John W. Campbell: Science Fiction Technology and Ideas

John W. Campbell:
Science Fiction Technology and Ideas

John Wood Campbell was born in 1910; he died in 1971. He received a degree in Physics from MIT in 1923, publishing his first stories when still a student. In 1937 he became editor of Astounding Stories and discovered many great talents of sf, including Asimov, Heinlein, Sturgeon, van Vogt and others. He freely offered his ideas to his writers; Isaac Asimov has credited Campbell with the Three Laws of Robotics.

(John W. Campbell [1931 Wonder Stories])

Invention/Technology	Source Work (Publication Date)
Altitude Suit Special gear for venturing out at high altitude or even space.	The Black Star Passes (1930)
Anti-Gravity Drive Electric force curves space.	The Last Evolution (1932)
Atomic-Powered Lifting Suits Special exoskeletons that would allow an ordinary human being to walk in doubled gravity.	The Brain Pirates (1938)
Automatic Cultivators Agricultural robots.	Piracy Preferred (1930)
Automatic Parking Vehicle autonomously heads for a public hangar.	Twilight (1934)
Building With Lunar Materials Using a planet's materials to make what you need.	The Moon is Hell (1950)
Chronoscope A device used to see into specific internals of time.	Elimination (1936)
Credit - first use A basic unit of currency.	The Mightiest Machine (1934)
Daisy Projector Beam of energy penetrates the Heaviside layer to enable communication from planet to planet.	The Derelicts of Ganymede (1932)
Darkness Bomb - infra-infra-infra fluorescence! A small bulb containing a vapor that causes darkness to occur.	The Mightiest Machine (1934)
Electric Machine Gun (Railgun) - electromagnetic acceleration A device that accelerates small projectiles magnetically using a strong electric current.	The Battery of Hate (1933)
Electric-Space-Strain Projector - wireless power transmission Device enables the wireless transmission of power.	The Mightiest Machine (1934)
Energy Weapon A device that fires pure energy, used as a weapon.	The Mightiest Machine (1934)
Faster-Than-Light - ftl Describes something that exceeds the usual speed limit on physical objects of 186,282 miles per second in vacuum.	Islands of Space (1931)
Floater (Vehicle) A conveyance distinguished primarily by antigravity power.	The Machine (1935)
Gyroscope Seats Your best bet for remaining at the right angle to the force of acceleration.	The Black Star Passes (1930)
Hand Grip Means of pulling oneself through a space ship at zero gravity.	Islands of Space (1931)
Helicops Small, private flyers for business commuting.	The Black Star Passes (1930)
Intergalactic Going between galaxies.	Invaders From The Infinite (1932)
Jump Instantaneous movement over vast distances, points many light-years apart.	Invaders From The Infinite (1932)

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