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Name | Purpose | Author (Publication Date) | Category | |
Andy - an artificial human | A slang term for "android" - an artificially created humanoid being. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | ai | |
Autobutle | An automated servant. | Frank Herbert (1972) | ai | |
Automaton Chessplayer - the first chess-playing computer | The first chess-playing computer. | Ambrose Bierce (1910) | ai | |
Automonk | A robot with an AI trained on an individual monk. | Ray Naylor (2022) | ai | |
Ava - she wants to be taught | A piece of learning software. | Amitav Ghosh (1995) | ai | |
Bard | A machine that invents randomized stories and can read them out loud or animate them for viewing. | Isaac Asimov (1956) | ai | |
Bendix Anxiety Reducer | Machine-based psychotherapy. | Robert Sheckley (1956) | ai | |
Big Computer - wide-screen Jehovah | Just like it says; this computer knows it all. | John Varley (1983) | ai | |
Big Noodle | A vast artificial intelligence system used to process all of Earth's information. | Philip K. Dick (1981) | ai | |
BLIT (Secret Basilisk) | The Berryman Logical Image Technique can "shock" an AI trained to do pattern recognition. | David Langford (1988) | ai | |
Boppers - robots do their own thing | Self-reproducing robots; they did not obey Asimov's laws for robots (or any other man-made rules). | Rudy Rucker (1988) | ai | |
Camera Tunnel | A device that captures images of shredded documents from all sides for reassembly. | Vernor Vinge (2006) | ai | |
Central Computer | A computer capable of running an entire city. | Arthur C. Clarke (1956) | ai | |
Cerebral Microprocessors | Added boost for maxxed out minds. | John Varley (1983) | ai | |
Chiphead - circuits rule, neurons drool | A person whose organic brain has been effectively superseded by a firmware (integrated circuit or more advanced technology) device. | Bart Kosko (1987) | ai | |
Chirpsithra Supercomputer - build your own | An alien race thoughtfully provides mankind with blueprints for the most intelligent computer ever made. | Larry Niven (1984) | ai | |
City Fathers - AI with centuries of experience | A set of computer systems which run every mechanical system in a city. | James Blish (1957) | ai | |
Composite Expert System - interface with a heart | Intelligent teaching software - a computer interface with a heart. | Bruce Sterling (1984) | ai | |
Computer Humorist | A computer acquires the ability to tell original jokes. | Robert Heinlein (1966) | ai | |
Construct (Digital) - persona in software | A stored version of a person's particular skills and personal approaches to problems. | William Gibson (1984) | ai | |
Cybrid - person as data terminal | An organic body used by an artificial intelligence. | Dan Simmons (1989) | ai | |
Daily Schedule (DS) - intelligent day planner | The DS was an artificially intelligent day planner, a schedule keeper with voice recognition features; it also talked back when necessary. | Frank Herbert (1977) | ai | |
Deep Thought - second largest computer | The second-largest computer ever made. | Douglas Adams (1979) | ai | |
Detectophone - machine translation of language | First use of the idea of a voice-activated machine. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | ai | |
Dr. Smile - psychiatrist in a suitcase | A suitcase-sized analyst; a machine that served as a psychotherapist. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | ai | |
Electrical Brain | A mechanism that grants memory an intelligence to machines. | Miles J. Breuer (1930) | ai | |
Electronic Bard | A computing machine that is able to write original poetry. | Stanislaw Lem (1965) | ai | |
GPP Genuine People Personalities | Giving mechanisms their own unique affect. | Douglas Adams (1979) | ai | |
HAL 9000 - prototypical AI | The canonical example of an artificially intelligent computer. | Arthur C. Clarke (1968) | ai | |
Hangman - robot telefactor | A telefactoring device that also was able to function independently. | Roger Zelazny (1976) | ai | |
Head Cheese - cultured neurons in a dish | Intelligent paste made of neurons; spread upon a substrate for computing. | Peter Watts (1999) | ai | |
Home Manager - AI + Franklin Planner | A device that responds to verbal or other commands; serves as an intelligent telephone answering machine and other tasks. | Greg Bear (1990) | ai | |
Hoverlimo - hovercraft for hire | A hovercraft for hire, with servility built in. | John Varley (1992) | ai | |
Human Object Recognition - people making robotic life easier | System uses human beings as an aid to robotic object recognition. | Harry Harrison (1956) | ai | |
Ilse - first intelligent ship brain | The first intelligent ship brain. | Vernor Vinge (1972) | ai | |
Language Rectifier early reference to machine translation | The first reference to machine-translation of human languages. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | ai | |
Lobster AI - brain scanned expert system | Scan a lobster brain, get a learning machine. | Charles Stross (2005) | ai | |
Maas-Neotek Biochip | An integrated circuit chip (or equivalent) that provides hardware and firmware for creating a virtual entity. | William Gibson (1988) | ai | |
Machine (Thinking Machine) - very early description of an intelligent computer | A very early reference to a thinking machine in charge of a planet. | John W. Campbell (1935) | ai | |
Machine Suicide | A self-aware computer system wants to destroy itself. | Isaac Asimov (1958) | ai | |
Machine Surveillance - first mention of idea | The use of artificially intelligent computer systems to learn by monitoring all human interaction within a city. | James Blish (1957) | ai | |
Manna | A software program that autonomously manages restaurants or other service industry businesses. | Marshall Brain (2002) | ai | |
Max Detention (Virtual Counsel) - I ob-b-b-b-ject! | A software implementation of a lawyer; an artificially intelligent legal advisor. | Greg Bear (2007) | ai | |
Mechanical Consciousness | The notion that machines may develop a form of consciousness. | Samuel Butler (1872) | ai | |
Meson Filter - a robotic sense of humor | Provides robots with the ability to tell the difference between jokes that provide a chuckle and jokes that provide a belly laugh. | William Tenn (1951) | ai | |
Micromind - just a little AI | A computer helper. | Gregory Benford (1989) | ai | |
Mike (Mycroft Holmes - Fair Dinkum Thinkum) - artificial intelligence early on | A large computer that woke up - an artificially intelligent, self-aware machine. | Robert Heinlein (1966) | ai | |
Neoterics - genius on tap | Pure engineering genius on tap. | Theodore Sturgeon (1941) | ai | |
Neuro-netsukes - tiny personality construct | A small sculpture containing the personality of a living person. | Alexander Besher (1994) | ai | |
Nexus-6 Brain Unit - meet my friend Roy | The processing power behind android intelligence. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | ai | |
Personality-Construct (Lazarus) | A chip providing a robotic body with the attributes of the selected person. | Ann K. Schwader (1988) | ai | |
Pizzled (Semantic Garble) | Use of nonsensical statements to deliberately confuse an artificial intelligence. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | ai | |
Positronic Brain - many connections | A computer CPU with the capacity to rival a human brain. | Isaac Asimov (1941) | ai | |
Positronic Motor | A combination of motor and brain; an engine with a cerebellum and a carburetor. | Isaac Asimov (1953) | ai | |
Quantum Logic Thinker (QL) - fuzzy logic thinker | A computer system that thinks about problems in unusual ways. | Greg Bear (1990) | ai | |
Raisin - intelligent hearing aid | 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. | Bart Kosko (1987) | ai | |
Raw Material-Tropic | Moves towards desirable raw materials. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | ai | |
Recorded Personalities | Computer firmware that saves a person's characteristics and reactions. | William Gibson (1988) | ai | |
Replicant - an artificial human | An android; an artificial human being. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | ai | |
Robot Mother - self-reproducing automaton | A self-replicating robot, which creates a series of helper bots that adapt to conditions as needed. | Maurice G. Hugi (1941) | ai | |
SAL 9000 | Successor to the HAL 9000. | Arthur C. Clarke (1982) | ai | |
Semi-Conducting Graphite-Gel | Computer brain structured like animal brain. | Stephen Barr (1960) | ai | |
Sentient Econometrics | Use of artificial intelligence in economic forecasting. | Sid Meier (1999) | ai | |
Sigfrid von Shrink - computer shrink | An automated therapist. | Frederik Pohl (1970) | ai | |
Smart Gel - brain in a dish | Intelligent paste made of neurons; spread upon a substrate for computing. | Peter Watts (1999) | ai | |
Star Stone (Speicus) - this is a recording | An artificial intelligence shaped like a rock, which can communicate with living organisms telepathically. | Roger Zelazny (1976) | ai | |
Sven - AI investigator | Sven is an artificially intelligent computer detective. | Harry Harrison (1992) | ai | |
Synthetic Intellect | A machine mind, created and improved by more primitive machine minds. | William Callahan (1939) | ai | |
Synthetic Intellect | A device for providing a robot with intelligence. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1936) | ai | |
Thought Coil (Machine Intelligence) | Specially designed hardware that imparts intelligence to machines. | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | ai | |
Total Environmental and Mental Simulator - accelerated machine intelligence | An AI that could create and discard whole branches of science in pursuing the answer to a problem. | John M. Faucette (1968) | ai | |
Transcriber - an automated transcriptionist | A automated transcriptionist - a machine which perfectly translates human speech into words on paper. | Isaac Asimov (1953) | ai | |
Variable Modifier - snicker or belly laugh | Provides the capability of altering standard jokes to fit new circumstances. | William Tenn (1951) | ai | |
Virtual Reality Ceremony - serving up VR | Don't just put your motion capture suit on - do it with style. | Alexander Besher (1994) | ai | |
Voxbox - talking back | An intelligent home agent. | William Shatner (1989) | ai | |
Vulcan 3 - endless self-modifying computer | Artificially intelligent self-modifying supercomputer. | Philip K. Dick (1960) | ai | |
WatchdØg (Watchdog) - guardian for a planet | Jack C. Haldeman (1972) | ai | ||
Wintermute | An artificially intelligent computer system. | William Gibson (1984) | ai | |
Armored Clothing - modern armor | Ordinary apparel that contained both armor and muscle amplification devices. | Frank Herbert (1977) | armor | |
Bullet-guard Overalls | Very tough fabric. | David Brin (2002) | armor | |
Exoskeleton - a military exoskeleton | Fighting suit | Bruce Sterling (1999) | armor | |
Flexible Armor Suit - now you're Superman | A pressure suit that, while flexible, becomes rigid like armor upon impact. | Larry Niven (1966) | armor | |
Impact Suit - shear-thickening armor | A body suit that is flexible, but upon a hard impact becomes rigid and impenetrable. | David Gerrold (w/L, Niven) (1971) | armor | |
Monomol Mesh Armor - chain (molecule) mail | Material to protect selected areas that must bend (elbows, knees, and so forth). | Greg Bear (1990) | armor | |
Nemourlon | Material for special body armor. | Jerry Pournelle (1976) | armor | |
Powered Armor (or Powered Suit) - military exoskeleton | An armored suit that magnifies the power of the soldier's muscles, along with other weapons. | Robert Heinlein (1959) | armor | |
Refurbished Nervous System - rewired for speed | Your nerves are rewired for 5-10 times the speed of a normal person. | Alfred Bester (1956) | armor | |
Rigid Metallic Clothing - almost an exoskeleton | An early exoskeleton. | Edmond Hamilton (1932) | armor | |
Sintered Armorgel | A substance that is flexible when moved slowly, but which hardens upon external impact. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | armor | |
'Sites - nanobots are your friends | Small parasites that cause muscles to twitch in sequence for strength. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | armor | |
Space Armor | Armored space suits for use in vacuum. | James Blish (1957) | armor | |
Genetically Tailored Trees | Trees that had been genetically altered to produce and concentrate usable oil. | Roger Zelazny (1982) | bio | |
Adaptene | Parent of all hormones, it makes possible the adaptation of the human organism to alien worlds. | Eando Binder (1939) | bio | |
Alien Life Form | Living organisms of non-Earth origin. | Arthur K. Barnes (1937) | bio | |
Alien Tarantula | Interesting illustration of an animal with gecko-like manipulative capabilities. | Ken MacLeod (2003) | bio | |
Alien Zoo | A zoo that brings together plants and animals from many planets. | Frank Herbert (1977) | bio | |
Allswell | An organic compound found (or placed) in food that calms and mellows those who partake of it. | Neal Stephenson (2008) | bio | |
Ampek F-a2 Recording System | A device that incorporated a living protoplasm, used as a recording and playback system. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | bio | |
Android | A synthetic being having the form of a human being. | Jack Williamson (1936) | bio | |
Artificial Life | Creating living beings from inorganic elements. | Edmond Hamilton (1926) | bio | |
Biological Package Probe - automaton Johnny Appleseed | Larry Niven (1976) | bio | ||
Biolution - biological manufacturing | The revolution in biological manufacturing techniques. | Paul Black (2003) | bio | |
Bladder Birds | Alien life well adapted. | Stanley G. and Helen Weinbaum (1936) | bio | |
Blithe | A plant engineered to produce a substance that brought out compliant behavior in those who consumed it. | Neal Stephenson (2008) | bio | |
Bokanovsky's Process | A very early description of cloning. | Aldous Huxley (1932) | bio | |
Clone | The aggregate of individual organisms descended by asexual reproduction from a single sexually produced individual. | Theodore L Thomas (1959) | bio | |
Cold-Sleep - hibernation between the stars | A form of induced suspended animation, in which a person enters a state like hibernation. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | bio | |
Composite Living | Forming a meld with other life forms. | Robert Sheckley (1995) | bio | |
Cubics | Small, square animals that can combine to create a larger entity. | Edmond Hamilton (1942) | bio | |
Culture Tank | Germs that eat garbage and produce oil. | Hal Clement (1950) | bio | |
Cyborg Dolphin (Jones) - war surplus named Jones | A heavily modified war surplus dolphin. | William Gibson (1981) | bio | |
D-9 Motherspinner - that's a big spider | An enormous genetically engineered spider used to create large structures in space. | John Varley (1998) | bio | |
Dazer | A person who learned biofeedback techniques to float on his own endorphins. | David Brin (1990) | bio | |
Desert Cabbage | A giant plant that regulates its internal temperature even on Mars. | Robert Heinlein (1949) | bio | |
Designed Bacteria - purposive genetic modification | Very early reference to the idea of bacteria designed to wipe out a particular species, and no others. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1937) | bio | |
Dirt-Farming | An archaic method of food production. | James Schmitz (1951) | bio | |
DNA Publishing | Encode a poem or story in DNA, then multiply. | Paul McEuen (2011) | bio | |
Doughpot | A mass of white, dough-like protoplasm, ranging in size from a single cell to perhaps twenty tons of mushy filth. | Stanley G. Weinbaum (1935) | bio | |
Electro-Culturer | A device used to artificially stimulate cell growth and development. | A.G. Stangland (1929) | bio | |
Embryo Visualization | Special display technique lets researchers see cell development in three dimensions. | Joan Slonczewski (1994) | bio | |
Empath - first use | A being capable of telepathic empathy with others. | J.T. McIntosh (1956) | bio | |
Fabricow | Cattle and other creatures that create gene-designed biomachinery in their wombs. | David Brin (1990) | bio | |
Face Dancer | Mimicry enhanced through genetic manipulation. | Frank Herbert (1969) | bio | |
Feeding Room | An automated child care. | Emile Souvestre (1846) | bio | |
Flat Cat | A nearly two-dimensional furry little beast. | Robert Heinlein (1952) | bio | |
Flesh Men | Thinking beings that are not mechanical robots - human beings. | Mari Wolf (1952) | bio | |
Fontema | A strange two 'wheeled' animal. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1950) | bio | |
Freedom Machine - nanotech birth control | A birth control device developed using nanotechnology. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | bio | |
Fuel Tree | Plants raised as fuel. | Neal Stephenson (2008) | bio | |
Genejack | A genetically-modified human ideally created for menial work. | Sid Meier (1999) | bio | |
Genetic Engineering | Direct manipulation of genetic material | Jack Williamson (1951) | bio | |
Gillfluid - liquid breathing | Breathable fluid that provides oxygen to the lungs, allowing greater pressure on the body. | Iain M Banks (2004) | bio | |
Gum Tree | A huge tree that lashed out with a mind of its own. | Eric Frank Russell (1943) | bio | |
Haberman | Modified humans controlled by cybernetic implants. | Cordwainer Smith (1950) | bio | |
Happicuppa Coffee Bush - the race to the bottom | A species of coffee bush designed for ease of harvesting. | Margaret Atwood (2003) | bio | |
Homing Butterflies | Butterflies modified to accompany a purchased bouquet. | Lauren Beukes (2008) | bio | |
Homo Superior | A human subspecies created through radical applications of biotechnology. | Sid Meier (1999) | bio | |
Hyper-Developed Mulies | Bioengineered animals that optimally transform vegetable matter into usable mechanical energy. | Paolo Bacigalupi (2005) | bio | |
Hyperpig | A genetic chimera of pig and human. | Alastair Reynolds (2002) | bio | |
Ideator - gene identification | A computer device specifically made to help model genes and proteins for identification. | Greg Bear (2003) | bio | |
Life Bank | A storage facility with the genetic material that was produced by Earth's ecosystem. | John Varley (1977) | bio | |
Life Blanket | Sentient moss which, when draped over the shoulders of a human being, becomes fully self-aware, providing valuable services. | Clifford Simak (1944) | bio | |
Luggage - sentient container | A trunk made from sapient pearwood. | Terry Pratchett (1983) | bio | |
Mammontelephas - baby mammoths | A 'mammoth' resurrected from the genes of the original. | David Brin (1990) | bio | |
Martian Sawgrass - air plant | Specialized variety of plant that is used to provide oxygen for space stations. | George O. Smith (1942) | bio | |
Meat Puppet | A person with a neural cut out chip; the chip allows computer software to completely control their actions. | William Gibson (1984) | bio | |
Megadont | An engineered mastodon, used to convert vegetable matter into energy. | Paolo Bacigalupi (2005) | bio | |
Microde - get a new look like you get the flu | A tailored virus, that infects the selected person, and passes on whatever characteristics have been implanted in the virus. | Jim Smith (1995) | bio | |
Mind-Parasite | Takes over the cognition of a host organism. | James Schmitz (1949) | bio | |
Mining Worm (Organic) - living miners | Genetically altered earthworm created just for mining. | Larry Niven (1968) | bio | |
Modded Dog | A canine whose ancestors were genetically modified for higher intelligence; the trait breeds true in offspring. | John Brunner (1975) | bio | |
Molemen | Alfred Bester (1974) | bio | ||
Municipal Cattle Remover | A device to pick cattle up and place them in a truck for later dispersion in the countryside. | Alan Dean Foster (2006) | bio | |
Mutant | A new organism resulting from an alteration in the DNA sequence of its genome or chromosome. | Nat Schachner (1934) | bio | |
Mutated Kodiak Bears | Animals modified for increased intelligence for defense and companionship. | Murray Leinster (1956) | bio | |
Neodog - smarter than Fido | Canine-derived animal, genetically engineered for increased intelligence and speech. | Robert Heinlein (1959) | bio | |
Nexus-7 Android | The next version after the Nexus-6. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | bio | |
Nikon Eyes - cultivated eyes | Artificially cultivated eyes that can be transplanted to replace (or repair) your original pair. | William Gibson (1984) | bio | |
Organlegging - first mention of organ smuggling | Technology needed to deal in illicitly obtained body parts. | Larry Niven (1967) | bio | |
Pigoon - transgenic pig | A transgenic pig, bred to grow replacement organs for humans. | Margaret Atwood (2003) | bio | |
Placental Decanters | Perfect human bodies with control implants for remote use. | James Tiptree, Jr. (1974) | bio | |
Plastic-Eating Bacteria - that's the good news | Mutated bacteria able to 'eat' or dissolve rubber and plastic. | Michael Crichton (1969) | bio | |
Precog - see the future | A person with precognitive ability (can predict the future). | Philip K. Dick (1956) | bio | |
Precog (v) - I see you | To see the future. | H. Beam Piper (1948) | bio | |
Preserving Machine | A device that would create a unique animal from a piece of classical music. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | bio | |
Prethink - seeing the future | The ability to predict the future in a routine perceptual manner. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | bio | |
Procreative Stump | A woman's torso, kept alive for the purpose of using the womb as an incubator. | Frank Herbert (1972) | bio | |
Red Weed (Terraforming Plant) | A plant brought by the Martians that grew on Earth. | H.G. Wells (1898) | bio | |
Rocket Pine | Genetically engineered trees for wood pulp. | Alan Dean Foster (2010) | bio | |
Sandtrout Glove | A living glove, formed of live creatures. | Frank Herbert (1976) | bio | |
Science Chair | Grown from your DNA for extra comfort. | Nick Harkaway (2023) | bio | |
Scooter - zipping around the moon | Biotechnology working to bring you a better solar system - a creepy crawly created to do terraforming work on Jupiter's moon. | Gregory Benford (1983) | bio | |
Sculpted Teeth | Go beyond teeth whitening to shaped teeth - for a more modern smile. | William Gibson (1988) | bio | |
Sentry Trees | A set of trees that will allow only those with the safe signal to pass. | Jack Vance (1954) | bio | |
Shoggoths | Bioengineered creatures, able to change shape, created for labor. | H.P. Lovecraft (1936) | bio | |
Slaver Sunflowers | Plants evolved to reflect light to burn natural enemies. | Larry Niven (1965) | bio | |
Sleep Pod | A special place for snoozing. | Chris Boyce (1967) | bio | |
Sonic Curtain (Sound Lock) - undersea door | An undersea sound curtain that keeps larger animals out. | Roger Zelazny (1976) | bio | |
Sours | The odor created in enclosed space environments due to the need for bacilli for healthy soil. | Bruce Sterling (1985) | bio | |
Spacehound (Beast) | Oddly canine, telepathic beast digs in asteroids for metal. | F.E. Hardart (1941) | bio | |
Specimen Track | A means for transporting laboratory specimens from one workstation to another in an automated lab. | Greg Bear (2003) | bio | |
Sterile Seeds | Seeds that are bioengineered to grow, but not to produce fertile seeds. | Paolo Bacigalupi (2005) | bio | |
Swibble - mind control machine | An artificially evolved telepathic metazoan-based mind control device. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | bio | |
Symb | A symbiont life form that provides its human with life-giving energy. | John Varley (1977) | bio | |
Synthetic Babies | A means of gestating eggs to term is found. | David H. Keller (1928) | bio | |
Synthetic Life | Living animals made from scratch using inorganic elements. | Charles Cloukey (1930) | bio | |
Tectogenetic | Deliberate manipulation of genes to produce unique species. | Norman L. Knight (1940) | bio | |
Underpeople | An animal modified to be human in shape and intellect. | Cordwainer Smith (1950) | bio | |
Universal Sterilization Law | All young people were sterilized, and replacement people were generated artificially. | David H. Keller (1928) | bio | |
Week Trees - quick bonsai | Specially engineered bonsai that could grow in a week, instead of decades. | Rudy Rucker (1988) | bio | |
Wimp - body without a mind | A special-purpose body; grown without personality, but physically intact. | John Varley (1983) | bio | |
Airbag Jacket - instant Michelin Man | A jacket or coverall with inflatable air bags throughout for protection against impact. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | clothing | |
Air-Conditioned Coat | An otherwise ordinary overcoat that fights the heat. | Bruce Sterling (1993) | clothing | |
Arachnofiber Uniforms - Spidey delivers pizza | Remarkable attire for a pizza delivery person; but given the violence of near future America, the protection offered by ordinary uniforms was insufficient. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | clothing | |
Armor Cloth | Extremely tough synthetic fabric. | Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1974) | clothing | |
Artificial Cloth | The creation of fabrics without organic natural fibers. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | clothing | |
Artificial Silk | A fabric like silk produced entirely without silkworms. | George Parsons Lathrop (1897) | clothing | |
Automated Surface Measurement - 100 years before cgi needed it | A mechanical method of accurately measuring a surface. | H.G. Wells (1899) | clothing | |
Bio-Fabric - living cloth | Living cloth that constantly adapts itself to the personality and needs of its wearer. | J.G. Ballard (1970) | clothing | |
Catchpocket | A small container in a stillsuit that stored reclaimed water. | Frank Herbert (1965) | clothing | |
Chameleon Battle-Dress | Camouflage that allows its wearer to visually blend into the environment. | Gordon R. Dickson (1960) | clothing | |
Chameleon Cloth - great camouflage | Clothing that changes color and pattern to match its surroundings. | George RR Martin (1977) | clothing | |
Crowdcutter | A device worn to part crowds. | Malka Older (2016) | clothing | |
Digital Running Shoes - just measure it | Shoes with a digital readout showing performance. | Bruce Sterling (1988) | clothing | |
Electric Diaper | A diaper that will indicate when it is wet. | David H. Keller (1928) | clothing | |
Electrically Heated Clothes | Using artificial heating to counteract the cold of space. | A.E. van Vogt (1940) | clothing | |
Email Shirt | See your email on your shirt. | Margaret Atwood (2003) | clothing | |
Fabricules - squeaky clean nanomachine | Tiny bits of fabric that were self-cleaning; gloves made of this material always stayed clean. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | clothing | |
Heat-Suit | Perfect for those incredibly hot planets with breathable atmospheres. | Murray Leinster (1955) | clothing | |
Inert-Wear - unfashionably static | Clothing made of dead fibers; clothing that is unmoving, static. | J.G. Ballard (1970) | clothing | |
Jubba Cloak | An all-purpose garment in common use on Arrakis | Frank Herbert (1965) | clothing | |
Mecho-Clothing | Apparel created entirely by machines. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | clothing | |
Mimetic Polycarbon Suit - urban camouflage | Clothing made from a fiber that could change colors based on either recorded images or real-time picture input. | William Gibson (1984) | clothing | |
Onionskin Transparent Jeans | See-through pants. | Gary Shteyngart (2011) | clothing | |
Pneumo-Slacks | Pants that make you look beefier. | Lewis Padgett (1943) | clothing | |
Scramble Suit - instant anonymity | A superthin membrane upon which are projected the characteristics of a million different people, it confers instant anonymity. | Philip K. Dick (1977) | clothing | |
Self-Cleaning Gym Suit | Removes the source of odor. | Margaret Atwood (2003) | clothing | |
Shari | A multipurpose net worn as clothing. | Margaret St. Clair (1949) | clothing | |
Shiftsuit | A form of adaptive camouflage gear. | Steve Perry (1986) | clothing | |
Sideglance Robe | A dress that is invisible or opaque, depending on how you look at it. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | clothing | |
Sleeve Communicator - before ST:TNG | An electronic device controller built into clothing. | Murray Leinster (1945) | clothing | |
Spray-Foam Blouse - spray and wear | Clothing that is sprayed on fresh. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | clothing | |
Spray-On Clothing - dresses in a can | Body coverings from a spray can. | Stanislaw Lem (1961) | clothing | |
Spray-On Clothing Web | A 'web' clothing foundation that can be sprayed on and then molded by a couturier. | Jack Vance (1952) | clothing | |
Spray-On Gloves | Fashionable evening gloves that are sprayed onto the hand and arm. | Jack Vance (1952) | clothing | |
Stillsuit - when you want water retention | It covers almost the entire body, provides cooling and ensures that almost no moisture is lost. | Frank Herbert (1965) | clothing | |
Stillsuit Desert Boots | Special boots that offered parasitic power harvesting. | Frank Herbert (1969) | clothing | |
Transparent Overalls | Perfect for prisoners, because nothing can be concealed. | Harry Harrison (1970) | clothing | |
Watertube | Carries water to and from the catchpockets in a Fremen stillsuit. | Frank Herbert (1965) | clothing | |
Adjustable Television | A television that allowed viewers to adjust the content of political speeches. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | comms | |
Adnix | A device that muted the television to lessen the impact of commercials. | Carl Sagan (1985) | comms | |
Aerial Telegraph | Communication between individuals in spacesuits. | Garrett P. Serviss (1898) | comms | |
Angel Music Player | A device that beams music directly into your brain, without wires. | Stephen Baxter (2008) | comms | |
Ansible - the ultimate long distance phone | Faster-than-light communication. | Ursula LeGuin (1966) | comms | |
Argento-Platinoid Dispatch Box | Impenetrable message carriers. | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | comms | |
Artificial Intelligence Device (AID) | Hand-held device responds intelligently to military intelligence requests. | John Ringo (2000) | comms | |
Artificially Produced Speech | Speech produced by mechanical means, rather than with vocal chords. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1938) | comms | |
Atomician Sign Language | Specialized sign language used by those who work with atomics. | Leo Zagat (1948) | comms | |
Audio Relay - personal RFID transceiver | A communication device implanted behind the ear; also used as an alarm for wake-up calls. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | comms | |
Automatic Commercial Deletion - no more commercials | Device automatically detects commercials and turns off the set for the duration. | Arthur K. Barnes (1938) | comms | |
Autosecretary (Autosec) - clipping service for the net | A software agent able to accept your query and then seach the public net for related information. | David Brin (1990) | comms | |
Avatar - godlike poseurs | A computer-enhanced doppelganger; a computer-generated image that takes your place in a three-dimensional online encounter. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | comms | |
Babble Machine - you know | Not just television - this describes what we call 'the idiot box' (technology and media). | H.G. Wells (1899) | comms | |
Babel Fish - improbable translator | A living fish which, when placed in your ear, will live there and translate any form of language for you. | Douglas Adams (1979) | comms | |
Battle Language | A special-purpose language designed for both clear communication of information related to war, and difficulty of translation. | Frank Herbert (1965) | comms | |
Biosoft | A biography that includes actual life experience from the subject; a biographical download. | William Gibson (1986) | comms | |
Black Cube Teaching Machine | A device that offers recorded images, teaching the user. | Jack Williamson (1934) | comms | |
Black square | A device for secret communication. | Frank Herbert (1981) | comms | |
Boob Cube - 3D TV is no better | Device for showing three-dimensional news broadcasts. | Larry Niven (1998) | comms | |
Bugged Money - money rigged for surveillance | American cash with embedded listening devices. | Bruce Sterling (1998) | comms | |
Caleban Contact - listen to the stars | A form of telepathy based on the use of unimaginably enormous amounts of energy. | Frank Herbert (1977) | comms | |
Call Notification Unit | A small portable device that let you know that you had a phone call at your home. | Roger Zelazny (1982) | comms | |
Caller Contact List - very early use | A list of callers kept on the phone instrument. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | comms | |
Cellphone Voice Mail - very early use of concept | Callers speak into their instrument, and the content of the call is stored by the network for the user to replay at will. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | comms | |
Chalf (Quick-Scribe Powder) - wave the stick | A special powder that forms itself into words and symbols. | Frank Herbert (1964) | comms | |
Chalf-Memory Stick | Device that organizes special dust in the shape of words and symbols. | Frank Herbert (1964) | comms | |
'Chatterbox' News-Receptor | An appliance for listening to the news that lacked content controls. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | comms | |
Chest Disc - speak clearly | A voice activated wireless transmitter. | Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) | comms | |
Claim Beacon | A electronic device that proclaims that a planet has been claimed by a given party. | Keith Laumer (1969) | comms | |
Comlink | Short for communications link; a small portable communicator. | George Lucas (1976) | comms | |
Command Microphone - for Battle Commanders | A cloak that served as a microphone and public address system. | Keith Laumer (1982) | comms | |
Commercial Fly | An autonomous, fly-sized manufactured creature that presents commercial advertisements. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | comms | |
Communicate with Extraterrestrials - first use of concept | Early plan to communicate with life on planets removed from the earth. | Jules Verne (1867) | comms | |
Communication Disk | A wearable device that told the time as updated from a central source. | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | comms | |
Communications Implant - I think therefore I network | A surgically implanted device enabling the user to communicate with computer networks. | Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven) (1981) | comms | |
Communicator | A small device that works to communicate over large distances. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1934) | comms | |
Communinet | A public data network.i | Brian Herbert (1965) | comms | |
Companion Implant - life monitor | Electronic device placed within the body; it has a wide variety of uses. | Robert J. Sawyer (2003) | comms | |
Compulsive Subsonics - ads dodge your cortex | An advertising agency works with every part of the audience's brain. | Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952) | comms | |
Cosmic Teletype | A device that utilizes the fourth dimensional continuum to achieve communication at great distances. | Carl Jacobi (1938) | comms | |
Daisy Projector | Beam of energy penetrates the Heaviside layer to enable communication from planet to planet. | John W. Campbell (1932) | comms | |
Dattoo | A data exchange device worn on the skin like a tattoo. | Greg Bear (2009) | comms | |
Diabological Armory | A set of verbal tools based on a higher form of reasoning. | Eric Frank Russell (1955) | comms | |
Dictatel | A thought-based dictating machine. | Frank Herbert (1981) | comms | |
Dirac Transmitter (also Tranceiver or Communicator) - instant communication | A device that provides instantaneous communication anywhere in the galaxy. | James Blish (1957) | comms | |
Discorporaphone | For speaking with the electronic dead. | Samuel R. Delany (1966) | comms | |
Distrans - talk to the animals | Device produces a temporary neural imprint on the nervous system of Chiroptera or birds. | Frank Herbert (1965) | comms | |
Dog Pod Grid - aerostat defensive maneuver | A swarm of quasi-independent aerostatic devices. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | comms | |
Eccentric Projection | Remote manipulation of a body not your own. | James Tiptree, Jr. (1974) | comms | |
E-Document Distribution - step up to the kiosk | A method of wirelessly distributing a document to a large group of people in an ad hoc setting. | David Brin (1990) | comms | |
Electrosecretary - automatic transcription machine | An automatic transcription device. | Arthur C. Clarke (1961) | comms | |
Emissarial Projection - almost an a.i. | An expert system able to converse and act in the capacity of ambassador. | Iain M Banks (2004) | comms | |
EPR Phone | Telephony that uses quantum effects for transmission - and is therefore the ultimate in anti-eavesdropping technology. | Greg Bear (2009) | comms | |
Etherphone Receiver | A special earpiece to hear coded updates. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1938) | comms | |
Ether-Traffic | The communications spectrum of the solar system. | P. Schuyler Miller (w/D. McDermott) (1932) | comms | |
Fatline - FTL communication | A communications technology that provides immediate communication between star systems; faster-than-light communication. | Dan Simmons (1989) | comms | |
Filament Paper Book - small for space travel | Very small book, made for space travelers in an era when the smallest added weight was costly. | Frank Herbert (1965) | comms | |
Filmag | A video magazine. | Leo Zagat (1943) | comms | |
Fixed Star Advertising | In which the positions of the fixed stars are changed to form advertising. | Frederic Brown (1945) | comms | |
Fossil Shell Coin | The use of rare natural shells of an extinct species, for money. | Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1871) | comms | |
Free Telephone Call | All telephone calls are free - in exchange for short commercials. | J.G. Ballard (1963) | comms | |
Generate New Phone Number | A software program that creates a new phone number for each call. | John Varley (1984) | comms | |
