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"[Science fiction is] nightmares and visions, always outlined by the barely possible."
- Gregory Benford
 |
| Light Vests (Laser Tag) | ||
| A vest and light gun combination used to score hits. |
As far as I know, this is the first use of the idea of what we now call "laser tag", which was invented in 1979.
| "I've modified both guns so
that you and the Marshal will
now shoot at each other with
ultra violet light. You'll both
wear vests that are sensitive to
this light. I monitor the hits
electrically by measuring the resistance of those areas where a
bullet would severely injure a
man. Nothing will occur unless
you or the Marshal are hit in
such an area. Furthermore, you
can both continue to shoot for
an indefinite length of time.
However, I've altered the Marshal's aiming mechanism so that
if he's hit in a vital spot, he
won't shoot as accurately. Similarly, if you are hit, a defocussing mechanism operates on
your light bulb so that your gun
is no longer as accurate. And instead of the recorded voice, if
either of you is hit in the heart,
your gun goes dead."
 ('The Fastest Draw' by Larry Eisenberg) |
| Technovelgy from The Fastest Draw,
by Larry Eisenberg. Published by Amazing Stories in 1963 Additional resources -
|
The US Army developed a system using lasers for combat training in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Called multiple integrated laser engagement system, or MILES, it used lasers as well as blank cartridges to simulate battle conditions.
Most of us are familiar with the game Laser Tag:
Be sure to read the article on mechanical marshal from the same story.
In 1982, George Carter III began the process of designing an arena-based system for playing a scored version of the game, a possibility which had initially occurred to him in 1977 while watching the film Star Wars. The grand opening for the first Photon center was in Dallas, Texas on 28 March 1984.
(From Wikipedia
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More Ideas
and Technology from The Fastest Draw
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Tech news articles related to works by Larry Eisenberg
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| A Remarkable Coincidence |
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'It sounds to me as though you had invented a kind of metal earthworm.'
'I don't have to tell you about the seven two-mile-diameter orbital mirrors that circulate around the satellite, making it habitable.'
'The steel tortoise gave MacKinnon a feeling of Crusoe- like independence.'
'...then back to their work, though little enough it was on these automatic cultivators.'
't came out into plain view. Darkington glimpsed a slim body and six short legs of articulated dull metal.'
'The suit stands up and starts walking, gripping me round the calves and waist, taking the bulk of my weight off my throbbing feet.'
'Internally it’s made up of millions of components, but the most important ones are the thinking and memory parts of the Mind proper.'
