, directed and controlled traffic.
1987 Boomer Park (from Nanotime by Bart Kosko)
Where the baby boomers all went to retire and die.
1987 Ice Dart (from Nanotime by Bart Kosko)
A variation on an old locked door mystery idea.
1987 Moddy (from When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger)
A plug-in personality module; a firmware device that gives the user the personality desired - ROM to your brain's RAM.
1987 Robotic Butterfly (from I, Robot: The Movie by Harlan Ellison)
A tiny, electromechanical flying robot.
1987 Skydozer (from A Little Further Up The Fox... by George M. Ewing)
Small spacecraft used to remove orbital debris.
1987 Transport Walkers (from A Little Further Up The Fox... by George M. Ewing)
Multilegged transport vehicles big enough to carry one person.
1987 Holodeck (from Encounter at Farpoint by David Gerrold)
A computer-simulated environment.
1987 Cybercab (from Vacuum Flowers by Michael Swanwick)
An autonomous taxi.
1988 High Orbit Archipelago (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
The habitable spaces in high earth orbit.
1988 House Voice (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
A house-based system that mediates technologies (like phone) with a verbal interface directed to the inhabitants of the house.
1988 Dornier (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
A small surveillance drone capable of hovering in midair.
1988 Book-Film (from Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A storage medium for books.
1988 Head-Molding Skincaps (from Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Get a smooth pate without shaving.
1988 Suit Designer (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
1988 Automated Space Factories (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
Manufacturing based in space.
1988 Projection Rig (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
A portable holographic projector.
1988 SIN (Single Identification Number) (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
1988 Cleaning Machine Warren (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
A room or space set aside for machinery when not in use.
1988 Maas-Neotek Biochip (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
An integrated circuit chip (or equivalent) that provides hardware and firmware for creating a virtual entity.
1988 Trode-Net (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
1988 Bank Chip (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
A "smart" credit card.
1988 Korsakov's (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
A type of mind control imposed on prisoners to make them more manageable during their prison time.
1988 Inert Resin (from Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling)
A special coating that eliminates maintenance on marine structures.
1988 Gravitic Lift (from Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
An elevator with no visible means of support.
1988 Dainties (from Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Flavor spheres artificially grown.
1988 Microfarm (from Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Food creation without soil.
1988 Jet-Down (from Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A spacecraft able to explore planetary surfaces.
1988 Air-Taxi (from Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
A flying taxicab with autonomous features.
1988 High Tech Trash Can (from Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling)
The future of waste management.
1988 Scop (from Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling)
Protein grown in bacteria-filled vats.
1988 Data Haven (from Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling)
A place where data that cannot legally be kept can be stashed for later use; an offshore web host.
1988 Digital Running Shoes (from Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling)
Shoes with a digital readout showing performance.
1988 Video-Glasses (from Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling)
Special light-gathering elements allowed the end user to see omni-directionally.
1988 Hovercraft (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
A vehicle that moves about on a cushion of air.
1988 Flickercladding (from Wetware by Rudy Rucker)
A covering that allowed robots to absorb incident light or emit light, as needed.
1988 Jackleg (from Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling)
Moving data around to avoid detection or capture.
1988 Didge-Ital (from Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling)
Digital music.
1988 Videoshades (from Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling)
Sunglasses that let you watch what you want.
1988 Watchphone (from Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling)
A combination cell phone and wrist watch.
1988 Twist-Box (from Wetware by Rudy Rucker)
A device that scrambles your sensory input, providing you with a different kind of experience.
1988 Vizzyprint (from Wetware by Rudy Rucker)
A printer attached to a video phone.
1988 People-Mover (from Wetware by Rudy Rucker)
A fixed mode of transporting people outside; and, they get to sit down.
1988 Heartshirt (from Wetware by Rudy Rucker)
A shirt that was able to detect heart sounds and display associated colors.
1988 Week Trees (from Wetware by Rudy Rucker)
Specially engineered bonsai that could grow in a week, instead of decades.
1988 Boppers (from Wetware by Rudy Rucker)
Self-reproducing robots; they did not obey Asimov's laws for robots (or any other man-made rules).
1988 Steel Drugs (from Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling)
A name for recreational chemicals that were entirely synthetic.
1988 Lunar Concrete (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
A building material using lunar dust or similar surface material as a main ingredient.
1988 Polycarbon Exo (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
Exoskeleton made of a strong, lightweight material.
1988 Sculpted Teeth (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
Go beyond teeth whitening to shaped teeth - for a more modern smile.
1988 Recorded Personalities (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
Computer firmware that saves a person's characteristics and reactions.
1988 Brainlock (from Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson)
A technique to focus the attention of prisoners on a limited task, precluding the possibility of escape.
1988 BLIT (Secret Basilisk) (from Blit by David Langford)
The Berryman Logical Image Technique can "shock" an AI trained to do pattern recognition.
1988 Print-Book (from Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
You’ve seen them.
1988 Powered Print-Book (from Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov)
Part computer, part book.
1988 Personality-Construct (Lazarus) (from Killing Gramps by Ann K. Schwader)
A chip providing a robotic body with the attributes of the selected person.
1988 Airchair (from Killing Gramps by Ann K. Schwader)
A floating armchair.
1989 Rotated Solid Space Habitat (from Iron by Poul Anderson)
A solid version of a artifact rotated to achieve artificial gravity.
1989 Cybrid (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
An organic body used by an artificial intelligence.
1989 Voxbox (from Tekwar by William Shatner)
An intelligent home agent.
1989 Orbiting Penal Colony (from Tekwar by William Shatner)
A prison placed in orbit (better than Alcatraz).
1989 Lifezone (from Tides of Light by Gregory Benford)
An enclosed biosphere; a pod-like greenhouse attached to a space-going vessel.
1989 Treeship (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
A single, enormous tree grown as a spacecraft.
1989 TechnoCore (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
A group of artificial intelligences with vast resources and the entirety of human dataspheres to access.
1989 Datumplane (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
The workspace of console cowboys - the matrix.
1989 Micromind (from Tides of Light by Gregory Benford)
A computer helper.
1989 Internet Addiction (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
A state in which human beings experience addiction to computer access and data streams.
1989 Schrön Loop (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
Small data storage device; a USB chip that stores terabytes.
1989 Free-fall Couch (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
Furniture that achieves the comfort of free-fall, the weightless condition normally achieved only in space.
1989 Wrist Command (from Tides of Light by Gregory Benford)
A wearable communications device; the logical endpoint of mobile computing.
1989 Flat Photo (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
A two-dimensional pictorial representation of a three-dimensional real space. A picture.
1989 Universal Card (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
A device that mimics every credit card and identification card you possess.
1989 Farcaster (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
A portal for traveling between distant stars; inexpensive, instantaneous travel to remote worlds.
1989 Fatline (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
A communications technology that provides immediate communication between star systems; faster-than-light communication.
1989 Credit Wake (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
The electronic trail of our transactions across the Net.
1989 Can City (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
A cylindrical space habitat.
1989 Worldweb All Thing (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
Network connects billions of people in real time.
1989 Kamikaze Andy (from Tekwar by William Shatner)
An android that is designed as an assassination weapon.
1989 Hawking Mat (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
About two meters long and one meter wide, made of shielded monofilaments, with a bright textile design - okay, it's a flying carpet.
1989 Datasphere (from Hyperion by Dan Simmons)
The entirety of computers and their information linked together, typically on a planet, in concept.
1989 Robot Fish (from At Kokomo Joe's by Brooke Stauffer)
A mechanical fish.
1990 Citizen Journalism (from Earth by David Brin)
The notion that ordinary people can make use of technological tools like cellphone cameras and the Internet to provide information.
1990 EmilyPost (from Earth by David Brin)
An autonomous worm that searches the Net for lack of courtesy.
1990 Hanky Bush (from Sparrowhawk by Thomas A. Easton)
A plant with leaves grown to resemble common, multipurpose tissues.
1990 Quantum Logic Thinker (QL) (from Heads by Greg Bear)
A computer system that thinks about problems in unusual ways.
1990 Autosecretary (Autosec) (from Earth by David Brin)
A software agent able to accept your query and then seach the public net for related information.