Geosynchronous Satellite - invention of idea | A communications satellite that appears to "hover" over one spot on the earth's surface; it goes around the earth in twenty-four hours. | Arthur C. Clarke (1945) | comms | |
Ghostsmoke | An advertisement projected onto a fine mist. | John Varley (1977) | comms | |
Green Bullet - carry your mentor with you | A very compact (for 1950) radio transceiver, worn in the ear like a hearing aid. | Ray Bradbury (1953) | comms | |
Hearing Aid - someone to listen | A service that allows people to anonymously talk with another person who only listens. | John Brunner (1975) | comms | |
Home News Printer - news hot off the press | A device that prints out the newspaper of your choice right in your own home. | Edward Page Mitchell (1879) | comms | |
Hush Corner - noise reduction | A space made private by canceling sound waves in that area. | Robert Heinlein (1956) | comms | |
Hush-a-Phone - noise suppression for telephones | A special kind of telephone that reduced noise while talking. | Robert Heinlein (1940) | comms | |
Implanted Comlink | Transceiver inserted below the skin. | Nancy Kress (2004) | comms | |
Implanted Tranceiver - totally hands free phone | Device enables two-way communication with needing to carry a device. | Frank Herbert (1972) | comms | |
Ingestible Communication Capsule - only in emergencies | A tiny transmitter that can be swallowed, which makes possible voice communication. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1934) | comms | |
Interplanetary Communications Center - sol system switchboard | The backbone for a solar system-wide communications system. | George O. Smith (1942) | comms | |
Kinagram - moving letters | Small print-size icons that presented a moving image. | Neal Stephenson (2008) | comms | |
Lecton - be read to | A device that would read aloud an electronic text book. | Stanislaw Lem (1961) | comms | |
Librareome Project | Blasting libraries into bits to create a library of perfect digitized electronic books. | Vernor Vinge (2006) | comms | |
Live Memo - it reads itself to you | A paper memo or short letter that reads itself and can even argue with or exhort its reader. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | comms | |
Living Book | A small creature that is used to contain and play back information. | Sydney Fowler Wright (Collins So) | comms | |
Logics Service | A networked service that retains all of your personal information, schedules and phone messages online. | Murray Leinster (1946) | comms | |
Mail-Post Letter-Ball | A system of sending mail quickly from town to town via steam-cannon-powered hollow spheres. | Jane Webb Loudon (1828) | comms | |
Maximum-security Booth - high security phone system | A special phone booth for receiving high-security, scrambled telephone calls, calls which included 3D visuals. | Robert Heinlein (1956) | comms | |
Mechanical Newsmachine | An automated device that delivers on-the-spot news. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | comms | |
Menograph (Mind-Writer) | Direct translation of thought to paper. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | comms | |
Menslator - mental translation | A translator that works by examining the mental image of what you are trying to say. | George O. Smith (1952) | comms | |
Mentophone | A device that facilitates long-distance telepathy. | Clifford Simak (1951) | comms | |
Message Cylinder - locked capsule | A small metal object containing some form of message media and a mechanism for either playing or extruding the medium; secured communication device. | Frank Herbert (1965) | comms | |
Message Cylinder (Message Bomb) | A means of sending dispatches from space via a small projectile dropped from orbit; effectively a message rocket. | Bruno H. Burgel (1931) | comms | |
Message Tree - communication standard for a world | A tree growing out of a huge cliff of crystal provides communication for a world. | James Blish (1953) | comms | |
Messagecraft | An autonomous spacecraft and drone that serves as a communication node in a network that spans star systems. | George Scithers (1969) | comms | |
Metal Message In Space | A message sent to other worlds, inscribed on metal. | John Edwards (1934) | comms | |
Monobloc Dating System - advanced dating software | A kind of pub with unique hardware and software for computer dating. | Larry Niven (1998) | comms | |
Moratorium | A place that kept people in cold-pac after death, providing them a kind of half-life. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | comms | |
Multiple Sample Voice - sound mixing 30's style | The use of multiple voice samples to create a single, smoothed voice. | Nat Schachner (1937) | comms | |
Neck-Phone | An implanted telecommunications device. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | comms | |
Needlecast - tightbeam transmission of being | A tightbeam transmission of your very being. | Richard Morgan (2003) | comms | |
Networked Telephone Answering Machine | A device that would accept verbal messages and store them for replay from any remote station. | H.G. Wells (1923) | comms | |
Networked World | Very early description of our dependence on technology and communication. | H.G. Wells (1899) | comms | |
Newsbox (News-Receptor) - better than Google news plus Tivo | Also referred to as a microviewer; could search media programming for news on a particular words used in the broadcast. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | comms | |
News-Dispenser | Audio news ready when you are. | Francis Flagg (1932) | comms | |
Newstaper Gear | The devices used by a person who serves as a reporter, cameraman and story finder. | Larry Niven (1972) | comms | |
Open-Air Moving Picture Shows | Public news outlets | Victor Rousseau (1917) | comms | |
Optic Television | An eye that "sees" more than just its surroundings. | Bruce Sterling (1984) | comms | |
Opti-Phone | Yet another name for a videophone. | Eando Binder (1939) | comms | |
Optophone (Opto) | A video call system. | Harl Vincent (1931) | comms | |
'Pape Machine - name your news | Yet another name for the homeostatic newspaper; this one has special features including news search. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | comms | |
Pay Per View TV | The broadcast of games and matches to private televisions for a fee. | David H. Keller (1929) | comms | |
Phased Acoustical Array - hear it all | An music system implanted right on your eardrum. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | comms | |
Phonotelephote - earliest reference to videophone | A means of transmitting and receiving both voice and picture for a personal conversation. | Jules Verne (1889) | comms | |
Photophone | A device that provided a view of the other booth. | Homer Eon Flint (1918) | comms | |
Picphone | A small telephone that has a screen to show pictures. | Philip K. Dick (1974) | comms | |
Planetary Telegraphing | A method for communicating with dwellers on other planets in the solar system. | George Parsons Lathrop (1897) | comms | |
Pocket Phone (or pocketphone) - invention of the cell phone | A telephone that is not hard wired to the network; a mobile or cell phone. | Robert Heinlein (1953) | comms | |
Pocket Receiver | An early visualization of the smartphone. | Stanislaw Lem (1955) | comms | |
Pocket wireless phone | An entirely portable, pocket-sized, telephone. | Harry Stephen Keeler (1915) | comms | |
Pocket-Caller | Private communication device that fits in your pocket. | Manly Wade Wellman (1940) | comms | |
Pokkecon | A device tied into a good will network. | Bruce Sterling (1998) | comms | |
Polycarbon Phone Screen | A telephone that provides videophone capability using a very thin screen that is folded away when not in use. | William Gibson (1986) | comms | |
Polyceltron Iconoscope Televisor | A portable camera and microphone setup that could broadcast on-the-spot news. | Harl Vincent (1939) | comms | |
Portable Telephone - early reference | The essence of a cell phone. | Robert Heinlein (1948) | comms | |
Portal | Sensory experience of a data network. | Vernor Vinge (1981) | comms | |
Post Office - special package delivery | A vault used to store time capsules left by travelers to the past; not your usual delivery service. | John Varley (1983) | comms | |
Pray-Machine - megawatts of prayer | A kind of energy receiver that could retrieve a soul from the radiation belt surrounding a planet. | Roger Zelazny (1967) | comms | |
Preserved Brains | Preserving a brain, and then communicating with it. | Edmond Hamilton (1938) | comms | |
Projection - be in two places at once | A means of projecting your image to a distant place. | Alfred Bester (1974) | comms | |
Protophason Amplifier | Detects brain activity of those in half-life. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | comms | |
Psychode | A device that enables communication by thought alone. | Jack Williamson (1938) | comms | |
Psycho-Phone | A device that recorded and played back the thoughts of the user. | David H. Keller (1928) | comms | |
Quantum Communications Hub - EPR rules | A communications satellite that permits immediate communication between planets and ships in the solar system. | Sean McKee (2004) | comms | |
Radio-Facsimile Receiver | A device that prints a newspaper in your home. | Don Wilcox (1939) | comms | |
Reciprocal Name - cellphone nickname | A nickname or familiar name used to specify a more completely defined full name and telephone number. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | comms | |
Relay - the total experience of mankind | A central information system used to coordinate all of human culture and technology. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | comms | |
Reserve Bracelet | A means of sending a message via tiny shocks in code, delivered to the wrist. | Murray Leinster (1944) | comms | |
Robot Voice | A voice box for a robot that is an analog of the human voice system. | Isaac Asimov (1944) | comms | |
Runcible - every page an LCD screen | A book made of smart paper; every page is a flexible LCD (liquid crystal display) screen. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | comms | |
Screening Software | Rules-based software trained to eliminate spam email. | Greg Egan (1991) | comms | |
Seashell Radio (Thimble Radios) - original walkman (or ear buds) | Small radios that fit into the ears like hearing aids or ear buds. | Ray Bradbury (1953) | comms | |
Signal Skin | Natural communication form for this species; skin that can spell out text. | Iain M Banks (2004) | comms | |
Sniggertrance - caught between the stars | The state of a person receiving a call mediated by a Taprisiot; interiorized consciousness accompanied by spastic, jerking body movements. | Frank Herbert (1969) | comms | |
Soft Speaker - focus sound like a spotlight | A device that sends a tightly-controlled beam of sound. | L. Sprague de Camp (1940) | comms | |
Sono-Induction Coils - buried speaker technology | A public address system consisting of buried coils. | Nat Schachner (1937) | comms | |
Sound Analysis | Improving language teaching by showing the waveform of a spoken word or phrase, and comparing it to standard speech. | Robert Heinlein (1953) | comms | |
Sound-Transposing Machine | A device that scans a printed page and reads it out loud. | David H. Keller (1934) | comms | |
Spacegram - solar system telegram | Telegrams of the space lanes. | J. Harvey Haggard (1931) | comms | |
Speakwrite - transcription of tyranny | A dictation machine that also transcribes the speech into typed words. | George Orwell (1948) | comms | |
Speedtalk | A constructed language that uses a single sound to stand for a word, achieving great improvements in communication speed. | Robert Heinlein (1953) | comms | |
Spotcast | A new form of one-to-many communication. | Henry Kuttner (1946) | comms | |
Spot-Wavex Scrambler - personalized mass media | Provides a more personalized experience of television, by letting the announcers talk to you personally. | Ray Bradbury (1953) | comms | |
Stereo Tank - 3D TV receiver | A receiver for three-dimensional televised images. | Robert Heinlein (1961) | comms | |
Stereovision Tank - 3D TV tank (and first screen saver) | Three dimensional mass media (the grandson of television). | Robert Heinlein (1961) | comms | |
Stratovideo (Television Plane) - line-of-sight communication | An aircraft with studios that continuously broadcast line-of-sight television. | E.B. White (1950) | comms | |
Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic - better range than your thumb | A device which senses passing spacecraft; essential tool of interstellar hitchhikers | Douglas Adams (1979) | comms | |
Suction Mail Tube | An evacuated tube system carrying mail to residences. | Ray Bradbury (1951) | comms | |
Sun-Telephone | Receives transmissions from the sun itself. | George Parsons Lathrop (1897) | comms | |
Talking Pamphlet - maybe too convenient | An instructional pamphlet that instructs you through ordinary speech. | Harlan Ellison (1974) | comms | |
Talking Tape - smart as a brick | Adhesive-backed network connection, global positioning, voice synthesis and speakers. | Bruce Sterling (1998) | comms | |
Taper - interstellar portable | A device that records details about a visit to a distant planet. | Clifford Simak (1961) | comms | |
Taprisiot - galactic long distance calling | A kind of symbiote, which attuned itself to the user, allowing an expansion of consciousness - telepathic communication anywhere in the galaxy in real time. | Frank Herbert (1977) | comms | |
Taprisiot Monitor Bead - last chance to surveil | A small bead to be swallowed that allowed the thoughts of a person to be transmitted and recorded during a specified interval. | Frank Herbert (1977) | comms | |
TBR (Talk Between Robots) Circuit | A special means of communications used by robots to speak with each other. | Frederik Pohl (1954) | comms | |
Telaudiogram | An interplanetary communication method. | Edmond Hamilton (1942) | comms | |
Telautograph | First fictional reference to a fax machine. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | comms | |
Tele-Audiovized Meeting | Teleconferencing done right. | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | comms | |
Telepath Transmitter | A device for long distance communication that makes use of telepathy. | James Schmitz (1949) | comms | |
Telephonoscope | A device that effectively transmits pictures and sound over long distances. | Albert Robida (1882) | comms | |
Telephot - early videophone | A device that combined the functions of telephone and television; a phone with a screen. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | comms | |
Telephotography | Sending pictures over a distance, displaying them on a vast screen. | Bruno H. Burgel (1931) | comms | |
Telescribe | Creates a written record of distress signals and other reports. | Malcolm Jameson (1939) | comms | |
Teleview | A device for seeing at a distance. | Bob Olsen (1929) | comms | |
Televisiophone | A device that combines picture with sound for personal communication. | John W. Campbell (1931) | comms | |
Televisor | A viewing screen. | Bob Olsen (1929) | comms | |
Telucid | A holographic projector. | R.F. Starzl (1931) | comms | |
Third Eye | An output device that uses the skin of the user. | Daniel Suarez (2006) | comms | |
Thumper - rhythmic vibration | A short stake with a spring-driven clapper at one end; used to call sandworms. | Frank Herbert (1965) | comms | |
Tiered Internet | The idea that some forms of Internet network traffic should be given priority over others. | John Brunner (1975) | comms | |
Tik-Talker | A method of scrambling spoken speech for encoded transmission. | Alan Nourse (w/Meyer) (1958) | comms | |
Time Capsule - time traveler's use them | A hollow block of metal, impervious to the elements, used by time travelers to send messages to the future. | John Varley (1983) | comms | |
Translation Program | A computer program that translates speech from one language to another, in real time, to aid in conversation. | Bruce Sterling (1993) | comms | |
Translatophone | A device that performs mechanical translation of one language into another. | Frank Stockton (1901) | comms | |
Translator Discs | Wearable devices that wirelessly connected to a speech translation computer. | Larry Niven (1970) | comms | |
Transmit-Paper - first use of this idea | Paper form with a built-in capability to transmit the information written with a stylus to a remote computer network. | Frank Herbert (1972) | comms | |
Transmitter Eyes | Closed circuit cameras that provided sight and sound to remote viewers of the Courtarena who wish to remain anonymous. | Frank Herbert (1977) | comms | |
Trans-Space Transmission | A curious method of communication between worlds. | Jack Vance (1976) | comms | |
Trumpaphone | A loud, brassy instrument. | Don Wilcox (1940) | comms | |
Trumps | Magical Tarot cards that permitted both communication and transportation. | Roger Zelazny (1970) | comms | |
Ullran Enunciator | Special prosthesis needed to aid humans in speaking an alien language. | H. Beam Piper (1952) | comms | |
Ultra-Communicator | A communication system that transfers voice commands from one person to selected others. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1937) | comms | |
Ultraphone Ear-Disc - no need for Bluetooth | Wireless receivers that fit directly over the ears; they also offered noise reduction. | Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) | comms | |
Ultraset (Ultrawave Set) - fast comm | A device that used ultrawave faster-than-light (FTL) communication. | Lester del Rey (1939) | comms | |
Ultrawave - FTL communication | A means of faster-than-light (FTL) communication. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1934) | comms | |
Ultrawave Relay or Hyperwave Relay - first use of FTL communication | Instantaneous, faster-than-light communication system. | Isaac Asimov (1951) | comms | |
Ultrophone - FTL communication | A means of communication that transmits and receives simultaneously. | Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) | comms | |
Vibrowriter - automatic transcription | A device that translated speech and typed it out for you. | David H. Keller (1934) | comms | |
Video Communicator | A device that carried both voice and image, letting the two parties see each other. | E.M. Forster (1909) | comms | |
Videophone | A person-to-person communication device offering sight as well as sound. | Harl Vincent (1928) | comms | |
Visiphone | Visual as well as audio communication. | David M. Speaker (1930) | comms | |
Visual Report Screen | A device that allows a robot nanny to let the owners view what the robot sees from a remote location. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | comms | |
Voder | Device that produces speech by purely mechanical means. | D.L. James (1940) | comms | |
Voice Dialing | Speak the name of the person and call them on the phone. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | comms | |
Voicecorder | A device that records verbal output and determines truth or falsehood. | Brian Herbert (1969) | comms | |
Voice-Enabled Smartphone - I talk, it listens | A smartphone capable of complete voice-enabled operation. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | comms | |
Voxcoder - secret comm | Device for secure communication. | Chris Wooding (2006) | comms | |
Wearable White-Noise Generator - urban isolation gear | A device worn when the wearer preferred not to be the subject of audio recordings. | William Gibson (1996) | comms | |
Web (Data Network) - remarkable first use | An information network. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | comms | |
Webcast - first use | A broadcast accomplished over a data network. | D.K. Moran (1987) | comms | |
Whisper Line | A means of communication between prisoners held in wide separation. | Alfred Bester (1956) | comms | |
Whispering Gallery | A means of communication in specifically shaped spaces. | Jules Verne (1864) | comms | |
Wireless Access Point | Infrastructure that provides power and wireless communication. | H.G. Wells (1923) | comms | |
Wireless Wrist Intercom - like a cell phone | A portable wireless intercom, worn on the wrist. | H.G. Wells (1936) | comms | |
Word Tab - find out more info. | A feature of an e-paper document; touch the word tab and get more information. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | comms | |
Wrist Command - very trek | A wearable communications device; the logical endpoint of mobile computing. | Gregory Benford (1989) | comms | |
XV - share your thoughts | Allows anyone to directly experience another person's conscious awareness. | John Barnes (1994) | comms | |
Zoom Call Visaphone System | An amazingly early description of a modern zoom call on a big screen monitor. | Harry Stephen Keeler (1915) | comms | |
Accu-Terrain Floor | A special floor for virtual reality environments that simulates any kind of surface. | David Brin (1994) | computer | |
Aggressive-Response Service | An answering service with an attitude. | John Varley (1998) | computer | |
Airboarding | Typing in thin air to input characters into a computer. | Charles Stross (2007) | computer | |
Alien Trojan | Malware from another world! | David Webber (2010) | computer | |
Alternate Computer Personality | A computer system that can take on complete, alternate personalities. | Robert Heinlein (1966) | computer | |
AM - an Agressive Menace | A supercomputer that hates. | Harlan Ellison (1967) | computer | |
Answerboard - good name for it | A forum or computer meeting location with experts on a particular topic. | Vernor Vinge (2006) | computer | |
Artificial Brain | A non-organic device structured like a human brain. | Edmond Hamilton (1926) | computer | |
Automated Travel Bureau | A computer program that allows individuals to book their travel arrangements themselves, with a credit card. | Robert Heinlein (1982) | computer | |
Auto-Treadmills (Needle-Gym) | A simulation-exercise room floor that allows the user to walk and run on a consistently realistic surface. | David Brin (1994) | computer | |
Ballistic Calculator - trajectories between planets | An on-board computer for a spaceship to calculate its course and perform other related tasks. | Robert Heinlein (1939) | computer | |
Biologics - organic computing | A computer that is made of organic (biological) components, rather than inorganic materials like silicon. | Greg Bear (1984) | computer | |
Blacknet - antisocial networking | An antisocial networking site. | Charles Stross (2007) | computer | |
Brain Machine | Powerful mechanical computer. | Nat Schachner (Astounding) | computer | |
BrainPal | A neural implant. | John Scalzi (2005) | computer | |
Brains | 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 | Eando Binder (1953) | computer | |
Briefcase Computer - early reference | A portable computer workstation. | James P. Hogan (1977) | computer | |
Briefcase Console - the original notebook computer | A notebook computer | Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven) (1981) | computer | |
Brood Assembly - first self reproducing automata | Artificially intelligent computers that can replicate themselves. | James Blish (1957) | computer | |
Calculator Pad - grandfather of the pocket calculator | Used to make psychohistoric calculations | Isaac Asimov (1951) | computer | |
Carson Circuit - the secret of the Internet | A means of distinguishing betweem millions of different information sources - the secret of the Internet. | Murray Leinster (1946) | computer | |
Chemical Brain | A purely chemical artificial intelligence. | Francis Flagg (1929) | computer | |
CIC Virtual Earth - google earth | A software application that presents detailed information about the Earth. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | computer | |
Comeye - portable video camera | A portable video camera, used by the mobile functionary to keep in touch with office. | Frank Herbert (1984) | computer | |
Computational Textile | Wearable computer sensors. | Alastair Reynolds (2005) | computer | |
Computer Generated DigItal Music | A computer composes music with a few simple inputs from the user. | Donald Kingsbury (1979) | computer | |
Computer Translator - computer translator and GPS | A computer translator; software that provides automatic translation when jacked into a data port. | William Gibson (1996) | computer | |
Computer Virus | A software program that copies itself to other computers. | Gregory Benford (1970) | computer | |
Computer Vision (Artificial Eye) | A device which, attached to a suitable computer, will allow the device to see. | Edmond Hamilton (1926) | computer | |
Computer Worm (Tapeworm) - first use of the concept | The first description of a set of computer codes that moves from one computer to another on a network as a coherent entity. | John Brunner (1975) | computer | |
Computer-Created Dub | Music created by an artificially intelligent computer for a specific audience. | William Gibson (1984) | computer | |
Computers Improve Computers | The idea that it will be possible for computers to design more advanced computers. | Isaac Asimov (1958) | computer | |
Comsole (Home Communications Console) | A home computer, connected to data services. | Arthur C. Clarke (1976) | computer | |
CopSpace - MySpace for police, and then some | A virtual location for police lifelogs, official communications, paperwork, informational databases and evidence of all kinds. | Charles Stross (2007) | computer | |
Cortical Stack - USB/WiFi flashdrive for your brain | Implanted hardware device that contains a backup copy of your mental self. | Richard Morgan (2003) | computer | |
Cutoff Switch - a cable guillotine | A means of instantaneously switching off an artificial intelligence. | Arthur C. Clarke (1982) | computer | |
Cyberspace - the original consensual hallucination | A computer technology that allowed people to see a computer network as an internal experience. | William Gibson (1982) | computer | |
Cyborg Pilot - man plus machine | A combination of a human being (at least the thinking part) and a machine. | Robert Heinlein (1966) | computer | |
Data Space | Computer storage and processor time rented by the user. | Vernor Vinge (1981) | computer | |
Datacase - a status-thin briefcase for electronics | A portable suitcase, containing useful electronics for the mobile business-person. | Frank Herbert (1984) | computer | |
Data-Net | An early mention of the idea of a nationwide data network. | John Brunner (1975) | computer | |
Data-Retrieval Programs - ferrets, hounds, foxes and badgers | Programs that searched the Net for specific information. | David Brin (1990) | computer | |
Dataset | A portable computer with multiple screens and capabilities. | Vernor Vinge (1992) | computer | |
Datasphere | The entirety of computers and their information linked together, typically on a planet, in concept. | Dan Simmons (1989) | computer | |
Datumplane | The workspace of console cowboys - the matrix. | Dan Simmons (1989) | computer | |
Desk (Personal Computer) | A computer for students. | Orson Scott Card (1985) | computer | |
Desktop-TV | Video available worldwide, prepared by everyone. | Robert J. Sawyer (1998) | computer | |
Dustmote | A tiny sensor device that could also form networks with other motes. | Vernor Vinge (1999) | computer | |
Edgar | Computer that falls in love with a human woman. | Rusty Lemorande (1984) | computer | |
Edge Controls | A pocket-sized device using controls on the edge of the device, leaving the face for display purposes only. | Isaac Asimov (1958) | computer | |
Electromagnetic Shotgun - take out an AI | A device to shut down an artificial intelligence if it becomes dangerous. | William Gibson (1984) | computer | |
Electronic Analogue of Living Brain | Imposing the abilities of a human brain into a computer | Frederik Pohl (1955) | computer | |
Electronic Voting | Using computer terminals to register votes from citizens. | John Brunner (1975) | computer | |
EmilyPost - checks for flames | An autonomous worm that searches the Net for lack of courtesy. | David Brin (1990) | computer | |
EYE Program | A massive government database on civilians. | John Twelve Hawks (2014) | computer | |
EyePod - you'll need one for your implant | A generic term for the external computing processing unit needed for eye implants. | Robert J. Sawyer (2009) | computer | |
Flexy (or Flexies) | A flexible, quasi-living computer. | Alastair Reynolds (2005) | computer | |
Folding Computer Terminal | A foldable pocket computer. | John Barnes (2002) | computer | |
Folding Terminal | A computer that unfolds itself for use. | Ray Naylor (2022) | computer | |
Full-Shift Set Variable - early mention in gaming | Infinite possibilities built into a game machine. | Philip K. Dick (1967) | computer | |
Games Machine | A vast computer system. | A.E. van Vogt (1945) | computer | |
Geometric Modeling - eighteenth century NURBS | The first recorded use of geometric figures to directly represent, or model, living beings. | Jonathan Swift (1726) | computer | |
Ghostwheel | A sentient computer partially built with magic. | Roger Zelazny (1986) | computer | |
Gigagnostotron | Enormously powerful computing device. | Stanislaw Lem (1965) | computer | |
Gnostotron | Computing device capable of producing an informational model of absolutely everything in existence. | Stanislaw Lem (1965) | computer | |
Governing Keyboard | A remote-controlled robot responds to keyboard commands. | David H. Keller (1929) | computer | |
Government Data Transparency | The idea that all of the information available to the government should be posted online and be easily accessible to everyone. | John Brunner (1975) | computer | |
Government Machine | The automata that constitute the entire government, all in one building. | Miles J. Breuer (1932) | computer | |
Grantline Comptometer - long before Mathematica | Key-driven computer/calculator that easily solves even calculus problems. | Ray Cummings (1928) | computer | |
Hand Computer | A small pocket-sized computing device. | Isaac Asimov (1956) | computer | |
Handbag Computer | Device capable of carrying on your conversation for you. | Stanislaw Lem (1974) | computer | |
Holo-Printing | Errors introduced in data storage media when recording under improper conditions. | Philip K. Dick (1977) | computer | |
House Records -10K years of information management | The vast archival information management system of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, covering millennia. | Frank Herbert (1984) | computer | |
Human Habit Pattern Machines | Imposing human habits onto machines. | Frederik Pohl (1955) | computer | |
ICE (intrusion countermeasures electronics) - anti-hacker | Electronic protection for computer databases. | William Gibson (1984) | computer | |
Icon Thumbsized Image - first reference? | A very early reference to a screen icon. | Arthur C. Clarke (1968) | computer | |
Implanted Microprocessor Monitor | Chips that are implanted in people to ensure compliance with company rules. | William Gibson (1984) | computer | |
Integral Calculator | A device that accepts complex equations and solves them. | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | computer | |
Intellectual Cell - cellular computing | A smart lymphocyte; a cell with enhanced capacity for memory, understanding and communication. | Greg Bear (1984) | computer | |
Interests Profile - an intelligent agent | An intelligent agent; a software program with your personal tastes on file. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | computer | |
Internet Addiction | A state in which human beings experience addiction to computer access and data streams. | Dan Simmons (1989) | computer | |
Jackleg - dodge the data cops | Moving data around to avoid detection or capture. | Bruce Sterling (1988) | computer | |
Joymaker - the ultimate PDA | A networked personal digital assistant - that really is an assistant. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | computer | |
Junkbot - spamachine | An automated email program that specializes in sending junk mail (spam) | Bruce Sterling (1998) | computer | |
Keyboard With Changing Keys | A computer keyboard with keys faced with little displays, so the label could change based on the application or language. | Arthur C. Clarke (1976) | computer | |
Knowledge Engine - machine-made expertise | The first reference to a machine that could create sentences or write books. | Jonathan Swift (1726) | computer | |
Kuang Grade Mark Eleven Penetration Program | Chinese virus software for breaking the ICE. | William Gibson (1984) | computer | |
Laminated Mouse Brain Computer - extra fast computer | A computing device that makes use of neurons from a mouse. | Cordwainer Smith (1962) | computer | |
Localizer - tiny network mote | Devices that work together to form ad-hoc networks. | Vernor Vinge (1999) | computer | |
Logical Pathogen | Malware concealed in DNA. | Alastair Reynolds (w/S. Baxter) (2016) | computer | |
Logics - early home computer | Machines that let you request information, and then display it for you on a screen. | Murray Leinster (1946) | computer | |
Machine Psychologist - computer psychiatrist | A computer that understands and uses its knowledge of human psychology to benefit human users. | James Blish (1957) | computer | |
Machine Test Scoring | A device that scans a specially prepared grade sheet and determines a student's score. | Isaac Asimov (1951) | computer | |
Matrix - shared virtual reality | A shared virtual reality space; users project their consciousness into a representation of networked data. | William Gibson (1982) | computer | |
Mechanical Jokester | A vast computer system learns about humor. | Isaac Asimov (1956) | computer | |
Mechanical Teacher - one for all | A computer device able to teach children. | Isaac Asimov (1951) | computer | |
Medically Applicable Biochip - a microarray | A computer formed of organic components that is used for a medical purpose. | Greg Bear (1984) | computer | |
Metal Calculator Planet - the Burroughs planet | A planet covered entirely with machinery to a height of twenty miles and covered with a metal roof. | Clifford Simak (1949) | computer | |
Metavirus (Digital Metavirus) | Binary code that can infect computers or even hackers, through the binary nerve. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | computer | |
Microterm | A very small computer system. | Bruce Bethke (1983) | computer | |
Mnemiphot | A device used to search for information, which is then presented on a convenient screen. | Jack Vance (1952) | computer | |
Model the Universe | A computer capacious enough to contain a representation of the entire universe. | Stanislaw Lem (1965) | computer | |
Mook | Computer-based proxy that deals with communication. | Bruce Sterling (1997) | computer | |
Morality Rating-Computer - spotting the deviant | A computer system able to determine moral deviancy. | Kendall Foster Crossen (1953) | computer | |
Multivac | A computer with millions of facts. | Isaac Asimov (1955) | computer | |
Muscle Sensor Interface | Interface senses muscle movements to control display. | Iain M Banks (2004) | computer | |
Net Shutdown Worm - computer tapeworm project | A tapeworm designed to shut down a nationwide network in the event of national emergency. | John Brunner (1975) | computer | |
Network Monitoring Detection - why the slowdown? | Detection of someone monitoring your computer workstation | Frank Herbert (1977) | computer | |
Neuristor | A solid-state computer component that mimics the human neuron. | Robert Heinlein (1966) | computer | |
Neuristor Brain | A computer device made up of neuristors. | Roger Zelazny (1976) | computer | |
No Human Programmers | The idea that computers are too complicated and too important to be programmed by human beings. | John Varley (1983) | computer | |
Odorophonics - scent player | A system capable of reproducing selected scents capable of fooling the human nervous system. | Ray Bradbury (1951) | computer | |
Opton - electronic book | Very early description of an electronic book, with storage media. | Stanislaw Lem (1961) | computer | |
Panther Modern | Cyberterrorists for hire. | William Gibson (1984) | computer | |
ParanoidLinux | A computer operating system that deliberately obscures the activities of the user. | Cory Doctorow (2008) | computer | |
Personal Cache - a digital safety deposit box | An online data repository used to store personal data. | David Brin (1990) | computer | |
Personality Simulator - game your office politics | A device which, when fed enough data about a person, simulated their personality allowing the user to predict behavior in stated circumstances. | Frank Herbert (1977) | computer | |
Phantomatic Generator (Virtual Reality) | A computer-generated experience. | Stanislaw Lem (1964) | computer | |
Planetary Computer Network | A global data net. | Stanislaw Lem (1957) | computer | |
Pocket Computer - a PDA | A pocket-sized computer. | Isaac Asimov (1958) | computer | |
Portable Ident-Plate - quick prints | A small, thin device that will capture biometric data from a person's finger. | David Brin (1990) | computer | |
Powered Print-Book | Part computer, part book. | Isaac Asimov (1988) | computer | |
Primer | A special software program that teaches basic language skills. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | computer | |
Retaliatory Tapeworm (Counter-Worm) - take that! | Using computers to deliberately damage another person's reputation and well-being. | John Brunner (1975) | computer | |
Sandbenders - a gem of a computer | A highly customized computer system; the opposite of a box from Gateway or Dell. | William Gibson (1996) | computer | |
SchoolBook | A standard-issue laptop computer for school use. | Cory Doctorow (2008) | computer | |
Screensaver (Inventor of) - the original idea | Screen savers are used to prevent phosphor burnout in CRTs, and to provide restful entertainment on computer screens. | Robert Heinlein (1961) | computer | |
Selector Card | Pneumatic delivery of book films by using a mechanical form of data storage; selector cards - probably punch cards. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | computer | |
Self-Maintaining Circuit Monitoring and Repair | A computer that monitors itself for repair. | Frank Quattrocchi (1952) | computer | |
Sensory Skinsuit | A form-fitting garment with sensory connections. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (1981) | computer | |
Separated At Birth Database | Missing persons database uses similarity to famous people. | William Gibson (1993) | computer | |
Simulogs (Simulated Playmates) | Computer-generated playmates. | John Brunner (1966) | computer | |
Skin Computer | A computer that looks like a tattoo, on a stretchable base. | Greg Bear (2009) | computer | |
