Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"One can see the free software movement as a precusor for a "free hardware" or "free wetware" movement--one that will provide free libraries of designs for biological or nanotechnological products that replicators can be programmed to churn out."
- Charles Stross
 |
| Robot Harvester | ||
| A large autonomous robot that moves through the fields taking in grain. |
| ON THE horizon the red-gold orb of the sun hung low and huge. The first shadows of approaching dusk were stretching and deepening over the pale yellow sea of wheat that spread in all directions as far as the eye could see. The field seemed to undulate under the quickening sweep of the evening breeze, heightening the sea-like effect. It was late summer of 2020.
Trevor glanced at his watch. Time to knock off. He laid aside the textbook he had been studying, rose to his feet, and stretched. He went to one of the opened windows of the control tower and looked out. The angular shape of the robot harvester was small in the wheat field to the west. It moved with a deliberate ponderousness through the lake of grain, clicking and humming softly. Trevor went to the remote control panel and turned the switch which would reduce the robot harvester to inactivity for the day. Then he closed the windows and left the. tower, climbing down the spiraling metal stairs to where his gyro stood on the ground outside. He climbed in, sent the gyro skimming toward the buildings of the farm five miles to the south. It was a nice job, Trevor decided as he flew. |
| Technovelgy from Forever is Too Long,
by Chester S. Geier. Published by Fantastic Adventures in 1944 Additional resources -
|
Compare to the field minder from But Who Can Replace A Man (1958) by Brian Aldiss, the automatic cultivators from Piracy Preferred (1930) by John W. Campbell, the conscious farm machines from The Hidden Colony (1935) by Otfrid von Hanstein, the robot farmer from The Turning Wheel (1954) by Philip K. Dick, the Robomule from Bill the Galactic Hero (1965) by Harry Harrison, the self-guided tractor from At the Bottom of a Hole (1966) by Larry Niven and the robot crab from Neuromancer (1984) by William Gibson.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Forever is Too Long
More Ideas
and Technology by Chester S. Geier
Tech news articles related to Forever is Too Long
Tech news articles related to works by Chester S. Geier
| Pole-Dancing Stripperbot Robot |
| VaMEx Biomimetic Mars Robot Inspired By Skink |
| DIY Robotic Content Farming |
| Vero Robotic Dog With Vacuum Cleaner Feet |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'Why, a clockwork dancer, or, better still, one that would go by electricity and never run down...'
'Maybe the individual intelligence of each Cubic pools into a group intelligence...'
'Looks like she has bought the Avatar Construction Set and put together her own...'
'Across the ground something small and metallic came, flashing in the dull sunlight of midday.'
'A broken circle with arrows pointing to a right-hand flow appeared in the chalf.'
'The object seemed melted together like wax — nothing was distinguishable.'