1990 Genetic Ark (from Earth by David Brin)
Enormous, multi-habitat enclosed spaces, used to conserve the animal gene pool.
1990 E-Document Distribution (from Earth by David Brin)
A method of wirelessly distributing a document to a large group of people in an ad hoc setting.
1990 Bioform House (from Sparrowhawk by Thomas A. Easton)
A house grown from a bioengineered plant.
1990 Mammontelephas (from Earth by David Brin)
A 'mammoth' resurrected from the genes of the original.
1990 Tracking Bracelet (from Shadowspeer by Patricia Jo Clayton)
A security device armed with explosives.
1990 Oxygen Hip Flask (from Earth by David Brin)
A small, portable source of pure oxygen for breathing.
1990 Bee Zapper (from Earth by David Brin)
A laser-based insect remover.
1990 Personal Cache (from Earth by David Brin)
An online data repository used to store personal data.
1990 Dormancy Switch (from Sparrowhawk by Thomas A. Easton)
Essential device 'switches off' your cyborg animal, causing it to quickly drop off to sleep.
1990 Garbage Mine (from Earth by David Brin)
The idea that recycling can spawn entirely new industries.
1990 Kinotrope (from The Difference Engine by William Gibson (w/B. Sterling))
Small bits of painted wood in a grid that spin around to form different pixelated images.
1990 Portable Ident-Plate (from Earth by David Brin)
A small, thin device that will capture biometric data from a person's finger.
1990 Roachster (from Sparrowhawk by Thomas A. Easton)
A genetically-engineered vehicle based on arthropod DNA; uses implanted control structures.
1990 Fabricow (from Piecework by David Brin)
Cattle and other creatures that create gene-designed biomachinery in their wombs.
1990 Home Manager (from Queen of Angels by Greg Bear)
A device that responds to verbal or other commands; serves as an intelligent telephone answering machine and other tasks.
1990 Deadman's Device (from Shadowspeer by Patricia Jo Clayton)
A device implanted beneath the skin of an operative who is to be sent on a hazardous mission.
1990 Vivisector (from Earth by David Brin)
A program that takes another computer program apart, while it's running, to see what it does.
1990 Leaf Screens (from Sparrowhawk by Thomas A. Easton)
Bioform displays grown from plants offering flat surfaces - like leaves.
1990 Eloi (from Queen of Angels by Greg Bear)
People who have undergone treatments to extend their lives.
1990 General Bodies Tortoise (from Sparrowhawk by Thomas A. Easton)
A passenger vehicle genetically engineered from tortoise DNA and controlled by implanted electronics.
1990 Dustmice (from Queen of Angels by Greg Bear)
Tiny robotic sensors that police could set loose in a crime scene, looking for tiny clues.
1990 Monomol Mesh Armor (from Queen of Angels by Greg Bear)
Material to protect selected areas that must bend (elbows, knees, and so forth).
1990 Filter Program (from Earth by David Brin)
Using programs to filter Internet results; a person need see only what they want to see.
1990 Purza the Pukha (from The Rowan by Anne McCaffrey)
A toy with sensors used to monitor children in hospitals.
1990 Dozer (from Earth by David Brin)
A person with extreme susceptibility to the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
1990 Polar Ice (from The Ring of Charon by Roger MacBride Allen)
Water ice at the poles of the Moon.
1990 Lawyer Program (from Earth by David Brin)
Software that could listen to legal argument.
1990 Reading Plaque (from Earth by David Brin)
A tablet-sized display for reading.
1990 Data-Retrieval Programs (from Earth by David Brin)
Programs that searched the Net for specific information.
1990 True-Vu Lenses (Goggles) (from Earth by David Brin)
Lenses that are worn as goggles, allowing the user to both see and record what is being viewed.
1990 Sonomagnetic Fabric (from Earth by David Brin)
Cloth that gathers sound energy.
1990 Magnus-Effect Ambulance (from Earth by David Brin)
A vehicle that can hover and fly using the Magnus Effect.
1990 Anti-Onc Cream (from Earth by David Brin)
An ointment used to cure skin cancers.
1990 Cannibal Grass (from Sparrowhawk by Thomas A. Easton)
Genetically engineered grass that acts as a defense layer for a home.
1990 Assassin Bird (from Sparrowhawk by Thomas A. Easton)
A bird genetically engineered to accept instructions on how to kill.
1990 Subvocal Input Device (from Earth by David Brin)
Attached sensors read nerve signals to determine what the user will say next.
1990 Predictions Registry (from Earth by David Brin)
An organization that keeps track of predictions made by individuals.
1990 Live Carpet (from Queen of Angels by Greg Bear)
A carpet made of living fibers; the backing is a digestive system.
1990 Sunshade-Photocell Collector (from Earth by David Brin)
A fanciful design for a device that gathers solar energy.
1990 Dazer (from Earth by David Brin)
A person who learned biofeedback techniques to float on his own endorphins.
1990 Credibility Rating (from Earth by David Brin)
How believable are your blog posts? your emails? your tweets?
1990 Knife Missile (from Use of Weapons by Iain M Banks)
A sharp-edged weapon that can maneuver in space.
1991 Stimsuit (from Heavy Time by C.J. Cherryh)
An elastic suit worn to decrease the effects of micro-gravity in space.
1991 Teaching Chair (from Rammer by Larry Niven)
No-frills teaching machine.
1991 Flatscreen Movie (from Orbital Resources by John Barnes)
Like holographic or three-dimensional recordings, but showing only two dimensions.
1991 Donnersprache (from Silent Thunder by Dean Ing)
A hypnotic transceiver that enhances the charisma of speakers.
1991 Patient Bath Robot (from Roujin Z by Katsuhiro Otomo)
Robot gives patient a bath.
1991 Spotlight of Heat (Orbital Microwaves) (from Fallen Angels by Larry Niven w/Pournelle, Flynn)
Using an orbiting satellite microwave array to heat a specific portion of a planetary surface.
1991 Seeder Ramship (from Rammer by Larry Niven)
A spacecraft designed to travel from one star system to another , terrafoming worlds for use.
1991 Law Expert System (LEX) (from The Moat by Greg Egan)
Software capable of rendering a legal opinion.
1991 Tiersian Therapy (from Red Orc's Revenge by Philip Jose Farmer)
A therapeutic discipline in which the patient chooses a character from a book and then attempts to be that character.
1991 Roujin Z-0001 Robotic Bed (from Roujin Z by Katsuhiro Otomo)
A fully automated hospital bed and transport robot.
1991 Screening Software (from The Moat by Greg Egan)
Rules-based software trained to eliminate spam email.
1992 Handwriter (from Steel Beach by John Varley)
A text input device implanted in your skin.
1992 Reality Graphics (from A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge)
One-stop design - the final design is the object.
1992 Avatar Construction Set (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
A collection of software that allows the building of a complete avatar.
1992 EverRest Cryotorium (from Flare by Roger Zelazny)
Rest forever in cryonic suspension among the stars.
1992 Hoverlimo (from Steel Beach by John Varley)
A hovercraft for hire, with servility built in.
1992 Deliverator Car (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
The vehicle for edgy pizza delivery.
1992 P-120 Reconnaissance Robot (from A Season for Slaughter by David Gerrold)
A multi-legged robot built for speed and silence.
1992 Dataset (from A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge)
A portable computer with multiple screens and capabilities.
1992 Nanobot (from Steel Beach by John Varley)
A robot constructed with nanotechnology.
1992 Airbag Jacket (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
A jacket or coverall with inflatable air bags throughout for protection against impact.
1992 Dentata (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
An anti-rape device.
1992 Readout Skin (from Steel Beach by John Varley)
Normal-appearing skin that can be used as an output device for text or graphics.
1992 Hypercard (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
A virtual business card; what one avatar might hand another to introduce themselves.
1992 Data Goggles (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
Eyewear connected to a computer provides total immersion in the matrix.
1992 Sintered Armorgel (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
A substance that is flexible when moved slowly, but which hardens upon external impact.
1992 Burbclave (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
Contraction of suburban enclave; an extension of today's gated communities.
1992 U-Stor-It (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
A storage unit converted for use as an apartment.
1992 Avatar (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
A computer-enhanced doppelganger; a computer-generated image that takes your place in a three-dimensional online encounter.