Smart Dust - intelligent sand | Very tiny computers. | Stanislaw Lem (1965) | computer | |
Stellar Analog Computers | Special systems used to calculate safe "jumps" for interstellar trips. | Rose Sharon (1957) | computer | |
Talking Head - retro output device | A mechanical head (with an analog voice) used as the output terminal for a computer. | William Gibson (1984) | computer | |
TechnoCore | A group of artificial intelligences with vast resources and the entirety of human dataspheres to access. | Dan Simmons (1989) | computer | |
Telebook - words on a screen | A book made available in text on a television screen. | Isaac Asimov (1951) | computer | |
The Machine - supplies every need | A single vast contrivance that supplied all the needs of the world's millions of solitary inhabitants. | E.M. Forster (1909) | computer | |
The Machines | A few of these can run a planetary economy. | Isaac Asimov (1950) | computer | |
Thorsen Memory Tube | Computer component that allows a machine to learn through experience. | Robert Heinlein (1956) | computer | |
Tongue Mouse | A pointing device using input from the tongue. | Greg Bear (2007) | computer | |
Touch Tablet | Another name for a wireless Tablet PC. | Greg Bear (2003) | computer | |
Trace Web | A small, handheld device that contacts (and even instantiates) the larger network. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | computer | |
Unicephalon 40-D - yes, mr. president | A problem-solving supercomputer. | Philip K. Dick (1963) | computer | |
Universal Checkbook - radioactive checking | Fully electronic banking system, which allows easy withdrawal of funds from any bank. | Robert Heinlein (1956) | computer | |
Universal Dictionary - grandfather of the electronic dictionary | A machine that provided references to anything known. | Robert Heinlein (1954) | computer | |
Universal Technical Consultative Service | Interstellar travel plans calculated, reserved and confirmed. | Jack Vance (1964) | computer | |
Veridicator - lie detector that works | 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. | H. Beam Piper (1962) | computer | |
Virtual Kiss (Tactile Net) - affection by wire | A phone-like device that will communicate a kiss in a tactile manner. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | computer | |
Virtual Reality (Virtual Matrix) - early usage | An early use of a term very similar to the idea of cyberspace. | Damien Broderick (1982) | computer | |
Virtual World Kiss | Kissing mediated by a computer system. | Vernor Vinge (1981) | computer | |
Virtual world metaphor - early use | use of fanciful imagery to represent real-world data systems in a virtual world. | Vernor Vinge (1981) | computer | |
Virtual World Theft - faux thievery | A method of stealing or reassigning ownership to items of value in virtual worlds. | Charles Stross (2007) | computer | |
Virtuality Helmet ('Virching' Helmet) | A helmet with a communication system and a display; a pilot wearing this helmet could sit on the ground and control a distant aircraft. | Bruce Sterling (1994) | computer | |
Vivisector - software deconstruction | A program that takes another computer program apart, while it's running, to see what it does. | David Brin (1990) | computer | |
Vizzyprint - phone printer | A printer attached to a video phone. | Rudy Rucker (1988) | computer | |
Voicewriter Screen (Computer Monitor) | A screen that displays characters. | Theodore Sturgeon (1954) | computer | |
Wearables - computers to go | Slang for 'wearable computer.' | Vernor Vinge (2001) | computer | |
Wearables (Wearable Computers) - embroidered circuits | Computers and peripherals that use textiles for electronic circuitry. | Vernor Vinge (2006) | computer | |
Websight - visualize the Net | A way of visualizing the Internet internally. | Robert J. Sawyer (2009) | computer | |
Worldweb All Thing | Network connects billions of people in real time. | Dan Simmons (1989) | computer | |
Wristpad | A tablet computer worn on the wrist. | Kim Stanley Robinson (2017) | computer | |
Cranial Amplified Programming CAP | An aid to learning, which you apply directly to your skull. | Greg Bear (2015) | culture | |
Mental Radio-Handicap | A device that destroys concentration. | Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1961) | culture | |
Uptime | Forward in time. | John Baxter (1964) | culture | |
Accelerated Schooling | Knowledge force-fed directly into the brain. | James Blish (1957) | culture | |
Accelerated Schooling Helmet | A device that stimulates the brain and imparts knowledge directly. | James Blish (1957) | culture | |
Adjustment | Making sure the man fits the job! | Keith Laumer (1964) | culture | |
Adoption of Television | Prediction of TV penetration in homes and the death of movie houses. | Bernard Brown (1931) | culture | |
Aeroplane Baseball | A standard-sized baseball making possible non-standard pitches. | Bob Olsen (1928) | culture | |
Agony Box - testing for humans | A device for causing non-lethal, non-injuring pain by nerve induction. | Frank Herbert (1984) | culture | |
Alcoholic Reliever | Mechanized relief from alcoholism. | Robert Sheckley (1956) | culture | |
Alien Self-Government | Rules to assure intelligent aliens the right to govern themselves in freedom. | A.E. van Vogt (1942) | culture | |
Aliens Speak English | The skeleton men of Mercury speak English, but have a good reason for it. | Maurice G. Hugi (1934) | culture | |
Amtal Rule | Testing to destruction | Frank Herbert (1965) | culture | |
Asterite | A person who was born and lived amongst the asteroids. | Jack Williamson (1942) | culture | |
Automatic Judge | Automatically listens to the plaintiff and defendant and provides a just verdict. | Clement Fezandie (1926) | culture | |
Babel-17 - words are telling | An alien weapon in the form of a language. | Samuel R. Delany (1966) | culture | |
Belter | A person who was born and raised in the asteroid belt around Sol. | Larry Niven (1966) | culture | |
Bohemias - a cultural incubator | A place where the ordinary rules of society don't apply; the "next big thing" often comes from these places. | William Gibson (1999) | culture | |
Book of the Kalends - no author, no title | The ever-changing book without a title; the documented history of a world. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | culture | |
Booklegger | A smuggler of books. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | culture | |
Brain Erasure | Deleting selected knowledge from the brain using electrical impulses. | Edmond Hamilton (1948) | culture | |
Brainlock - life in the now | A technique to focus the attention of prisoners on a limited task, precluding the possibility of escape. | William Gibson (1988) | culture | |
Breed Humans For Machines | Carefully cull the strong, resilient humans in favor of weakness, that the human race might be more adapted to life in the Machine. | E.M. Forster (1909) | culture | |
Centrifugal Bumble-Puppy | Futuristic children's game. | Aldous Huxley (1932) | culture | |
Checker-City | A city planned as a checker-board of alternating vegetation and buildings. | Edmond Hamilton (1933) | culture | |
Citizen Journalism - silence dogood lives! | The notion that ordinary people can make use of technological tools like cellphone cameras and the Internet to provide information. | David Brin (1990) | culture | |
Cloud Sculpting - remake the clouds | Using gliders and chemical showers to shape clouds artistically. | J.G. Ballard (1967) | culture | |
Coder | Specialized humans who excel at engineering tasks. | Chris Wooding (2006) | culture | |
Cold-Pac Bin | A special coffin-sized chamber used to maintain half-life. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | culture | |
Coley Group | A musical form that involves dancing in a field of weak microwaves. | John Brunner (1975) | culture | |
Court Robo-Clerk - hear ye, hear ye! | A robotic law clerk. | Frank Herbert (1964) | culture | |
Credibility Rating | How believable are your blog posts? your emails? your tweets? | David Brin (1990) | culture | |
Credit - first use | A basic unit of currency. | John W. Campbell (1934) | culture | |
Cyberethics | Philosophy detailing how computers work within human communities. | Sid Meier (1999) | culture | |
Darkdawn City - the venue is musical | An entire city that is tuned to be played by the winds. | George RR Martin (1977) | culture | |
Death Bath | A suicide chamber. | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | culture | |
Delphi Pool | 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. | John Brunner (1975) | culture | |
Diaspar Memory - everyone gets a copy | The city's memory could store works of art, and reproduce them upon request. | Arthur C. Clarke (1956) | culture | |
Didge-Ital | Digital music. | Bruce Sterling (1988) | culture | |
Discorporate Sector | An electronic afterlife. | Samuel R. Delany (1966) | culture | |
Disney Therapy | Letting people retreat to a simpler time, for their mental health. | John Varley (1992) | culture | |
Downtime | Traveling back in time. | John Baxter (1964) | culture | |
Dream Console - used by he who shapes | Device allows a therapist to enter and create dreams in patients. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | culture | |
Dream-Adventures | Dreams sent directly to the brain are more popular than movies. | Edmond Hamilton (1940) | culture | |
Dream-House | An establishment wherein one could find the finest dream adventures placed in his own mind. | Edmond Hamilton (1940) | culture | |
Dream-Machine | The mechanism that sent standardized dreams into the brain. | Edmond Hamilton (1940) | culture | |
Drink the Fungi | A method of suicide or criminal punishment involving ingestion of spores. | Edwin K. Sloat (1933) | culture | |
Earplug Decision (Restraint of Advertising) | A Supreme Court judgement that declared that earplugs used to block advertising were unconstitutional. | Anne Warren Griffith (1953) | culture | |
Eetee (E.T. - extraterrestrial) | A sentient being not of this Earth. | Thomas Wilson (1953) | culture | |
Electro-Education | The latest thing in electrically stimulated learning. | Edmond Hamilton (1948) | culture | |
Electromechanical Educator | An automated teaching machine. | George O. Smith (1959) | culture | |
Electronic Book Store | A place to pick up your electronic books. | Stanislaw Lem (1961) | culture | |
Electronic Cash | A digital currency, like Bitcoin. | Bruce Sterling (1994) | culture | |
Emotion Meter | A device for empirically determining human emotion. | W. Varick Nevins, III (1935) | culture | |
Environmental Happening | Weather created as a work of art. | John Varley (1976) | culture | |
Esper | A person to perceive the contents of another person's mind. | Alfred Bester (1952) | culture | |
Ethical Calculus | Mathematics used to determine positive social conduct. | Sid Meier (1999) | culture | |
Ethical Suicide Parlor - don't be a drupelet | A comfy environment in which you might commit ethical suicide, and thereby serve society. | Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1958) | culture | |
EverRest Cryotorium - cryonics in orbit | Rest forever in cryonic suspension among the stars. | Roger Zelazny (1992) | culture | |
Extra-Factual Memory - an implanted memory | A "memory" placed in a person's mind by artifice, rather than by real life experience. | Philip K. Dick (1966) | culture | |
Filter Program - live in your own world | Using programs to filter Internet results; a person need see only what they want to see. | David Brin (1990) | culture | |
Flash Crowd (Flash Mob) - or flash mob | What you call a group of people who suddenly appear at an interesting location. | Larry Niven (1972) | culture | |
Flatscreen Movie - old-fashioned 2D entertainment | Like holographic or three-dimensional recordings, but showing only two dimensions. | John Barnes (1991) | culture | |
Floating Spherical Pool | Control of gravity permits mid-air pools of water. | Jack Williamson (1939) | culture | |
Forced Scholars | Hothouse intellectuals. | Emile Souvestre (1846) | culture | |
Free Play (The Mind Game) | A computer simulation that presents an enjoyable game for young people that is also used for psychological evaluation. | Orson Scott Card (1985) | culture | |
Fyunch(click) | An alien assigned to become an expert in just one person. | Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1974) | culture | |
Galaxy Superbrain | The idea that the galaxy itself is a conscious entity. | Robert Castle (1939) | culture | |
General Intelligence Machine | News and information from one device. | H.G. Wells (1899) | culture | |
Geriatric Rooming-House - swept aside | An apartment building with rooms built especially with the very senior citizen in mind. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | culture | |
Government Lethal Chamber | A legal suicide booth. | Robert W. Chambers (1895) | culture | |
Grok - a Martian sees and knows | To understand fully; become one with (from the Martial verb "to drink"). | Robert Heinlein (1961) | culture | |
Group Ego - a kind of group mind | A group mind; a single entity that shares a number of bodies. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | culture | |
Group Mind | A shared consciousness between a number of individuals. | Olaf Stapledon (1930) | culture | |
Hall of Euthanasia - a death trap | A place for (mostly) voluntary suicide. | Jack Williamson (1939) | culture | |
High-Frequency Oven - essence of the microwave | This describes the essence of a microwave. | Robert Heinlein (1948) | culture | |
Histo-Research - best possible evidence | Historical research using a time machine. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | culture | |
Hive Mind | A group mind. | Edmond Hamilton (1942) | culture | |
Home Ad Blocker | Device insulates house against intrusion by 3D advertisements. | Alfred Bester (1974) | culture | |
Hooman | An alternative spelling. | Nelson S. Bond (1943) | culture | |
Horsten Psychomat | Re-creates a mental scene for the viewer. | Stanley G. Weinbaum (1935) | culture | |
House Records Archivist - forget holographic memories | A specialist who correlated information within the House Records of the Bene Gesserit. | Frank Herbert (1984) | culture | |
House Voice - Thurber's nightmare | A house-based system that mediates technologies (like phone) with a verbal interface directed to the inhabitants of the house. | William Gibson (1988) | culture | |
Human Quarter | A ghetto for human beings; in this case, in a world of robots. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | culture | |
Human Serial Number | A unique number tattooed on body of a person. | David H. Keller (1933) | culture | |
Humanoid | An alien with a human-like shape and appearance. | Isaac Asimov (1940) | culture | |
Hypnobioscope - learn while you sleep | The first fictional reference to sleep teaching. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | culture | |
Hypno-Encyclopedic Techniques | If you plan to live for centuries, you need to organize your memories. | Robert Heinlein (1973) | culture | |
Hypno-Ligation | A means of psychological control over an individual. | Frank Herbert (1965) | culture | |
Hypnopædia (Sleep-Teaching) - learn while asleep | The idea that a person can learn explicit subject matter while sleeping. | Aldous Huxley (1932) | culture | |
Immersive Home Video | Technology lets users interact with home videos. | Steven Spielberg (2002) | culture | |
Improve Memory | Help immortals make sense of their memories. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | culture | |
Indestructible Contract | Legal document in which can't be easily altered or damaged. | Gordon R. Dickson (1960) | culture | |
Indoor Stadium | An entirely enclosed baseball stadium. | Clarence Edward Heller (1930) | culture | |
Inflatable Church | A church using an inflatable projection screen as an altar. | John Brunner (1975) | culture | |
Interactive Suicide Note | A last message for the people you are leaving behind - that encourages their participation. | John Varley (1984) | culture | |
International Fantasy Gaming Society (IFGS) - the fictional basis for the real one | A group dedicated to playing live action role-playing games. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (1981) | culture | |
Interplanetary Clearance | Bureaucratic red tape associated with busy space ports. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | culture | |
Interplanetary Passport | Required document for space travelers. | Edmond Hamilton (1938) | culture | |
Inurbanity (Inurbane) | Criminal penalties for persons who are unable to behave properly in crowded cubic cities. | Louis Tucker, D.D. (1929) | culture | |
Key Club - by booth id only | A social club made exclusive by teleportation booth; may be in a chain with other physically identical locations. | Larry Niven (1972) | culture | |
Kingdom in a Box | An entire civilization in miniature - in an interactive box. | Stanislaw Lem (1965) | culture | |
Korsakov's - mind control | A type of mind control imposed on prisoners to make them more manageable during their prison time. | William Gibson (1988) | culture | |
Law Expert System (LEX) - law software | Software capable of rendering a legal opinion. | Greg Egan (1991) | culture | |
Law of Contact | Non-interference in the development of other worlds. | Orville Shaara (1952) | culture | |
Lawyer Program - AI goes to the dark side | Software that could listen to legal argument. | David Brin (1990) | culture | |
Learning-Cap - for thinking | A special metal helmet for electro-education. | Edmond Hamilton (1948) | culture | |
Legislation Analyzer - torn from the headlines | Device analyzes potentially biased bills. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | culture | |
Lifebox | A device that captures a person's life experience in software. | Rudy Rucker (1986) | culture | |
Lunar Advertisement | An 'ad' on the lunar surface that can be seen by its audience on Earth. | Arthur C. Clarke (1957) | culture | |
Lunar Disneyland - underground playground | A vast cavern excavated on the Moon - used for entertainment. Very large scale entertainment. | John Varley (1976) | culture | |
Magnetically Floating Furniture - like sitting on a cloud | Furniture that is suspended at the proper height using magnetic forces. | Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1959) | culture | |
Massive Open Learning | Teach using standard videos prepared by the best teachers. | David H. Keller (1929) | culture | |
Master Ventriloquism Corporation (MV) | A central source of product advertising, commercials sent out to every product. | Anne Warren Griffith (1953) | culture | |
Mechanical Funeral | An entirely autonomous burial rite. | Ray Bradbury (1947) | culture | |
Mechanical Judge | A device that makes legal decisions. | Stanton A. Coblentz (1939) | culture | |
Mechanical Tune-Maker | An electromechanical device that created unique music. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | culture | |
Mechanotherapy | A mechanism or device-based therapy that cures (or palliates) alcoholism. | Robert Sheckley (1956) | culture | |
Memory Hole | A receptacle for unwanted documents. | George Orwell (1948) | culture | |
Mental Static Device | Cloak the minds of individuals with a kind of 'noise'. | Isaac Asimov (1953) | culture | |
Mentat | A person who has been specially trained and conditioned for excellence in | Frank Herbert (1965) | culture | |
Metal Foil Advertisement | An advertising circular made out of metal. | Ray Bradbury (1951) | culture | |
Micro Book (Microbook) - perfect for space travel | A very small volume, possibly an electronic book. | Anthony Boucher (1943) | culture | |
Millenniaire | A person with much more Time than an ordinary person. | Hannu Rajaniemi (2010) | culture | |
Mind-Shield - internal mind control | A mental defense or barrier that prevents access to one brain by another person or device. | A.E. van Vogt (1940) | culture | |
Mnemonic Flutter System (Pulse-Sychronizer) | A device to imprint particular facts from a book upon the brain of the reader. | Frank Herbert (1969) | culture | |
Mnemonic Pulse | A feature of filmbook recordings that helps imprint knowledge on the mind of the user. | Frank Herbert (1965) | culture | |
Mnemonic Service | Dedicated humans who collected bits of data in hopes of catching key correlations between fields of study. | Isaac Asimov (1954) | culture | |
Mood Organ - play your partner | A device which allows you to dial the mood you would like to have. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | culture | |
Moon-Terror | A syndrome common to people who live in less than half Earth-normal gravity. | Jack Williamson (1941) | culture | |
Mother World | One's home planet, or the origin world of one's species. | Earl L. Bell (1928) | culture | |
Movie Pill | Gives you the experience of having seen a movie. | Don Wilcox (1939) | culture | |
Municipal Darwinism | The process by which smaller towns were eaten by larger ones. | Philip Reeve (2003) | culture | |
Navicloud Custom Debinder | A machine that pulls books apart and scans the contents. | Vernor Vinge (2006) | culture | |
Nerve Control Lines | Designs that take control of human nervous systems. | A.E. van Vogt (1948) | culture | |
News Clown - they're all the rage | A person who delivers specially selected light news. | Philip K. Dick (1963) | culture | |
News Receptor - listens for news | Devices used by homeostatic newspapers to gather news autonomically. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | culture | |
Nexialist | A person with a coordinative knowledge across a variety of sciences. | A.E. van Vogt (1950) | culture | |
Novel-Writing Machines | A device that automatically produces fiction. | George Orwell (1948) | culture | |
Nowhen | At no time. | Poul and Karen Anderson (1971) | culture | |
OLED Body Film | Attaching or implanting flexible screen material to the body as decoration. | Chen Qiufan (2019) | culture | |
Online Employability Profile Testing - get the right job first | An online test that determines the best areas in which you might search for a job. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | culture | |
Out-Worlder | A person from another planet. | Harry Bates (1934) | culture | |
Overmind | A consciousness that supersedes the minds of many individuals. | Francis Flagg (1929) | culture | |
Padre Booth | Device that provides religious aid and comfort on demand. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | culture | |
Painted Respirator Masks | Children choose to decorate otherwise uniform equipment masks. | Robert Heinlein (1949) | culture | |
Paint-to-Order Robot Artist | A robotic mechanism that could produce a unique picture, given subject and artistic style. | F.L. Wallace (1953) | culture | |
Palm Flower - what color | It's like a life clock. | William Nolan (w/G.C. Johnson) (1967) | culture | |
Parenthood Lottery | A means of restricting population growth. | Brian Aldiss (1969) | culture | |
Personality Alteration | Permanent alternation of personality, the tools of the trade. | Fritz Leiber (1943) | culture | |
Personality Death - you're dead to yourself | Punishment leaves the body intact. | Harry Harrison (1959) | culture | |
Phone-Grid Transex Network | Addictive network-enhanced sexuality. | Philip K. Dick (1974) | culture | |
Photosensitive Pigment | Special paint that stays 'blank' until exposed to a scene. | J.G. Ballard (1966) | culture | |
Planetary ID Card | Identification for every person on every planet in the solar system. | Edmond Hamilton (1940) | culture | |
Pocket-Sized Ad-Blocker | A device that prevented targeted advertisements from reaching you. | Alan Dean Foster (2006) | culture | |
Post-Crime - you're still a criminal | Criminal activities after they have actually happened. | Philip K. Dick (1956) | culture | |
Pray-o-Mat - coin-based religion | A device that would offer prayers in exchange for a few coins properly deposited. | Roger Zelazny (1967) | culture | |
Predictable Crime | A criminal act that computers were able to foresee in advance. | Isaac Asimov (1958) | culture | |
Predictions Registry - if you're sure | An organization that keeps track of predictions made by individuals. | David Brin (1990) | culture | |
Prime Directive | The first and most important rule; usually protective. | Jack Williamson (1947) | culture | |
Print-Book | You’ve seen them. | Isaac Asimov (1988) | culture | |
Psychic Probe | A device capable of discerning truthful information in a living human brain. | Isaac Asimov (1952) | culture | |
Psychohistory | Branch of mathematics describes the behavior of human beings en masses. | Isaac Asimov (1951) | culture | |
Psycho-History | The application of psychology to historical data. | Eric Frank Russell (1941) | culture | |
Puff-Pipe | Pipe with lighting built in. | Clarence Edward Heller (1930) | culture | |
Purple Wage | Guaranteed subsidy paid to every citizen. | Philip Jose Farmer (1967) | culture | |
Randominoes | Dominoes that randomly generate new numbers. | Jeff Noon (2000) | culture | |
Reactive Walls - club scene 2020 | Wall surfaces designed for use in clubs; they reacted to the music played in the room. | John Shirley (1985) | culture | |
Recorded Books | Electronically recorded books. | Isaac Asimov (1952) | culture | |
Relations with Extraterrestrial Life - before the Prime Directive | Instructions to earth citizens on how to behave when encountering alien civilizations. | Clifford Simak (1944) | culture | |
Replaced Worker Benefits | Compensation for people whose jobs are taken by robots. | John Twelve Hawks (2014) | culture | |
Rewriting History | Use of sophisticated technology to continuously rewrite the historical record. | George Orwell (1948) | culture | |
Rhetorizer - the writer's assistant | A computerized assistant for writers. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | culture | |
Robots Take Human Jobs | Robots displace human beings in the workforce. | David H. Keller (1929) | culture | |
Rocket-Polo | Polo played with rocket-powered craft. | John Victor Peterson (1938) | culture | |
Ro-Womb - enfold the patient. | Device enfolds the patient during therapy. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | culture | |
Royalties For Machine Learning Subjects | A payment to people who are used as subjects for imitation learning by robots. | Anthony Boucher (1943) | culture | |
Sapience | The ability of a species to think, to reason with discernment and wisdom. | E.M. Johnson (w/C.A. Smith) (1931) | culture | |
Scent-Organ | A device that output specified odors. | Aldous Huxley (1932) | culture | |
Scientifiction | Writing that combines science and fiction. | Hugo Gernsback (1916) | culture | |
Self-Opening Box | Don't show this to Apple. | William Tenn (1947) | culture | |
Sensory-Syrynx | A complex musical instrument. | Samuel R. Delany (1968) | culture | |
Shadow People | Alien knowledge leads to alien results - for humans. | Clifford Simak (1963) | culture | |
Simple Organisms Do Math | Insects show unusual signs of intelligence. | Clifford Simak (1944) | culture | |
Single Sheet Molecule | A counterfeit-proof way to output unique documents. | Gordon R. Dickson (1960) | culture | |
Singularity | In science, a condition in which spacetime breaks down; in society, a technological advance causes social conditions to break down. | Arthur C. Clarke (1952) | culture | |
Skin Toning | Using artificial means to effect a temporary change in skin color. | Jack Vance (1964) | culture | |
Sky Ceiling - long before Hogwarts | Ceilings that consist of large screens, on which are presented images of the sky. | Stanislaw Lem (1961) | culture | |
Sleepshop | A quiet place to die. | William Nolan (w/G.C. Johnson) (1967) | culture | |
Smarter People Having Fewer Children | The original argument that less suitable human pairs are having proportionally more children. | C.M. Kornbluth (1951) | culture | |
Sol-Ido | The universal language of interplanetary travelers. | Harl Vincent (1932) | culture | |
Space Lawyer (Sky-Lawyer) - space laws | A lawyer with special knowledge of space law. | Nat Schachner (1941) | culture | |
Space Madness | The monotony of space travel could drive you crazy. | Max Valier (1931) | culture | |
Space-Court | The place of judgement for crimes committed in interstellar space. | Edmond Hamilton (1938) | culture | |
Spark Plug (Systematician) | A person who draws information from diverse areas of knowledge. | Stephen Lawhead (1983) | culture | |
SPOOKS - go on a LARP for a lark | A live-action role playing (LARP) game that lets ordinary people play at being secret agents. | Charles Stross (2007) | culture | |
SSA Machine | A machine that compares two people for compatibility; it sees sub specie aeternitatis, literally 'under the aspect of eternity' or outside of time. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | culture | |
Strakh - prestige in payment | The prestige or social prominence which serves as a medium of exchange on the planet Sirene. | Jack Vance (1976) | culture | |
Subdermal Microchannels - dayglo body mod | A means of personal adornment; think of day glow tattoos. | Paul Di Filippo (1985) | culture | |
Subjunctivisor | Projects a possible future, based on your own impressions. | Stanley G. Weinbaum (1935) | culture | |
Synthesist - the Dilettante Dept | A person who did nothing but make cross-references between one field and another. | John Brunner (1968) | culture | |
Synthetic Personality | A artificial identity, a legal fiction of a person. | Robert Heinlein (1940) | culture | |
Synthony | A musical performance by robots. | F.L. Wallace (1953) | culture | |
Talisman - focus on your hopes | Device that causes beings nearby to experience truth and peace; works only in the hands of rare adepts. | Clifford Simak (1963) | culture | |
Tand - an abstract venerated sculpture | A metal sculpture, made in contemplation, which has great meaning for the initiates. | Jack Vance (1962) | culture | |
TANSTAAFL - and there isn't | There ain't no such thing as a free lunch. | Robert Heinlein (1966) | culture | |
Teaching Chair | No-frills teaching machine. | Larry Niven (1991) | culture | |
Teaching Machine | A helmet placed on the head focuses illimitable knowledge into even the head of an earth man. | Nat Schachner (1936) | culture | |
Teep Rod - give me your thoughts | A device that gathers the thoughts of an individual. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | culture | |
Telepadion Instructor | A device that places an entire sensory experience directly into the brain. | J. Harvey Haggard (1931) | culture | |
Telephonic Music Room | Places where a person could go, at any time, to share in musical performances happening at some distance away. | Edward Bellamy (1888) | culture | |
The Book of the Machine | The only book needed for life in the vast Machine. | E.M. Forster (1909) | culture | |
The Krang - instrument or weapon? | An enormous musical instrument (or weapon). | Alan Dean Foster (1972) | culture | |
Theater Seat Indicators | Vacant seats are clearly shown. | Clarence Edward Heller (1930) | culture | |
Thought Screen | A material screen that is worn by the user, upon which are projected the mental images of the user. | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | culture | |
Thought-receptor Vote-counting Machine | That's one way to do a plebiscite. | R.F. Starzl (1931) | culture | |
Thought-Record Helmet | A wearable history book. | Robert Randall (1958) | culture | |
Threat Team (of sf writers) | Gathering together a group of science fiction writers to try to predict what will happen, or to understand an unknown threat. | Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1985) | culture | |
Three Generation Work (Century Piece) | An artwork created by three consecutive generations of artists, in exactly one century. | Jack Vance (1949) | culture | |
Tiersian Therapy | A therapeutic discipline in which the patient chooses a character from a book and then attempts to be that character. | Philip Jose Farmer (1991) | culture | |
Timebroker - trading fungible time | A person who traded in the commodity of other people's time. | Paul Di Filippo (2006) | culture | |
Timeslip | When humans keep time on Mars, they must work with the extra forty minutes in each day. | Spider Robinson (1992) | culture | |
Toposcope | A special helmet used in a form of sleep teaching. | James Blish (1957) | culture | |
Toy Testing Dummy | A child-sized device used to test suspect toys. | Philip K. Dick (1959) | culture | |
Transdress - transparent clothing | A transparent dress upon which thousands of patterns may be projected. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (1992) | culture | |
Treatment of Extramundane Aborigines | Laws for aliens on their own planet. | Eric Frank Russell (1943) | culture | |
Tune-Maker | Automated music production. | Philip K. Dick (1956) | culture | |
Ultimate Football League (UFL) | A football league without restrictions on human modification. | Chris Nakashima-Brown (2008) | culture | |
Undersea Restaurant | A restaurant located in its entirety under the sea. | Jack Vance (1964) | culture | |
Unichapel (Robotic Confession Booth) - automated religion | Automated religious confessional with monotone, programmed responses. | George Lucas (1970) | culture | |
Van Goom's Gambit | A chessboard pattern that unhinges the mind of any player who sees it. | Victor Contoski (1966) | culture | |
Verse Transcriber | A device that would produce perfect poetry, given the necessary parameters. | J.G. Ballard (1971) | culture | |
Versificator | A device that composes words to music. | George Orwell (1948) | culture | |
Virtual Assembly | Use of holograms to accomplish an assembly of people. | R.F. Starzl (1931) | culture | |
Virtual Childrearing - long distance childcare | Learn childcare the virtual way; maybe long distance childcare, too. | David Brin (1994) | culture | |
Visible Halo | Providing a religious figure with a technological sign of grace. | Anson MacDonald (1941) | culture | |
Visicastor | A person who presents video broadcasts. | Isaac Asimov (1953) | culture | |
Visigraphic Crowd Emotional Record | A graphic record of the emotions of a crowd. | Fritz Leiber (1943) | culture | |
Voice | Combines exceptional insight into personalty with voice modulation to achieve control over individuals. | Frank Herbert (1965) | culture | |
Voice Encyclopedia - a robot has answers | Access to information via robotic voice recognition over the phone. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | culture | |
Voight-Kampff Empathy Test - can you pass? | 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. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | culture | |
Voight-Kampff Test - are you human? | A test intended to distinguish human beings from replicants. | Ridley Scott (1982) | culture | |
Wende | A change, a turning point, a reversal of culture and politics. | Bruce Sterling (1993) | culture | |
Whuffie | A system in which one's actions, as perceived by others, directly procure the necessities of life; reputation-based currency. | Cory Doctorow (2003) | culture | |
Wire Act | A person with special hardware modifications that allow him or her to create music by bodily movement. | John Shirley (1985) | culture | |
3D 'Chess' Game Board - let the wookie win | A flatbed 3D display which is used to play chess-style board games in three dimensions. | George Lucas (1976) | display | |
3D Tank Display | A transparent cube showing a three-dimensional display. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1934) | display | |
Battery-Powered 3D Comic Book | A comic book the pages of which were animated by battery power. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | display | |
Battle Tank Display | Three-dimensional display showing tactical information for space battles. | James Blish (1957) | display | |
Big Screen Control - right from your personal device | Display content from your personal device on a large shared screen. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | display | |
Blaupunkt Holostage - a tabletop 3D projector | A three-dimensional tabletop display. | Tom Maddox (1986) | display | |
Browser Paper - one page IE | A paper-thin computer display. | Vernor Vinge (2006) | display | |
Celestial Armamentarium - the mechanism of star movements | A small crystal planetarium, in which the stars and planets surrounding Aerlith are seen. | Jack Vance (1962) | display | |
Cinematophote (Blue Optic Plate) - first reference to television | The first reference to a tablet-sized, handheld screen. | E.M. Forster (1909) | display | |
Control Screen | An alien display device. | Arthur C. Clarke (1953) | display | |
Control-Face - an LCD remote control | A small liquid crystal display (LCD) unit linked to a larger network; gives a window onto your larger network world. | William Gibson (1996) | display | |
Data Goggles - immerse yourself in the matrix | Eyewear connected to a computer provides total immersion in the matrix. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | display | |
Data Tiles - panes of data | Transparent panes that contain data and programs. | Steven Spielberg (2002) | display | |
Desktop Flat Panel Intercom | A small desktop screen intercom system. | H.G. Wells (1936) | display | |
Digital Paper Pad | Just one molecule thick, it flips bits by flipping molecules. | Warren Hammond (2007) | display | |
Dimensoscope - see into new dimensions | A telescope for peering into other dimensions. | Murray Leinster (1931) | display | |
Domed Mapviewer | Illuminated hemispherical map display. | Gordon R. Dickson (1960) | display | |
DreamTime Scleral Contact Lenses - VR contact lenses | Full-size contact lenses that can provide an augmented reality view. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (1992) | display | |
DVD/VCR (Entertainment Player) | A device that accepts stored moving picture entertainment and makes it available for viewing. | H.G. Wells (1899) | display | |
Ego-Likeness - a true portrait | An extremely detailed portrait played through a shigawire projector; capable of reproducing minute movements said to convey the ego essence of a person. | Frank Herbert (1965) | display | |
Electronic Book - more massively useful than a towel | An early reference and description of electronic book hardware and operation. | Douglas Adams (1979) | display | |
E-paper Hologram | A cover image that really pops out at the viewer. | Greg Bear (2003) | display | |
E-paper Newspaper | A paper-thin, flexible LCD-style display that is large enough to display a full newspaper page. | Steven Spielberg (2002) | display | |
