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Science Fiction Dictionary: Ideas, Terms and Technology
(
4113 Inventions Available)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
| Device Name | Book/Story | Author | Date |
| O-220 Ultralight zeppelin |
Tarzan at the Eath's Core | Burroughs | 1929 |
| Oat-Tropic Circuit A robotic feature that caused electronic animals to move toward offered food. |
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | Dick | 1968 |
| Object-Finder Beam A unique device that projected a beam that found what you wanted. |
The Conquest of Gola | Stone | 1931 |
| Observation Room Recreation Center A vast internal space in a space station, often used for exercise and amusement. |
The Power Planet | Leinster | 1931 |
| Oceanic Thermal Energy Converter A device that uses the sea to help create electricity. |
Saturn's Race | Niven (w/S. Barnes) | 2000 |
| Odalarm An alarm clock that awakens the sleeper with a selected odor. |
The Dosadi Experiment | Herbert | 1977 |
| Odorophonics A system capable of reproducing selected scents capable of fooling the human nervous system. |
The Illustrated Man | Bradbury | 1951 |
| Office Hand A robotic hand with each finger customized for a different function. |
The Human Blend | Foster | 2010 |
| Off-Planet Away from a planet, towards another or into space. |
Uller Uprising | Piper | 1952 |
| Off-World Not of Earth. |
Judgement Night | Moore | 1943 |
| Oil Lens Oil held in tension in an enclosing force field, used as an optical component. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| OLED Body Film Attaching or implanting flexible screen material to the body as decoration. |
Waste Tide | Qiufan | 2019 |
| Olfactory Wakeup Call An alarm clock that works by wafting scents your way. |
Altered Carbon | Morgan | 2003 |
| One-Man Car A small transport vehicle. |
The Houses of Iszm | Vance | 1954 |
| One-Man Rocket A small rocket ship with only a pilot. |
Evans of the Earth-Guard | Hamilton | 1930 |
| One-Way Passage A different way to assure permanent egress. |
The Houses of Iszm | Vance | 1954 |
| Onionskin Transparent Jeans See-through pants. |
Super Sad True Love Story | Shteyngart | 2011 |
| Online Employability Profile Testing An online test that determines the best areas in which you might search for a job. |
The Age of The Pussyfoot | Pohl | 1966 |
| Online Job Search Networked assets allow ordinary people to search through nationwide job listings upon providing a short set of qualifications. |
The Age of The Pussyfoot | Pohl | 1966 |
| Ontogenetic Adaptation Immediate genetic-level ability to eat alien plants. |
The End of the Line | Schmitz | 1951 |
| Oort Cloud Processor An alien ship that processes Oort cloud into food. |
Beyond the Blue Event Horizon | Pohl | 1980 |
| Opaque Helmet A spacesuit helmet that has no see-through components at all; fully enclosed metal. |
Wanderer of the Void | Carr | 1937 |
| Open-Air Moving Picture Shows Public news outlets |
The Messiah of the Cylinder | Rousseau | 1917 |
| Operation Cleanup The program that removed space debris in LEO that could harm the space elevator. |
The Fountains of Paradise | Clarke | 1978 |
| Optic Prosthesis A replacement for a damaged eye. |
Changeling | Zelazny | 1980 |
| Optic Television An eye that "sees" more than just its surroundings. |
Twenty Evocations | Sterling | 1984 |
| Optical-Effect Suit An invisibility garment. |
The Hounds of Hell | Laumer | 1964 |
| Opti-Phone Yet another name for a videophone. |
The Impossible World | Binder | 1939 |
| Opton Very early description of an electronic book, with storage media. |
Return from the Stars | Lem | 1961 |
| Optophone (Opto) A video call system. |
Too Many Boards! | Vincent | 1931 |
| Orbital Factory Putting manufacturing in space, orbiting the planet. |
Bind Your Sons To Exile | Pournelle | 1976 |