1992 Metaverse (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
A virtual universe.
1992 Padloid (from Steel Beach by John Varley)
A tawdry news publication on a PDA, or notepad, device.
1992 CIC Virtual Earth (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
A software application that presents detailed information about the Earth.
1992 MagnaPoon (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
To hitch a ride from a faster vehicle while riding a skateboard (from harpoon).
1992 Smart Pizza Box (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
A container with microprocessor-based data processing capabilities built-in to the box.
1992 Arachnofiber Uniforms (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
Remarkable attire for a pizza delivery person; but given the violence of near future America, the protection offered by ordinary uniforms was insufficient.
1992 DreamTime Scleral Contact Lenses (from The California Voodoo Game by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
Full-size contact lenses that can provide an augmented reality view.
1992 High-Voltage Cuffs (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
Metallic shirt-sleeve cuffs capable of carrying a charge.
1992 Reason Hypervelocity Railgun (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
Multichamber weapon accelerates tiny splinters of metal.
1992 Loogie Gun (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
A non-violent weapon that shoots a gooey mass to immobilize a person judged to have criminal or violent intent.
1992 Sven (from The Turing Option by Harry Harrison)
Sven is an artificially intelligent computer detective.
1992 Direct Interface (from Steel Beach by John Varley)
A form of computer interface that inputs text into a computer by thinking.
1992 Rat Thing (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
A guard cyborg created from a living animal.
1992 Transdress (from The California Voodoo Game by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
A transparent dress upon which thousands of patterns may be projected.
1992 Skrode (from A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge)
A small mobile platform designed for a legless race.
1992 Smartwheels (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
Special "wheels" that are actually sets of spokes that telescope to be as long as they need to be for a smooth ride.
1992 Metavirus (Digital Metavirus) (from Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson)
Binary code that can infect computers or even hackers, through the binary nerve.
1992 Negative Matter Space Drive (from Timemaster by Robert Forward)
A reactionless space drive using negative matter.
1992 Timeslip (from Red Mars by Spider Robinson)
When humans keep time on Mars, they must work with the extra forty minutes in each day.
1992 Disney Therapy (from Steel Beach by John Varley)
Letting people retreat to a simpler time, for their mental health.
1993 Hood Hologram (from Virtual Light by William Gibson)
A hologrammatic display on the outside surface of a car.
1993 Stealth House (from Virtual Light by William Gibson)
A home that is entirely sealed, leading to toxic buildup.
1993 Fractal Knife (from Virtual Light by William Gibson)
The blade uses a fractal geometry to increase its cutting surface.
1993 Canola Oil (from Virtual Light by William Gibson)
Vegetable oil refined for use as fuel
1993 Chunker (from Virtual Light by William Gibson)
A device that fires small cubes of rubber; a non-lethal form of riot control.
1993 Separated At Birth Database (from Virtual Light by William Gibson)
Missing persons database uses similarity to famous people.
1993 Diagnostic Sleeve (from Gripping Hand by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle))
Worn on one arm, it diagnoses and adminsters medications.
1993 Antiturbulence Wings (from Deep Eddy by Bruce Sterling)
Wings that are designed to buffer turbulence for passengers.
1993 Spex (Spexware) (from Deep Eddy by Bruce Sterling)
Video glasses with computer assistance.
1993 Air-Conditioned Coat (from Deep Eddy by Bruce Sterling)
An otherwise ordinary overcoat that fights the heat.
1993 Wende (from Deep Eddy by Bruce Sterling)
A change, a turning point, a reversal of culture and politics.
1993 Translation Program (from Deep Eddy by Bruce Sterling)
A computer program that translates speech from one language to another, in real time, to aid in conversation.
1994 Neotopological Metaeuclidean Adjacency (from The Hole in the Hole by Terry Bisson)
A portal through space-time.
1994 VR Dyslexia (from Rim by Alexander Besher)
Severe disorientation brought about by excessive use of virtual reality equipment.
1994 Chemotactic Artificial Jellyfish (from Big Jelly by Rudy Rucker (w/B. Sterling))
Artificial device modeled on jellyfish capable of seeking specific components of liquid.
1994 Holo (License) (from Rim by Alexander Besher)
A three-dimensional driver license and identification card.
1994 Virtual Reality Ceremony (from Rim by Alexander Besher)
Don't just put your motion capture suit on - do it with style.
1994 Neuro-netsukes (from Rim by Alexander Besher)
A small sculpture containing the personality of a living person.
1994 Home Termite Habitat (from Natulife by David Brin)
Edible insects raised fresh in your own kitchen!
1994 Smart Rope (from Heavy Weather by Bruce Sterling)
Long 'rope' consisting of a variety of intertwined cables with different properties; controlled with special glove interface.
1994 Inflatable Expansion Bubble (from Crashlander by Larry Niven)
Inflatable chamber to provide temporary additional space for cramped space craft.
1994 Vai-Chi (from Rim by Alexander Besher)
Tai-Chi movements translated into the virtual world
1994 Escalladder (from Crashlander by Larry Niven)
A ladder that you don't have to climb to get to the top.
1994 AIRE (from Mother of Storms by John Barnes)
A piece of software that can break through encryption to determine exactly how a compiled program accomplishes its tasks.
1994 Dope Mule Robot (from Heavy Weather by Bruce Sterling)
A metal sphere that propels itself with a single piston-like foot.
1994 Virtuality Helmet ('Virching' Helmet) (from Heavy Weather by Bruce Sterling)
A helmet with a communication system and a display; a pilot wearing this helmet could sit on the ground and control a distant aircraft.
1994 Yeast-Beast Machine (from Natulife by David Brin)
A device for growing meat in a vat.
1994 Auto-Treadmills (Needle-Gym) (from Natulife by David Brin)
A simulation-exercise room floor that allows the user to walk and run on a consistently realistic surface.
1994 Stim-Crib (from Natulife by David Brin)
A cradle that provides virtual reality experiences to tiny tots.
1994 XV Wedge (from Mother of Storms by John Barnes)
A piece of entertainment that consists of edited real experience.
1994 Embryo Visualization (from Daughter of Elysium by Joan Slonczewski)
Special display technique lets researchers see cell development in three dimensions.
1994 XV (from Mother of Storms by John Barnes)
Allows anyone to directly experience another person's conscious awareness.
1994 Mass Pointer (from Crashlander by Larry Niven)
Tells you where the really large (star-sized) masses are while you travel in hyperspace.
1994 Crash Web (from Crashlander by Larry Niven)
A simple mechanical linkage to activate a crash field.
1994 Wandering Mine (from Half the Day is Night by Maureen F. McHugh)
A landmine with legs.
1994 Accu-Terrain Floor (from Natulife by David Brin)
A special floor for virtual reality environments that simulates any kind of surface.
1994 Tracing Glasses (from Case Closed (Detective Conan) by Gosho Aoyama)
Locate criminals by using glasses to pick up signals from special transmitters.
1994 Voice-Changing Bowtie (from Case Closed (Detective Conan) by Gosho Aoyama)
Special device allows wearer to take on the voice of another person at will.
1994 Virtual Childrearing (from Natulife by David Brin)
Learn childcare the virtual way; maybe long distance childcare, too.
1994 Semisentient Plastic (from Ring by Stephen Baxter)
A durable coating that protects and preserves objects.
1994 Electronic Cash (from Heavy Weather by Bruce Sterling)
A digital currency, like Bitcoin.
1994 Smart Piston Spokes (from Heavy Weather by Bruce Sterling)
A car that uses a set of pistons that feels and reacts to the surface to move around.
1994 Tannin-Secretion Pills (from Crashlander by Larry Niven)
Artificially darkens skin, for skin protection.
1994 Flexible Car Map (from Heavy Weather by Bruce Sterling)
A nonrigid map that extrudes from the dashboard of a car when needed.
1995 Primer (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A special software program that teaches basic language skills.
1995 Mite (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A very small device (about the size of a dust mite) that has been manufactured for a particular purpose.
1995 Mediaglyphic (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Animated symbols to help those who haven't bothered to learn to read in a multimedia age.
1995 Lithocule (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Tiny intelligent building blocks.
1995 Nanomachine Lidar (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Radar-like system that uses electromagnetic radiation at optical frequencies (visible light) for range-finding and analysis.