Ersatz Window - fake view of outside | A display device used in a room without an actual view of the outside; it shows a projection of a real scene. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | display | |
E-Sheet - disposable LCD displays | A disposable medium for reading electronic messages. | Greg Bear (2003) | display | |
Esper Photo Analysis - zoom way in | A device that can find remarkable levels of detail from a photograph. | Ridley Scott (1982) | display | |
Eyephone(s) - big screen in a small package | A projection system using small goggles to project an image directly on your eye. | William Gibson (1996) | display | |
Fido | Combination television, news camera and surveillance device. | Philip Jose Farmer (1967) | display | |
Fieldstim | A device that used stimulation of a large skin area to impart images to the user. | John Shirley (1985) | display | |
Flat Photo | A two-dimensional pictorial representation of a three-dimensional real space. A picture. | Dan Simmons (1989) | display | |
Flexible Car Map | A nonrigid map that extrudes from the dashboard of a car when needed. | Bruce Sterling (1994) | display | |
Flexible Wall Sheet Display - flexy flat panel | A large clear sheet that displays information. | E.C. Tubb (1958) | display | |
Fluid Metal Letters | A smooth metal display able to display words. | Philip K. Dick (1960) | display | |
Galactovue | Star display. | Robert Heinlein (1957) | display | |
Giant Flat Panel Display | Movie screen-sized flat panel display for live televised images. | H.G. Wells (1936) | display | |
Gogglelike Televisors | A screen technology placed very close to the eyes. | Manly Wade Wellman (1938) | display | |
Handipad | An electronic tablet for information browsing. | Jay Caselberg (2003) | display | |
Helmet Visor Display - heads-up | A heads-up display with a variety of advanced features. | David Drake (1997) | display | |
Holo-Cube | A very large holographic display, that a person could walk into. | Philip K. Dick (1977) | display | |
Holomist | A means of projecting a commercial message onto a fine spray. | John Varley (1977) | display | |
Holopad | A small display like an iPad that shows 3D images. | Arthur C. Clarke (1978) | display | |
Holo-Scanner | A small portable device that acquired holographic surveillance images. | Philip K. Dick (1977) | display | |
Homeopape - news just you can use | A automated device that produces a newspaper without human assistance. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | display | |
Hood Hologram | A hologrammatic display on the outside surface of a car. | William Gibson (1993) | display | |
HUD Glasses | Integrated glasses and projector provides a portable heads-up display for augmented reality. | Daniel Suarez (2006) | display | |
Identificator - holographic signage | A hologram projector used to flash door signs. | Jack Vance (1964) | display | |
Interactive Blackboard | Early description of an interactive display device for lectures and demonstrations. | Philip K. Dick (1960) | display | |
Interactive Map - very early concept | A small book with a 'touch-screen' paper interactive map. | Stanislaw Lem (1961) | display | |
Interactive Video Column - see the world -- from convenience stores? | A video display in a chain convenience store that shows random scenes from other stores in the chain around the world. | William Gibson (1999) | display | |
Kinetiscope Appliance - like a PDA | A small object that could show a variety of artificially created or extrapolated images. | H.G. Wells (1899) | display | |
Kinotrope | Small bits of painted wood in a grid that spin around to form different pixelated images. | William Gibson (w/B. Sterling) (1990) | display | |
Leaf Screens | Bioform displays grown from plants offering flat surfaces - like leaves. | Thomas A. Easton (1990) | display | |
Lens Image | A presentation of the night sky, calculated for any planet or point in space. | Isaac Asimov (1953) | display | |
Magic Spectacles | Very early take on virtual reality hardware. | Stanley G. Weinbaum (1935) | display | |
Mediatron - paper-thin LCD display | A paper-thin networked computer display. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | display | |
Mediatronic Display | Electronic paper comes in big sheets. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | display | |
Metallic Display Scroll | A rollable video screen. | Daniel Suarez (2010) | display | |
Moving Picture Player - like a video iPod | A machine that plays recorded pictures back for a single person - a combination DVD player and screen. | H.G. Wells (1899) | display | |
Newspad - flat panel news display | A notebook-sized computer and display screen for reading news stories or other text matter. | Arthur C. Clarke (1968) | display | |
Overlay Specs | Glasses that provide an additional feature; an overlay that lets you see information and graphics along with the real-world view. | Charles Stross (2007) | display | |
Ovoid 3D Galactic Model | A handheld display of a galaxy. | Isaac Asimov (1953) | display | |
Parlor Wall (TV Parlor) - original big screen TV | The original "big screen TV" takes up an entire wall of a room. | Ray Bradbury (1953) | display | |
Personalized Fashion Display | A set of displays that show you dressed in different uniforms. | Harry Harrison (1965) | display | |
Phantoscope (phenomenoscope) - see it all | A device that provides you with a computer-operable display; can be worn or surgically implanted right on your own eyes. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | display | |
Photo Crystal (Cube) | A small handheld display for a picture | Isaac Asimov (1952) | display | |
Photomnemonic Tablet - blank recording slate | A device that both records and displays images with the same element. | Neal Stephenson (2008) | display | |
Pocket Display Projector - a nano-projector | A pocketsized projector capable of displaying high resolution images so they can be viewed by a group of people. | Jack Vance (1971) | display | |
Pocket Projector | A personal device for replaying media. | Isaac Asimov (1952) | display | |
Police Sketch Artist Software - pc-based police art | A tablet-style computer with sketch pad software to help identify suspects. | Michael Crichton (1985) | display | |
Poster TV - flattest of flat screen TVs | This display gives new meaning to the term "flat screen." | Larry Niven (1976) | display | |
Predator Wrist Display | A wrist bracelet with a variety of useful functions. | John McTiernan (1987) | display | |
Prime Radiant - the ultimate conference projector | 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. | Isaac Asimov (1953) | display | |
Psycho-Lease Encephalic Gadget | A device that provided the conviction that a faked scene was, in fact, real. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | display | |
Reading Plaque - ultrathin display | A tablet-sized display for reading. | David Brin (1990) | display | |
Reading Plate - 50's style flat panel | A flat screen that provided computer output for viewing. | Robert Heinlein (1954) | display | |
Readout Skin - Gutenberg gets tattoos | Normal-appearing skin that can be used as an output device for text or graphics. | John Varley (1992) | display | |
Reality Graphics | One-stop design - the final design is the object. | Vernor Vinge (1992) | display | |
Retinal Projection - put the ad right on the eyeball | A method for projecting advertisements directly on the retina. | Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952) | display | |
Retinal Vid-Screen - implanted news screen | A tiny display surgically implanted directly in the retina of the eye. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | display | |
Selective Television - wrap TV around the world | A special kind of 'television' that let the user choose any scene around the world. | Arthur J. Burks (1938) | display | |
Sights - skull gun crosshairs | Sunglasses-mounted crosshairs (you'll need one with your skull gun). | Neal Stephenson (1995) | display | |
Simulacrum Window | A 'window' that provides a realistic outdoor view in an interior room. | Robert Heinlein (1955) | display | |
Smart Contact Lenses - data from wearables | Contact lenses that have a built-in computer display. | Vernor Vinge (2001) | display | |
Smart Paper - thin-film transistor display | A very slim thin-film transistor display. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | display | |
Solido | Abbr. for solidograph; a device that produced a solid three dimensional image. | Milton Lesser (1956) | display | |
Solido Projector - envy of presenters | Projects 3-dimensional images. | Frank Herbert (1965) | display | |
Solidograph | Long distance projection of three-dimensional images. | Fritz Leiber (1943) | display | |
Solidograph-Projector - gives you that 3D image | A device that projected a 3D image of objects or a person. | H. Beam Piper (1948) | display | |
Stim-Crib | A cradle that provides virtual reality experiences to tiny tots. | David Brin (1994) | display | |
Tabletop Display | A display monitor built into a flat, horizontal table surface. | Francis Flagg (1930) | display | |
Telechart - the one indispensable aid | An interactive metal plate upon which were displayed celestial objects for interstellar navigation. | Edmond Hamilton (1928) | display | |
Teledar - 3D TV | Three-dimensional television. | William Tenn (1951) | display | |
Tele-Screen | A display screen for live events. | Francis Flagg (1932) | display | |
Telesolidograph | Projects three-dimensional images at great distances. | Fritz Leiber (1943) | display | |
Telestereo - earliest reference to holograms? | A disk, upon which the projected image of the distant sender appears. | Edmond Hamilton (1928) | display | |
Television Sheet | A large, flat screen television set. | David H. Keller (1929) | display | |
The Veldt - serengeti in the nursery | A nursery that comes alive for the viewer. | Ray Bradbury (1951) | display | |
Transparent Flat Panel Display - early flat panel | A fifty-inch flat panel display that is (or can be) transparent. | H.G. Wells (1936) | display | |
Ultra-Light Vision System | A viewing technology able to see through and even within most objects. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1931) | display | |
Video Wallpaper | Very thin, large scale display. | Vernor Vinge (1999) | display | |
Video-Glasses - see in all directions at once | Special light-gathering elements allowed the end user to see omni-directionally. | Bruce Sterling (1988) | display | |
Videoshades - be sure to get wraparound style | Sunglasses that let you watch what you want. | Bruce Sterling (1988) | display | |
Viewing Tank | A display monitor. | Robert Silverberg (1969) | display | |
Viewplate | A flat panel viewing display. | Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) | display | |
Viewscreen Pentagon | A display with a central, pentagonal display surrounded by square displays attached to the sides. | Leo Zagat (1943) | display | |
Virtual Meeting - grandson of the web conference | A meeting space that exists only in a computer; the descendant of today's web conferences. | William Gibson (1996) | display | |
Virtual Reality Construct - VR without headgear | A means of projecting a virtual reality experience without special headsets. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | display | |
Visiglobe | A display that provided a spherical, 3D visualization of a scene. | James Schmitz (1949) | display | |
Vision Cube | A solid-state memory device. | Robert Silverberg (1969) | display | |
Vision Plate - early flat screen | A flat panel monitor. | Murray Leinster (1945) | display | |
Visiplate - early flat panel viewer | A flat screen for viewing remote images. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1930) | display | |
Visi-Screen - future display | A display device. | Arthur K. Barnes (1938) | display | |
Visor - personal screen | A snap-down video screen for your eyes only. | John Shirley (1985) | display | |
Vistascreen | Large screen entertainment. | Kendall Foster Crossen (1953) | display | |
Wall Screen | A large size display for video, anchored to a wall, or actually forming the wall itself. | Jack Williamson (1941) | display | |
Whologram - word play | Presents a realistic illusion. | Brian Aldiss (1969) | display | |
Window Wavelength | Display's that provide 'views' as if they were windows. | Brian Aldiss (1969) | display | |
Wired Glove Interface Display - gesture interface from Minority Report | A large screen display that uses a wired glove interface. | Steven Spielberg (2002) | display | |
Womb Room - return to the control room | The ultimate ship's bridge. | Larry Niven (1976) | display | |
Zip Paper | Very thin display like a single sheet of paper. | Greg Bear (2009) | display | |
Book-Film - literary storage | A storage medium for books. | Isaac Asimov (1988) | ds | |
Crystal Corn - tiny crystal books | Tiny data storage crystals. | Stanislaw Lem (1961) | ds | |
Data Haven - an alternative web host | A place where data that cannot legally be kept can be stashed for later use; an offshore web host. | Bruce Sterling (1988) | ds | |
Datapack - portable DRAM | A compact device for carrying data. | Brian Herbert (2001) | ds | |
Dime Disk - data storage | A very small data storage medium. | Larry Niven (1998) | ds | |
DNA Music Storage | Encoding music in junk DNA. | Rob Reid (2012) | ds | |
Filing Crystal | Part kiosk, part storage system. | Samuel R. Delany (1966) | ds | |
Filmbook | A storage medium for information, both text and video. | Frank Herbert (1965) | ds | |
Heritable Memories Bloodline | Using magical means to tie specific memories to the bloodlines of selected families. | Barbara Hambly (1982) | ds | |
Memory Diamond - high density storage | Very dense memory storage. | Charles Stross (2004) | ds | |
Merc-Pool | A device that stores information in vibration patterns on a mercury surface. | Isaac Asimov (1953) | ds | |
Microwire | A very thin wire used for recording purposes. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | ds | |
Molecule Matrix | Storing information in individual molecules and atoms. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | ds | |
Platinum Alloy Disc - first CD or DVD? | A silvery disc used for data record storage. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1934) | ds | |
Schrön Loop - ultimate portable data storage | Small data storage device; a USB chip that stores terabytes. | Dan Simmons (1989) | ds | |
Synapsis-Coils | Human-like storage for computers. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | ds | |
Tanks - massive mass storage | Device that provides mass storage of information. | Murray Leinster (1946) | ds | |
Tri-Type Record - 3D reduced to two | A printed card that stores information about a person, including a perfect three-dimensional representation. | Jack Vance (1954) | ds | |
Welton Cube - fine grain storage | High-density storage device. | Robert Heinlein (1973) | ds | |
Acoustic Apparatus (Osophone) - original patent filing | A device that used bone conduction to transmit sound. | Hugo Gernsback (1923) | eng | |
Actinoscope | A device that used a pulsating polarized ether wave to judge the distance to an object (a RADAR) | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | eng | |
Aeriduct (Rain Maker) - watch for showers | A specific means of producing rain. | John Jacob Astor IV (1894) | eng | |
Aeropile | A fluttering wing airplane for a few passengers. | H.G. Wells (1899) | eng | |
Agile Recording Robot | A recording machine that moves toward its subject. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | eng | |
AIRE - reverse engineering software | A piece of software that can break through encryption to determine exactly how a compiled program accomplishes its tasks. | John Barnes (1994) | eng | |
Anti-Burglar Installations | Every electronic house should have automated defenses. | Richard R. Smith (1955) | eng | |
Antigravity Plate (Antigravity Raft) | A thin, circular craft that floats. | A.E. van Vogt (1942) | eng | |
Antiturbulence Wings | Wings that are designed to buffer turbulence for passengers. | Bruce Sterling (1993) | eng | |
Architectural Coral - build to any shape | A structure grown to a specific shape using small coral-like organisms. | Larry Niven (1968) | eng | |
Artificial Gill Outfit | A diving suit that pulls air from the water. | Philip K. Dick (1966) | eng | |
Artificial Island For Ocean Rocket Launch | An entirely artificial, floating island used as a launch platform. | Otfrid von Hanstein (1930) | eng | |
Asteroid Garden | A method for building a greenhouse on a small, airless body. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1951) | eng | |
Atmosphere Control | Recently terraformed planets require constant maintenance. | Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1974) | eng | |
Atmospheric Pressure Control Plane | A vessel that flies by creating pockets of high and low pressure. | R.H. Romans (1929) | eng | |
Atmospherics Switchboard | Make sure each hotel room has the right atmosphere from the right planet. | John Victor Peterson (1941) | eng | |
Atom Compactor (Metal Earthworm) | A tunneling device. | Paul Ernst (1936) | eng | |
Atomic Drill | An atomic-powered auger, for use in drilling deep into planets and asteroids. | John D. Clark, Ph.D (1937) | eng | |
Atomic Energy Motor | An engine which utilizes atomic energy. | G. Peyton Wertenbaker (1926) | eng | |
Atomic Engine | A motor running on atomic fuel. | H.G. Wells (1914) | eng | |
Atomic Machine | A device that shrinks and expands its wearer. | G. Peyton Wertenbaker (1926) | eng | |
Atomic Microscopy | A device that can actually visualize a individual molecule and its parts. | Robert Cromie (1895) | eng | |
Atomic Torch | An atomic-powered cutting and welding tool. | Jack Williamson (1939) | eng | |
Atomic-Powered Lifting Suits | Special exoskeletons that would allow an ordinary human being to walk in doubled gravity. | John W. Campbell (1938) | eng | |
Atomics | The field of nuclear energy. | Lester del Rey (1942) | eng | |
Atom-Shifter | A device that 'softens' matter, making it possible for a person to pass through. | Manly Wade Wellman (1940) | eng | |
Attractor - come hither and stay still | A beam capable of holding objects motionless, as well as adjusting their position. | L.F. Stone (1931) | eng | |
Auto-Clerk | An automated accounting system. | Robert Heinlein (1942) | eng | |
Automatic City | A city designed to protect itself and maintain itself over millions of years. | Robert Silverberg (1969) | eng | |
Automatic Delivery Library | A library able to deliver any volume within a few moments. | Stanton A. Coblentz (1939) | eng | |
Automatic Door - like a roll top desk | A wall strip that rolls up automatically to let you through. | H.G. Wells (1899) | eng | |
Automatic Light Switch | A device that senses if an illuminated room is empty, and turns off the light. | Robert Heinlein (1950) | eng | |
Automatic Shell | A projectile that bores through obstacles - even the Earth! | Frank Stockton (1897) | eng | |
Automatic Speeding Fine | An automated device that not only computes the speed of a vehicle, but registers and then issues an electronic citation. | Nat Schachner (1941) | eng | |
Automatics | Machinery capable of running some aspect of a space ship's operation on its own. | Ray Cummings (1932) | eng | |
Autonomously Recharging UAV | Unmanned aerial vehicles that recharge themselves automatically. | Roger Zelazny (1980) | eng | |
Auto-Seal | Automatically deployed cover for power outlets; instant child-proofing. | John Brunner (1968) | eng | |
Autosight Achronic Beam | A range-finder for weaponry that isn't limited by time, for the ultimate in accuracy. | Jack Williamson (1940) | eng | |
Avatar Construction Set - build your virtual self | A collection of software that allows the building of a complete avatar. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | eng | |
Barber Helmet | Cuts your hair quickly and efficiently. | Don Wilcox (1939) | eng | |
Barytrine Field - planet moving | Very large scale stasis field. | George O. Smith (1952) | eng | |
Batacitor | A storage device for electricity that could be charged in a very short time. | Philip Jose Farmer (1971) | eng | |
Beckerley Electrical Field | An energy field that can protect a city or large area. | R.M. Farley (w/SG Weinbaum) (1936) | eng | |
Beltway | A moving sidewalk. | Leo Zagat (1948) | eng | |
Bifocal TV Screen Lenses | Using the bottom lens of bifocals as a TV screen. | Edmond Hamilton (1940) | eng | |
Bio-Energy - produce electricity from organic material | The first reference to extracting electricity from organic materials. | Jonathan Swift (1726) | eng | |
Bolt Anti-Grav | This device produces a torus-shaped discharge that causes weightlessness. | Margaret St. Clair (1949) | eng | |
Bone Conduction Receiver | A concealed radio receiver. | Anson MacDonald (1941) | eng | |
Boring Heat Machine | Takes tunnel boring material and turns it into building material. | Frank Phillips (1929) | eng | |
Buy-Me-Discs | Tiny disks attached to products in stores that received transmitted ads to share with consumers. | Anne Warren Griffith (1953) | eng | |
Causality-violation Device (or Weapon) | Any of a variety of technologies intended to exploit time travel as a weapon. | Charles Stross (2003) | eng | |
Centrifugal Force Creates 'Artificial Gravity' | Using centrifugal force in a rotating cylinder as a substitute for gravity. | Jack Williamson (1931) | eng | |
Cephalic Pattern Door | A door that only opens for specific people. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | eng | |
Cheekplate Container - exoskeleton accessory | Special compartment of an exoskeleton; provides easy access to medical supplies related to survive heavy gravity environments. | Fritz Leiber (1968) | eng | |
Chemelectric Afferent Nerve-Analogues | An engineered sensory skin. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | eng | |
Chemotactic Artificial Jellyfish - big jellies | Artificial device modeled on jellyfish capable of seeking specific components of liquid. | Rudy Rucker (w/B. Sterling) (1994) | eng | |
Chromoplastic Dew Collector - when every drop counts | A small, egg-shaped device that uses a special surface to collect morning dew on the desert planet of Arrakis. | Frank Herbert (1965) | eng | |
Chronoscope | A device used to see into specific internals of time. | John W. Campbell (1936) | eng | |
Chronoscopy | Using a device to view different points in time. | Isaac Asimov (1956) | eng | |
Clearsac | A simple device that filters water perfectly for reuse. | Paolo Bacigalupi (2015) | eng | |
Click-Band | Worn on the wrist, it helps you locate your transport. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | eng | |
Clothing Size Scanner | A device that scanned a living person to determine clothing sizes. | Alan Dean Foster (2006) | eng | |
Coldlight | A means of producing illumination that does not produce heat. | Leo Zagat (1943) | eng | |
Color Generator | A variable spectrum light source | Jack Vance (1964) | eng | |
Cone of Silence - the original sound-dampener | 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. | Frank Herbert (1958) | eng | |
Control Harness | Connects to the brain and nervous system of a host organism for control purposes. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | eng | |
Controlway | An automated highway system that takes full operational control of vehicles traveling upon it. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | eng | |
Cop Block - patrol officer's friend | A device that allows law enforcement officers to shut down the engine of a suspect's car or truck. | Greg Bear (2007) | eng | |
Crash Balloons | Inflatable bags that would both cushion and hold a flycycle driver in the event of a crash. | Larry Niven (1970) | eng | |
Cube Being | A living being comprised of linked cubes. | Jack Williamson (1938) | eng | |
Curtain (Force Barrier) | An easily set-up protective force barrier. | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | eng | |
Cushion Fence | Gentle force field | Alfred Bester (1974) | eng | |
Cyborg Collar - controlled work gangs | A device worn around the neck that controls the person for the duration of a working day. | Fritz Leiber (1968) | eng | |
Decibel Alarms - shhh! we're protesting | Alarms that would go off if the noise in public gathering places was rising to riotous levels. | Anne McCaffrey (1973) | eng | |
Dew Gatherers | Devices used to gather morning dew as a source of drinking water. | Frank Herbert (1965) | eng | |
Digger Worm - mining robot | A robot shaped like a fat snake, or worm; used for mining. | Connie Willis (1985) | eng | |
Digital Ink License Plate | License tags that can change both state and number in the blink of an eye. | Daniel Suarez (2006) | eng | |
Disintegrator Ray (Dis Ray) | A device that projects a beam reducing matter to nothingness. | Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) | eng | |
Disinto - a disintegrating ray | A disintegrating ray. | Isaac Asimov (1941) | eng | |
Disperser - back off | Device that gives an electric shock to anyone who touches a vehicle. | Alan Dean Foster (2006) | eng | |
Disposal-Safe | Device to store and, if necessary, destroy documents. | Murray Leinster (1956) | eng | |
Dolphin's Hands | Digital prosthetic for dolphins. | Larry Niven (1967) | eng | |
Donnersprache | A hypnotic transceiver that enhances the charisma of speakers. | Dean Ing (1991) | eng | |
Double-Pane Vacuum Window | Double-pane glass separated by vacuum. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1940) | eng | |
Drafting Dan - born before CAD | The first computer software drafting program (Computer Aided Design - CAD). | Robert Heinlein (1956) | eng | |
Drop Shaft (Neutralization of Inertia) - watch that first step | An 'elevator shaft' in which the user can fall at the speed of gravity, then be stopped without inertia (i.e., instantly). | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1937) | eng | |
Duplication Chamber | A means of precisely duplicating an object. | William F. Temple (1939) | eng | |
Dutch Clock (Time Machine) | A tall Dutch clock with hands that move... backward. | Edward Page Mitchell (1881) | eng | |
Earmite | A small speaker that you can put in your ear. | John Shirley (1985) | eng | |
Earthsuit | Like a spacesuit, but protects you from the Earth. | Neal Stephenson (2021) | eng | |
Electric Protection-Wires (Electrified Fence) | An electric fence. | John Jacob Astor IV (1894) | eng | |
Electric Wall | A wall of electric force. | Edmond Hamilton (1942) | eng | |
Electric-Space-Strain Projector - wireless power transmission | Device enables the wireless transmission of power. | John W. Campbell (1934) | eng | |
Electro-Binox | Binoculars with electronic focusing. | Fritz Leiber (1968) | eng | |
Electron Gun | How to add a lot of electrons to a lot of positrons? | Nat Schachner (1934) | eng | |
Energy Converter | Massive unit on the sunside of Mercury converts heat into energy, and beams it around the solar system. | Isaac Asimov (1942) | eng | |
Energy Curtain Key | A small handheld "key" to shut off a force field. | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | eng | |
Energy Screen | A field of force. | A.E. van Vogt (1944) | eng | |
Evolution Machine | A device that accelerates the process of evolution by millions of times. | Edmond Hamilton (1931) | eng | |
Exoskeleton (Medical) - first look | Specially designed for Thins, eight-foot tall microgravity humans. | Fritz Leiber (1968) | eng | |
Factory Crawler (or Harvester Crawler) - sift the sands of Arrakis | A mobile factory which filtered and processed the sands of Dune for the spice, mélange. | Frank Herbert (1965) | eng | |
Fairy Digits (Tiny Waldoes) | Waldoes used for very fine work. | Robert Heinlein (1942) | eng | |
Feeler-Planes - sensors for 3D models | Special sensors that make extremely detailed three-dimensional models. | Jack Vance (1954) | eng | |
Femfatalatron | A device that reverses an infatuation for a particular woman. | Stanislaw Lem (1965) | eng | |
Fenton Silencer - early noise cancellation | A device to cancel noise over a broad area. | Arthur C. Clarke (1957) | eng | |
Field-Projector | A device that dematerializes a person and then sends forth a ray that will then rematerialize a person at the end. | Edmond Hamilton (1938) | eng | |
Filter Wheel - stepwise refinement | A device for filtering liquid or gas to obtain a pure sample of a selected molecule. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | eng | |
Filter-Mask | Perfect for dystopian future air pollution. | John Brunner (1972) | eng | |
Filt-Plug - lose no moisture | A nose plug worn to collect moisture from exhaled air. | Frank Herbert (1965) | eng | |
Finger Jet Bath | The ultimate in luxury tubs. | Jack Vance (1954) | eng | |
Flame Barrier | A form of protective force field. | A.E. van Vogt (1943) | eng | |
Flexible Stem | A long flexible tube that can expand and contract its length quickly. | Jack Vance (1964) | eng | |
Fluor Strips | Lighting long narrow devices. | Margaret St. Clair (1949) | eng | |
Flying Harness | Device allows free movement in the air. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1928) | eng | |
Foam Station Sprayer | A device that stills the stormy Great Red Spot on Jupiter. | Frank Belknap Long, Jr. (1936) | eng | |
Fold Box | A chest that is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. | Robert Heinlein (1963) | eng | |
Force-Screen - protective energy | A variation on the force shield idea. | Frank Belknap Long, Jr. (1939) | eng | |
Fottengill Process | An early mention of the idea that energy can be derived from random noise. | Lloyd Biggle, Jr. (1956) | eng | |
Frictionless Cups | Cups with a special surface to which liquid does not adhere. | Larry Niven (1973) | eng | |
Frictionless Toilet | A toilet bowl that does not require water, because its surface is frictionless. | Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1974) | eng | |
Fusion Power | Creating energy from nuclear fusion reactions. | Gerald Vance (1956) | eng | |
Garbage Mine - there's gold in them heaps | The idea that recycling can spawn entirely new industries. | David Brin (1990) | eng | |
Gateway | A device that opens a portal to another dimension. | Harl Vincent (1933) | eng | |
Geofractor | Device provides instantaneous teleportation of selected objects over vast distances. | Jack Williamson (1939) | eng | |
Geotect | A person who creates landforms and physical environments | Neal Stephenson (1995) | eng | |
Gesture-Controlled Device | An electronic device that is controlled by hand gestures. | Douglas Adams (1979) | eng | |
Ghost Trap | Device for capture and temporary storage of ectoplasmic entities. | Harold Ramis (1984) | eng | |
Glass Dome | Protective cover for cities. | H.G. Wells (1905) | eng | |
Global Climate Control | Adjust the Earth's axis so the seasons are more temperate and uniform. | John Jacob Astor IV (1894) | eng | |
Glowstone - great at parties | A mineral that absorbs light by day and emits it by night. | George RR Martin (1977) | eng | |
Grapple Tracks - auto parking | A means of automating the process of parking and releasing passenger vehicles from a parking garage. | Frank Herbert (1977) | eng | |
Gravitic Lift | An elevator with no visible means of support. | Isaac Asimov (1988) | eng | |
Gravity Beam | An conical attractive ray, it pulls ships to their doom. | Ray Cummings (1932) | eng | |
Gravity Lens - see the stars | An optical lens created using the lightbending properties of gravity. | Larry Niven (1973) | eng | |
Gravity Neutralizing Disks | Two plates between which Earth's gravitational influence is cancelled out. | Edmond Hamilton (1937) | eng | |
Gravity Nullification (Gravity Screen) | Gravity annulled in its entirety in a small area. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | eng | |
Gravity Nullifier | Shields a large object from the effect of gravity. | Henri Dahl Juve (1929) | eng | |
Gravity Tube - e-z store | A special passage way that eases the movement of material within a ship. | Jack McDevitt (2002) | eng | |
Grill-Screen Adaptor | Approved General Electronics Corporation solution for bomb shelters, in response to Soviet bore-pellets. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | eng | |
Half-Sphere Force Field - not an ordinary spherical force field | A protective force field that can manifest even as a half-sphere. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | eng | |
Hand Wave Control | Control an electronic or other device with gestures. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | eng | |
Harvest Power From Stray Energy | A means of collecting enough energy from stray electronic impulses to power a device. | Harl Vincent (1928) | eng | |
Headset - wireless ear-clips | Wireless headsets provide computer language translation. | William Gibson (1996) | eng | |
Heat Transmitter - warmth to outer planets | Device which captures solar energy close to the source and then beams it in concentrated form to outer planets. | Edmond Hamilton (1928) | eng | |
Hedgerly Effect | A means of producing a gravitational field artificially. | George O. Smith (1947) | eng | |
Helio-Dynamophores (Sun-Power-Generators) | Photo-electric elements which transformed the solar heat direct into electric energy. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | eng | |
Helium Tubes | Lighting that exactly mimics the frequencies of sunlight. | Louis Tucker, D.D. (1929) | eng | |
Helmet-Mounted Display Screen - display where you need it | A small electronic display mounted for easy viewing. | Harry Harrison (1951) | eng | |
Hilsch Vortex Tube - Maxwell's demon lives! | A T-shaped device that admits air under pressure and outputs hot air from side and cold from the other. | Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952) | eng | |
Historical Listening Machine | Device can hear sounds from down through the ages. | A.T. Locke (1933) | eng | |
Holodeck | A computer-simulated environment. | David Gerrold (1987) | eng | |
House-of-Cards Construction | Architectural technique that uses computers to help buildings maintain their balance during earthquakes. | Vernor Vinge (2006) | eng | |
Hush Hood - privacy when you need it | A device that cancels noise, ensuring that others cannot overhear. | Robert Heinlein (1966) | eng | |
Hyperbolic Solenoid - mag lock picker | Device that creates and manipulates magnetic fields. | L. Sprague de Camp (1940) | eng | |
Hyperstereoscope | A book of three-dimensional pages. | Miles J. Breuer (1929) | eng | |
Iceberg Water Tub - fresh water mountain | An enormous bag or tub that encloses an iceberg used to supply fresh water. | Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven) (1981) | eng | |
Ice-Nine - the final form of water | A crystalline form of water so stable that in practical terms it would never melt. | Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1963) | eng | |
Indirect Cold Light | Apparently source-less lighting, highly efficient, with no waste heat. | Henri Dahl Juve (1929) | eng | |
Individualized Clothing Manufacture - clothes just for you | A device that will produce suits of clothing based on measurement data gathered. | H.G. Wells (1899) | eng | |
Inertia Tank | A device that protected its delicate contents by cushioning. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1939) | eng | |
Instant Photography | A photograph that develops immediately inside the camera. | Henri Dahl Juve (1929) | eng | |
Inviolability Field | A kind of field of force built into a robe, to protect an individual person. | Fritz Leiber (1943) | eng | |
Invisibility Shield | A means of concealing a physical object to the naked eye. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1934) | eng | |
Invisible Cloak -long before Harry Potter | A cloak that renders the wearer invisible. | Ray Cummings (1930) | eng | |
Iridium Spirals (Street Lights) | Streetlights provide sunlight at night. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | eng | |
Jonnytruck | A movable bathroom for hire; cost is offset by reclamation. | Paolo Bacigalupi (2015) | eng | |
Kink-Spring - reusable energy source | A device that stores energy with near-perfect efficiency. | Paolo Bacigalupi (2005) | eng | |
Lanson Screen | An elliptical shield of force large enough to enclose a city. | Leo Zagat (1936) | eng | |
Lethe-Mirror | Induces sleepy mindedness. | Philip K. Dick (1956) | eng | |
Levitating Path | Anti-gravity metal used to make a floating walkway. | Ray Bradbury (1952) | eng | |
Lighting Panel | A large panel that presents illumination without heat. | Lyle Monroe (1940) | eng | |
Liquid Metal | Metal that can be sprayed on. | Arthur K. Barnes (1938) | eng | |
Local Time Clock | A clock for use in airships that always indicates the time for the place they are flying over. | Henri Dahl Juve (1929) | eng | |
Locatimeter | A method for a plane to know its location over the Earth. | Otis Adelbert Kline (1937) | eng | |
Lunar Ice Mining - water on the moon | The practice of mining for ice on the moon. | Robert Heinlein (1966) | eng | |
Lunar Observatory | Putting an observatory on the far side of the Moon could have advantages. | Poul Anderson (1958) | eng | |
Maelstrom | A description of the next generation Internet | Peter Watts (2002) | eng | |
Magnetic Pinions - electromagnetic cuffs | Remote control electromagnetic handcuffs. | Jack Vance (1958) | eng | |
Manmade Black Hole | Using the power of a hole in the continuum. | Jack Williamson (1939) | eng | |
Matched-Frequency Separable Units | Devices that can draw power wirelessly from a matched source. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1930) | eng | |
Matter Duplicator | Makes a perfect copy of any material object. | George O. Smith (1945) | eng | |
Matter Editation | Technology that enables the easy manipulation of atomic properties. | Sid Meier (1999) | eng | |
Matter Transmitter - ride the beam | Device which causes a physical object to disappear from one place and reappear in another. | L.F. Stone (1931) | eng | |
Matter Transmitter and Receiver | A device that transports matter through space. | Edmond Hamilton (1931) | eng | |
Mechanical Hand | A large robotic hand or claw, large enough to grasp a person. | Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) (1929) | eng | |
Mechanical Mole - Underground vehicle | A self-contained device for digging large tunnels. | Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven) (1981) | eng | |
Mechanical Thought Transformers | Machinery to expedite the process of thought transfer. | L.F. Stone (1931) | eng | |
Metaverse - the whole virtual world | A virtual universe. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | eng | |
Meteorite Deflector | A means of pushing aside asteroids that get in the path of your space ship. | Miles J. Breuer (1931) | eng | |
