Crashlander by Larry Niven:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

Fascinating series of stories by Larry Niven. This collection brings together the short stories about Beowulf Shaeffer, an itinerant adventurer and starship pilot; Neutron Star (1966, Hugo Award winner, 1967), At the Core (1966), Flatlander (1967), Grendel (1968), The Borderland of Sol (1975, Hugo Award winner, 1976), and Procrustes (1993). Select an invention:

Crash Web
A simple mechanical linkage to activate a crash field.

Escalladder - a ladder you can ride
A ladder that you don't have to climb to get to the top.

Inflatable Expansion Bubble - temporary room for space craft
Inflatable chamber to provide temporary additional space for cramped space craft.

Mass Pointer
Tells you where the really large (star-sized) masses are while you travel in hyperspace.

Tannin-Secretion Pills
Artificially darkens skin, for skin protection.

 

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Science Fiction
in the News

Russians Create Robot Tank Platoons
re: Philip Nowlan w/D. Calkins
(8/15/2025)

3D-Printed Exoskeleton Learns From Your Hand
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Smartwatch Powered By Slime Mold
re: Philip K. Dick
(7/11/2025)

Unmanned Boats Attack At Sea
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Carpentopod Walking Table
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Iron Drone Raider Counter-UAV Operations
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SpaceX Rocket Shuttle Point-To-Point On Earth
re: Robert Heinlein
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Quaise Uses Beams Of Energy To Dig Geothermal Wells
re: Frank Stockton
(7/1/2025)

Robots Repair And Modify Themselves
re: Harry Harrison
(6/29/2025)

Waymo And Tesla 'Autonomous Cabs' Are Piloted By Remote Drivers
re: Philip K Dick
(6/27/2025)

Robot Janitors Get To Work
re: Philip K. Dick
(6/25/2025)

Robots Learn To Install Charged Batteries Into Themselves
re: Not known.
(6/23/2025)

Robot Rabbits Entice Pythons
re: JW Groves
(6/21/2025)

LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
re: Philip K. Dick
(6/19/2025)

More SF in the News

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