1995 Aerostat Monitor (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A small flying platform, capable of maneuvering in three dimensions; can hover in place and communicate with others like it.
1995 Fabricules (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Tiny bits of fabric that were self-cleaning; gloves made of this material always stayed clean.
1995 Microde (from Armed Memory by Jim Smith)
A tailored virus, that infects the selected person, and passes on whatever characteristics have been implanted in the virus.
1995 Implanted Credit Card (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A credit card system that could be surgically implanted; uses radio frequency identification to communicate with checkout hardware.
1995 Satellite Ion Cannon (from Command and Conquer by Westwood Games)
Orbiting station armed with a particle beam weapon, used for surgical tactical strikes.
1995 Immunocules (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Very small, lightweight objects able to move in three dimensions; they form a protective shield against airborne devices.
1995 Pedomotive (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A kind of stilt-like leg extenders; take longer strides, get there faster. Extreme sports gear.
1995 Freedom Machine (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A birth control device developed using nanotechnology.
1995 Soletta (from Green Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson)
An array of solar sail mirrors that focus light onto a planetary surface for power.
1995 Cookie-Cutters (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Very small (corpuscle-sized) devices that can enter the blood stream and destroy an enemy from within.
1995 Chevaline (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
An open robotic vehicle for one person, shaped like a horse.
1995 Matter Compiler (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A device that builds the desired article (such as a dress) atom by atom according to a specified design.
1995 Sights (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Sunglasses-mounted crosshairs (you'll need one with your skull gun).
1995 Mediatron (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A paper-thin networked computer display.
1995 Runcible (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A book made of smart paper; every page is a flexible LCD (liquid crystal display) screen.
1995 'Sites (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Small parasites that cause muscles to twitch in sequence for strength.
1995 Toner (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Dead bits of nanomachines.
1995 Jodie Grid (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A 'tattoo' that provides points for mapping your face into a grid.
1995 Skullgun (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A pistol that is concealed in your cranium.
1995 Dog Pod Grid (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A swarm of quasi-independent aerostatic devices.
1995 Ava (from The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh)
A piece of learning software.
1995 Phased Acoustical Array (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
An music system implanted right on your eardrum.
1995 Smartcoral Reef (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
An artificial coral reef that pulls water in for use in large communities.
1995 Ballisticules (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Nanotechnology devices that throw their weight around.
1995 Clave (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Short for enclave (see also burbclave - autonomous suburban enclave)
1995 Filter Wheel (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A device for filtering liquid or gas to obtain a pure sample of a selected molecule.
1995 Phantoscope (phenomenoscope) (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A device that provides you with a computer-operable display; can be worn or surgically implanted right on your own eyes.
1995 Solar Electric Paint - Black Power (from The Woman in Del Rey Crater by Larry Niven)
A black-colored paint that can be sprayed on, making any surface a solar power generator.
1995 Smart Paper (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A very slim thin-film transistor display.
1995 Mediatronic Display (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
Electronic paper comes in big sheets.
1995 Sky-Eye (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A football-sized flying surveillance device.
1995 Composite Living (from The Day the Aliens Came by Robert Sheckley)
Forming a meld with other life forms.
1995 Geotect (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A person who creates landforms and physical environments
1995 Nurse Drone (from The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson)
A larger flying platform to provide power to smaller drones.
1996 Combat Wasp (from The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton)
Drone craft able to carry and direct a variety of submunitions.
1996 Headset (from Idoru by William Gibson)
Wireless headsets provide computer language translation.
1996 Webeye (from The Ringworld Throne by Larry Niven)
Communications device with a camera, microphone, zoom lens, projector, etc.; can be sprayed on.
1996 Computer Translator (from Idoru by William Gibson)
A computer translator; software that provides automatic translation when jacked into a data port.
1996 Flicker Drive (from Fremder by Russell Hoban)
A space ship drive that allows instantaneous travel across the galaxy.
1996 Eyephone(s) (from Idoru by William Gibson)
A projection system using small goggles to project an image directly on your eye.
1996 Video Unit (from Idoru by William Gibson)
Video units attached directly to the optic nerve, giving sight to the blind.
1996 Idoru (from Idoru by William Gibson)
A virtual person like a video game character; an entity given specific characteristics, existing only in computer networks.
1996 Micro-Bachelor (from Idoru by William Gibson)
A small apartment carved out of an abandoned structure.
1996 Nanotech Buildings (from Idoru by William Gibson)
Enormous buildings built with nanotech fibers.
1996 Cybernetic Water Witch (from Idoru by William Gibson)
A job that involves a lot of surfing for patterns in information.
1996 Wearable White-Noise Generator (from Idoru by William Gibson)
A device worn when the wearer preferred not to be the subject of audio recordings.
1996 Hotdesk (from Idoru by William Gibson)
A desk space that was itself ready for input.
1996 Virtual Meeting (from Idoru by William Gibson)
A meeting space that exists only in a computer; the descendant of today's web conferences.
1996 Robotic Abattoir (from Freedom's Landing by Anne McCaffrey)
Robots with knives in a meat-packing plant.
1996 Sandbenders (from Idoru by William Gibson)
A highly customized computer system; the opposite of a box from Gateway or Dell.
1996 Synthespian (from Idoru by William Gibson)
A synthetic media personality.
1996 Control-Face (from Idoru by William Gibson)
A small liquid crystal display (LCD) unit linked to a larger network; gives a window onto your larger network world.
1996 Kitchen Korner (from Idoru by William Gibson)
Just exactly what futurists say you're going to get, like or not, in a refrigerator.
1997 Subtle Knife (from The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2 by Philip Pullman)
A knife able to cut through any material, and even cut through into different worlds.
1997 Automated DNA Typing (from Gattaca by Andrew Niccol)
A device that takes quick samples of DNA and compares each sample to a database.
1997 Boink Biosensor (from The Cobra Event by Richard Preston)
A hand-held sensor that detects the presence of hazardous biological material.
1997 UPUD (from First to Fight by David Sherman (w/Cragg))
Universal Positionator Up-Downlink.
1997 Softlight (from Softlight Sins by Peter F. Hamilton)
Personality erasure via laser imprinted subliminal commands.
1997 Retinal Implant (from The Neutronium Alchemist by Peter F. Hamilton)
An implanted device that can record and transmit what the person sees.
1997 Helmet Visor Display (from The Tank Lords by David Drake)
A heads-up display with a variety of advanced features.
1997 Moldies (from Freeware by Rudy Rucker)
Autonomous, intelligent, artificial life forms.
1997 Mook (from Bicycle Repairman by Bruce Sterling)
Computer-based proxy that deals with communication.
1998 Bugged Money (from Distraction by Bruce Sterling)
American cash with embedded listening devices.
1998 Aggressive-Response Service (from The Golden Globe by John Varley)
An answering service with an attitude.
1998 Spook (from SOLACE by Jeff Noon)
A drink that comes unflavored in a container; twist the cap to add flavor.
1998 Netwar (from Distraction by Bruce Sterling)
Making use of various means to disrupt the enemy's military and civilian information networks.
1998 Boob Cube (from The Best of all Possible Wars by Larry Niven)
Device for showing three-dimensional news broadcasts.
1998 Monobloc Dating System (from The Best of all Possible Wars by Larry Niven)
A kind of pub with unique hardware and software for computer dating.
1998 Desktop-TV (from Factoring Humanity by Robert J. Sawyer)
Video available worldwide, prepared by everyone.
1998 Dime Disk (from The Best of all Possible Wars by Larry Niven)
A very small data storage medium.
1998 Junkbot (from Distraction by Bruce Sterling)
An automated email program that specializes in sending junk mail (spam)
1998 Talking Tape (from Distraction by Bruce Sterling)
Adhesive-backed network connection, global positioning, voice synthesis and speakers.
1998 Infowar Operation (from Distraction by Bruce Sterling)
Making use of various means to disrupt the enemy's military and civilian information networks.
1998 D-9 Motherspinner (from The Golden Globe by John Varley)
An enormous genetically engineered spider used to create large structures in space.
1998 Profile Sniffers (from Distraction by Bruce Sterling)
A software device that sifts Internet access records for patterns associate with particular personality types.