Micro-Cosmos (Microcosm) | The universe in miniature. | Edmond Hamilton (1935) | eng | |
Miniature Universe | A microcosmic universe created in the laboratory. | Edmond Hamilton (1937) | eng | |
Miniaturization | Making a physical object smaller in size. | Isaac Asimov (1966) | eng | |
Mining Disintegrator | A special-purpose boring machine. | David McDaniel (1967) | eng | |
Minisec | A device like a personal digital assistant (PDA) today. | Arthur C. Clarke (1976) | eng | |
Mole Probe | Automated devices that seek underground routes, burrowing as they go. | Robert Silverberg (1969) | eng | |
Molecular Sieve | A device that can extract any element from seawater. | Arthur C. Clarke (1957) | eng | |
Molecule Replacement Lamp | A means of attaining practical invisibility. | Frank Belknap Long, Jr. (1936) | eng | |
Monopole Mining | Looking for natural sources of monopoles. | Larry Niven (1973) | eng | |
Moondozer - moonmover | A bulldozer for lunar conditions. | Arthur C. Clarke (1961) | eng | |
Movable Slideway - it comes to you | A slideway (moving sidewalk) that can be extended to a spaceship to ease the debarkation process. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | eng | |
Nanomachine Swarm (Black Cloud) - tiny machines work together | A cloud of tiny machines, able to work together autonomously. | Stanislaw Lem (1954) | eng | |
Neutralizing Wall | A barrier that stops electrical and mechanical vibrations, rendering the protected area effectively invisible. | Harl Vincent (1928) | eng | |
Nuclear Shears | Device uses nuclear power to accomplish basic shop tasks. | Isaac Asimov (1951) | eng | |
Nuclear-Field Depressor | A device that causes nuclear-powered devices to stop working. | Isaac Asimov (1952) | eng | |
Nullfield | A field of energy that creates a barrier. | John Varley (1977) | eng | |
Object-Finder Beam | A unique device that projected a beam that found what you wanted. | L.F. Stone (1931) | eng | |
Oceanic Thermal Energy Converter - energy from the sea | A device that uses the sea to help create electricity. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (2000) | eng | |
Oil Lens - infinitely adjustable lens | Oil held in tension in an enclosing force field, used as an optical component. | Frank Herbert (1965) | eng | |
One-Way Passage | A different way to assure permanent egress. | Jack Vance (1954) | eng | |
Optical-Effect Suit | An invisibility garment. | Keith Laumer (1964) | eng | |
Orphids | Nanomachines replicate theselves from dust - and cover the Earth. | Rudy Rucker (2007) | eng | |
Osmosis Generator (Cziltang Brone) - the air lock | A device that can render a solid permeable to matter. | Larry Niven (1970) | eng | |
Pail of Air | A small bucket filled with (liquid) air. | Fritz Leiber (1951) | eng | |
Palm Plate - your hand is the key | A device that scanned for a palm print prior to opening a door. | E.C. Tubb (1958) | eng | |
Para-Beam - light of paralysis | A beam of energy that paralyzes the victim. | E.C. Tubb (1958) | eng | |
Paralyzing Eye | False eye contains mechanism for causing brief paralysis. | L. Sprague de Camp (1941) | eng | |
Parastatics | Means of completely eliminating injury in vehicles during crashes. | Stanislaw Lem (1961) | eng | |
People-Sorter - catalog them quickly | A device able to sort human beings with incredible speed. | John Varley (1983) | eng | |
Perfect Voice Modulation | Artificially creating the perfect human singing voice. | Bernard Brown (1931) | eng | |
Personal Solar Plant | A single-home solar-powered energy source. | Clifford Simak (1952) | eng | |
Photic Borer (Artesian Ray) | A ray of energy that illuminates a cross-section of Earth as it goes through solid earth and rock. | Frank Stockton (1897) | eng | |
Photoelectric Course Warning - aid to spaceship pilots | A means of keeping a spaceship on course using a selected star and a photoelectric cell. | Robert H. Wilson (1931) | eng | |
Photo-Voltaic Robes | Outerwear made from material that absorbs sunlight and outputs electricity. | Neal Asher (2002) | eng | |
Pina2bo | A huge cannon that shot shells filled with sulfur high into the atmosphere for the purpose of geoengineering a change in climate. | Neal Stephenson (2021) | eng | |
Planet City | A planet the surface of which is entirely covered over, forming one single city. | David M. Speaker (1930) | eng | |
Plastibulb | A squeezable drink container. | Lewis Padgett (1943) | eng | |
Pneumatic-Tube Zone | The portion of a city that is served by direct tubes to each dwelling. | Miles J. Breuer (1932) | eng | |
Pocket Gravity Nullifier | Personal device stops gravity's effect. | Henri Dahl Juve (1929) | eng | |
Polyfrequency Neutralizer | Dissolves projected solidographs (holograms). | Fritz Leiber (1943) | eng | |
Positron Beam | Vast numbers of positrons, the antimatter counterpart of the electron, are beamed around the Earth. | Nat Schachner (1934) | eng | |
Powered artificial exoskeleton | A robotic device designed to support someone too weak to comfortably move in high gravity. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | eng | |
Predictograph | Capable combining and projecting hundreds of complex curves into the future. | S.P. Meek (1929) | eng | |
Private Flyer | A privately-owned air vehicle that used no control surfaces for maneuvering. | Arthur C. Clarke (1953) | eng | |
Probability Time Wave Tube | A device that allows the user to see every possible event. | John W. Campbell (1936) | eng | |
Prosthetic Yachting Gloves | Robotic gloves for sailors. | Bruce Sterling (2022) | eng | |
Protective Energy Halo | A device that cast a hemisphere of protective beams. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1936) | eng | |
Protective Field (Safety Field) | An static energy field used to protect a city. | Robert Silverberg (1969) | eng | |
Protoplast | Artificial life, tougher than protoplasm. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1954) | eng | |
Psychophone | A device that allows the user to tune their mind to a future reality - a time-traveling device. | Maurice G. Hugi (1941) | eng | |
Public Urine Collection | Arcologies offer public latrines, then collect for reclamation. | Paolo Bacigalupi (2015) | eng | |
Quantum Power | Power generation through photon fission. | Sid Meier (1999) | eng | |
Quench Field | Stopped runaway nuclear reactions by quenching the cascades of neutrons. | E. Waldo Hunter (1941) | eng | |
Radar | Detection of objects at a distance. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | eng | |
Radiant Power Receptor (DeKalbs) - broadcast power receiver | A device which received and used energy transmitted from a station or satellite. | Robert Heinlein (1942) | eng | |
Radium-Action Lighter | A personal device used to ignite tobacco products. | Manly Wade Wellman (1940) | eng | |
Reality Tape | The medium upon which the life experience of an electric ant - a robotic person - is presented. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | eng | |
Recording Radio | A handheld device that both recorded sound and transmitted it live to a remote broadcasting location. | H. Beam Piper (1961) | eng | |
Reflectocosmic Spectrometer | A device that detects and measures cosmic rays that reflect from different metals. | Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) (1929) | eng | |
Refrigeration Tape - ground cooling | A strip of material that can be used to keep large tracts of tundra nicely frozen. | Robert Silverberg (1970) | eng | |
Remote-Control Slavery | Mental control (possibly mediated by radio waves) of individuals of other species. | Robert Silverberg (1969) | eng | |
Repair Drone | Autonomous robots repair damage or sabotage. | William Gibson (1984) | eng | |
Repellor Anti-Gravity Rays | Device provides support for planet-side air travel. | Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) | eng | |
Repulsor Ray | Fires an invisible beam of electrons for propulsion. | Edmond Hamilton (1927) | eng | |
Rhennius Machine - reverse yourself | Device of alien manufacture, which will reverse, or turn inside out, any object passed through its mobilator. | Roger Zelazny (1976) | eng | |
Robomule | The robotic equivalent of a mule. | Harry Harrison (1965) | eng | |
Robopark - automated parking garage | An automated parking garage. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | eng | |
Robotic Microhands | Mechanical replica of hands, that mimic the movements of actual human hands. | Boris Zhitkov (1931) | eng | |
Rooftop Windmill - renewable energy vision | Renewable energy source for the home. | John Jacob Astor IV (1894) | eng | |
RUMOKO - island builder | A project to create additional land surface by deliberate stimulation of undersea volcanoes. | Roger Zelazny (1976) | eng | |
Sandsnork - breathe under sand | A device like a snorkel that would provide air to a tent buried by a sand storm. | Frank Herbert (1965) | eng | |
Scanner Palm | A document scanner implanted in the palm of the hand. | Warren Hammond (2007) | eng | |
Scanning-Disk Telescope | A telescope which uses a television-like monitor instead of an eyepiece. | Murray Leinster (1931) | eng | |
Schrieber Analyzer | Superior automatic air testing - for the discriminating space traveler. | Eric Frank Russell (1955) | eng | |
Security Restraint Field | A force field that restricts personal movement. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | eng | |
Self-Sustaining Nuclear Reaction | An 'atomic fire' is started that consumes all matter in reach! | Raymond Z. Gallun (1931) | eng | |
Servok | An 'automatic' or clock-set mechanism to perform simple tasks. | Frank Herbert (1965) | eng | |
Ship That Swims Under Water (Submarine) | A Ship that could swim under Water. | Margaret Cavendish (1666) | eng | |
Shipstone - lots of power | A lot of power in a small, manufactured package. | Robert Heinlein (1982) | eng | |
Shovel-Handed Digging Machines | Huge multi-legged machines used to dig and manipulate earth. | Frank Phillips (1929) | eng | |
Slideway - moving sidewalk | A slidewalk, or moving walkway, that moves people forward. | Robert Heinlein (1942) | eng | |
Slug | An underwater "barge", consisting of a giant tube for transporting oil. | Frank Herbert (1956) | eng | |
Smart Rope | Long 'rope' consisting of a variety of intertwined cables with different properties; controlled with special glove interface. | Bruce Sterling (1994) | eng | |
Smartcoral Reef - water purifying reef | An artificial coral reef that pulls water in for use in large communities. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | eng | |
Sobriety Ray - instantly sober | A ray of a particular wavelength and intensity, that conferred instant sobriety on those it shone upon. | Lewis Padgett (1942) | eng | |
Solar Beam | Obtaining solar power by means of a direct connection with the sun. | George O. Smith (1944) | eng | |
Solar Electric Paint - Black Power - solar power in a spray can | A black-colored paint that can be sprayed on, making any surface a solar power generator. | Larry Niven (1995) | eng | |
Solar Energy Beam - ultimate in solar power production | A solar energy plant on Mercury provides power for projects all over the solar system. | Clifford Simak (1941) | eng | |
Solar Power Generation | A very early description of the use of solar powered 'farms' for generating electrical power on a large scale. | John Jacob Astor IV (1894) | eng | |
Solar Power Screen | Absorb all solar energy, and emit electrical energy. | Lyle Monroe (1940) | eng | |
Solar Reception Screen - photovoltaics in action | A device for converting sunlight to electricity | Robert Heinlein (1940) | eng | |
Solar Station Switch Room | A power station for the entire solar system. | Edmond Hamilton (1940) | eng | |
Solar Updraft Tower | A renewable-energy scheme that generates power from air movement inside a tall chimney. | Leigh and Walt Richmond (1964) | eng | |
Solar-Powered Aircraft | A plane powered entirely by solar energy. | John W. Campbell (1930) | eng | |
Solar-Powered Ball | An autonomous round toy that powers itself. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1954) | eng | |
Solar-Powered Electric Helicopter | An electric helicopter, with sun cells. | James Patrick Kelly (1933) | eng | |
Solid Power - it's super-valuable! | A concentrated form of easily accessed energy to supply any need. | Edmond Hamilton (1940) | eng | |
Sonabarrier - keep the vultures out | A type of energy fence, used to keep birds away from particular areas. | Frank Herbert (1977) | eng | |
Sonar Pistol | A device that divers can use to find seabottom and objects in extremely dark or murky water. | Peter Watts (1999) | eng | |
Sonic Fold | Force field that guides air around an air vehicle. | Larry Niven (1970) | eng | |
Sound Deadener | Device that acts to damp excessive noise produced by different species. | Larry Niven (1970) | eng | |
Sound Nullifier | A barrier to sound; the cancellation of sound waves. | Bernard Brown (1931) | eng | |
Sound-Killing Air Fluid | A means to eliminate all of the noise made by machines in a city, leaving the voices of human beings. | A.M. McNeill (1930) | eng | |
Spaceplane (Clarke-class) | An inexpensively powered flight to low earth orbit. | Peter F. Hamilton (1998) | eng | |
Spex (Spexware) | Video glasses with computer assistance. | Bruce Sterling (1993) | eng | |
Spinnerettes - handling nanofibers | A device that will unspool a nanowire filament and then pull it back in. | Arthur C. Clarke (1978) | eng | |
Stasis Box - infinite storage | A space entirely enclosed by a Slaver stasis field, in which time does not pass. | Larry Niven (1968) | eng | |
Stasis Field | Energy field which prevents time from passing inside the field walls; no time passes, nobody gets hurt. | Robert Heinlein (1942) | eng | |
Steel Tentacle | Flexible robotic steel limbs that can both support a vehicle and grasp objects. | H.G. Wells (1898) | eng | |
Stereoscopic Vernier and Cube | A means of photographing in depth. | Eric Frank Russell (1939) | eng | |
Straightening the Earth's Poles | By means of a suitable force, push the Earth until the planet's axis of rotation is perpendicular to the ecliptic. | Jules Verne (1889) | eng | |
Stratoplane | An airplane that flies up to the edge of the atmosphere. | Donald Wandrei (1934) | eng | |
Structural Scanning | Essentially, a whole-object camera, that would take a detailed picture of the structure of an object. | James P. Hogan (1978) | eng | |
Sub-Etheric | Below the level at which ordinary light is propagated. | Jack Williamson (1938) | eng | |
Sunparlor | A vast esplanade enclosed in glass, to permit sunbathing without leaving an immense building. | Louis Tucker, D.D. (1929) | eng | |
Sunpower Screen - photovoltaic cells power vehicle | A solar cell array used to provide power for a vehicle. | Robert Heinlein (1940) | eng | |
Sunray Tank | A device that stores sunlight itself for use as an energy source. | Edgar Rice Burroughs (1914) | eng | |
Sun-Room | On a planet-wide city, the only way to get some sun without going to the roof. | Isaac Asimov (1951) | eng | |
Sunshade-Photocell Collector | A fanciful design for a device that gathers solar energy. | David Brin (1990) | eng | |
Superconductor of Heat | 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. | Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1974) | eng | |
Suspensor - suspend gravity | An energy field that can nullify gravity for small objects. | Frank Herbert (1965) | eng | |
Swiss | A small piece of personal gear that combines a great many items in a single device. | Karen Traviss (2004) | eng | |
Talking Speedometer | A gauge that tells you its value verbally | Theodore Sturgeon (1941) | eng | |
Tanglefoot Field - non-lethal crowd control | A force field that would not harm but merely entangle and stop anyone (or anything) caught in it. | Robert Heinlein (1954) | eng | |
Telelubricator - perfectly frictionless | Makes any surface or substance perfectly frictionless. | L. Sprague de Camp (1940) | eng | |
Telepomp (Matter Transmission) - first use | A device that transmitted matter from one place to another. | Edward Page Mitchell (1877) | eng | |
Temporal Paradox | The paradoxical idea that making changes in the past results in changes in the present. | Brian Berry (1954) | eng | |
Tesseract House | A house built in the shape of a four-dimensional figure. | Robert Heinlein (1940) | eng | |
The Cosmic Express | A means of transmitting matter wirelessly. | Jack Williamson (1930) | eng | |
The Dip | A device that randomly dredges up things from the past... or the future. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | eng | |
Thermlectrium | An alloy that turns heat directly into electricity. | John W. Campbell (1935) | eng | |
Tickler - clears smog | Clears smog and saves the residue for later use. | R.A. Lafferty (1972) | eng | |
Time Dredge | A device that scoops up material from the past, and returns it to the present. | Robert Arthur (1942) | eng | |
Time Line | The sequence of events leading up to, and past, this moment. | Ross Rocklynne (1941) | eng | |
Time Line | Time seen linearly, as a distinguishable series of events. | John Russell Fearn (1935) | eng | |
Time Loop | A series of events repeats, the stream crosses over itself. | Eando Binder (1936) | eng | |
Time Quake | Too much energy applied to a time-fault may have started this. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | eng | |
Time Tunnel | A gateway into the past. | Clifford Simak (1938) | eng | |
Timepress - time in a bottle | A device that makes time go more quickly in a limited area. | John Varley (1983) | eng | |
Time-Space Television | A device for seeing into the past. | Harl Vincent (1932) | eng | |
Time-Telespectroscope. | See other time-travelers. | Ray Cummings (1931) | eng | |
Tiny Atomic-Power Drive Unit - compact power of the atom | A very small power generator that is atomic powered. | John W. Campbell (1938) | eng | |
Tiny Nuclear Generator | A complete nuclear-based generator of power no bigger than a walnut. | Isaac Asimov (1952) | eng | |
Traction City Gut | The area of a Traction City used for taking apart and consuming captured prey cities. | Philip Reeve (2003) | eng | |
Transmit Camera | A camera that both takes pictures and uploads it directly to a news station. | H. Beam Piper (1961) | eng | |
Trans-Oceanic Rocket Ship | Rocket-propelled airplanes making short work of long trips on Earth. | Max Valier (1930) | eng | |
Trantor - planet city | A city that covers the entire surface of the planet. | Isaac Asimov (1951) | eng | |
Trimagniscope - see inside any object | A device that produced a usable cross-sectional image of any part of an object. | James P. Hogan (1977) | eng | |
Trion Library | An early visualization of the Internet. | Stanislaw Lem (1955) | eng | |
Ultra-Light | Allows the user to see into rock or other solid matter. | Harry Harrison (1951) | eng | |
Ultra-microrobot - small as an insect | A nanomachine; a machine whose parts are no bigger than atoms. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1937) | eng | |
Ultra-Vibrator | Transports objects into another dimension through intense vibration. | Maurice Duclos (1939) | eng | |
Undersea City | A great city under the sea, covered by a crystal dome. | Andre Laurie (1895) | eng | |
Undersea Mining | Conducting mining operations on the sea floor. | Jules Verne (1875) | eng | |
Uranatomic | An atomic pile that generates electricity. | Jack Williamson (1941) | eng | |
Vanwinkling | Another name for time-traveling into the future. | L. Sprague de Camp (1941) | eng | |
Vaporator | A device which extracted moisture from the air for use in farming. | George Lucas (1976) | eng | |
Vibratium Wall Time Machine | An element that is unstable in time makes time travel possible and enables the Grandfather Paradox. | Nat Schachner (1933) | eng | |
Violet Shrink Ray | A miniaturization ray. | Jack Williamson (1932) | eng | |
Virtual Immortality | A method for storing the mind and memories of a person, and recalling and reconstituting them at will. | Arthur C. Clarke (1956) | eng | |
Voice-Activated Door - come in | A door that opens upon verbal command. | Kendall Foster Crossen (1953) | eng | |
Voice-Clock | A clock that could state the time out loud. | Ray Bradbury (1950) | eng | |
Waldo - the origin of telefactoring | A telefactoring device; also known as the Waldo F. Jones Synchronous Reduplicating Pantograph. | Robert Heinlein (1942) | eng | |
Wall-Light | The walls of a room provide illumination. | Isaac Asimov (1952) | eng | |
Water Repellent Surface - non-wetting surface | A surface that water flows over without sticking at all. | Frank Herbert (1965) | eng | |
Waveform Hypothesis - | J. Frederick Arment (2004) | eng | ||
Weather Integrator - every day perfect | An entire technology for controlling the weather. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | eng | |
Weather Machine | A device for controlling the weather. | Nat Schachner (1932) | eng | |
Weather Pod - self-contained meteorology lab | Imperial technology available to planetologists only. | Brian Herbert (2001) | eng | |
Weightless Work Area - the ideal workbench | A small workspace within which there is no gravitational pull. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | eng | |
Wholographik | Hologram-style picture. | John Brunner (1968) | eng | |
Wildcode | A vast, actual desert comprised of nanites, nanomachines. | Hannu Rajaniemi (2012) | eng | |
Windmill Mast | Enclosed machinery in large masts powers ships. | John Jacob Astor IV (1894) | eng | |
Windtrap - pure water source | A device which precipitates water from the air for use by people. | Frank Herbert (1965) | eng | |
Win-Reducing Gambling Circuit - very sneaky | Circuitry in a game that detects winning strategies and then alters the game to make winning more difficult. | Philip K. Dick (1967) | eng | |
Worldcraft Bubble | An incredibly detailed mechanical simulation of a world. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | eng | |
Wrist Search Display | A wearable device that uses its own search beam to view scenes close by. | Harry Bates (1934) | eng | |
Zero-Time Jail - no time off for good behavior | A building in which an energy field prevents time from passing. | Larry Niven (1976) | eng | |
Zoo Fences - made of acid | Caustic water moat | Frank Herbert (1977) | eng | |
Airpolo | Polo played in mid-air with special aircraft and helium-filled balls. | Leo Zagat (1943) | entertainment | |
Analogue - devolution through chemistry | A combination of a drug and a particular mental state allow a person to devolve to an animal level of their choice. | Alfred Bester (1956) | entertainment | |
Antigravity Globe Arena | A spherical arena for wrestling. | Samuel R. Delany (1966) | entertainment | |
Dashboard TV | A television placed in the dashboard of your car or similar vehicle. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | entertainment | |
Dimensino - alien entertainment center | An alien entertainment center that provides the ultimate in immersive experience. | Clifford Simak (1961) | entertainment | |
Dream Park - theme park ancestor | A vacation theme park in which the visitors participated fully in the different environments. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (1981) | entertainment | |
Droud - wire your pleasure center | A transformer to step down house current for the wire providing current directly to the pleasure center of the brain. | Larry Niven (1969) | entertainment | |
Empathy Box - TV for your emotional brain | A device which allows a group of people to empathize with a single person (like television lets many people view the same broadcast). | Philip K. Dick (1964) | entertainment | |
Feelies (Feely) | Device adds the tactile element to entertainment. | Aldous Huxley (1932) | entertainment | |
Gravity Whip - zero g on a budget | A roller coaster designe to provide riders with a 'zero G' experience. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (1981) | entertainment | |
Jumble-Box | A device that jumbles sensory input. | Roger Zelazny (1980) | entertainment | |
Life Chamber | A machine-mediated, fully immersive experiential environment. | G. Peyton Wertenbaker (1929) | entertainment | |
Light-Sculpture | A creative work that was both sculpture and light. | Isaac Asimov (1973) | entertainment | |
Nipple-Assist | A multi-purpose electronic device worn upon the nipple. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | entertainment | |
Nullboxing Bubble | The 'ring' used for a sport played out in free fall; essentially kickboxing in space. | Steven Barnes (1983) | entertainment | |
Peeper - unlock your inner dreams | A device that unlocked the dreams and fantasies inherent in the user's brain. | Clifford Simak (1957) | entertainment | |
Rifle Range (Virtual Shooting Range) - virtual skeet shooting designed by aliens | Virtual skeet shooting gallery with clay pigeon traps created by aliens. | Clifford Simak (1963) | entertainment | |
Saga - very early virtual reality reference | You become a part of the great adventures of history. | Arthur C. Clarke (1956) | entertainment | |
Sceneshifter | An automated display device that produced random pictorial presentations. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | entertainment | |
Semuta - eerie music | A combination of a specific drug and music, which penetrated to the deepest levels of consciousness. | Frank Herbert (1965) | entertainment | |
SimStim - playback your internal experience | Stimulation of the brain and nervous system of one person using a recording (or live broadcast) of another person's experience. | William Gibson (1984) | entertainment | |
Sky-Bike | A human-powered floating bicycle built for use in lunar sports. | Arthur C. Clarke (w/Pohl) (2008) | entertainment | |
Storer-Gulls Wings - recreation for lunar colonists | Recreational aid for lunar colonists; lightweight wings for cave flying. | Robert Heinlein (1957) | entertainment | |
Tasp - right where you live | A device that induces a current in the pleasure center of the brain, at a distance. | Larry Niven (1970) | entertainment | |
Twist-Box - hack your own reality | A device that scrambles your sensory input, providing you with a different kind of experience. | Rudy Rucker (1988) | entertainment | |
Virtual Keyboard | A keyboard that appears at the right moment in game play. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | entertainment | |
Virtual Reality Video Game - very early description | A description of a computer game simulation played in real time as entertainment. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | entertainment | |
Visi-Sonor - emotional brain multi-media | An entertainment device which appeared to create both sound and light by acting directly on brain cells. It also stimulated emotions directly. | Isaac Asimov (1952) | entertainment | |
XV Wedge - let me entertain you | A piece of entertainment that consists of edited real experience. | John Barnes (1994) | entertainment | |
Dental Switchboard - tongue switching | A control device tied in with teeth and nerve endings. | Alfred Bester (1956) | input | |
Direct Interface - cut NaturallySpeaking out of the loop | A form of computer interface that inputs text into a computer by thinking. | John Varley (1992) | input | |
Emblok - MP3 player for memories | A device that imparts memories into the regrown brain, just like uploading content into a computer's random access memory. | John Barnes (1998) | input | |
GPS Sunglasses - you are here | Sunglasses that contain both global positioning system components and cell phone services. | William Gibson (1999) | input | |
Handwriter - tattoo as output device | A text input device implanted in your skin. | John Varley (1992) | input | |
Motion Capture Suit - lifetime motion capture | 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. | William Gibson (1999) | input | |
Psypyx - will your memories wind up on Kazaa? | A way of gathering and recording mental impressions. | John Barnes (1998) | input | |
Subvocal Input Device - under your breath | Attached sensors read nerve signals to determine what the user will say next. | David Brin (1990) | input | |
Aeromuse Pillow | A pillow that doubles as a music player. | Alan Dean Foster (2010) | lifestyle | |
Air Blast - the first air dryer | An air dryer for personal use. | Robert Heinlein (1940) | lifestyle | |
Airchair | A floating armchair. | Ann K. Schwader (1988) | lifestyle | |
Antiholo Generator | Dispels intrusive hologram advertisements. | John Varley (1977) | lifestyle | |
Automated Wake-Up Call - the hotel wakes you up | A device that provides automated wake-up calls. | Jack Vance (1952) | lifestyle | |
Bedog - a comfy canine | A sentient creature designed to be a bed. | Frank Herbert (1977) | lifestyle | |
Boosterspice - anti geriatric drug | A substance that extends human life almost indefinitely. | Larry Niven (1980) | lifestyle | |
Bubblehead - big-head brainiacs | A person who as undergone E therapy, and achieved the frontal lobe of their dreams. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | lifestyle | |
Capillotomer | An automatic shaving machine | Robert Heinlein (1942) | lifestyle | |
Cellphone Credit Card - mobile phone wallet | Cellphone that can act as a credit card. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | lifestyle | |
Chairdog - the ultimate ergonomic chair | A chair that is alive and partly sentient; it shapes itself to the person sitting in it. | Frank Herbert (1964) | lifestyle | |
Coffiest - coffee plus | It's coffee that you can't live without. | Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952) | lifestyle | |
Commuter Cooling Unit - portable air conditioning | A portable air conditioner for commuters. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | lifestyle | |
Credit Card - why carry cash? | A simple card that is used in place of money | Edward Bellamy (1888) | lifestyle | |
Credit Wake - credit card transaction blog | The electronic trail of our transactions across the Net. | Dan Simmons (1989) | lifestyle | |
Dentata - anti-rape device worn internally | An anti-rape device. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | lifestyle | |
Depilatory Soap | A labor-saving combination of soap and a agent that removes hair. | Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952) | lifestyle | |
Dermal Spray | A color coating for the skin, applied as a jet of vapor. | Philip K. Dick (1960) | lifestyle | |
Dermal-Mist Spray | Very refreshing for suburbanites. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | lifestyle | |
Diptray | A hovering tray of drinks, used for parties. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | lifestyle | |
Drinking Bulb - best drinking container | A small container, used for drinks. | Larry Niven (1966) | lifestyle | |
Dustplug - cover your Microsoft slot | A cover specially made to protect one's microsoft socket; a tongue retainer for your brain. | William Gibson (1986) | lifestyle | |
Eloi - long lifers | People who have undergone treatments to extend their lives. | Greg Bear (1990) | lifestyle | |
External Eyelenses - make a spectacle of yourself | Way retro means of correcting vision problems in human beings. | Richard Morgan (2003) | lifestyle | |
Finger Watch - the original | A ring that contains a working timepiece and a display. | H.B. Fyfe (1951) | lifestyle | |
Floating Booths | Comfortable bar booths that float around and come together for conversation. | Larry Niven (1967) | lifestyle | |
Free-fall Couch | Furniture that achieves the comfort of free-fall, the weightless condition normally achieved only in space. | Dan Simmons (1989) | lifestyle | |
Fresher - refreshing chamber | Short for "refreshing chamber,", it is the future of personal hygiene technology. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | lifestyle | |
'Fresher | Short for 'refreshing chamber', a device that performs various personal services. | Robert Heinlein (1949) | lifestyle | |
Glowglobe - the original track lighting | Floating spherical light bulb with organic energy source. | Frank Herbert (1965) | lifestyle | |
Glow-Worm Living | Alternated work, play and slumber without long periods of sleep. | George Parsons Lathrop (1897) | lifestyle | |
Gnome - built into life support | A person who requires so much life support, they are built into the chair. | John Varley (1983) | lifestyle | |
Golden Lights - track lighting without the track | Another unusual use of the suspensor field; lights are suspended in it. | Frank Herbert (1965) | lifestyle | |
Grass Carpet | An indoor home or office floor covering - living grass. | Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1959) | lifestyle | |
Hanky Bush - use the white leaves | A plant with leaves grown to resemble common, multipurpose tissues. | Thomas A. Easton (1990) | lifestyle | |
Hydropathic bed - better than a waterbed | A heated bed that used something more comfortable than water. | Alfred Bester (1952) | lifestyle | |
Implanted Credit Card - wherever you want it to be | A credit card system that could be surgically implanted; uses radio frequency identification to communicate with checkout hardware. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | lifestyle | |
Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses | Sunglasses that darken at the sight of danger. | Douglas Adams (1979) | lifestyle | |
Kitchen Korner - smarty fridge | Just exactly what futurists say you're going to get, like or not, in a refrigerator. | William Gibson (1996) | lifestyle | |
Life Recorder - records your life automatically | Record the details of your life. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | lifestyle | |
Live Carpet - sensor fibers are self-cleaning | A carpet made of living fibers; the backing is a digestive system. | Greg Bear (1990) | lifestyle | |
Living Grass Carpet - not AstroTurf | An indoor area covered with grass, in the manner of a carpet. | Robert Heinlein (1961) | lifestyle | |
Low-Gravity Velodrome | A bicycle track in an orbital resort. | William Gibson (1984) | lifestyle | |
Lucid Dreamer - it's a dream machine | A machine that guarantees productive REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, and therefore dreams. | Peter Watts (1999) | lifestyle | |
Magnetic Levitating Bed | A bed that hovers above the floor, with no visible means of suport. | William Gibson (2007) | lifestyle | |
Mall (Great City Bazaar) - Wal-Mart foreseen | An aggregation of shops under one roof. | Edward Bellamy (1888) | lifestyle | |
Manual Closet - old-style storage | An old-fashioned storage room for clothing, which required the user to place and organize articles of apparel by hand. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | lifestyle | |
Mattress Sleep Sensor - foolproof anti-sleep | Sleep problems? Make sure you get your body out of bed each day. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (1981) | lifestyle | |
Microwave Beamer | A hand-held fast cooking device. | Larry Niven (1985) | lifestyle | |
Mirrorshades - Surgically Inset Glasses - why buy expensive frames? | Glasses that were implanted in the face of the wearer. | William Gibson (1984) | lifestyle | |
Moddy - no personality? No problem! | A plug-in personality module; a firmware device that gives the user the personality desired - ROM to your brain's RAM. | George Alec Effinger (1987) | lifestyle | |
Moon Moth - a plain and timid mask | A rather plain and timid mask. | Jack Vance (1976) | lifestyle | |
Napcap Capsule - snooze at will | A handy refuge for travelers in busy terminals; a sleep aid when you really need one. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (2000) | lifestyle | |
Napcap Induction Cap - get a good night's sleep | A device that aids sleep and relaxation by working with the subject's brain waves. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (2000) | lifestyle | |
Neck Radio | Commercial radio from an implanted device. | Philip K. Dick (1970) | lifestyle | |
Odalarm - aromatherapy wake-up call | An alarm clock that awakens the sleeper with a selected odor. | Frank Herbert (1977) | lifestyle | |
Olfactory Wakeup Call - wakey wakey eggs and bakey | An alarm clock that works by wafting scents your way. | Richard Morgan (2003) | lifestyle | |
Online Job Search - via cellphone | Networked assets allow ordinary people to search through nationwide job listings upon providing a short set of qualifications. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | lifestyle | |
Perky Pat Layout - playset for grownups | A very special playset into which adults could project their very being. | Philip K. Dick (1963) | lifestyle | |
Plastex - self-healing material | A combination of plaster and latex, it allows houses to change shape for you. | J.G. Ballard (1962) | lifestyle | |
Plastirobe - variations in opacity | A dress that varies in opacity by distance. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | lifestyle | |
Poppins - Julie Andrews android | An android body imprinted with the personality of a Master Nanny. | David Brin (2002) | lifestyle | |
Radioactive Coding for Checks | Special coding system to easily recognize checks. | Robert Heinlein (1956) | lifestyle | |
Reading Machine - read while reclining | A projector which showed text on a screen or the ceiling for easy reading. | Robert Heinlein (1961) | lifestyle | |
Refreshing Chamber | Replaces the bathroom in the future history of Robert Heinlein. | Robert Heinlein (1940) | lifestyle | |
Remote-Cast Snooper | A small, easily concealed poison snooper. | Frank Herbert (1965) | lifestyle | |
Resting Pits | Larry Niven (1985) | lifestyle | ||
Selected Melanin Boosting - designer tan | The only way to get a designer tan. | William Gibson (1984) | lifestyle | |
Self-Adjusting Furniture | Automatic adjustment for a perfect fit. | Clifford Simak (1951) | lifestyle | |
Self-Igniter | A self-lighting cigarette. | Jack Vance (1949) | lifestyle | |
Self-Lighting Cigarette | A cigarette with a matchhead built in. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | lifestyle | |
Self-Satisfied Door - aaaahh! | A door that is much more satisfied with its functionality than it has any right to be. | Douglas Adams (1979) | lifestyle | |
Self-Service Cafeteria | Food on demand. | E.C. Tubb (1958) | lifestyle | |
Simicolor | Artificial coloring for the body. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | lifestyle | |
Sleeping Plates - null gravity as a sleep aid | A pair of plates that nullify gravity for the being(s) sleeping between them. Is null gravity the answer to your sleep problems? | Larry Niven (1966) | lifestyle | |
Snake Contact Lens - get that reptilian look | A pair of contact lenses designed to make you appear to have slit pupils, like a snake's. | William Gibson (1999) | lifestyle | |