| Orbital Mirror A huge reflective surface in orbit around a planet or moon, the purpose of which is to focus sunlight onto the surface. |
Completely Automatic | Sturgeon | 1941 |
| Orbital Retirement Hotel A retirement home placed in low earth orbit. |
Contact | Sagan | 1985 |
| Orbital Terminus An airport in space; a terminal for low earth orbit flights. |
Count Zero | Gibson | 1986 |
| Orbital Weapon Lancet (OWL) A kinetic energy weapon placed in Earth orbit. |
Quantico | Bear | 2007 |
| Orbiting Casino Advertising Sign The mightiest billboard in the Solar System! |
One Against The Legion | Williamson | 1939 |
| Orbiting Factories Manufacturing centers in orbit around the Earth. |
The Fountains of Paradise | Clarke | 1978 |
| Orbiting Penal Colony A prison placed in orbit (better than Alcatraz). |
Tekwar | Shatner | 1989 |
| Organic Superlubricant Advanced lube that can "learn" how to be more effective. |
Alpha Centauri | Meier | 1999 |
| Organlegging Technology needed to deal in illicitly obtained body parts. |
The Jigsaw Man | Niven | 1967 |
| Ornithopter 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. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Orphids Nanomachines replicate theselves from dust - and cover the Earth. |
Postsingular | Rucker | 2007 |
| Orville Ask it questions verbally, and this plowshared guidance system will compute an answer, and provide it telepathically. |
The Zap Gun (Project Plowshare) | Dick | 1965 |
| OSMO (Osmic Mobile Observers) UAV with the ability to "smell" their human quarry. |
Quantico | Bear | 2007 |
| Osmosis Generator (Cziltang Brone) A device that can render a solid permeable to matter. |
Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Osprey Space Armor Space suit you can live in. |
Salvage in Space | Williamson | 1933 |
| Ostler Insulation Beam A beam of energy stretching from one planet to another that protects space craft from radiation. |
The Radium World | Kelly | 1932 |
| Outbound Interplanetary Traffic The rules of the spacelanes. |
One Against The Legion | Williamson | 1939 |
| Out-Worlder A person from another planet. |
A Matter of Size | Bates | 1934 |
| Overdrive A propulsion technology that allows a craft to travel at faster-than-light speed. |
First Contact | Leinster | 1945 |
| Overlay Specs Glasses that provide an additional feature; an overlay that lets you see information and graphics along with the real-world view. |
Halting State | Stross | 2007 |
| Overmind A consciousness that supersedes the minds of many individuals. |
The Chemical Brain | Flagg | 1929 |
| Ovoid 3D Galactic Model A handheld display of a galaxy. |
Second Foundation | Asimov | 1953 |
| Ownership of Machines Who will own the machines that produce material abundance? |
The Revolt of the Machines | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Oxygen Concentrator Gathers oxygen from a thin atmosphere until it is breathable, supporting life. |
Duel on Syrtis | Anderson | 1951 |
| Oxygen Fountain A small factory for making oxygen on the Martian surface. |
War Dogs | Bear | 2014 |
| Oxygen Freshener A device that removed carbon dioxide from air and replaced it with fresh oxygen. |
Lost Rocket | Wellman | 1941 |
| Oxygen Hip Flask A small, portable source of pure oxygen for breathing. |
Earth | Brin | 1990 |
| Oxygen Pill Meets your need for oxygen without additional breathing. |
Get Out Of Our Skies! | Jarvis | 1957 |
| Oxygen Space Flare A flare that burns inside a glass bulb with oxygen. |
Brigands of the Moon | Cummings | 1930 |
| Oxygen Weeds Plants that create oxygen on a planet with little breathable air. |
The Sands of Mars | Clarke | 1951 |
| Ozone Radiation Shield Filling the gap between the inner and outer hull with ozone. |
A Daring Trip To Mars | Valier | 1931 |
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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