1998 Robot Handlers (from The Golden Globe by John Varley)
Small robots used in spacecraft for a variety of useful tasks.
1998 Smart Bike (from Distraction by Bruce Sterling)
A motorcycle with sophisticated systems for steering and balance.
1998 Bambakias Hotel (from Distraction by Bruce Sterling)
A hotel that wants to exist! It just needs a little help.
1998 Emblok (from Earth Made of Glass by John Barnes)
A device that imparts memories into the regrown brain, just like uploading content into a computer's random access memory.
1998 Magsail (from Falling Stars by Michael Flynn)
An interplanetary craft that uses magnetic fields to catch the solar winds for propulsion.
1998 Psypyx (from Earth Made of Glass by John Barnes)
A way of gathering and recording mental impressions.
1998 Concrete Boxes (from Earth Made of Glass by John Barnes)
Self storage for your body - living space designed for people who spend most of their time ignoring their surroundings anyway.
1998 Magship (from Falling Stars by Michael Flynn)
A ship that uses magnetic fields to catch the solar wind for propulsion.
1998 Spaceplane (Clarke-class) (from A Quantum Murder by Peter F. Hamilton)
An inexpensively powered flight to low earth orbit.
1998 Pokkecon (from Maneki Neko by Bruce Sterling)
A device tied into a good will network.
1999 GPS Sunglasses (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
Sunglasses that contain both global positioning system components and cell phone services.
1999 Nanofax (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
Send a copy of a three-dimensional object to a distant place.
1999 Localizer (from A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge)
Devices that work together to form ad-hoc networks.
1999 Motion Capture Suit (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
A tight fitting garment that uses sensors at various positions to record movement in space; can be used as the basis for computer graphic creations.
1999 Snake Contact Lens (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
A pair of contact lenses designed to make you appear to have slit pupils, like a snake's.
1999 Nano-Paste (from Alpha Centauri by Sid Meier)
Nanobots that use the resources around it to create a desired product.
1999 Sonar Pistol (from Starfish by Peter Watts)
A device that divers can use to find seabottom and objects in extremely dark or murky water.
1999 Diveskin (from Starfish by Peter Watts)
Special wetsuit that allows a diver to function at extreme depths.
1999 Eyecaps (from Starfish by Peter Watts)
Corneal cap that acts as a pair of goggles for extreme depth diving.
1999 Recycler (from Starfish by Peter Watts)
A surgically implanted device that enables a diver to obtain oxygen directly from seawater.
1999 Face Seal (from Starfish by Peter Watts)
A dive mask for deep sea diving.
1999 Belt Sword (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
A piece of very thin material sewn between the two leather sides of a belt.
1999 Smart Tag (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
A piece of graffiti, or a small sticker tag, that could survive being placed on walls designed to be self-cleaning.
1999 Punishment Sphere (from Alpha Centauri by Sid Meier)
Used to bring disruptive elements of society into line.
1999 Exoskeleton (from A Good Old-Fashioned Future by Bruce Sterling)
Fighting suit
1999 Lucky Dragon ATM (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
An automatic teller machine with attitude.
1999 Palm Scan (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
A means of positive identification, in this case, for an ATM machine.
1999 Focusing (from A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge)
Psychoactive microbe improves the attention-focusing ability of those infected.
1999 Bohemias (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
A place where the ordinary rules of society don't apply; the "next big thing" often comes from these places.
1999 Interactive Video Column (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
A video display in a chain convenience store that shows random scenes from other stores in the chain around the world.
1999 Dustmote (from A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge)
A tiny sensor device that could also form networks with other motes.
1999 Graffiti-Eating Finish (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
A wall covering that maintained itself, eating any graffiti placed on it.
1999 Head Cheese (from Starfish by Peter Watts)
Intelligent paste made of neurons; spread upon a substrate for computing.
1999 Ethical Calculus (from Alpha Centauri by Sid Meier)
Mathematics used to determine positive social conduct.
1999 Homo Superior (from Alpha Centauri by Sid Meier)
A human subspecies created through radical applications of biotechnology.
1999 Smart Gel (from Starfish by Peter Watts)
Intelligent paste made of neurons; spread upon a substrate for computing.
1999 Lucid Dreamer (from Starfish by Peter Watts)
A machine that guarantees productive REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, and therefore dreams.
1999 Quantum Power (from Alpha Centauri by Sid Meier)
Power generation through photon fission.
1999 Organic Superlubricant (from Alpha Centauri by Sid Meier)
Advanced lube that can "learn" how to be more effective.
1999 Silksteel (from Alpha Centauri by Sid Meier)
Material that has high tensile strength as well as high flexibility.
1999 Genejack (from Alpha Centauri by Sid Meier)
A genetically-modified human ideally created for menial work.
1999 Cyberethics (from Alpha Centauri by Sid Meier)
Philosophy detailing how computers work within human communities.
1999 Video Wallpaper (from A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge)
Very thin, large scale display.
1999 Chain Gun (from All Tomorrow's Parties by William Gibson)
Device fires lengths of steel chain.
1999 Matter Editation (from Alpha Centauri by Sid Meier)
Technology that enables the easy manipulation of atomic properties.
1999 Sentient Econometrics (from Alpha Centauri by Sid Meier)
Use of artificial intelligence in economic forecasting.
1999 Neuroinduction Field (from Starfish by Peter Watts)
Keeps the patient still without the use of cumbersome restraints or drugs.
1999 Medical Mantis (from Starfish by Peter Watts)
A medical telefactoring device; allows a physician to remotely examine patients and perform procedures.
2000 Randominoes (from Nymphomation by Jeff Noon)
Dominoes that randomly generate new numbers.
2000 Provigil-C (from A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo)
A special drug that promotes wakefulness in troops.
2000 Bubble (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
An undersea elevator.
2000 Artificial Intelligence Device (AID) (from A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo)
Hand-held device responds intelligently to military intelligence requests.
2000 Floating Island (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
Large artificial islands floating on Earth's seas.
2000 Oceanic Thermal Energy Converter (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
A device that uses the sea to help create electricity.
2000 Beetle (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
A hard-shelled dirigible.
2000 Napcap Induction Cap (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
A device that aids sleep and relaxation by working with the subject's brain waves.
2000 Blurbflies (Sing. Blurbfly) (from Nymphomation by Jeff Noon)
Small robotic/organic advertisers.
2000 Anti-Virus Design Software (from Super-Cannes: A Novel by J.G. Ballard)
Create a living space such that the spread of disease is less likely.
2000 Napcap Capsule (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
A handy refuge for travelers in busy terminals; a sleep aid when you really need one.
2001 Datapack (from Dune: House Harkonnen by Brian Herbert)
A compact device for carrying data.
2001 Smart Contact Lenses (from Fast Times At Fairmont High by Vernor Vinge)
Contact lenses that have a built-in computer display.
2001 Wearables (from Fast Times At Fairmont High by Vernor Vinge)
Slang for 'wearable computer.'
2001 Inertial Bracelet (from Psychohistorical Crisis by Donald Kingsbury)
Device to still hand tremors.
2001 Weather Pod (from Dune: House Harkonnen by Brian Herbert)
Imperial technology available to planetologists only.
2002 Gravity Tube (from Chindi by Jack McDevitt)
A special passage way that eases the movement of material within a ship.
2002 Reggie the Bartending Machine (from The Outpost by Mike Resnick)
A mechanism able to mix drinks; a robot bartender.
2002 E-paper Newspaper (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
A paper-thin, flexible LCD-style display that is large enough to display a full newspaper page.
2002 Minority Report Ads (Biometric Personalized Ads) (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
Advertisements that speak directly to the consumer in public settings.
2002 Pocket Dome (from Chindi by Jack McDevitt)
Handy easy-to-set-up shelter.
2002 Provigil (from When the Devil Dances by John Ringo)
A medication that makes the user 'untired' - not just more awake.
2002 E-Suit (Environmental Suit) (from Chindi by Jack McDevitt)
A forcefield that encloses air and heat around the body, but does not repel objects or radiation.
2002 Maelstrom (from Maelstrom by Peter Watts)
A description of the next generation Internet
2002 Poppins (from Kiln People by David Brin)
An android body imprinted with the personality of a Master Nanny.