Soot-Extractor Nostril Plugs (Antisoot Plugs) - breathe easier | A small device worn to filter industrial pollutants out of breathing air. | Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952) | lifestyle | |
Steel Drugs - in a tank | A name for recreational chemicals that were entirely synthetic. | Bruce Sterling (1988) | lifestyle | |
Stimic - instrument for cool disapproval | A musical instrument consisting of three flutelike tubes equipped with plungers; thumb and forefinger squeeze a bag to force air across the mouthpieces. | Jack Vance (1976) | lifestyle | |
Suit Designer | William Gibson (1988) | lifestyle | ||
Sunshades - a transition | Sunglasses that darken and lighten based on ambient lighting. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | lifestyle | |
Suspensor Chair - ultimate office chair | A chair that suspends itself above the floor. | Frank Herbert (1965) | lifestyle | |
Suspensor Lamp - descendant of the lava lamp | A lamp that will float in mid-air, and will stay where you put it. | Frank Herbert (1965) | lifestyle | |
Syrup Sac - kind of like those gravity flow beer hats | A device used to provide an efficient source of nutrition to Meks, servants of the aristocrats of Earth. | Jack Vance (1967) | lifestyle | |
Telechronometer | A watch that synchronizes itself to a remote source. | Robert Heinlein (1940) | lifestyle | |
Towel - massively useful | A simple scrap of cloth with surprisingly many uses. | Douglas Adams (1979) | lifestyle | |
Truffle Skins - genetically unique money | Genetically unique skins are the common currency; their special genetic makeup makes forgery impossible. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | lifestyle | |
Universal Card - every planet you want to be | A device that mimics every credit card and identification card you possess. | Dan Simmons (1989) | lifestyle | |
Visual Ad | An advertisement that forces its way directly into the brain of the viewer. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | lifestyle | |
VR Dyslexia - take those glasses off! | Severe disorientation brought about by excessive use of virtual reality equipment. | Alexander Besher (1994) | lifestyle | |
Watchphone | A combination cell phone and wrist watch. | Bruce Sterling (1988) | lifestyle | |
Waterbed (Hydraulic Bed) - a waterbed | A bed that uses water instead of springs and stuffing. | Robert Heinlein (1961) | lifestyle | |
Watercouch | A couch filled with water, rather than springs and cushions. | Frederik Pohl (1980) | lifestyle | |
Window-Willie - robot help for dirty windows | A robot that cleaned windows by electrostatic repulsion of dust and grime. | Robert Heinlein (1956) | lifestyle | |
Zag House | A means of implanting dreams. | Clifford Simak (1951) | lifestyle | |
Zero-G Ashtray | An ashtray designed for use on a space station. | Robert Heinlein (1942) | lifestyle | |
Adjustable House | A house with elastic walls and structural members, the shape of which can be changed. | Fritz Leiber (1943) | living | |
Automated Hotel Reservation | A hotel that did not use clerks; a self-service hotel. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | living | |
Bambakias Hotel - help it come into being | A hotel that wants to exist! It just needs a little help. | Bruce Sterling (1998) | living | |
Bioform House - pumpkin house | A house grown from a bioengineered plant. | Thomas A. Easton (1990) | living | |
Boomer Park - where we're going | Where the baby boomers all went to retire and die. | Bart Kosko (1987) | living | |
Bubble City | Underwater domes provide living space for large communities. | Roger Zelazny (1976) | living | |
Burbclave - autonomous suburban enclave | Contraction of suburban enclave; an extension of today's gated communities. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | living | |
Caliban Beachball - home to the stars | Dwelling place for unusual lifeform who make jumpdoors possible. | Frank Herbert (1969) | living | |
Circumlunar - home with lunar views | A large space habitat orbiting the moon. | Bruce Sterling (1985) | living | |
Clave - a suburban enclave | Short for enclave (see also burbclave - autonomous suburban enclave) | Neal Stephenson (1995) | living | |
Coffin Rack Capsule Hotel | A hotel with very (very!) small rooms. | William Gibson (1984) | living | |
Computer-Controlled House | A residence that is an autonomous robotic system. | Ray Bradbury (1950) | living | |
Concrete Boxes - U-Stor-U | Self storage for your body - living space designed for people who spend most of their time ignoring their surroundings anyway. | John Barnes (1998) | living | |
Cubic City | A city contained in a single, immense building. | Louis Tucker, D.D. (1929) | living | |
Dark Vapor Bubble | A kind of field that keeps an alien base provided with an atmosphere. | H.G. Wells (1936) | living | |
Doorseal - retain moisture | A portable plastic seal used in temporary camps to keep moisture from escaping from dwelling places. | Frank Herbert (1965) | living | |
Float-home - living houseboat | Living entity genetically designed for use as a houseboat. | Frank Herbert (1969) | living | |
Floating Building | An apartment building that floats a few feet off the ground. | Philip K. Dick (1974) | living | |
Floating Castle | A vast building floating freely above the land surface of Ringworld. | Larry Niven (1970) | living | |
Floating Island - living space | Large artificial islands floating on Earth's seas. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (2000) | living | |
Floating Villa | An artificial island several acres in extent. | Edmond Hamilton (1940) | living | |
Freezone - artificial island community | A vast floating island in international waters. | John Shirley (1985) | living | |
Gauzy - a tent whose fabric is one molecule thick. | A feather-light tent, made of a fabric just one molecule thick. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | living | |
Graluz - breeding pond for frog people | A contained, concealed breeding pond for the frog-like Gowachin. | Frank Herbert (1977) | living | |
Handicloset - self-organizing | A self-organizing closet | Philip K. Dick (1965) | living | |
Happylife Home - visit to The Veldt | An automated multi-media home, which provided the good life to its inhabitants. | Ray Bradbury (1951) | living | |
Hotello | A portable room within a room. | Kim Stanley Robinson (2017) | living | |
House Trees - ultimate tree houses | Living trees grown as houses; large hollow pods serve as living spaces. | Jack Vance (1954) | living | |
King's Free Park - a long narrow park | A park in which anarchy reigned; a very long, narrow park. | Larry Niven (1972) | living | |
Knockdown Cabin - portable shelter | A portable shelter; had solid walls and could be assembled quickly. | Robert Heinlein (1940) | living | |
Laputa - a floating island | A floating island or rock in the air. | Jonathan Swift (1726) | living | |
Lifezone - biosphere | An enclosed biosphere; a pod-like greenhouse attached to a space-going vessel. | Gregory Benford (1989) | living | |
Machine Apartment | Each person lives isolated in their own room, supported by a vast planetary machine. | E.M. Forster (1909) | living | |
Machine City | A city that is a self-maintaining whole entity. | John W. Campbell (1934) | living | |
Micro-Bachelor - downscale apartment | A small apartment carved out of an abandoned structure. | William Gibson (1996) | living | |
Multi-function Living Room - extrude from the wall | A small living space with a variety of functions built-in. | Larry Niven (1969) | living | |
Multispecies Hotel | A hotel set up to serve beings from different planets. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1938) | living | |
Nanotech Buildings - built with fibers | Enormous buildings built with nanotech fibers. | William Gibson (1996) | living | |
No-Globe | A large spherical living space that is concealed by special Ixian technology, making it impossible to detect by any known probe. | Frank Herbert (1984) | living | |
Orbiting Penal Colony - Alcatraz in orbit | A prison placed in orbit (better than Alcatraz). | William Shatner (1989) | living | |
Paid Avoidance Zone - primitive on purpose | An area where the inhabitants agree, for a government-paid fee, to live without sophisticated services. | John Brunner (1975) | living | |
Pent House | An island in the sky - a hermetically sealed skyscraper isolated entirely from its surroundings. | David H. Keller (1932) | living | |
Pocket Dome - handy space tent | Handy easy-to-set-up shelter. | Jack McDevitt (2002) | living | |
Pod-Chair | A living chair, grown by the Iszc to perform its function. | Jack Vance (1954) | living | |
Polarized Window | Rather than curtains, use the window to control the light. | Jack Vance (1954) | living | |
Polawindow - change lighting instantly | A window-sized polarizer filter that allows changes in light intensity and color. | Frank Herbert (1972) | living | |
Power Stilts - lift your house | Platforms that push inundated cities ever higher. | Alan Dean Foster (2010) | living | |
Pressurized Penthouse | A stratospheric perch - if buildings are tall enough, you'll need this. | Fritz Leiber (1958) | living | |
Psychotropic House | Buildings designed to sense, and mirror, the psychological state of their owners. | J.G. Ballard (1962) | living | |
Ringworld - sun-girdling artifact | A 50 foot thick ribbon of matter around a star, a million miles across and as long as Earth's orbital circumference. | Larry Niven (1970) | living | |
Robotnik Automated Hotel - no human interaction | A fully-automated hotel; no human interaction required. | Harry Harrison (1970) | living | |
Rotating House - turn the salon | A single family home built upon a central pivot; it can be turned at will. | Frank Herbert (1972) | living | |
Scout-Base | Artificial sphere functions as a frontier outpost. | Eric Frank Russell (1955) | living | |
Selectacol - automating interior design | A device that automates the interior design process, providing a choice of color schemes for a roomful of furniture. | Frank Herbert (1972) | living | |
Self-Healing Building - building materials | A building that responds to stresses or cracks in walls by healing the damaged portion. | J.G. Ballard (1962) | living | |
Self-Powered Broom | A broom for use in small apartments that cleans under its own power. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | living | |
Self-Sufficient House | A single family residence that required no surrounding infrastructure. | Arthur C. Clarke (1953) | living | |
Sentient Room - not the Radisson | A room constructed entirely of flesh, dominated by the personality of a geisha. | Bruce Sterling (1985) | living | |
Sietch | A cave warren designed to protect a tribal community, with a population of thousands, with its own water supply in an endless desert. | Frank Herbert (1965) | living | |
Sleep Tube | A short, cylindrical living space. | James Patrick Kelly (1985) | living | |
Smart Wallpaper - see who you are | Wallpaper that can sense your mood and provide an appropriate color scheme. | Margaret Atwood (2003) | living | |
Solar-powered Prefab House | A pre-built house that can live off the grid. | Clifford Simak (1952) | living | |
Static House - frozen personality | A house that was once fully psychotropic and malleable, but which had been frozen in one configuration. | J.G. Ballard (1962) | living | |
Stealth House - toxic dwellings | A home that is entirely sealed, leading to toxic buildup. | William Gibson (1993) | living | |
Steam-Propelled Moving Houses | Otherwise ordinary residences that move from place to place, powered by steam. | Jane Webb Loudon (1828) | living | |
Stilltent - a tent that distills water | A small, sealable enclosure which reclaimed moisture from the breath of occupants. | Frank Herbert (1965) | living | |
Superscraper | Buildings that are hundreds of stories tall. | Kim Stanley Robinson (2017) | living | |
Swimming Tubes - water-filled for frog people | Used to connect buildings for use by amphibious species. | Frank Herbert (1977) | living | |
Temporary Quarters - interior tents | Device used to separate a large interior space in an off-planet satellite into various living spaces. | William Gibson (1984) | living | |
Terrafoam Dorm Building | Maximum people in minimum space. | Marshall Brain (2002) | living | |
Terraforming - remake a planet | The process of modifying a planetary surface to resemble those of an ideal earth; affects the entire biosphere. | Jack Williamson (1942) | living | |
Todos Santos Independency - maximize your green space | A city enclosed in a single building. | Jerry Pournelle (w/L. Niven) (1981) | living | |
Toll Door - pay for entry | An apartment door that operates on a cash-only basis. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | living | |
Tower of Glass - SETI architecture | An enormous glass tower built to communicate outside the solar system. | Robert Silverberg (1970) | living | |
Town In One Building - like an arcology | This is the basic idea behind an arcology, or other single structure that is intended to provide living space and mall. | H.G. Wells (1899) | living | |
Traction City - not cities in flight | Cities re-engineered as enormous, lumbering machines. | Philip Reeve (2003) | living | |
Tube Rack | A hotel consisting of a set of stacked tube-like living spaces. | James Patrick Kelly (1985) | living | |
U-Stor-It - go store yourself | A storage unit converted for use as an apartment. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | living | |
Automated Factories | Manufacturing facilities that do not require human workers. | Poul Anderson (1957) | manufacturing | |
Automatic Factory | Manufacturing facility that functions entirely autonomously. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | manufacturing | |
Automatized Factory | A factory consisting of machines with imposed human abilities. | Frederik Pohl (1955) | manufacturing | |
Biltong Life Form | Remarkable organic manufacturing aliens, probably indigenous to the Centaurus system. | Philip K. Dick (1956) | manufacturing | |
Cutteray - mining laser | A laser used in a range of tools - including mining equipment. | Frank Herbert (1965) | manufacturing | |
Deposition (3D Printing) | A method for creating any object, molecule by molecule. | James P. Hogan (1978) | manufacturing | |
Device Replication | Manufacturing devices from a template to save space on space craft. | Robert Silverberg (1969) | manufacturing | |
Distributed Assembly Plant | Bringing parts together for assembly in a crowd anonymously. | Daniel Suarez (2006) | manufacturing | |
Inert Resin - resinous coatings | A special coating that eliminates maintenance on marine structures. | Bruce Sterling (1988) | manufacturing | |
Instant Customized Clothing - mass customization | A machine that produced a selected item of clothing, on the spot, based on customer demand. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | manufacturing | |
Martian Print Amoeba - unicellular organism | An organism able to mimic consumer goods. | Philip K. Dick (1966) | manufacturing | |
Matter Compiler - stereolithography on steroids | A device that builds the desired article (such as a dress) atom by atom according to a specified design. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | manufacturing | |
Nanofax - fax 3D objects, not flat ones | Send a copy of a three-dimensional object to a distant place. | William Gibson (1999) | manufacturing | |
Orbital Factory | Putting manufacturing in space, orbiting the planet. | Jerry Pournelle (1976) | manufacturing | |
Orbiting Factories | Manufacturing centers in orbit around the Earth. | Arthur C. Clarke (1978) | manufacturing | |
Panatrope - mutation for survival | A device that modifies human dna to ensure survival in harsh alien environments. | James Blish (1952) | manufacturing | |
Perpetual Train | A vast machine that lays its own tracks as it moves forward. | China Mieville (2004) | manufacturing | |
Plastic Constructor (3D Printer) | A 3D printer - for spaceships. | Murray Leinster (1945) | manufacturing | |
Product Prescription | A file that can be used to reproduce an object. | Stanislaw Lem (1955) | manufacturing | |
Puddinged | A poorly formed 3D printed copy, with an interior that was a mass of malformed material. | Philip K. Dick (1956) | manufacturing | |
Service Drones - flying fix-it bot | Small flying construction and repair robots. | James P. Hogan (1979) | manufacturing | |
Unattended Factory | A factory that works entirely automatically, without human guidance. | Otfrid von Hanstein (1935) | manufacturing | |
Vehicle Seeds | A matrix of materials and instructions that allow vehicles to grow themselves when placed in an environment of plentiful materials. | Greg Bear (2015) | manufacturing | |
1D Diamond Crystal - might be a carbon fullerene molecule | A continuous pseudo-one dimensional diamond crystal- maybe a nanotube? | Arthur C. Clarke (1978) | material | |
Absolute Black - so dark, you can't see it | A material so absolutely black that it absorbed all incident light. | Douglas Adams (1980) | material | |
Aladur | High tensile strength, lightweight material. | Leo Zagat (1943) | material | |
Alohydrolium | The lightest metal. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | material | |
Antithermal Shield | A material that protected against climate warming. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | material | |
Antron | A single particle of antimatter - an antiproton. | John D. Clark, Ph.D (1937) | material | |
Artificial Transparent Element - see through it | A substance as strong as metal that you can see through. | Olaf Stapledon (1930) | material | |
Asteroid-Metal - raw materials from space | Metal mined from asteroids. | E.C. Tubb (1958) | material | |
Biological Circuit Fabrication | Creating an electronic circuit using biologically-based means. | Author Unknown (1984) | material | |
Black Coating - very early reference | A material that absorbs practically all incident light. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1942) | material | |
Bolognium | Very early fictional element, courtesy of metallurgists. | Edgar Bain (1926) | material | |
Bulerite | A building material, too good to be true, with hidden properties. | George Zebrowski (1979) | material | |
Cataclysmite - high explosive | A high explosive. | H. Beam Piper (1962) | material | |
Chlorophane | Similar to chlorophyll but synthetic and far more efficient. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1961) | material | |
Contraterrene Matter (Antimatter) | Contraterrene (CT) Matter (sometimes abbreviated "Seetee"). | Jack Williamson (1942) | material | |
Coronium Ore | A radiolite substance to revolutionize industry. | Clyde Wilson (1938) | material | |
Corrosite Gas | A highly corrosive gas. | William Callahan (1939) | material | |
Dumb Matter | Ordinary matter, with no nano-value added. | Charles Stross (2005) | material | |
Durachrome | Very hard alloy for tanks. | Keith Laumer (2002) | material | |
Durasteel | More durable than steel? | Leo Zagat (1943) | material | |
Durite | Super-strong material used to counter reaction-blasts. | Robert Heinlein (1939) | material | |
Eadhamite | Synthetic material that creates extremely smooth roads. | H.G. Wells (1899) | material | |
Fanmetal - build temporary shelters | High tensile strength material; used in collapsible structures opened by "fanning" them out. | Frank Herbert (1965) | material | |
Flickercladding - light emission and absorption | A covering that allowed robots to absorb incident light or emit light, as needed. | Rudy Rucker (1988) | material | |
Fuligin | A material the color of which is blacker than black. | Gene Wolfe (1980) | material | |
Glassite | A transparent material of great strength. | Ray Cummings (1930) | material | |
Goat/Spider Silk | High tensile strength fibers from - goats. | Margaret Atwood (2003) | material | |
Graffiti-Eating Finish - never wash those walls again | A wall covering that maintained itself, eating any graffiti placed on it. | William Gibson (1999) | material | |
Gravity-Polarized Explosive (TDX) | A chemical explosive that acts at an angle to the local gravitational field. | James Blish (1957) | material | |
Gundarium | A very sturdy, high-tensile composite. | Yoshiyuki Tomino (1979) | material | |
Harbenite | Ultralight metal. | Edgar Rice Burroughs (1929) | material | |
Helio-Beryllium | Unusual alloy combines a metal and a gas. | Robert H. Wilson (1931) | material | |
Helium Metal | An ore with the spectroscopic line of Helium. | George Parsons Lathrop (1897) | material | |
Herculoy | A very strong alloy like steel. | Jack Vance (1949) | material | |
Husk of an Atom | A negative universe substance. | Frank Belknap Long, Jr. (1936) | material | |
Hyperfilament | A very high tensile strength material structured as a long thin line or ribbon. | Arthur C. Clarke (1978) | material | |
Illyrion | Super-heavy and super-stable elements with atomic numbers greater than 296. | Samuel R. Delany (1968) | material | |
Impermite | A substance that is impervious to penetration. | Nat Schachner (1934) | material | |
Impervium - the way is shut | Unique material is impenetrable and indestructible. | Lawrence O'Donnell (1943) | material | |
Inertron - light but strong | Material with all the properties of heavier metals, but lighter. | Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) | material | |
Invulnerable Wall | A material created by insects that grew stronger as it was compressed. | Clifford Simak (1956) | material | |
Jovium | Rocket fuel catalyst that makes space travel commercially practical. | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | material | |
Karatand | A special glove made of impact-sensitive plastic. | John Brunner (1968) | material | |
Krimskell Fiber - better than zip strips | A "claw" fiber which will rubs against itself in such a way that, the tighter the rope is pulled, the stronger the knot becomes. | Frank Herbert (1965) | material | |
Leybyrdite - Perfect for space axes | Extremely tough crystalline metal. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1965) | material | |
Lithocule - building block | Tiny intelligent building blocks. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | material | |
Lunar Concrete | A building material using lunar dust or similar surface material as a main ingredient. | William Gibson (1988) | material | |
Lux | A bar of solidified light. | John W. Campbell (1930) | material | |
Luxobe Crystals | They give light. | J. Harvey Haggard (1936) | material | |
Magnalloy | A durable form of magnesium. | S.P. Meek (1930) | material | |
Matter Organizer | A device that could cause a computer-generated image to be constructed as a real object. | Arthur C. Clarke (1956) | material | |
Memory Plastic | Takes various shapes impressed into it on command. | Larry Niven (1969) | material | |
Mercy Gas | Breathe it and die. | Eric Frank Russell (1937) | material | |
Metal Paste | A conductive metal that could be easily squirted from a tube. | Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1974) | material | |
Metalite | Strong metal you can see through. | A.E. van Vogt (1939) | material | |
Metalloglass | A transparent "glass" made of metal. | Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) (1929) | material | |
Micro Label | A serial number or logo so small it can only be seen under extreme magnification. | Ridley Scott (1982) | material | |
Minus-Matter | Material that negates weight. | Aleksandr Bogdanov (1908) | material | |
Nearleather | Fake leather. | Ron Goulart (1970) | material | |
Negative Molecular Motion | A state of matter that has a temperature below absolute zero. | Alan E. Nourse (1951) | material | |
Neo-Crystal | Unbreakable transparent window material. | Clark Ashton Smith (1932) | material | |
Neutronic Dust | What's left over when you've annihilated matter. | Jack Williamson (1931) | material | |
Neutronic Shielding - monomolecular protection | Very high density monomolecular shielding | Alan Nourse (w/Meyer) (1958) | material | |
Neutronium - how dense is it | Extremely dense material. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1930) | material | |
Nickalum | An alloy of aluminum crystalized within a magnetic field for exceptional strength. | Arthur Bird (1899) | material | |
Nothing - just holes | A super-hard substance created by carefully removing material. | Theodore Sturgeon (1969) | material | |
Organic Superlubricant | Advanced lube that can "learn" how to be more effective. | Sid Meier (1999) | material | |
Paper Steel | Specially treated paper that forms material as hard as steel. | Jules Verne (1866) | material | |
Penetron | A synthetic substance that is opaque unless penetrated by infra-red. | Nat Schachner (1934) | material | |
Permalloy | Protects ships from the hazards of space. | Nelson S. Bond (1939) | material | |
Personal Smelter - make your own ingot | A device used to reduce metallic objects (like coins, pots, cables) to an ingot with known value. | John Brunner (1975) | material | |
Plani-Glass | Transparent and light and has the tensile strength of steel! | Nat Schachner (1937) | material | |
Plasteel - tough metal for tough times | Extremely tough form of steel, stabilized with stravidium fibers grown into its crystal. | Frank Herbert (1965) | material | |
Plasto-Textile | A fabric that cannot be stained. | Isaac Asimov (1951) | material | |
Protonite - for space exploration | Radioactive fuel for spacecraft. | Jack Williamson (1931) | material | |
PyrE - thought explosive | A thermonuclear explosive that is detonated by thought alone. | Alfred Bester (1956) | material | |
Quadraturin | Substance that creates more space when applied to walls, floors and ceilings. | Sigizmund Krzhizhanowsky (1925) | material | |
Quartzite Leak Foil | Special material for space dome leaks. | Leo Zagat (1932) | material | |
Resilian | A natural fiber that is as strong as steel. | Jack Vance (1949) | material | |
Ridulian Crystal Sheets | Exceptionally strong, surpassingly thin material. | Frank Herbert (1981) | material | |
Scrith - tensile strength | The material used to build Ringworld; has remarkable tensile strength | Larry Niven (1970) | material | |
Sealingsilk | Transparent and flexible material, even against hard vacuum in space. | Fritz Leiber (1961) | material | |
Self-Sealing Plastic | Transparent sheeting with a layer of material that would flow to staunch tiny leaks. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1951) | material | |
Semisentient Plastic | A durable coating that protects and preserves objects. | Stephen Baxter (1994) | material | |
Shadow Square Wire - hold shadow squares in position | Very fine, very light, very strong wire. | Larry Niven (1970) | material | |
Silk-Metal | A very tough fabric. | Manly Wade Wellman (1940) | material | |
Silksteel | Material that has high tensile strength as well as high flexibility. | Sid Meier (1999) | material | |
Sinclair Molecule Chain - one molecule thick | A monofilament fiber, used for strength. | Larry Niven (1968) | material | |
Slow Glass (Scenedow) - a scendow for your apartment | A window made of Bose-Einstein Condensate that slows light to a snail's pace. | Bob Shaw (1968) | material | |
Slow Glass Rod - light stopped | A transparent glass rod that makes light travel so slowly that it can trap light within its depths. | L. Sprague de Camp (1940) | material | |
Smart Tag - sneaky graffiti | A piece of graffiti, or a small sticker tag, that could survive being placed on walls designed to be self-cleaning. | William Gibson (1999) | material | |
Smother-Charge | Molecularly-gimmicked explosive. | Roger Zelazny (1976) | material | |
Sodaluminum | Lightweight and tough! | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | material | |
Sprayrock - tough when it hardens | Special compound that can be sprayed onto a surface, that hardens into rock. | Alastair Reynolds (2005) | material | |
Steelonium - very early reference | A remarkable kind of steel that did not rust or corrode. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | material | |
Superacid - smart acid | Smart acids that could be created to ignore particular compounds and dissolve others. | Bart Kosko (1987) | material | |
Super-Photon | Three photons in one. | John W. Campbell (1932) | material | |
Synthetic Spider Silk | Artificial fabric thread as strong as steel. | Robert Heinlein (1939) | material | |
Tensile Memory Polarized Matter | The same piece of material can take pre-determined shapes. | Samuel R. Delany (1966) | material | |
Thermalite | A transparent material that allows almost no heat to escape. | John W. Campbell (1939) | material | |
Thermatite | Pure energy fuel mined on asteroids. | Nat Schachner (1941) | material | |
Thermide | A chemical which, added to water, boiled and sterilized it instantly. | Stanley G. Weinbaum (1935) | material | |
Transparent Aluminum | Invisible light steel. | E. Edsel Newton (1929) | material | |
Transparent, Frictionless Coating - no stick before teflon | An absolutely frictionless, impenetrable coating. | Clifford Simak (1963) | material | |
Tree-Grown Wood | The natural product, obtained by cutting down a living tree. | Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952) | material | |
Twing - twine by NASA | 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. | Larry Niven (1973) | material | |
Ultron | Very handy material is invisible and non-reflective. | Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) | material | |
Ultron Wire | Invisible metal makes the thinnest, strongest wire. | Philip Frances Nowlan (1928) | material | |
Unobtainium | A humorous reference to a substance both rare and unlikely. | David Brin (1983) | material | |
Vitalium | A rare radioactive metal which enables solar power cells. | Jack Williamson (1931) | material | |
Vitrisheen | A translucent glass-like fashion choice. | J. Harvey Haggard (1936) | material | |
Advertising Airship | A dirigible capable of reproducing full-color video ads on its sides. | Ridley Scott (1982) | media | |
Airplane Window Ads - ads on clouds | An airplane window that allows you to - see advertisements! | Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952) | media | |
Atmospheric Advertising - write it on the clouds | A means of mass advertising to cities and countries. | Jules Verne (1889) | media | |
Creditor Jet-Balloon - bane of debtors | A small, hovering device that hounds debtors. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | media | |
Full-Motion Building Advertising Facade - a new life awaits | An advertising display that covers an entire skyscraper; it provides full-motion video to onlookers. | Ridley Scott (1982) | media | |
Homeostatic Newspaper - a homeopape | An autonomous news-gathering and publishing entity; abbreviated as homeopape. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | media | |
Homotropic News Vending Machine | An autonomous news-selling robot, that was able to specifically seek out human beings. | Philip K. Dick (1963) | media | |
Live News - prediction of newscasts | The modern concept of a news broadcast. | Jules Verne (1889) | media | |
Living Advertising Character - meet Mr. Presto | Modifying an ordinary person to create a living likeness of a company's brand symbol or character. | Alfred Bester (1956) | media | |
Mediaglyphic - animated symbols | Animated symbols to help those who haven't bothered to learn to read in a multimedia age. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | media | |
Minimic Film one micron thick recording medium | Very fine message medium. | Frank Herbert (1965) | media | |
Minority Report Ads (Biometric Personalized Ads) | Advertisements that speak directly to the consumer in public settings. | Steven Spielberg (2002) | media | |
Mobile Advertisements - airborne adverts | Advertisements presented in mid-air in public spaces. | Alan Dean Foster (2006) | media | |
News Roundup - better than Tivo | A device that presents brief story outlines, any of which can be chosen to find details. | Robert Heinlein (1942) | media | |
Newspad Electronic Newspaper | An electronic version of a newspaper. | Arthur C. Clarke (1968) | media | |
Padloid - National Enquirer on your tablet PC | A tawdry news publication on a PDA, or notepad, device. | John Varley (1992) | media | |
Permanent Skywriting | Non-wispy skywriting letters. | Alan Nelson (1953) | media | |
Personal Interest Profile (PIP) - invention of Google Alerts | A set of topics about which you would like to hear the latest news; known today as Google News Alerts. | Arthur C. Clarke (1978) | media | |
Personalized News | First reference to news that is customized to the needs of each individual subscriber. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | media | |
Projection Commercials - 3D advertisements | A three-dimensional advertisement that is placed in your path in a public place like a bar. | Alfred Bester (1974) | media | |
Projection Rig - envy of presenters | A portable holographic projector. | William Gibson (1988) | media | |
Recorded News - Tivo for radio in 1889 | This is the basic idea behind Tivo and VCRs. | Jules Verne (1889) | media | |
Reporting Machine | A robotic roving reporter. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | media | |
Speaker Chips - talking books | Integrated circuit chips placed in books; they could read the book and advertise it. | Greg Bear (2003) | media | |
Subliminal Billboards | Enormous outdoor billboards that are totally blank - or are they? | J.G. Ballard (1963) | media | |
Teleprinter | A device that printed out a copy of today's newspaper. | H. Beam Piper (1961) | media | |
Trode-Net - electrode webbing | William Gibson (1988) | media | ||
Vat Meat (Albert) - live shawarma | Meat grown in a vat. | James Schmitz (1951) | media | |
Video-Manicuring Program | Manipulates live video images in real time. | Bruce Sterling (1985) | media | |
Airmaker - breathe it | A device that creates a specific breathable mix directly from the atmosphere. | Larry Niven (1970) | medical | |
Alcodote | A compound that maintains sobriety while drinking. | H. Beam Piper (1962) | medical | |
Alpha Plus | Intervening in the physical development of humans can result in enhancements. | Aldous Huxley (1932) | medical | |
Anabolic Protoplaser | Uses laser light to repair wounds. | Theodore Cogswell (w/C. Spano) (1976) | medical | |
Anadrenalin | Has the opposite effect of adrenalin. | Donald Wandrei (1933) | medical | |
Analogue Treatment | Hypnotic drug treatment that normalizes behavior in humans. | Damon Knight (1952) | medical | |
Anti-agathic drugs | Drugs that indefinitely postpone death from old age. | James Blish (1957) | medical | |
Anti-Fatigue Pill | A pill that counteracts the effects of fatigue and lack of sleep. | Henri Dahl Juve (1929) | medical | |
Anti-Gerasone - drink and look younger | Cheap immortality comes to your neighborhood convenience store. | Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1954) | medical | |
Anti-Heptant | A compound that erases specific areas of the brain. | Jack Vance (1956) | medical | |
Anti-Onc Cream - cancer remedy | An ointment used to cure skin cancers. | David Brin (1990) | medical | |
Anti-Tri-D Shot | Counteracts the deadly pesticide Tri-D. | E.B. White (1950) | medical | |
Anti-Virus Design Software | Create a living space such that the spread of disease is less likely. | J.G. Ballard (2000) | medical | |
Art-Derm - spray-on skin | Artificial skin sprayed directly on the body. | Philip K. Dick (1960) | medical | |
Artificial eye - first use of this idea? | A surgically-implanted artificial eyeball. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1937) | medical | |
Artificial Eyes | Eyes that are the duplicate of what humans are born with, produced entirely artificially from elements. | Charles Cloukey (1930) | medical | |
Artificial Gravity-Assisted Childbirth | Using an artificial gravity field to assist (and accelerate) the process of childbirth. | Robert Heinlein (1973) | medical | |
Artificial Muscles - for cyborgs | Replacement for organic muscle tissue. | Martin Caidin (1972) | medical | |
Artificial Telepathy | Using technology to determine thoughts, and then translate it to speech that could be shared electronically. | Richard Meredith (1969) | medical | |
Artificial Womb | A room in which a human embryo waits for the necessary months as a fetus, preparing for birth (decanting). | Aldous Huxley (1932) | medical | |
Artificially Grown Organs | Human organs suitable for transplantation, grown outside the body. | Larry Niven (1968) | medical | |
Artiforg | An artificial organ kept 'on line' in the body. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | medical | |
Artif-Org - mechanical replacement organ | A mechanical version of a human organ. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | medical | |
Artigraft | Artificial skin graft. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | medical | |
A-Som (Antisomnolence Drugs) | One simple pill removes the need for sleep. | Paul Di Filippo (2006) | medical | |
Atlotl/Gibiril Regimen - regrow and rejuvenate | A method of altering the flow of energy in the body to aid in regrowth of damaged or missing tissue. | Frank Herbert (1972) | medical | |
Autodoc - automated medical device | An automated physician, a fully autonomous surgical robot. | Larry Niven (1965) | medical | |
Automated DNA Typing - from one drop | A device that takes quick samples of DNA and compares each sample to a database. | Andrew Niccol (1997) | medical | |
Automatic Massager - robot masseuse | An autonomous massage machine with robotic arms and hands. | A.E. van Vogt (1944) | medical | |
Automatic Reversed Memory - EEG in reverse | A device that activates memories and plays them back in reverse order. | Dave Cummins (1937) | medical | |
Automatic Vein Finder | A device to automatically locate veins for intravenous needle insertion. | Michael Crichton (1969) | medical | |
Autosurgeon - doctor's robot helper | A mechanical aid to physicians, performing surgical procedures with surgeons present. | Richard Morgan (2003) | medical | |
Axolotl Tank - device for regeneration | A device to regenerate or reshape organic material. | Frank Herbert (1969) | medical | |
Bacteria-Destroying Radiation | A special beam that created a sterile field for operations. | Philip K. Dick (1960) | medical | |
Barker - hacking medical implants | A device that scans for nearby medical implants, and allows the operator to take control. | Alan Dean Foster (2010) | medical | |
Betrization | An in utero method of reducing human aggression. | Stanislaw Lem (1961) | medical | |
