E.E. 'Doc' Smith: Science Fiction Technology and Ideas

E.E. 'Doc' Smith:
Science Fiction Technology and Ideas

Edward Elmer Smith (1890-1965) was the science fiction author who wrote the Lensman series and the Skylark series. He was born in Idaho; he received his doctorate in Chemical Engineering from George Washington University in 1919. He worked as a 'food technologist' for the Dawn Doughnut Company, then worked for the US Army from 1941-1945. His novels are considered by most fans to be the progenitors of the 'space opera' genre; Smith himself stated that he preferred to invent fictional technologies that are not strictly impossible.

Invention/Technology	Source Work (Publication Date)
Flying Wing - Northrup's all-metal dream A V-shaped plane capable of flight to the edge of the atmosphere.	Triplanetary (1934)
Fontema A strange two 'wheeled' animal.	First Lensman (1950)
Fur Pressure-Suit A warm pressurized suit for use in the airless void of space.	Skylark of Space (1928)
Groundcar (or Ground Car) - the old-fashioned present A non-skimming, non-flying vehicle.	Galactic Patrol (1937)
Inertialess Drive Faster-than-light travel achieved!	Triplanetary (1934)
Ingestible Communication Capsule - only in emergencies A tiny transmitter that can be swallowed, which makes possible voice communication.	Triplanetary (1934)
Invisibility Shield A means of concealing a physical object to the naked eye.	Triplanetary (1934)
Lewiston Standard blaster pistol with terrifying power.	Triplanetary (1934)
Leybyrdite - Perfect for space axes Extremely tough crystalline metal.	Subspace Explorers (1965)
Lifeboat A small space-worthy craft that can be jettisoned from a larger ship, to save its crew.	Spacehounds of IPC (1931)
Manual Search For Habitable Planet A tedious search for habitable planets by hand.	Skylark of Valeron (1934)
Matched-Frequency Separable Units Devices that can draw power wirelessly from a matched source.	Skylark Three (1930)
Moving a Planet - early use of idea Early use of the concept of moving a planet to a new sun.	Triplanetary (1934)
Needle-Ray Very thin beam of destruction.	Skylark of Valeron (1934)
Negative Acceleration Turning a torchship through a half-circle, thereby applying force in the direction of motion, slowing the ship down.	Skylark of Space (1928)
Neutronium - how dense is it Extremely dense material.	Skylark Three (1930)
Pentavalent Nitrogen - most powerful chemical explosive. A high explosive formed from nitrogen.	Spacehounds of IPC (1931)
Platinum Alloy Disc - first CD or DVD? A silvery disc used for data record storage.	Triplanetary (1934)
Pressor (Pressor Beam) - push not pull A force-field beam that pushes, rather than pulls.	Spacehounds of IPC (1931)
Protective Shield - personal force field An energy shield for one person.	Triplanetary (1934)

First

Last

(Records 21 to 40 of 56)

(Press the Refresh button on your browser if you see a generic ad)
<MAP NAME="boxmap-p15"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="7, 224, 96, 232" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" target=main><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/technovelgyco-20" target=main></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/468x240.gif" width="468" height="240" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p15" alt="Shop at Amazon.com">

Technovelgy.com is devoted to the creative inventions and technology of science fiction authors and movie makers. Look for the Science Fiction Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary of Science Fiction Inventions, the Timeline of Science Fiction Inventions, or see what's New.
Find new authors and technologies - Shop for yourself, your library and your lab.

New on Site

Celestial Atlas
( 11/17/2024)

Landing Legs
( 11/17/2024)

Command-Disk
( 11/16/2024)

Cometeering
( 11/16/2024)

Ascension-Framework
( 11/15/2024)

Space-Phone
( 11/15/2024)

Funnel-Shaped Landing Framework
( 11/15/2024)

Landing Arms
( 11/15/2024)

Wind-Suncatcher
( 11/13/2024)

Opaque Helmet
( 11/13/2024)

	Home \| Glossary \| Invention Timeline \| Category \| New \| Contact Us \| FAQ \| Advertise \| Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™ Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.