2002 Precrime Sleeve Communicator (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
A device for communication worn as part of the uniform jacket.
2002 Photo-Voltaic Robes (from Snow in the Desert by Neal Asher)
Outerwear made from material that absorbs sunlight and outputs electricity.
2002 Mobile Persocom (from Chobits by Manga Clamp)
A personal computer in human form.
2002 Public Iris Scanner (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
A device that uses iris-scanning for identification, and does not require subject awareness.
2002 Sick Stick (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
Baton that induces vomiting upon contact.
2002 Robofish (Mitsubishi Robot Turbot) (from Slow Life by Michael Swanwick)
A powerful, meter-long robotic fish used to take samples from liquid lakes on other worlds (like Titan).
2002 Manna (from Manna by Marshall Brain)
A software program that autonomously manages restaurants or other service industry businesses.
2002 Data Tiles (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
Transparent panes that contain data and programs.
2002 Vagus Nerve Bio-Chip (from Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold)
Relief from nausea without drugs.
2002 Ditto Blank (from Kiln People by David Brin)
A mentally unformed android, upon which a personality could be impressed.
2002 Hyperpig (from Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds)
A genetic chimera of pig and human.
2002 Halo (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
Device that incapacitates a person by inducing unconsciousness.
2002 Wired Glove Interface Display (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
A large screen display that uses a wired glove interface.
2002 Recon Spiders (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
Tiny spider-sized robots that are able to search buildings and identify occupants.
2002 Bullet-guard Overalls (from Kiln People by David Brin)
Very tough fabric.
2002 Imprint (A Ditto Blank) (from Kiln People by David Brin)
Impress one's personality upon a 'ditto blank' android.
2002 Terrafoam Dorm Building (from Manna by Marshall Brain)
Maximum people in minimum space.
2002 Workplace Distancing (from Manna by Marshall Brain)
A computer application that arranges that workers never encounter each other, to reduce gossiping and wasted time.
2002 Folding Computer Terminal (from The Merchants of Souls by John Barnes)
A foldable pocket computer.
2002 Durachrome (from Honor of the Regiment by Keith Laumer)
Very hard alloy for tanks.
2002 Immersive Home Video (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
Technology lets users interact with home videos.
2002 AI-Based Hiring and Firing (from Manna by Marshall Brain)
Letting a computer system handle the hiring and firing of employees.
2003 Traction City Gut (from Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve)
The area of a Traction City used for taking apart and consuming captured prey cities.
2003 Alibi Archive (from Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer)
A recording made of transmissions from a personal implant that perceived everything that happened to that individual.
2003 Synthetic Sleeve (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
An artificial body, into which a person can be downloaded.
2003 Mandroid (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
A humanoid robot; a robot in the shape of a person.
2003 External Eyelenses (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
Way retro means of correcting vision problems in human beings.
2003 Companion Implant (from Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer)
Electronic device placed within the body; it has a wide variety of uses.
2003 Tuned-Laser Decontamination (from Hybrids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer)
Process to destroy foreign biomolecules within the body.
2003 Olfactory Wakeup Call (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
An alarm clock that works by wafting scents your way.
2003 Cortical Stack (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
Implanted hardware device that contains a backup copy of your mental self.
2003 Slow Gun (from Singularity Sky by Charles Stross)
Device shoots slow projectiles that use neurotoxin.
2003 Traction City (from Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve)
Cities re-engineered as enormous, lumbering machines.
2003 Whuffie (from Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow)
A system in which one's actions, as perceived by others, directly procure the necessities of life; reputation-based currency.
2003 Illuminum (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
A metal that glows with its own light.
2003 Municipal Darwinism (from Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve)
The process by which smaller towns were eaten by larger ones.
2003 Needlecast (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
A tightbeam transmission of your very being.
2003 Biolution (from The Tels by Paul Black)
The revolution in biological manufacturing techniques.
2003 Happicuppa Coffee Bush (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood)
A species of coffee bush designed for ease of harvesting.
2003 Spray-on Surgical Gloves (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
Effective glove for surgeons that is skin tight.
2003 Causality-violation Device (or Weapon) (from Singularity Sky by Charles Stross)
Any of a variety of technologies intended to exploit time travel as a weapon.
2003 ChickieNobs (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood)
Chicken meat sliced from a transgenic organism.
2003 E-paper Hologram (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
A cover image that really pops out at the viewer.
2003 Alien Tarantula (from Engine City by Ken MacLeod)
Interesting illustration of an animal with gecko-like manipulative capabilities.
2003 Pigoon (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood)
A transgenic pig, bred to grow replacement organs for humans.
2003 Interway (from The Tels by Paul Black)
Computer-controlled highway.
2003 Ideator (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
A computer device specifically made to help model genes and proteins for identification.
2003 Handipad (from Wyrmhole by Jay Caselberg)
An electronic tablet for information browsing.
2003 E-Sheet (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
A disposable medium for reading electronic messages.
2003 Philips Squeeze Gun (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
A handheld railgun
2003 Autosurgeon (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
A mechanical aid to physicians, performing surgical procedures with surgeons present.
2003 Smart Wallpaper (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood)
Wallpaper that can sense your mood and provide an appropriate color scheme.
2003 Speaker Chips (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
Integrated circuit chips placed in books; they could read the book and advertise it.
2003 Little Bird (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
A remote-control "eye-in-the-sky" miniature drone plane (UAV).
2003 Automatic Hotel (Hotel Hendrix) (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
A fully automated hotel; complete services provided from check-in to check-out.
2003 Automated Sentry (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
A biometric device that scans facial features for identification.
2003 Touch Tablet (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
Another name for a wireless Tablet PC.
2003 Specimen Track (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
A means for transporting laboratory specimens from one workstation to another in an automated lab.
2003 Email Shirt (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood)
See your email on your shirt.
2003 Self-Cleaning Gym Suit (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood)
Removes the source of odor.
2003 Goat/Spider Silk (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood)
High tensile strength fibers from - goats.
2004 Quantum Communications Hub (from Defeated by Sean McKee)
A communications satellite that permits immediate communication between planets and ships in the solar system.
2004 Gillfluid (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
Breathable fluid that provides oxygen to the lungs, allowing greater pressure on the body.
2004 Arteria Portal (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
A wormhole entrance.
2004 CTC Computer (Closed-Timeline-Curve Time-Travel) (from Exultant by Stephen Baxter)
A device that used time travel to perform computations.
2004 Memory Diamond (from Iron Sunrise by Charles Stross)
Very dense memory storage.
2004 Signal Skin (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
Natural communication form for this species; skin that can spell out text.
2004 Swiss (from City of Pearl by Karen Traviss)
A small piece of personal gear that combines a great many items in a single device.
2004 Tacspace (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
An augmented representation of space battles.
2004 Bee Cam (from City of Pearl by Karen Traviss)
Small, airborne, self-guided personal camcorder.
2004 Waveform Hypothesis (from Backbeat - A Novel of Physics by J. Frederick Arment)
2004 Perpetual Train (from Iron Council by China Mieville)
A vast machine that lays its own tracks as it moves forward.
2004 Muscle Sensor Interface (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
Interface senses muscle movements to control display.
2004 Loiter-Drone (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
A autonomous flying device that hovers protectively over a defined area.
2004 Emissarial Projection (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
An expert system able to converse and act in the capacity of ambassador.
2004 Implanted Comlink (from Savior by Nancy Kress)
Transceiver inserted below the skin.
2005 Motorized Combat Boots (from Accelerando by Charles Stross)
Russian army-surplus self-propelled footgear.
2005 Sterile Seeds (from The Calorie Man by Paolo Bacigalupi)
Seeds that are bioengineered to grow, but not to produce fertile seeds.
2005 BrainPal (from Old Man's War by John Scalzi)
A neural implant.
2005 Hyper-Developed Mulies (from The Calorie Man by Paolo Bacigalupi)
Bioengineered animals that optimally transform vegetable matter into usable mechanical energy.
2005 Starwisp (from Accelerando by Charles Stross)
An small interstellar probe using a light-sail for propulsion.