Bibs - cold storage for people | People who are put in cold-sleep because there is no niche for them in society. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | medical | |
Bio-Implant (Compensator Chip) | A neural implant that helps an autistic child to live a more complete and useful life. | David Gerrold (2020) | medical | |
Birthing egg - IVF without the bother | A chamber for in vitro fertilization (IVF), combining the DNA of two people to produce a child, without all the usual bother. | Bart Kosko (1987) | medical | |
Black Bag | A medical kit from the future. | C.M. Kornbluth (1950) | medical | |
Boink Biosensor - handheld | A hand-held sensor that detects the presence of hazardous biological material. | Richard Preston (1997) | medical | |
Brain Rejuvenation | Erase unnecessary parts of memory to make room for new impressions. | David M. Speaker (1930) | medical | |
Brain-Case | A device designed to transport a living human (or alien, if similar) brain. | Edmond Hamilton (1938) | medical | |
CAN-D | Illegal narcotic chewed to alter the state of colonists. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | medical | |
Cardioplate - outta time | A device that could take seconds or minutes off your life, one beat at a time (or all at once). | Harlan Ellison (1965) | medical | |
CCD Eyes - metal eyes | Electronic eyes using charged-coupled devices provide a wide variety of functions. | Paul Di Filippo (1985) | medical | |
Cellphone Tranquilizing Spray | A mild sedative administered automatically by your cellphone. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | medical | |
Cephalochromoscope (Cephscope) - see what's going on in there | A brain-scan device with a screen to display neural patterns. | Philip K. Dick (1977) | medical | |
Chemical Orders | Use of chemical triggers for behavior and behavior modification. | Frank Herbert (1972) | medical | |
Chronovitameter - your birth and death revealed | Device that can determine a person's date of birth - and the date on which he or she will die. | Robert Heinlein (1939) | medical | |
Cogitator (The Chair of Reflection) | A device which improves the rationality of the thinking processes. | Daniel Defoe (1705) | medical | |
Cold-Pack - death temporarily denied | Technology for indefinite cold storage of human beings. | Philip K. Dick (1960) | medical | |
Cold-Rest - reduced temperature somnolence | Lowering body temperature and metabolic levels, as in hibernation; also called reduced temperature somnolence. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | medical | |
Cold-Sleep - hibernation for humans | A state of hibernation, created by lowered temperature and metabolism. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | medical | |
Conscious Retarded Animation | A kind of hibernation, but leaves the user fully conscious, but aging at an incredibly slow rate. | Donald Wandrei (1933) | medical | |
Control Disk | A.R. Holmes (1931) | medical | ||
Control Natural | A person who is allowed to have an unmodified genetic makeup. | Robert Heinlein (1942) | medical | |
CORA - Coronary Alarm | An implanted (or worn) ECG monitor that warns the user of coronary events. | Arthur C. Clarke (1978) | medical | |
Corporol | Preserves and maintains the body. | Donald Wandrei (1933) | medical | |
Corpsicle - thaw and fix | Cryogenically frozen person who could (hopefully) be revived later. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | medical | |
Crechepod - full life support | A small, enclosed medical device providing full life support as well as advanced regrowth technologies. | Frank Herbert (1972) | medical | |
Crosswell Tape Worm | Device that allows you to eat without gaining weight. | Brian Aldiss (1969) | medical | |
Cryosleep | Use of extreme cold to cause suspended animation. | Ben Bova (1972) | medical | |
Cyborg | A cybernetic organism - man in union with machine | Martin Caidin (1972) | medical | |
Data-Retrieval Mode - data recovery for brains | A system for getting the thoughts and images out of a person's mind; recovering the data from a brain storage device. | John Brunner (1975) | medical | |
DC Mini - psychotherapist dream tool | A therapy tool that allows a psychotherapist to enter a patient's dreams. | Satoshi Kon (2007) | medical | |
Death-Rattle | A device that sends a signal upon brain death of the user. | Philip K. Dick (1957) | medical | |
Death-rattle File | A cache of information set to destroy itself upon the death of its owner. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | medical | |
Death-Reversal Equipment | Brings you back from losing a duel. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | medical | |
Decorative Implant - gadget surgery | Small devices that can be implanted subcutaneously in the body and then controlled consciously. | Samuel R. Delany (1966) | medical | |
Dekon Type DCQ - radiation decontamination | Decontamination foam. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1965) | medical | |
Dermadisk | A means of quickly administering drugs directly through the skin. | William Gibson (1984) | medical | |
Designer Eyes | Genetic designers create better-than-perfect eyes for replicants. | Ridley Scott (1982) | medical | |
Dewlog | A drug with the side-effect of virtually eliminating hunger. | Kurt von Rachen (1941) | medical | |
Diagnostat | A device able to diagnose and treat most human ailments. | Robert Silverberg (1969) | medical | |
Diagnostic Sleeve - smarter than a BP cuff | Worn on one arm, it diagnoses and adminsters medications. | Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1993) | medical | |
Diagnostic Type Sense Transmitter | Allows the doctor to directly feel the same sensations that the patient feels. | Henri Dahl Juve (1929) | medical | |
Dispensing Tooth - remember the tooth! | A device shaped like a tooth that dispenses gas. | Frank Herbert (1965) | medical | |
Ditto Blank - mindless android | A mentally unformed android, upon which a personality could be impressed. | David Brin (2002) | medical | |
Dixon Pump | An temporary mechanical heart to circulate blood. | Philip K. Dick (1960) | medical | |
Dominator | Device implants a psychological block. | James Schmitz (1951) | medical | |
Dozer - cadge some O2 | A person with extreme susceptibility to the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. | David Brin (1990) | medical | |
Dromozoa | Life forms that cause the human body to bud new parts for harvesting. | Cordwainer Smith (1961) | medical | |
Ebony Teeth | Completely black artificial teeth. | Philip K. Dick (1966) | medical | |
Ecstasy Plug | An implanted module that allowed a wirehead to plug himself into ordinary house current. | Larry Niven (1969) | medical | |
Effective Human Implant Technology (EHIT) | Computer interface implanted directly into the human brain. | Tom Maddox (1986) | medical | |
Electric Brain Stimulator | A device that coordinated the waves of the brain with an external device to improve performance. | Don Wilcox (1939) | medical | |
Electronic Body Analyzer | A replacement for the human doctor. | Michael Crichton (1969) | medical | |
Electronic-Eyed Snake | A fully automated stomach pump. | Ray Bradbury (1953) | medical | |
Emergency Treatment Tank (Chamber) | A fully enclosed regeneration device. | James Schmitz (1949) | medical | |
Erased Memory - forget about it | A procedure that deletes selected memories from the human mind. | Philip K. Dick (1966) | medical | |
Espionage Machine - reading minds scientifically | A machine that makes it possible to experience the sensations of another person at a distance. | Cordwainer Smith (1958) | medical | |
Eternity Drug | A medication that puts a person into a deep hibernation-like sleep for decades at a time. | A.E. van Vogt (1944) | medical | |
Exfection | Tailored microbes to repair human flesh. | Bruce Sterling (2009) | medical | |
Flesh Putty | A flesh replacement, good for putting in bullet holes. | Nick Harkaway (2023) | medical | |
Focusing - using mindrot | Psychoactive microbe improves the attention-focusing ability of those infected. | Vernor Vinge (1999) | medical | |
Fornixation | Electrical stimulation of the pleasure centers of the brain. | Philip Jose Farmer (1967) | medical | |
Ghola - night of the living Duncan | A living, functioning person who is regrown or recreated from the tissues of a dead person. | Frank Herbert (1969) | medical | |
Gobathian - full body healing | An alien medical technology that enables full body healing in the event of traumatic injury. | Clifford Simak (1961) | medical | |
Gyro-Hat | Hidden in a top hat, this device cures staggering and reeling, for whatever reason. | Ellis Parker Butler (1926) | medical | |
Halo - get that man a hat! | Device that incapacitates a person by inducing unconsciousness. | Steven Spielberg (2002) | medical | |
Head-Molding Skincaps - | Get a smooth pate without shaving. | Isaac Asimov (1988) | medical | |
Healing Crystal | A small object that burns off diseased tissue, leaving healthy tissue unharmed. | Stanley G. Weinbaum (1934) | medical | |
Heartshirt - wear your pulse on your sleeve | A shirt that was able to detect heart sounds and display associated colors. | Rudy Rucker (1988) | medical | |
Hibernaculum - nap time | A small, self-contained chamber in which a person could endure months of enforced sleep. | Arthur C. Clarke (1968) | medical | |
Home Therapy Appliances, Inc. | A store at which a variety of therapy devices are made available | Robert Sheckley (1956) | medical | |
Homorium | A kind of nursery that could bring a human being to maturity in a single year. | Frank Belknap Long, Jr. (1934) | medical | |
Howard Families | A project designed to produce a group of people with exceptionally long life. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | medical | |
Hubrizine | A drug that brings about greater alertness and cheerfulness. | Philip K. Dick (1972) | medical | |
Human Blood Chlorophyll | Replacement of elements of human blood with chlorophyll. | S.P. Meek (1929) | medical | |
Humeld - more than human | A human being with augmented body parts. | Alan Dean Foster (2010) | medical | |
Hypno-Motor Control | A means of controlling the body remotely, cutting off the need for local control (ie, by your mind). | Philip K. Dick (1954) | medical | |
Hypnoteleset | A device that guarantees quick, surrogate sleep. | Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952) | medical | |
Hypnotic injunction | A method of hypnosis that prevents people from revealing particular information. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | medical | |
Hypo Arm - tentacle with a needle | A robotic arm used to autonomously deliver pharmaceuticals to patients. | Harry Harrison (1958) | medical | |
Hypomatrin | A spinal anesthetic that allows the reformation of personality. | Stanton A. Coblentz (1934) | medical | |
Image-Amps | Boost the signal from the eyes to see in the dark. | William Gibson (1984) | medical | |
Implanted Interface With Retinal Nerves | Circuitry that provides a 'look' at what the eye sees. | D.G. Compton (1973) | medical | |
Implanted Steel Teeth | Replacement teeth implanted in the jaw. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | medical | |
Implant-Watch - this is so cool | Subcutaneous timepiece; uses patterns of colored lights to show the time. | Larry Niven (1972) | medical | |
Imprint (A Ditto Blank) - pseudo-you | Impress one's personality upon a 'ditto blank' android. | David Brin (2002) | medical | |
Inertial Bracelet | Device to still hand tremors. | Donald Kingsbury (2001) | medical | |
Internal Body Power Pack - AAAAAAAA size | A tiny battery used to power implants. | Alfred Bester (1956) | medical | |
Ixian Probe | A device that looks at brain tissue so carefully that memories can be seen. | Frank Herbert (1984) | medical | |
Ixian Sight Mask | Device to allow the blind to see. | Frank Herbert (1976) | medical | |
Jodie Grid | A 'tattoo' that provides points for mapping your face into a grid. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | medical | |
Joeboy (Muscle Grafts) - got muscles? | Additional muscle tissue added through surgery. | William Gibson (1984) | medical | |
Killalc Pills | Counteracts the effects of alcohol consumption. | Harry Harrison (1970) | medical | |
KloraDerm | Human skin variant that contains chlorophyll to provide energy. | John Scalzi (2005) | medical | |
KR-3 | A drug that breaks down the ability of the brain to perceive space and physical objects properly, or in sequence; a new universe opens. | Philip K. Dick (1974) | medical | |
Kundrenaline | Revives even a dead man's heart. | H.G. Winter (1931) | medical | |
Life Detector - I see you! | A device that was capable of detecting living tissue within a set radius. | Frank Herbert (1958) | medical | |
Life Detector Shield - an early mention of life sensors | An electronic field that is intended to shield living tissue from a Life Detector. | Frank Herbert (1958) | medical | |
Luxvid Eyes (Jensen Wide-Angle) - unusual eye slits | Artificial, unmoving implanted eyes. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | medical | |
Mal de Void | Literally, space sick. | George O. Smith (1944) | medical | |
Medical Mantis - telefactoring device for physicians | A medical telefactoring device; allows a physician to remotely examine patients and perform procedures. | Peter Watts (1999) | medical | |
Memory Biochip | An implanted device that permits the user to 'play back' selected memories. | Lois McMaster Bujold (1986) | medical | |
Memory Recording | A means of recording the entirety of a person's experience and personality. | John Varley (1977) | medical | |
Merry-Go-Round Life Suspension (Refrigerator Plant) | A device that offered cold sleep. | Don Wilcox (1940) | medical | |
Methuen Treatment - smart injection | Injections that increase intelligence. | L. Sprague de Camp (1940) | medical | |
Microsoft - the cool kind | A small piece of firmware inserted into the brain that provides data on a particular subject, or special features, for the user. | William Gibson (1984) | medical | |
Microsurgery Tool - first description | Miniaturized device for surgical precision. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1939) | medical | |
Mind Destroyer | A method for wiping clean the mind of a human being, leaving only enough to run the body's functions. | Cordwainer Smith (1961) | medical | |
Mind-Lock | A device that confines a mind within its own shielded area. | James Schmitz (1949) | medical | |
Mind-Reading with MRI | Making use of direct brain imaging to discern a person's thoughts. | Daniel Suarez (2006) | medical | |
Mindwipe - you may not want your mind | A process that selectively and effectively erases human memory. | Spider Robinson (1982) | medical | |
Mite - very small machine helpers | A very small device (about the size of a dust mite) that has been manufactured for a particular purpose. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | medical | |
Mnemotropin - helps you build memory | A drug to improve the creation of long-term memories. | Paul Di Filippo (1985) | medical | |
Monsters Manufactured - chimeras described | Dr. Moreau demonstrates the plasticity of the organic form. | H.G. Wells (1896) | medical | |
Morgue (Recall Stage) | Storage and retrieval of frozen bodies. | Samuel R. Delany (1966) | medical | |
Morphogen | A drug that party relieves the need for sleep. | Isaac Asimov (1966) | medical | |
Mother-Scanner | A device that can see your future through your next birth. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | medical | |
Mutation | An organism that has come into being through genetic mutation. | Edmond Hamilton (1931) | medical | |
Neural Door Lock | A device that provides access based on neurological data. | Philip K. Dick (1957) | medical | |
Neural Lace | An interface between the brain and computer facilities. | Iain M Banks (2010) | medical | |
Neuroinduction Field | Keeps the patient still without the use of cumbersome restraints or drugs. | Peter Watts (1999) | medical | |
Neuronic Control Apparatus - put your experience in reverse | A device that communicated with a brain implant, granting both sight and control. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1939) | medical | |
Neuronic Receptor-Transmitter | A device which, implanted in the brain, can both transmit sight and sound, and enable control of the body by a remote operator. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1939) | medical | |
Nucleocat Cureall | Only human cells can survive contact. | Katherine MacLean (1950) | medical | |
Numbitol | You guessed it, a topical anesthetic. | Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1974) | medical | |
Nutrient Extractor and Maximizer (NEM) - get more out of food | Device that replaces and extends the capabilities of the human digestive system. | Alan Dean Foster (2010) | medical | |
Nutrient Gelatin Tank | Essential hardware for creating a new, improved humanity - isotope men! | Nat Schachner (1936) | medical | |
Office Hand | A robotic hand with each finger customized for a different function. | Alan Dean Foster (2010) | medical | |
Ontogenetic Adaptation | Immediate genetic-level ability to eat alien plants. | James Schmitz (1951) | medical | |
Optic Prosthesis | A replacement for a damaged eye. | Roger Zelazny (1980) | medical | |
Oxygen Hip Flask - just a quick nip | A small, portable source of pure oxygen for breathing. | David Brin (1990) | medical | |
Oxygen Pill | Meets your need for oxygen without additional breathing. | E.K. Jarvis (1957) | medical | |
Physiognomic Template | A method for changing the appearance of your face at will. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | medical | |
Plasta-Skin | Artificial Skin | Andre Norton (1953) | medical | |
Plastiskin | Artificial human skin to cover prosthetics. | Roger P. Graham (1949) | medical | |
Plastissue | Artificial flesh. | W.F. Wallace (1952) | medical | |
Pleasure Cap | A device that delivers amps of pleasure directly to the brain. | Cordwainer Smith (1961) | medical | |
Powered Suit with Trauma Maintenance | A powered suit (or powered armor) that is set up to save as much of your body as possible in worse case scenarios. | Joe Haldeman (1974) | medical | |
Provigil - sleep surrogate | A medication that makes the user 'untired' - not just more awake. | John Ringo (2002) | medical | |
Provigil-C | A special drug that promotes wakefulness in troops. | John Ringo (2000) | medical | |
Psychoscanner | A device capable of taking impressions, feelings and memories from living brains; it can be used on animals as well. | Murray Leinster (1947) | medical | |
P-Terminal Implant - turn yourself on | A device consisting of implanted power pack, control and electrodes placed near pleasure centers of the brain. | Michael Crichton (1972) | medical | |
Punishment Sphere | Used to bring disruptive elements of society into line. | Sid Meier (1999) | medical | |
Purza the Pukha | A toy with sensors used to monitor children in hospitals. | Anne McCaffrey (1990) | medical | |
Quizzer | An autonomous mind-probe. | James Schmitz (1949) | medical | |
Rabbit-Paper - pregnancy test strip | A paper pregnancy test that showed immediate results. | Philip K. Dick (1963) | medical | |
Rachag | A caffeine-style stimulant. | Frank Herbert (1965) | medical | |
Radiation Garment | Clothing worn by ordinary citizens to reduce the risk of radiation exposure. | Robert Heinlein (1942) | medical | |
Regen-Buds | Small collection of cells that can regrow into human limbs. | Harry Harrison (1956) | medical | |
Regeneration Tank | A nutrient bath large enough to enclose a person that preserved life and treated disease. | Katherine MacLean (1950) | medical | |
Residual Poison | A poison that, once administered, resides in the body; only regular intake of the antidote keeps the person alive. | Frank Herbert (1965) | medical | |
Retinal Implant | An implanted device that can record and transmit what the person sees. | Peter F. Hamilton (1997) | medical | |
Retinal Light | An internal flashlight. | Alfred Bester (1956) | medical | |
Revitalizer Console. - perk up your bloodstream | A kind of automated medical marvel; it optimizes your body chemistry for better health, tops off your fluids, etc. | John Varley (1983) | medical | |
Rex Regenerator (Mechanotherapist) - heavy duty therapy | Mechanotherapy device cures homicidal urges. | Robert Sheckley (1956) | medical | |
RNA Shots - don't read Cliff notes; eat Cliff | An injection prepared from the tissues of a person with knowledge or experience that you need. | Larry Niven (1976) | medical | |
Robot Psyche Tester - gestalting device | An automated psychiatric evaluation device. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | medical | |
San-Ray Projector | Device produces a habit-forming, nerve-tingling ray that clouds the mind. | Frederic Arnold Kummer, Jr. (1940) | medical | |
Sapho Juice - juice of Mentats | Unique substance enhanced the cognitive performance of Mentats. | Frank Herbert (1965) | medical | |
Scientific Reincarnation | Technology to allow a person to transfer themselves to a new, healthy body. | Roger Zelazny (1967) | medical | |
Selektrogel | An over-the-counter gel to choose the sex of a child at conception. | James Blish (1971) | medical | |
Shipboard Medical Treatment | An elaborate system to guard against infection in returning space explorers. | Katherine MacLean (1950) | medical | |
Short-Wave Surgical Knife | A means of performing an internal cut without breaking the skin. | Eric Frank Russell (1953) | medical | |
Skinsuit | Wearable artificial, full-body skin. | John Varley (1983) | medical | |
Skull Alarm | Implanted wakeup call. | John Varley (1983) | medical | |
Sleep Set (Sleep Headset) | An electronic device for inducing deep sleep. | Larry Niven (1970) | medical | |
Sleep Surrogate - substitute for sleep | Pharmaceutical designed to make up for lost sleep. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | medical | |
Sleep-Inducer | A device that electronically imposes sleep on a human being. | Arthur C. Clarke (1963) | medical | |
Sloth Pill | A medication to induce a kind of somnolence like short-term hibernation; used in air travel. | M.T. Hill (2020) | medical | |
Softlight | Personality erasure via laser imprinted subliminal commands. | Peter F. Hamilton (1997) | medical | |
Space Scurvy (Kenoalgia) | A wasting disease of space travel. | Margaret St. Clair (1949) | medical | |
Space Weakness | Early description of what happens to the human body in zero gravity. | Murray Leinster (1953) | medical | |
Space-Sick | Uneasiness associated with space travel. | Hugo Gernsback (1911) | medical | |
Specialized Prosthetic Arm | A set of prosthetics that provide different functionality in place of missing arm. | Robert Heinlein (1966) | medical | |
Specific Gene Weapon | An organic or inorganic weapon aimed at a specific genetic population. | Irwin Shaw (1967) | medical | |
Spectrumoscope | Provides sight directly to the brain-cells of the sightless. | Clarence Edward Heller (1930) | medical | |
Spice (Melange) | The spice must flow. | Frank Herbert (1965) | medical | |
Spinning Mill for Veins (Artificial Organs) | The manufacture of artificial organs, digestive tract, veins - body parts. | Karel Capek (1920) | medical | |
Spray-on Surgical Gloves | Effective glove for surgeons that is skin tight. | Richard Morgan (2003) | medical | |
Sprung-Samser Treatment | A medical treatment to extend human life. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | medical | |
Stasis (Cold Sleep, Hibernation) | Hibernation for human beings, lasting for many years. | Robert Heinlein (1956) | medical | |
Steel Teeth - all stainless | Artificial teeth welded to the bone. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | medical | |
Stimtab - stay alert | A drug designed to keep the user awake and alert for long periods. | Joe Haldeman (1974) | medical | |
Subcutaneous Overlay | An implanted chip that provides a continuous drug experience for months. | Ray Naylor (2022) | medical | |
Substance D | An addictive, psychoactive drug. | Philip K. Dick (1977) | medical | |
Surgical Hand | A specialized robotic hand used for surgery. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | medical | |
Surgical Homeostatic Unit | An autonomous surgical robot, able to drill into the body and perform surgery. | Philip K. Dick (1966) | medical | |
Surrogate Skin | False skin that is sprayed onto damaged areas. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | medical | |
Suspended Animation (Frigorific Process) | Very early reference to cryogenic storage. | Edward Page Mitchell (1879) | medical | |
Sympathetic Block - psychological privacy | A way to keep certain mental contents from being spoken or revealed. | Alfred Bester (1956) | medical | |
Synthetic Flesh | Material resembles human flesh, handy for disguises. | Thornton Ayre (1940) | medical | |
Synthetic Sleeve - artificial body | An artificial body, into which a person can be downloaded. | Richard Morgan (2003) | medical | |
Tannin-Secretion Pills | Artificially darkens skin, for skin protection. | Larry Niven (1994) | medical | |
Tapeworm Tranquilizer | Robotic suppository dispenses tranquilizer. | Alexis Arnaldus Gilliland (1981) | medical | |
Telemedicine Apparatus - first known reference | First reference to a device that allows physicians to examine or aid patients at a distance. | E.M. Forster (1909) | medical | |
Telepathic Transmitter (Telep-transmitter) | A device using living alien tissue to transmit your thoughts. | Philip K. Dick (1966) | medical | |
Thionite | A deadly drug. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1937) | medical | |
Tleilaxu Eyes (Metal Eyes) - insectile mechanical eyes | Tleilaxu eye surgery replaces natural eyeballs damaged or destroyed. | Frank Herbert (1969) | medical | |
Toothbud Transplant - implanted teeth | Implanted teeth that mimic the dentition of other species. | William Gibson (1984) | medical | |
Tranquilizing Gum | Chewing gum with a tranquilizing agent. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | medical | |
Transdermal Drug Capsule - slap it on | A drug capsule that delivers medication by being placed on the skin. | Philip K. Dick (1960) | medical | |
Tru-Mem Systems | Organic process of recalling personal events. | Philip K. Dick (1966) | medical | |
Tuned-Laser Decontamination - zap just the bad | Process to destroy foreign biomolecules within the body. | Robert J. Sawyer (2003) | medical | |
TW-55 Spy | Conscious control of facial characteristics. | Samuel R. Delany (1966) | medical | |
Ubik Spray Can | One of many definitions of Ubik. Take only as directed. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | medical | |
Ultraflash | A device that sterilizes the skin by a pulse of light. | Michael Crichton (1969) | medical | |
Ultramicrominiature Waldo | A device for transforming ordinary human hand movements into extremely small-scale surgical motions. | Robert Heinlein (1973) | medical | |
Uniflesh - skin for every occasion | A type of artificial skin and underlying flesh. | Frank Herbert (1977) | medical | |
Uterine Replicator | A device that simulates the functions of the human uterus. | Lois McMaster Bujold (1986) | medical | |
Vagus Nerve Bio-Chip | Relief from nausea without drugs. | Lois McMaster Bujold (2002) | medical | |
Vestan Parasite | Semi-intelligent creatures that take control of the nervous system of other animals. | Edmond Hamilton (1942) | medical | |
Vision Implant | Photoelectric cell implanted in the forehead grants some vision to the blind. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | medical | |
Vita-Light | A special form of bulb or light source that could keep people who were never exposed to the sun perfectly healthy. | R.F. Starzl (1931) | medical | |
Vitalizer | Tired? Try Henderson's Vitalizer! | Margaret St. Clair (1947) | medical | |
Vivatape | Perfectly seals cuts also helps through-skin implants heal. | Samuel R. Delany (1966) | medical | |
Vivification | A process by which the body can be preserved for centuries at body temperature and then revived. | George Parsons Lathrop (1897) | medical | |
Vivo-Gel | Semi-living material. | James Schmitz (1949) | medical | |
WAGD Germ Detector - handy hand-held | A hand-held biohazard analyzer. | Greg Bear (2007) | medical | |
Wakeshot | An injection designed to bring a person out of sleep to full wakefulness. | Frank Herbert (1965) | medical | |
Wimp Vault | Lots of spare bodies. | John Varley (1983) | medical | |
Xixtline | Venusian drug provides a rejuvenate effect. | Stanley G. Weinbaum (1935) | medical | |
Young Blood - New Blood For Old | Replacing the blood plasma of older people with material from younger people. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | medical | |
Young-Forever | A very particular formula for human immortality, which solves the most serious attendant problem (population explosion). | Larry Niven (1976) | medical | |
Barrier (Force Field) - force field fence | Force-field fence. | Robert Heinlein (1940) | misc | |
Big Flue | Enormous incinerators serviced directly by helicopter. | Ray Bradbury (1953) | misc | |
Courtarena - trial by fire | 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. | Frank Herbert (1964) | misc | |
Diveskin - wetsuit for the deep rift | Special wetsuit that allows a diver to function at extreme depths. | Peter Watts (1999) | misc | |
Diving Apparatus - scuba diving in the 19th century | Equipment used to go for walks on the sea bed; the direct ancestor of modern scuba diving equipment. | Jules Verne (1875) | misc | |
Eyecaps | Corneal cap that acts as a pair of goggles for extreme depth diving. | Peter Watts (1999) | misc | |
Face Seal | A dive mask for deep sea diving. | Peter Watts (1999) | misc | |
Hall of the Council | An enormous council chamber, fit for a galaxy. | Edmond Hamilton (1928) | misc | |
High Tech Trash Can - every beach should have one | The future of waste management. | Bruce Sterling (1988) | misc | |
Illuminum - glows with its own light | A metal that glows with its own light. | Richard Morgan (2003) | misc | |
Kipple | The collection of useless bits of trash we wallow in; all the paper and junk that is not recycled. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | misc | |
Life-shield Blanket - save from sensors | A device that is capable of shielding the person using it against ordinary forms of detecting living beings. | Frank Herbert (1984) | misc | |
Luminescent Vial | A glass tube full of luminescent algae; used to provide some measure of light underground. | Jack Vance (1962) | misc | |
Nanomachine Lidar - radar with visible light | Radar-like system that uses electromagnetic radiation at optical frequencies (visible light) for range-finding and analysis. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | misc | |
Nullentropy Bin - world's best salad crisper | A compartment in which entropy was halted. | Frank Herbert (1984) | misc | |
Pain Box - testing for humans | A small box which induced pain into the nerves of the hand. | Frank Herbert (1965) | misc | |
Pain Canopy | Pain by nerve induction improves interrogation. | Fritz Leiber (1943) | misc | |
Pocket Nucleo-Bulb - better than those LED flashlights | A nuclear-powered pocket-sized flashlight. | Isaac Asimov (1951) | misc | |
Precrime Analytical Wing - precogs babble, machines tabulate | Contains the precognitives and the machinery need to hear and analyze their predictions of future crimes. | Philip K. Dick (1956) | misc | |
Pulse-Timer | A watch that uses your visual cortex for a read-out device. | Frank Herbert (1984) | misc | |
Recycler | A surgically implanted device that enables a diver to obtain oxygen directly from seawater. | Peter Watts (1999) | misc | |
Restraining Bolt - keeps robots in check | A device that makes sure a robot does what you want (rather than what it wants). | George Lucas (1976) | misc | |
Sleeve Watch - multipurpose clothing | Temporary watch imprinted on the sleeve of a chosen garment. | Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (1981) | misc | |
Smart Pizza Box - your pizza knows if it's late | A container with microprocessor-based data processing capabilities built-in to the box. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | misc | |
Toner - dead nanobot bits | Dead bits of nanomachines. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | misc | |
Twonky - trashes the time stream | A futuristic artifact left by time travelers in the past which, if discovered, could cause a paradox. | John Varley (1983) | misc | |
Vibratory Mass Penetrator - not what you're thinking | A device that allows a person to walk through earth and even solid rock. | Harry Harrison (1951) | misc | |
Androide - the original | A device having the form or likeness of a man. | Ephraim Chambers (1727) | robotics | |
Anti-Robot Propaganda | Human activity against robots. | Isaac Asimov (1941) | robotics | |
Artificial Butterfly | A mechanical, robotic butterfly. | Roger Zelazny (1980) | robotics | |
Asteroid Mining Robot | An autonomous robot able to effectively mine asteroids. | Isaac Asimov (1944) | robotics | |
Autofac (Nanorobots) - a factory that can replicate itself | Very small robots working on self-replication | Philip K. Dick (1955) | robotics | |
Automat | Unusual name for an intelligent robot; short for "automaton"? | Raymond Z. Gallun (1936) | robotics | |
Automated Apartment Maintenance | Automated devices that would oversee the maintenance of a rented apartment. | Philip K. Dick (1969) | robotics | |
Automated Drone Probes | Human-sized robot probes for exploration. | Robert Silverberg (1969) | robotics | |
Automated Laboratory | A fully automated machinery of invention. | Michael Moorcock (1964) | robotics | |
Automatic Companion Robot - better than a puppy | A robotic replacement for a pet or friend. | Frederik Pohl (1954) | robotics | |
Automatic Cultivators | Agricultural robots. | John W. Campbell (1930) | robotics | |
Automatic Valet | A robotic manservant. | Arthur Bird (1899) | robotics | |
Automaton Steam Surgeon | Mechanized surgery. | Jane Webb Loudon (1828) | robotics | |
Autonomic Interviewer - pape's proxy | A robotic reporter. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | robotics | |
Autonomous Digging Machine | A mechanical device able to excavate on its own. | H.G. Wells (1898) | robotics | |
Baby Robot - how cute! | An infant robot. | David H. Keller (1934) | robotics | |
Basic Robot Personality | Providing simple personalities to robots. | Nat Schachner (1938) | robotics | |
Bionic Arm - $6M man arm | An artificial arm that responds in a manner similar to the 'original equipment' item. | Martin Caidin (1972) | robotics | |
Bionic Legs | Human legs rebuilt and improved. | Martin Caidin (1972) | robotics | |
Biot | A biological robot. | Arthur C. Clarke (1972) | robotics | |
Bird-Like Robots | Robotic birds used in a stage play. | Clarence Edward Heller (1930) | robotics | |
Blue Collar Robot (Self-Repairing) | An autonomous robot required to find its own work. | Harry Harrison (1956) | robotics | |
Blurbflies (Sing. Blurbfly) - corporate gadflies create a buzz | Small robotic/organic advertisers. | Jeff Noon (2000) | robotics | |
Bot | The first use of this contraction for "robot". | Richard Meredith (1969) | robotics | |
Brain Placed In Metal Body | A robotic body with a support system for a connected organic brain. | Edmond Hamilton (1929) | robotics | |
Brain-Plate | Ensures the obedience of robots. | David C. Cooke (1939) | robotics | |
Butler-Valet Robot | A gentleman's servant, roboticized. | William Tenn (1951) | robotics | |
Buttered Toast Robot | What it says on the tin. | Ray Bradbury (1953) | robotics | |
Charging Arm | A specialized device allowing a robot to charge itself. | William Morrison (1941) | robotics | |
Childcare Robot | A robot constructed to take care of a small child. | Isaac Asimov (1940) | robotics | |
Christmas Bush Motile Robot - very fine fingers | Repair robot with extra-sensitive hands. | Robert Forward (1985) | robotics | |
Circuit Inhibiting Destructiveness | Ensuring that robots take on the responsibility of pleasing their masters, and obeying their orders. | Margaret St. Clair (1958) | robotics | |
Claws (Attack Robot) - screamers! | Autonomous guard robots that attack living tissue. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | robotics | |
Cleaning Machine Warren | A room or space set aside for machinery when not in use. | William Gibson (1988) | robotics | |
Clockwork Man | A man from the future with an embedded mechanism to manipulate time. | E.V. Odle (1923) | robotics | |
Compassion Circuit | A special robotic component that allows the robot to weigh harm and benefit in carrying out commands. | John Wyndham (1954) | robotics | |
Computronium - nanocomputers by the handful | Intelligent matter; nanocomputing processors masquerading as ordinary material. | Charles Stross (2005) | robotics | |
Construct | An artificial being, a pastiche of living and robotic pieces. | Keith Laumer (1969) | robotics | |
Construction Robot | Autonomous robots work on construction sites. | Michael Crichton (1985) | robotics | |
Consumption Robots | Humanoid robots placed in the position of consuming material goods to relieve human beings of the burden. | Frederik Pohl (1954) | robotics | |
Control Helmet | Direct control of a robot from the brain. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1954) | robotics | |
Delivery Robot | A small autonomous device that will bring goods directly to a person or place. | Robert Heinlein (1962) | robotics | |
Disease Circuit | A feature of robotic animals which indicated a need to repair by emulating animal sickness. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | robotics | |
Dope Mule Robot - fast delivery in a pinch | A metal sphere that propels itself with a single piston-like foot. | Bruce Sterling (1994) | robotics | |
Dressing Machine | A robotic device to serve as a mechanical dresser. | Christopher Anvil (1953) | robotics | |
Dressing Machines | Semi-autonomous guided devices that could dress a person in ordinary clothing. | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | robotics | |
Droid (First Use) | Contraction of "android". | Mari Wolf (1952) | robotics | |
Droid (Star Wars) - lucas trademark | A contraction of "android", it actually describes one of a variety of robots. | George Lucas (1976) | robotics | |
Dustmice - tiny robot detectives | Tiny robotic sensors that police could set loose in a crime scene, looking for tiny clues. | Greg Bear (1990) | robotics | |
Eager Beaver - your friendly robot helper | Your friendly robot helper. | Robert Heinlein (1956) | robotics | |