2005 Lobster AI (from Accelerando by Charles Stross)
Scan a lobster brain, get a learning machine.
2005 Dumb Matter (from Accelerando by Charles Stross)
Ordinary matter, with no nano-value added.
2005 KloraDerm (from Old Man's War by John Scalzi)
Human skin variant that contains chlorophyll to provide energy.
2005 Computational Textile (from Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds)
Wearable computer sensors.
2005 Virtual Panopticon (from The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks)
A method that gathers information from many sources to effectively surveil any citizen as effectively as if he was in a glass cell.
2005 Flexy (or Flexies) (from Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds)
A flexible, quasi-living computer.
2005 Computronium (from Accelerando by Charles Stross)
Intelligent matter; nanocomputing processors masquerading as ordinary material.
2005 Sprayrock (from Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds)
Special compound that can be sprayed onto a surface, that hardens into rock.
2005 Megadont (from The Calorie Man by Paolo Bacigalupi)
An engineered mastodon, used to convert vegetable matter into energy.
2005 Kink-Spring (from The Calorie Man by Paolo Bacigalupi)
A device that stores energy with near-perfect efficiency.
2006 Wearables (Wearable Computers) (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
Computers and peripherals that use textiles for electronic circuitry.
2006 House-of-Cards Construction (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
Architectural technique that uses computers to help buildings maintain their balance during earthquakes.
2006 Coder (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
Specialized humans who excel at engineering tasks.
2006 Digital Ink License Plate (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
License tags that can change both state and number in the blink of an eye.
2006 Controllable Drone Army (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
Darknet sorcerer uses gestures to control a network of drone servants.
2006 Browser Paper (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
A paper-thin computer display.
2006 Navicloud Custom Debinder (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
A machine that pulls books apart and scans the contents.
2006 Answerboard (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
A forum or computer meeting location with experts on a particular topic.
2006 Razorback (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
Autonomous motorcycle weapons platform.
2006 Persuader (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
Device secured to a person that ensures compliant behavior by threat of force.
2006 AutoM8 (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
A remote-controlled automobile.
2006 Magnetic Ram (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
A device that fires pulses of magnetic energy.
2006 Pocket-Sized Ad-Blocker (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
A device that prevented targeted advertisements from reaching you.
2006 Aether Cannon (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
A hand-held energy weapon.
2006 Librareome Project (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
Blasting libraries into bits to create a library of perfect digitized electronic books.
2006 Clothing Size Scanner (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
A device that scanned a living person to determine clothing sizes.
2006 Mobile Advertisements (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
Advertisements presented in mid-air in public spaces.
2006 Camera Tunnel (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
A device that captures images of shredded documents from all sides for reassembly.
2006 Automated Taxi (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
A driverless taxicab.
2006 Traffic Lane Discharger (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
A device that electrically shocked vehicles whose drivers attempted to evade traffic control devices.
2006 Amphibious Skimmer (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
Amphibious drone with blades.
2006 Microwave Pistol (from Blindsight by Peter Watts)
Device designed to cause internal injury.
2006 Disperser (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
Device that gives an electric shock to anyone who touches a vehicle.
2006 Stopper Bubble (from Red Lightning by John Varley)
Device that halts time within its boundaries.
2006 Municipal Cattle Remover (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
A device to pick cattle up and place them in a truck for later dispersion in the countryside.
2006 A-Som (Antisomnolence Drugs) (from Shuteye for the Timebroker by Paul Di Filippo)
One simple pill removes the need for sleep.
2006 Voxcoder (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
Device for secure communication.
2006 Timebroker (from Shuteye for the Timebroker by Paul Di Filippo)
A person who traded in the commodity of other people's time.
2006 Pocket Scanner (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
A device that scans for the codes that will open a vehicle's door on command.
2006 Command Bracelet (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
A wrist-borne device with a variety of capabilities.
2006 HUD Glasses (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
Integrated glasses and projector provides a portable heads-up display for augmented reality.
2006 Third Eye (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
An output device that uses the skin of the user.
2006 Distributed Assembly Plant (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
Bringing parts together for assembly in a crowd anonymously.
2006 Mind-Reading with MRI (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
Making use of direct brain imaging to discern a person's thoughts.
2006 Laser-Induced Plasma (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
Shoots lightning from your fingertips.
2007 Orbital Weapon Lancet (OWL) (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
A kinetic energy weapon placed in Earth orbit.
2007 CopSpace (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
A virtual location for police lifelogs, official communications, paperwork, informational databases and evidence of all kinds.
2007 Overlay Specs (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
Glasses that provide an additional feature; an overlay that lets you see information and graphics along with the real-world view.
2007 Driverless Drones (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
One remote supervisor can drive a half-dozen drones, with some computer assistance.
2007 Blacknet (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
An antisocial networking site.
2007 Magnetic Levitating Bed (from Spook Country by William Gibson)
A bed that hovers above the floor, with no visible means of suport.
2007 Orphids (from Postsingular by Rudy Rucker)
Nanomachines replicate theselves from dust - and cover the Earth.
2007 Virtual World Theft (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
A method of stealing or reassigning ownership to items of value in virtual worlds.
2007 Lifelog (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
A life record made constantly.
2007 Airboarding (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
Typing in thin air to input characters into a computer.
2007 Digital Paper Pad (from KOP by Warren Hammond)
Just one molecule thick, it flips bits by flipping molecules.
2007 Max Detention (Virtual Counsel) (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
A software implementation of a lawyer; an artificially intelligent legal advisor.
2007 Weapon Sound Tracker (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
Locate an enemy by the sound of gunfire.
2007 DC Mini (from Paprika by Satoshi Kon)
A therapy tool that allows a psychotherapist to enter a patient's dreams.
2007 Remotely Operated Auto-targeting Gun (ROAG) (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
A weapon able to pick out its own targets; it's action can be remotely initiated.
2007 Scanner Palm (from KOP by Warren Hammond)
A document scanner implanted in the palm of the hand.
2007 SPOOKS (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
A live-action role playing (LARP) game that lets ordinary people play at being secret agents.
2007 Tongueprint Verification (from Fleet of Worlds by Larry Niven (w/E.M. Lerner))
A device that verifies the unique print of the tongue against a a database for identification purposes.
2007 Bubble-Gum Pylon (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
Device used to capture entire vehicles in car chases.
2007 Cop Block (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
A device that allows law enforcement officers to shut down the engine of a suspect's car or truck.
2007 WAGD Germ Detector (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
A hand-held biohazard analyzer.
2007 Anemopter (from Finisterra by David Moles)
Special craft for journeys through the atmosphere of a gas giant planet.
2007 Tongue Mouse (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
A pointing device using input from the tongue.
2007 Midge (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
A very small flapping wing UAV that can be carried by a larger flying device.
2007 OSMO (Osmic Mobile Observers) (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
UAV with the ability to "smell" their human quarry.
2008 Fuel Tree (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
Plants raised as fuel.
2008 Angel Music Player (from Flood by Stephen Baxter)
A device that beams music directly into your brain, without wires.
2008 ParanoidLinux (from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow)
A computer operating system that deliberately obscures the activities of the user.
2008 Allswell (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
An organic compound found (or placed) in food that calms and mellows those who partake of it.
2008 Blithe (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
A plant engineered to produce a substance that brought out compliant behavior in those who consumed it.
2008 Headspace (from Flood by Stephen Baxter)
A virtual world in which a person could raise a virtual baby with full haptic realism.
2008 SchoolBook (from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow)
A standard-issue laptop computer for school use.
2008 Ultimate Football League (UFL) (from The Sun Also Explodes by Chris Nakashima-Brown)
A football league without restrictions on human modification.
2008 Spine-Clamp (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
A device that constrains the movements of convicted criminals.
2008 Photonomous (from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow)
A program that strips out the digital noise signature from a picture file.
2008 Photomnemonic Tablet (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
A device that both records and displays images with the same element.
2008 Homing Butterflies (from Moxyland by Lauren Beukes)
Butterflies modified to accompany a purchased bouquet.
2008 Kinagram (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
Small print-size icons that presented a moving image.
2008 Defuser (from Moxyland by Lauren Beukes)
Electroshock cellphones to keep unruly individuals under control.
2008 Sky-Bike (from The Last Theorem by Arthur C. Clarke (w/Pohl))
A human-powered floating bicycle built for use in lunar sports.
2008 Gait-Cam (from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow)
A surveillance camera system that analyzes the unique way in which people walk, to identify them.
2009 EyePod (from WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer)
A generic term for the external computing processing unit needed for eye implants.
2009 Dattoo (from Mariposa by Greg Bear)
A data exchange device worn on the skin like a tattoo.
2009 Robot Snake Spy (from Mariposa by Greg Bear)
A small robot in the shape of a snake, used for field work by spies.
2009 EPR Phone (from Mariposa by Greg Bear)
Telephony that uses quantum effects for transmission - and is therefore the ultimate in anti-eavesdropping technology.
2009 Zip Paper (from Mariposa by Greg Bear)
Very thin display like a single sheet of paper.
2009 Websight (from WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer)
A way of visualizing the Internet internally.
2009 Skin Computer (from Mariposa by Greg Bear)
A computer that looks like a tattoo, on a stretchable base.
2009 Exfection (from The Caryatids by Bruce Sterling)
Tailored microbes to repair human flesh.
2009 Robobug (from The Golden City by John Twelve Hawks)
A cyborg insect.
2010 Rocket Pine (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
Genetically engineered trees for wood pulp.
2010 Necap (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
A device that burns out neural connections.
2010 Alien Trojan (from Out of the Dark by David Webber)
Malware from another world!
2010 Angel Teeth (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez)
Essentially a spear dropped from a great height (or from orbit) with a guidance system.
2010 Humeld (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
A human being with augmented body parts.
2010 Power Stilts (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
Platforms that push inundated cities ever higher.
2010 Aeromuse Pillow (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
A pillow that doubles as a music player.
2010 Metallic Display Scroll (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez)
A rollable video screen.
2010 Disabler (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
A device that drains power quickly from an electric vehicle.
2010 Darknet Farm (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez)
A farm that uses computer networked information systems to achieve sustainable agriculture in a community.
2010 Office Hand (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
A robotic hand with each finger customized for a different function.
2010 Barker (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
A device that scans for nearby medical implants, and allows the operator to take control.
2010 Nutrient Extractor and Maximizer (NEM) (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
Device that replaces and extends the capabilities of the human digestive system.
2010 Neural Lace (from Surface Detail by Iain M Banks)
An interface between the brain and computer facilities.
2010 Ugly T-Shirt (from Zero History by William Gibson)
Uses disruptive patterning to make the wearer invisible to computerized surveillance techniques.
2010 Desubstantiation Effect (from Death's End by Cixin Liu)
In interstellar space, the ship seems like the only material entity in the universe, leading to loneliness and anxiety.
2010 Millenniaire (from The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi)
A person with much more Time than an ordinary person.
2011 Onionskin Transparent Jeans (from Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart)
See-through pants.
2011 DNA Publishing (from Spiral by Paul McEuen)
Encode a poem or story in DNA, then multiply.
2011 Virtual Punishment (from Complete Sentence by Joe Haldeman)
It seems like decades in prison.
2012 DNA Music Storage (from Year Zero by Rob Reid)
Encoding music in junk DNA.
2012 Parent Drone (from Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez)
A drone platform that launches smaller drones.
2012 Robotic Eel (from Re:Set by Susan Beetlestone)
A five-foot long artificial eel, controlled by an operator.
2012 Wildcode (from The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi)
A vast, actual desert comprised of nanites, nanomachines.
2012 Autonomous Assassination Drone (from Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez)
A flying UAV that is self-guided to a target, destroys the target, and is capable of destroying itself after mission completion.
2012 Brain-Jacking (from Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez)
Using insects for surveillance.
2012 Eel Operator (from Re:Set by Susan Beetlestone)
A surgically modified human being able to operate a robotic eel
2014 Cosmoline (Warm Sleep) (from War Dogs by Greg Bear)
Special gel that offers healing and hibernation for space travelers.
2014 Replaced Worker Benefits (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks)
Compensation for people whose jobs are taken by robots.
2014 Puff (Puff Balls) (from War Dogs by Greg Bear)
Material that is used to help Skyrines dropped to the surface of Mars get rid of some of that excess velocity.
2014 Freedom ID (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks)
A chip inserted into the hand for identification (and surveillance) purposes.
2014 Oxygen Fountain (from War Dogs by Greg Bear)
A small factory for making oxygen on the Martian surface.
2014 Nubot (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks)
An android that directly replaces a human at their job.
2014 Timeout (from War Dogs by Greg Bear)
The part of a Skyrene's life that is spent in Warm Sleep travel between Earth and the destination planet.
2014 EYE Program (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks)
A massive government database on civilians.
2014 Norm-All Program (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks)
A set of algorithms that determine a reasonable location for every citizen.
2014 Skintight (from War Dogs by Greg Bear)
Specialized space suit for low atmospheric pressure environments like Mars.
2015 Centipede (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear)
Perfect craft for crawling through slushy, frozen lakes - on Titan.
2015 Clearsac (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi)
A simple device that filters water perfectly for reuse.
2015 Face Recognition Sunglasses (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi)
Sunglasses that connect with a remote database to perform face recognition.
2015 Cranial Amplified Programming CAP (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear)
An aid to learning, which you apply directly to your skull.
2015 Jonnytruck (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi)
A movable bathroom for hire; cost is offset by reclamation.
2015 Vehicle Seeds (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear)
A matrix of materials and instructions that allow vehicles to grow themselves when placed in an environment of plentiful materials.
2015 Public Urine Collection (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi)
Arcologies offer public latrines, then collect for reclamation.
2016 Logical Pathogen (from The Medusa Chronicles by Alastair Reynolds (w/S. Baxter))
Malware concealed in DNA.
2016 Crowdcutter (from Infomocracy by Malka Older)
A device worn to part crowds.
2017 Hotello (from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson)
A portable room within a room.
2017 Superscraper (from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson)
Buildings that are hundreds of stories tall.
2017 Wristpad (from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson)
A tablet computer worn on the wrist.
2019 Edit Stream (from Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson)
Internet content curated by a single person or service, then streamed to those who pay for the service.
2019 PURDAH (from Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson)
A method of ensuring that a given text was created by its putative author, while masking the identity of the author.
2019 VEIL (from Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson)
A wearable device used to foil facial recognition systems.
2019 Forward Warehousing (from Stealing Worlds by Karl Schroeder)
Using the trunks of cars as little warehouses.
2019 OLED Body Film (from Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan)
Attaching or implanting flexible screen material to the body as decoration.
2020 Pacification Drones (from The Breach by M.T. Hill)
Surveillance drones that emit calming notes.
2020 Sloth Pill (from The Breach by M.T. Hill)
A medication to induce a kind of somnolence like short-term hibernation; used in air travel.
2020 Burner Modem (from The Breach by M.T. Hill)
A connection device that can be thrown away if necessary.
2020 DNA Swab Palate (from The Breach by M.T. Hill)
Adheres to the palate, and provides false material for DNA swabs.
2020 Scuttle-bot (from Hella by David Gerrold)
An all-purpose surveillance robot that climbed rather than flew.
2020 Bio-Implant (Compensator Chip) (from Hella by David Gerrold)
A neural implant that helps an autistic child to live a more complete and useful life.

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SF in the News

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Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
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Humanoid Boxing Robot KO's Opponent - It's A Knockout!
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Caterpillar Electric Mining Loader Not Yet Ready For Moon
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Centipede Robots Down On The Farm
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'They Erased My Memory' Says Ariana Grande
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Solitary Black Hole Wanders In Space
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Spaceplane From Virgin Atlantic
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re: Greg Bear
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Robot Hand Creeps Along, Separate From It's Owner
re: Philip K. Dick
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Taikonauts Exercise In China's Tiangong Space Station
re: Murray Leinster
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Korean Exoskeleton Suit F1 Helps You Put It On
re: Marvel
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re: David Brin
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Bunker Busters and Bore-Pellets
re: Philip K. Dick
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'Spikeless' Brand Swizzle Stick Detects Spiked Drinks
re: Frank Herbert
(4/20/2025)

(See More Science Fiction in the News)

 

 

 
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