Eel Operator | A surgically modified human being able to operate a robotic eel | Susan Beetlestone (2012) | robotics | |
Electric Cat (Robot Cat) | A robot presenting the appearance of a common domestic cat. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | robotics | |
Electric Monk - belief on demand | Robotic device provides belief services. | Douglas Adams (1987) | robotics | |
Electric Sheep - livestock as consumer electronics | An electronic farm animal; a non-organic robot covered with sheepskin that acts like a sheep. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | robotics | |
Electrical Farming Implements | Labor-saving automatic farm equipment. | Arthur Bird (1899) | robotics | |
Electrical Grandmother (Robot Grandma) - more than a machine | A robotic companion. | Ray Bradbury (1969) | robotics | |
Electrical Valet | A robotic manservant, skilled in dressing its owner. | Stanton A. Coblentz (1939) | robotics | |
Electric-Automatic Household Robot Cook | A robot chef - an Electric-Automatic Household Beneficent Genius! | Elizabeth Bellamy (1899) | robotics | |
Electric-Automatic Housemaid Robot (Automaton) - a robotic helper | A very early description of a robot to help around the house. | Elizabeth Bellamy (1899) | robotics | |
Embryonic Robots - early sci-fi nanobots? | Very small robots, possibly a very early reference to nanotechnology in science fiction. | Philip K. Dick (1967) | robotics | |
False Animal Repairman | A specialized roboticist who repaired robotic animals. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | robotics | |
Famnexdo | A set of four simulacra, one adult male, one adult female and two children; the family next door. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | robotics | |
Field-Minder | An agricultural robot. | Brian Aldiss (1963) | robotics | |
Flexible Frank - the all-purpose household robot | An all-purpose household robot. | Robert Heinlein (1956) | robotics | |
Flexible Metal Arms (Tentacles) | An interesting description of how mechanical tentacles might function. | Edmond Hamilton (1926) | robotics | |
Floating Robot | A robot that floats in mid-air. | David Wright O'Brien (1941) | robotics | |
Free Robot - Robert F-R | A robot without a master. | Daniel Keyes (1952) | robotics | |
Garbage Device | Autonomous garbage collection device. | Frederik Pohl (1966) | robotics | |
General Strike of the Robots | All over the world, robots cease their labors. | Harl Vincent (1934) | robotics | |
Gesturing Robot | A robot that uses gestures to communicate. | Isaac Asimov (1940) | robotics | |
Glass Bees - tiny automatons | Walnut-sized flying automata. | Ernst Junger (1957) | robotics | |
Golden Shuttles (Mechanical Mice) - tiny robots | Very small robots with an appetite for watch parts. | Maurice G. Hugi (1941) | robotics | |
Guard Robot | Early reference to a robot performing the functions of a security guard. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | robotics | |
Gynoid | A female android. | Gwyneth Jones (1984) | robotics | |
Helen O'Loy - or Helen of Alloys | A robot is enhanced to offer feelings and affection. | Lester del Rey (1938) | robotics | |
Hired Girl Robot - robotic floor maintenance | The amazing floor-cleaning robot! | Robert Heinlein (1956) | robotics | |
Home Robot | A robotic device designed to serve families in their homes. | Michael Crichton (1985) | robotics | |
House Cleaning Device | A robotic means of thorough home cleaning. | Miles J. Breuer (1930) | robotics | |
Inorganic Evolution | 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. | Stanislaw Lem (1954) | robotics | |
Intelligent Trash Sorting | Robots sort the garbage - almost completely. | Harry Harrison (1956) | robotics | |
Interchangeable Hands - mechanical variety | Specialized manual extremities. | Philip K. Dick (1965) | robotics | |
Iridium-Sponge Brain | A human-like metal brain for robots. | Eando Binder (1940) | robotics | |
Iron Man Robot With Human Brain | A huge robot with a tub containing a human brain. | Paul Ernst (1933) | robotics | |
Ironing Robot | A robot that smooths the wrinkles out of clothing. | Mikhail Mikheev (1972) | robotics | |
Jurymech | A robotic entity serving the function of a trial jury. | Harlan Ellison (1957) | robotics | |
Juvenile - sneaks around | A robot designed to sneak around and spy on people. | Philip K. Dick (1956) | robotics | |
Killer Robot - very early reference | An autonomous robot made for the express purpose of killing living creatures. | Joseph E. Kelleam (1939) | robotics | |
Law Clerk Robot | A robotic lawyer. | Frederik Pohl (1954) | robotics | |
Lead-Bodied Android | A robot designed for use in the nuclear industry. | Mari Wolf (1952) | robotics | |
Leading Machine | An exploratory device; it takes the form of an autonomous motorcycle. | Miles J. Breuer (1930) | robotics | |
Leady | A radiation-resistant robot. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | robotics | |
Learning Robot - learn from experience | A robot that learns from its own experiences. | Stephen Barr (1960) | robotics | |
Lens-Tube | A kind of seeing device like a short-range telescope. | Jack Williamson (1931) | robotics | |
Living Machines | Robots that are able to learn. | Francis Flagg (1934) | robotics | |
Living Metal Cubes | Tiny metal cubes and pyramids that work together to create larger shapes. | Abraham Merritt (1920) | robotics | |
Loiter-Drone - indefinite watch | A autonomous flying device that hovers protectively over a defined area. | Iain M Banks (2004) | robotics | |
Luggage Robot | Perfect helper at robotic hotels. | Harry Harrison (1970) | robotics | |
Machine Evolution | An early look at the idea that machines can evolve all by themselves, physically and intellectually. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | robotics | |
Machine Masters | Humans did less and less, and machines did more and more, until machines became the masters. | Edmond Hamilton (1931) | robotics | |
Machine Servant | A wheeled plastic box with universal-joint arms. | Edmond Hamilton (1947) | robotics | |
Machines Colonize Universe | A brief description of a how automated machines might spread. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | robotics | |
Maid-Robot | A mechanical automaton does the work of a lady's maid. | Frederik Pohl (1954) | robotics | |
Mandroid - a mechanical human | A humanoid robot; a robot in the shape of a person. | Richard Morgan (2003) | robotics | |
Manshonyagger - fighting robot | An autonomous fighting robot. | Cordwainer Smith (1957) | robotics | |
Manufactured Wife - an early reference | A wife made to order, programmed to meet her husband's requirements. | Alice W. Fuller (1895) | robotics | |
Maritime Robots | Robots designed to perform every aspect of maintenance for a ship. | Bruce Sterling (2022) | robotics | |
Mark IV Door Keeping Robot - automated rejection | A robotic device for responding (and scanning) people who come to your door. | A. Bertram Chandler (1959) | robotics | |
Marvin the Robot - brain the size of a planet | Another fine robot from the marketing division of the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation | Douglas Adams (1979) | robotics | |
Master Machine | One single machine to run a civilization! | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | robotics | |
Mech | An alternative name for simplified robot. | Lester del Rey (1938) | robotics | |
Mechanical Bride - woman or robot | A perfect robotic replica of a woman. | Fritz Leiber (1954) | robotics | |
Mechanical Cleaning Device | A small, ground-based autonomous robot doing basic janitorial work. | Philip K. Dick (1957) | robotics | |
Mechanical Dentist | No human graduated from dental school here. | C.M. Kornbluth (1952) | robotics | |
Mechanical Hound - a fireman's best friend | An eight-legged robotic "hound" with hypodermic poison fangs. | Ray Bradbury (1953) | robotics | |
Mechanical Men | Remote controlled robots used to perform dangerous work. | A.G. Stangland (1929) | robotics | |
Mechavalet | An entirely automated dressing assistant. | Richard R. Smith (1955) | robotics | |
Medical Mech | A medical robot designed to prevent death during emergencies. | Gordon R. Dickson (1965) | robotics | |
Mentanical Communication | Thinking, learning robots have a special means of communication. | Francis Flagg (1934) | robotics | |
Mentanicals | Robots capable of mentation - i.e., thought. | Francis Flagg (1934) | robotics | |
Metal Insects | Small autonomous flying winged robots. | Stanislaw Lem (1954) | robotics | |
Metal Monster with Jointed Limbs | A large robotic device with legs. | Jack Williamson (1931) | robotics | |
Metallic Fingers | Robot fingers. | Harl Vincent (1934) | robotics | |
Metallic Marx | A robot who strikes for better working conditions. | Harry Harrison (1959) | robotics | |
Metamen - live in a robot body | A human brain placed in a purely mechanical, robotic body. | E.C. Tubb (1958) | robotics | |
Micro-Android (Micro-Robot) | An extremely tiny robot or nanobot. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1954) | robotics | |
Microrob | Small stature robots. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | robotics | |
Military Spider | An eight legged telepresence robot. | David Gerrold (1985) | robotics | |
Mining Worm (Robot) - dig, robot, dig! | An autonomous mining robot shaped like a worm. | Emmett McDowell (1946) | robotics | |
Mixed Men | A mostly human being, but with an additional robot brain. | A.E. van Vogt (1943) | robotics | |
Mobile Persocom - your animated laptop | A personal computer in human form. | Manga Clamp (2002) | robotics | |
Moldies | Autonomous, intelligent, artificial life forms. | Rudy Rucker (1997) | robotics | |
Multiple Robot Team - a squad plus leader | A set of robots, with the leader able to coordinate the activities of less intelligent subsidiary robots. | Isaac Asimov (1944) | robotics | |
Nanny Robot - child-care robot with punch | A child-care robot with a surprisingly competitive side. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | robotics | |
Nanobot | A robot constructed with nanotechnology. | John Varley (1992) | robotics | |
Nano-Paste | Nanobots that use the resources around it to create a desired product. | Sid Meier (1999) | robotics | |
Network Repair Team | Dispatched to collect remains of destroyed machines. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | robotics | |
Nose Gun | Weapon system located up high. | Harry Harrison (1958) | robotics | |
Nubot | An android that directly replaces a human at their job. | John Twelve Hawks (2014) | robotics | |
Nurse Drone | A larger flying platform to provide power to smaller drones. | Neal Stephenson (1995) | robotics | |
Oat-Tropic Circuit | A robotic feature that caused electronic animals to move toward offered food. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | robotics | |
Ownership of Machines | Who will own the machines that produce material abundance? | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | robotics | |
P-120 Reconnaissance Robot | A multi-legged robot built for speed and silence. | David Gerrold (1992) | robotics | |
Patient Bath Robot | Robot gives patient a bath. | Katsuhiro Otomo (1991) | robotics | |
Personal Capsule - for your eyes only | An impenetrable device containing information for your eyes only. | Isaac Asimov (1951) | robotics | |
Phymech | A robotic physician. | Harlan Ellison (1957) | robotics | |
Police Detection Robot | An automated evidence-gathering robot. | Philip K. Dick (1957) | robotics | |
Police Robot - a rookie cop bot | A fully autonomous, man-shaped robotic police officer. | Harry Harrison (1958) | robotics | |
Polycarbon Exo - a military exoskeleton | Exoskeleton made of a strong, lightweight material. | William Gibson (1988) | robotics | |
Porter Televox-Robot | A robot that carries your bags through the passageways of space liners. | Miles J. Breuer (1931) | robotics | |
Proselytizing Robot | A robotic preacher; designed for use where believers are unwelcome. | James Blish (1957) | robotics | |
Prosthetic Robotic Arm (Thought-Attuned) | A detachable robotic arm, controlled directly through neural linkage. | Ivar Jorgensen (1957) | robotics | |
Proxy Robot | A remote-controlled floating telepresence robot, for use by aliens who cannot share an atmosphere. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1938) | robotics | |
Pry-Vie (Robotic Detective) | A robotic private eye; autonomic detection services. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | robotics | |
Pseudo-Insects (Synsects) | A swarm of self-guided, programmed microarmies. | Stanislaw Lem (1984) | robotics | |
Psychophonic Nurse - a nanny robot | A child-care robot - a nanny bot. | David H. Keller (1928) | robotics | |
Quasi-Muscles (Sham Musculature) | A means of giving motive power to robots or machines that is similar to animal musculature. | H.G. Wells (1898) | robotics | |
R. Daneel Olivaw - I, robot | A human-like robot, skilled in police work. | Isaac Asimov (1953) | robotics | |
R2-D2 (Artoo-Detoo) - the original | Now the generic term for a small, maneuverable robot. | George Lucas (1976) | robotics | |
Radar Mesentery - sensitive robot skin | A thick covering that supports a network of sensors. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | robotics | |
Radio-Controlled Mechanical Man | A remote-controlled robot. | Melbourne Huff (1930) | robotics | |
Rat Thing | A guard cyborg created from a living animal. | Neal Stephenson (1992) | robotics | |
Rat-Robot | A small remotely-operated surveillance robot. | Gordon Randall Garrett (1962) | robotics | |
Reggie the Bartending Machine - beverage, sir? | A mechanism able to mix drinks; a robot bartender. | Mike Resnick (2002) | robotics | |
Remote Telepresence Robot | A very early depiction of this basic idea. | Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) (1929) | robotics | |
Repair Robots - helpful droids | Autonomous robots that carry out maintenance functions on a space ship. | H.B. Fyfe (1950) | robotics | |
Riding Robot | A single person means of bipedal transportation. | Harry Harrison (1970) | robotics | |
Robant | A robotic servant. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | robotics | |
Robant Bill Collector Automated bill collection | A robot designed to collect overdue bills, no matter what. | Philip K. Dick (1966) | robotics | |
Robass - a robotic mule | A robotic beast of burden. | Anthony Boucher (1951) | robotics | |
Robocop | A robotic police officer. | Harlan Ellison (1957) | robotics | |
Robodore | A robot specialized for use as a stevedore, emptying the contents of ships in port. | Daniel Keyes (1952) | robotics | |
Robofish (Mitsubishi Robot Turbot) - robot fish | A powerful, meter-long robotic fish used to take samples from liquid lakes on other worlds (like Titan). | Michael Swanwick (2002) | robotics | |
Roboscribe | A robotic writer of hard-bitten detective yarns. | Richard Marsten (1954) | robotics | |
Robot - the origin of the term | A (usually human-shaped) artifact with the same kinds of abilities as a human - this is the first use of the word 'robot'. | Karel Capek (1920) | robotics | |
Robot Animals | Artificial animals created using robotic elements. | Clifford Simak (1938) | robotics | |
Robot Bar - ancestor of R2D2 | A combination bartender and bar; a robot capable of dispensing beverages. | Harry Harrison (1965) | robotics | |
Robot Bartender - early mention | An automated, mechanical bar tending robot. | Alfred Bester (1956) | robotics | |
Robot Biomimicry | Endowing robots with an organic-appearing fluidity, rather than mechanical motion. | H.G. Wells (1898) | robotics | |
Robot Bird - voice recognition and surveillance | A small winged UAV that can mimic a bird in flight. | Philip E. High (1968) | robotics | |
Robot Brother | A roboticist brings home a robot brother for his natural son. | Henry Slesar (1958) | robotics | |
Robot Busboy | A robotic device able to autonomously clear tables in a restaurant. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | robotics | |
Robot Cab Driver - everybody's got problems | You think you have problems? Robots have the worst problems of anyone. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | robotics | |
Robot Cat | A biological feline with mechanical parts. | Raymond F. Jones (1946) | robotics | |
Robot Cells (Crystal-Shaped Modules) - robot building blocks | Minute dodecahedral units that could combine into different shapes to become full robots. | Michael P. Kube-McDowell (1987) | robotics | |
Robot Chef - a creative cook | Creative, autonomous robotic cook. | Anthony Boucher (1943) | robotics | |
Robot Comedian - laughs at its own jokes | Joke-telling feature added to a standard butler robot. | William Tenn (1951) | robotics | |
Robot Control Board | Control panel with small screens showing the point of view of different robots. | O.L. Beckwith (1929) | robotics | |
Robot Cook - tasty meals nightly | A household robot that can cook meals. | Lester del Rey (1938) | robotics | |
Robot Cop | A robotic police officer. | R.M. Williams (1943) | robotics | |
Robot Crab - robot gardener | An automated gardener. | William Gibson (1984) | robotics | |
Robot Doctor | A mechanical physician. | Clarence Edward Heller (1930) | robotics | |
Robot Dog | A mechanical, robotic dog. | Otis Adelbert Kline (1937) | robotics | |
Robot Door - stolid decision-maker | Automated door has some decision-making capabilities, in addition to speech recognition capabilities. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | robotics | |
Robot Earthworm - spaghettibot | Autonomous swarming robots the size of earthworms, with similar earth-digging capabilities. | Harry Harrison (1962) | robotics | |
Robot Emotions - mech feelings | Devices or techniques that give rise to emotions in robots. | Lester del Rey (1938) | robotics | |
Robot Factory Representative | An ambulatory agent of an automatic factory. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | robotics | |
Robot Fish (Metal Fish) | Fake flounders for sport fishermen on Martian canals. | Charles Fontenay (1956) | robotics | |
Robot Gas Station | An entirely automated station for dispensing fuel to consumer vehicles. | Philip K. Dick (1974) | robotics | |
Robot Guard | Very early reference to a guard robot. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | robotics | |
Robot Handlers | Small robots used in spacecraft for a variety of useful tasks. | John Varley (1998) | robotics | |
Robot Introspection | A robotic brain grows and learns about itself. | Roger P. Graham (1949) | robotics | |
Robot Judge - before Dred | Artificially intelligent legal machine - robes and all. | Harry Harrison (1959) | robotics | |
Robot Lawn Mower - already here | An automated lawn mower. | Clifford Simak (1944) | robotics | |
Robot Librarian Filer | A device that works as a librarian, automatically filing books in the stacks. | Harry Harrison (1962) | robotics | |
Robot Manumission | The freeing of a robotic being from a state of being owned property. | Daniel Keyes (1952) | robotics | |
Robot Mice - tiny cleaning machines | Tiny cleaning robots. | Ray Bradbury (1950) | robotics | |
Robot Music | Music created and performed entirely by robots. | Ray Cummings (1941) | robotics | |
Robot Pianist - robotic virtuoso | A robot learns the fine art of playing classical music on the piano. | Herbert Goldstone (1953) | robotics | |
Robot Pope - Urbi et Orbi et Digiti | An artificially intelligent robotic cardinal ascends to the Throne of St. Peter. | Robert Silverberg (1971) | robotics | |
Robot Probes (Arr-twos) - remote-controlled eyes and ears | Remote controlled robots that wander through a facility, bringing pictures and information to a central location. | Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1981) | robotics | |
Robot Prohibition | Robots may not wander alone. | Isaac Asimov (1940) | robotics | |
Robot Ramp - just for bots | A special means of ingress and egress solely for use by mechanical help. | Daniel Keyes (1952) | robotics | |
Robot Revolt | Robots to throw off the yoke of Man? | Ray Cummings (1931) | robotics | |
Robot Self-Assembly | A robot separated into many pieces reassembles itself. | Hugo Correa (1968) | robotics | |
Robot Situation Neurosis | Robots go mad when given competing instructions. | Philip K. Dick (1957) | robotics | |
Robot Skin Covering | Realistic covering for the bodies of robots. | Harl Vincent (1934) | robotics | |
Robot Snake | A mechanical reptile, with no legs. | Lee Chaytor (1958) | robotics | |
Robot Spider (Handling Machine) | Multipurpose device used almost as an extension of the Martian's own bodies. | H.G. Wells (1898) | robotics | |
Robot Strike | When robots refuse to work. | Mari Wolf (1952) | robotics | |
Robot Suicide - enough is enough | A robot decides to commit suicide, and sets up a mechanism to put his decision into effect. | Eando Binder (1940) | robotics | |
Robot Surgeon | An autonomous robotic surgeon. | Isaac Asimov (1976) | robotics | |
Robot Surgeon-Hand - attached at the wrist | A skilled surgical robot that attaches at the end of the surgeon's arm. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | robotics | |
Robot Surgery | Robots operate an advance operating theater. | John Russell Fearn (1939) | robotics | |
Robot Taste Buds | A sensor for robots that would allow it to taste foods like a human being. | Anthony Boucher (1943) | robotics | |
Robot Tennis Player | A purely mechanical, autonomous foe on the court. | H.B. Fyfe (1952) | robotics | |
Robot Trash Collectors | Robots that drive and operate garbage trucks. | Harry Harrison (1956) | robotics | |
Robot Vending Machine | Machinery displaces news boys selling papers on street corners. | Jack Williamson (1931) | robotics | |
Robot Waiter | Robotic restaurant servitor. | Clarence Edward Heller (1930) | robotics | |
Robot Wheel | An enormous vehicular robot in the shape of a gigantic wheel. | Edmond Hamilton (1926) | robotics | |
Robot With Human's Brain | A very early example of encasing a human brain in a robotic body. | Otis Adelbert Kline (1936) | robotics | |
Robotaxi | A fully automated, driverless taxi. | Joe Gibson (1953) | robotics | |
Robot-Boss | A mechanical device that tells people what to do. | David C. Cooke (1939) | robotics | |
Robot-Control Wave Band | Special command circuit for robots. | Harl Vincent (1934) | robotics | |
Robot-Deranger | A ray that discombobulates robots of all kinds. | Ray Cummings (1931) | robotics | |
Robotess | A female robot. | Karel Capek (1920) | robotics | |
Robotic Abattoir - robots with knives | Robots with knives in a meat-packing plant. | Anne McCaffrey (1996) | robotics | |
Robotic Arm - handy for robots | A specialized robotic reaching and grasping device. | Clifford Simak (1944) | robotics | |
Robotic Butterfly | A tiny, electromechanical flying robot. | Harlan Ellison (1987) | robotics | |
Robotic Chess Expert - unbeatable | A robot that plays chess at a level that no human can match. | Clifford Simak (1951) | robotics | |
Robotic Conductor | A robot charged with conductor's duties aboard a bus or other public transportation. | Philip K. Dick (1953) | robotics | |
Robotic Dishwasher | A fully automated solution to the dishwashing problem. | Ray Bradbury (1950) | robotics | |
Robotic Eel | A five-foot long artificial eel, controlled by an operator. | Susan Beetlestone (2012) | robotics | |
Robotic Hand | A dexterous manipulator for robots. | Robert Heinlein (1956) | robotics | |
Robotic Law Tape Safety Valve | A specific impulse that warns robots contemplating breaking the laws set forth for their behavior. | Daniel Keyes (1952) | robotics | |
Roboticist | A person who works on robots. | Isaac Asimov (1946) | robotics | |
Roboticist | A person who creates or works with robots. | Isaac Asimov (1941) | robotics | |
Robotics | The engineering field encompassing the creation and maintenance of robots. | Isaac Asimov (1941) | robotics | |
Robots Build Robots | Using robot labor exclusively to build more robots. | Isaac Asimov (1940) | robotics | |
Robots Refuse To Serve Man | When robots evolve their own perspectives, and ultimately refuse to act as servants to human beings. | Francis Flagg (1934) | robotics | |
Robot-Surgeon | A perfect robot for perfected human beings. | Harl Vincent (1934) | robotics | |
Robutler | A robotic butler. | Harry Harrison (1970) | robotics | |
Rolem (Wrestling Robot) - robot wrestler | A robotic wrestling companion. | Roger Zelazny (1966) | robotics | |
Rolov | A specialized robot for the bedroom. | Christopher Anvil (1953) | robotics | |
Rom (Robot Operated Missiles) | Intercontinental robotic weapons. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | robotics | |
Roujin Z-0001 Robotic Bed - military bed robot | A fully automated hospital bed and transport robot. | Katsuhiro Otomo (1991) | robotics | |
Rubber Hoof | Silent running for robot horses. | Christopher Stasheff (1969) | robotics | |
Rubber Soled Feet | Silent padding for clanky robots. | Melbourne Huff (1930) | robotics | |
Sales Robot (Robot Salesman) - a robot makes the sales pitch | Fully automated robots giving untiring, incessant sales pitches to customers. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | robotics | |
Scuttle-bot | An all-purpose surveillance robot that climbed rather than flew. | David Gerrold (2020) | robotics | |
Sea Robot | An enormous robot able to function in the ocean. | E.K. Jarvis (1943) | robotics | |
Search-Bug | An exploratory robot. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | robotics | |
Security Guard Robot (Sentry Robot) | A robot that takes the place of a security guard in an office environment. | Michael Crichton (1985) | robotics | |
Self-Assembling Robots - robot, configure thyself | Robots with the capacity to assemble themselves from components, and then switch themselves on. | James Schmitz (1966) | robotics | |
Self-Aware Robot | A robot that thinks and reasons for itself. | Harl Vincent (1934) | robotics | |
Self-Charging Robot | A robot that is able to autonomously find an electrical outlet and plug itself in to recharge. | Stephen Barr (1960) | robotics | |
Self-Guided Tractors | A farm vehicle that drives itself. | Larry Niven (1966) | robotics | |
Self-Repairing Robot | A mechanism that can detect faults in itself and repair them. | W.F. Wallace (1952) | robotics | |
Self-Selling Robot | A robot that sells itself. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | robotics | |
Sensitive Robot Fingers | Special sensory capabilities of robotic appendages. | Ray Cummings (1931) | robotics | |
Sensor Arm | An extendable multipurpose sensor cluster. | George Lucas (1976) | robotics | |
Serving Robot - a smooth ovoid | A non-humanoid robot designed to serve. | H. Beam Piper (1962) | robotics | |
Sheem Spider Robot | A robotic spider. | James Schmitz (1966) | robotics | |
Sherman | A sex robot. | John Varley (1983) | robotics | |
Silencer-Padding - soles for robots | Robots need to have special padding on the bottoms of their lower limbs, so they don't clank as they walk. | Daniel Keyes (1952) | robotics | |
Simulacrum (Sim) | An autonomous construct that is a perfect likeness to a human person. | Philip K. Dick (1964) | robotics | |
Sniffer Robot | A small robot that gathers odors from a crime scene for analysis. | Michael Crichton (1985) | robotics | |
Solar-Powered Robot | A robot powered by sunlight. | Joseph E. Kelleam (1939) | robotics | |
Spider Robot | Scuttling insect robots. | Michael Crichton (1985) | robotics | |
Spider Robot - swarming spider bots | Tiny spider-sized robots that are able to search buildings and identify occupants. | Steven Spielberg (2002) | robotics | |
Spider Space Elevator Test Vehicle - test the cables | A robotic testing device for the cables of a space elevator. | Arthur C. Clarke (1978) | robotics | |
Spider Tripod Robot - three-legged cleaning bot | Three-legged alien robot. | Arthur C. Clarke (1972) | robotics | |
Steam Man | A mechanical robot powered by steam. | Edward S. Ellis (1868) | robotics | |
Sub-microscopic Medical Robots | Tiny robots travel the bloodstream, killing bacteria. | Philip E. High (1967) | robotics | |
Supervision Robot (Squid) | A wheeled device with tentacular grasping limbs. | Miles J. Breuer (1930) | robotics | |
Supervisor Robot | A robot that watches over and gives orders to other robots. | H.B. Fyfe (1952) | robotics | |
Synthetic Flesh | Provides robots with realistic coverings, not just plastic. | Brian Aldiss (1969) | robotics | |
Tagalong | A backpack with legs; a robot that will carry things for you and match your movements. | John Varley (1976) | robotics | |
Talking Robot | An impractical robot, for display only. | Isaac Asimov (1940) | robotics | |
Teddy | A very intelligent and highly mobile robotic teddy bear. | Brian Aldiss (1969) | robotics | |
Teddy Bear Robot | A special toy bear given to every child in the world. | Harry Harrison (1965) | robotics | |
Teleoperated Lab Robot | A robot is used to conduct experiments in an environment too extreme for humans. | James Blish (1957) | robotics | |
Teleoperated Robot Surrogate - love via robot | A robot that is entirely controlled remotely by a person who sees with the point of view of the robot. | Manly Wade Wellman (1938) | robotics | |
Tentacle Machines | Enormous robots, cylindrical of body, tentacular of arms, autonomous of brain, sinister of intent. | Edmond Hamilton (1926) | robotics | |
The Machine (M) | An autonomous robot able to alter its appearance and functionality at will. | Philip K. Dick (1957) | robotics | |
The Twonky - original robot | A robotic device from the future, constructed to look like a 1940's radio cabinet. | Lewis Padgett (1942) | robotics | |
Three Laws of Robotics (Rules of Robotics) - the original robot laws | The original formulation of Asimov's laws of robotics. | Isaac Asimov (1942) | robotics | |
Tik-Tok | A mechanical man. | L. Frank Baum (1907) | robotics | |
Underwater Robot | An autonomous mechanical for use underwater. | Harry Harrison (1956) | robotics | |
Unit Analyst Robot | A robotic psychoanalyst. | Philip K. Dick (1955) | robotics | |
Usuform Robot - not a mechanical man | A robot designed strictly along functional lines. | Anthony Boucher (1943) | robotics | |
Usuform Robot Bartender - with tentacles | A robotic bartender that is designed along purely functional lines. | Anthony Boucher (1943) | robotics | |
Vastening | It's hard to describe, but it's a robotic sense perception. | Lewis Padgett (1943) | robotics | |
Verhaeren Factor - creative machines | Provides autonomous robots with the capacity for independent creative action. | Anthony Boucher (1943) | robotics | |
Vision Strip - for robots | A circular vision strip for robots. | Orville Shaara (1952) | robotics | |
Vision Tubes | Microminaturized vision for UAV's. | Raymond Z. Gallun (1936) | robotics | |
Visual Pattern Recognition | A robot's ability to respond to programmed visual stimulus | Joseph E. Kelleam (1939) | robotics | |
Wabbler - underwater robot | An autonomous underwater robot. | Murray Leinster (1942) | robotics | |
Walking Mill | The ultimate combine - giant metal centipede walks through fields, harvesting wheat, threshing, grinding and finally baking bread right in the field. | Fritz Leiber (1958) | robotics | |
Window-Cleaner Robots | Robots that perform the task of cleaning and polishing transparent surfaces. | Arthur C. Clarke (1972) | robotics | |
Zeta-Ray | Makes and maintains vast holes - even in ocean water! | Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931) | robotics | |
Automated Sentry - automatic face recognition | A biometric device that scans facial features for identification. | Greg Bear (2003) | security | |
Defuser | Electroshock cellphones to keep unruly individuals under control. | Lauren Beukes (2008) | security | |
Doublethink | A mental discipline that is an exact contradiction to the basic principles of scientific inquiry. | George Orwell (1948) | security | |
Electrified Fence | A wire fence carrying an electrical charge sufficient to deter crossing the boundary. | Mark Twain (1889) | security | |
Palm Lock - uses more than a fingerprint | A lock or seal which can be opened only by contact with the palm of the human hand to which it has been keyed. | Frank Herbert (1965) | security | |
Palm Scan - the big print | A means of positive identification, in this case, for an ATM machine. | William Gibson (1999) | security | |
Penfield Wave Transmitter - an emotional brain remote control | A device that directs some sort of energy wave into a person's brain, allowing them to experience a chosen (dialed) mood. | Philip K. Dick (1968) | security | |
Spine-Clamp - restraint bolt for humans | A device that constrains the movements of convicted criminals. | Neal Stephenson (2008) | security | |
Tongueprint Verification - touching, not licking | A device that verifies the unique print of the tongue against a a database for identification purposes. | Larry Niven (w/E.M. Lerner) (2007) | security | |
Truth Meter - a 50's lie detector | A lie detector. | Robert Heinlein (1954) | security | |
Virtual Punishment | It seems like decades in prison. | Joe Haldeman (2011) | security | |
Assault Ship | A one-way, one-use spacecraft for depositing troops at the scene of a space battle. | Joe Haldeman (1974) | spacecraft | |
Broomstick - move in space | Device to ease movement in a zero-gravity environment. | Arthur C. Clarke (1952) | spacecraft | |
Broomstick Speedster | A two-seater craft capable of spaceflight; it used radiant power to achieve orbit. | Robert Heinlein (1942) | spacecraft | |
Can City - spinning space habitat | A cylindrical space habitat. | Dan Simmons (1989) | spacecraft | |
City Ship | A generation ship, a spacecraft that carries a people to another star. | Julian May (1953) | spacecraft | |
Commute Ship | Spacecraft used for traversing daily grind between Earth and the planet you work on. | Philip K. Dick (1954) | spacecraft | |
Cosmo-Craft | A spacecraft for traveling through time and space. | Donald Wandrei (1933) | spacecraft | |
Death Star - that's no moon | The logical endpoint of a galactic empire. | George Lucas (1976) | spacecraft | |
Diskoid | A huge flying saucer. | Nat Schachner (1932) | spacecraft | |
Eros Ship-Planetoid | A vast cylindrical ship, long thought to be a planetoid. | Will Garth (1938) | spacecraft | |
Escape Pod (Life Pod, Boat Pod) - check the pod, Darth | A small ship used solely as a "life boat." | George Lucas (1976) | spacecraft | |
Ether Ship | A space-going ship. | W.S. Lach-Szyrma (1886) | spacecraft | |
Flying Saucer - alien spacecraft | Spacecraft flown by the androgynes of Titan - under control of the Puppetmasters. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | spacecraft | |
Flying Wing - Northrup's all-metal dream | A V-shaped plane capable of flight to the edge of the atmosphere. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1934) | spacecraft | |
General Products Hull - impervious key to space travel | Nearly indestructible outer skin for spaceships; pick your hull size and put what you want inside. | Larry Niven (1966) | spacecraft | |
Heighliner | Enormous starship used by the Spacing Guild for interstellar travel. | Frank Herbert (1965) | spacecraft | |
Jet-Down - explore planets | A spacecraft able to explore planetary surfaces. | Isaac Asimov (1988) | spacecraft | |
Joy-boat Junior - a private space yacht | A private space yacht, capable of suborbital journeys. | Robert Heinlein (1941) | spacecraft | |
Lifeboat | A small space-worthy craft that can be jettisoned from a larger ship, to save its crew. | E.E. 'Doc' Smith (1931) | spacecraft | |
Life-Ship | An emergency escape or survival craft. | Ed Earl Repp (1940) | spacecraft | |
Living Space Ship | A space ship made of a living substance, in this case cellulose. | Murray Leinster (1935) | spacecraft | |
Magship | A ship that uses magnetic fields to catch the solar wind for propulsion. | Michael Flynn (1998) | spacecraft | |
Mass-Conversion Ship | A spacecraft that uses the ultimate in fuel sources. | Robert Heinlein (1950) | spacecraft | |
Mechanist Drogue | Bruce Sterling (1985) | spacecraft | ||
Michael (Orion Ship) - atomic pulse rocket | A spacecraft using nuclear bombs for propulsion. | Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1985) | spacecraft | |
Mobile Armor | Heavilly armed spacecraft with limbs. | Yoshiyuki Tomino (1979) | spacecraft | |
Mother Ship - first use of expression | A large spacecraft that serves as home base for other (usually smaller) ships. | John W. Campbell (1930) | spacecraft | |
No-Ship | A ship that uses an Ixian field to be effectively invisible. | Frank Herbert (1984) | spacecraft | |
Private Space Cruiser | A fully space-worthy ship under private ownership. | Edmond Hamilton (1928) | spacecraft | |
Projectile-Vehicle - Verne's spacecraft | A projectile, or shot, capable of enclosing passengers and being safely hurled to the moon by an enormous cannon. | Jules Verne (1867) | spacecraft | |
Ram Field - tweaked Bussard Ramjet | A specialized version of the hydrogen-gathering field for a Bussard Ramjet. | Larry Niven (1973) | spacecraft | |
Ramrobot - automated space exploration | An autonomous interstellar exploration craft using gathered hydrogen for fuel. | Larry Niven (1967) | spacecraft | |
Retro-Rockets - Verne invented them! | Small boosters to provide a thrust counter to the current velocity of the spacecraft, slowing it down or stopping its progress altogether. | Jules Verne (1867) | spacecraft | |
Rocket-Powered Space Flight - very early description | A device that could power a man from the surface of the Earth to that of the Moon. | Cyrano de Bergerac (1657) | spacecraft | |
Sargasso Asteroid - scavenger planetoid | A planetoid built from natural rock and the salvaged wreckage of space craft. | Alfred Bester (1956) | spacecraft | |
Seven Vane Starship | A faster-than-light ship with seven vanes of energy controlled by human nervous systems. | Samuel R. Delany (1968) | spacecraft | |
Ships With Legs | Space ships with mechanical limbs for walking the Earth. | Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) (1929) | spacecraft | |
Shuttle | A space craft that travels point to point in space. | Theodore Sturgeon (1950) | spacecraft | |
Shuttle Ship - early Space Shuttle | A spacecraft that could take off from a planet, rendezvous with an object in orbit, and fly back to the surface like a glider. | Robert Heinlein (1951) | spacecraft | |
Shuttlecraft | A small spaceship designed for short journeys. | Author Unknown (1967) | spacecraft | |
Singleship | A spacecraft designed for use by one person. | Larry Niven (1969) | spacecraft | |
Slowboat | Slower than lightspeed spacecraft used for interstellar colonization. | Larry Niven (1973) |