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
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Timeline
of Science Fiction Ideas, Technology and Inventions
(sorted by Publication Date)
Most of these items are linked to information about similar real-life inventions and inventors; click on an invention to learn more about it.
1600-1899 1900-1929 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000+
| Date | Device Name (Novel Author) |
| 2010 | Neural Lace (from Surface Detail by Iain M Banks) An interface between the brain and computer facilities. |
| 2010 | Darknet Farm (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez) A farm that uses computer networked information systems to achieve sustainable agriculture in a community. |
| 2010 | Desubstantiation Effect (from Death's End by Cixin Liu) In interstellar space, the ship seems like the only material entity in the universe, leading to loneliness and anxiety. |
| 2010 | Metallic Display Scroll (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez) A rollable video screen. |
| 2010 | Angel Teeth (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez) Essentially a spear dropped from a great height (or from orbit) with a guidance system. |
| 2010 | Alien Trojan (from Out of the Dark by David Webber) Malware from another world! |
| 2010 | Aeromuse Pillow (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A pillow that doubles as a music player. |
| 2010 | Rocket Pine (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) Genetically engineered trees for wood pulp. |
| 2010 | Necap (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A device that burns out neural connections. |
| 2010 | Disabler (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A device that drains power quickly from an electric vehicle. |
| 2010 | Office Hand (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A robotic hand with each finger customized for a different function. |
| 2010 | Ugly T-Shirt (from Zero History by William Gibson) Uses disruptive patterning to make the wearer invisible to computerized surveillance techniques. |
| 2010 | Power Stilts (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) Platforms that push inundated cities ever higher. |
| 2010 | Barker (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A device that scans for nearby medical implants, and allows the operator to take control. |
| 2010 | Humeld (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A human being with augmented body parts. |
| 2010 | Millenniaire (from The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi) A person with much more Time than an ordinary person. |
| 2010 | Nutrient Extractor and Maximizer (NEM) (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) Device that replaces and extends the capabilities of the human digestive system. |
| 2011 | Virtual Punishment (from Complete Sentence by Joe Haldeman) It seems like decades in prison. |
| 2011 | Onionskin Transparent Jeans (from Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart) See-through pants. |
| 2011 | DNA Publishing (from Spiral by Paul McEuen) Encode a poem or story in DNA, then multiply. |
| 2012 | Brain-Jacking (from Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez) Using insects for surveillance. |
| 2012 | Autonomous Assassination Drone (from Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez) A flying UAV that is self-guided to a target, destroys the target, and is capable of destroying itself after mission completion. |
| 2012 | Wildcode (from The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi) A vast, actual desert comprised of nanites, nanomachines. |
| 2012 | Robotic Eel (from Re:Set by Susan Beetlestone) A five-foot long artificial eel, controlled by an operator. |
| 2012 | Eel Operator (from Re:Set by Susan Beetlestone) A surgically modified human being able to operate a robotic eel |
| 2012 | Parent Drone (from Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez) A drone platform that launches smaller drones. |
| 2012 | DNA Music Storage (from Year Zero by Rob Reid) Encoding music in junk DNA. |
| 2014 | Freedom ID (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) A chip inserted into the hand for identification (and surveillance) purposes. |
| 2014 | Replaced Worker Benefits (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) Compensation for people whose jobs are taken by robots. |
| 2014 | Nubot (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) An android that directly replaces a human at their job. |
| 2014 | Cosmoline (Warm Sleep) (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) Special gel that offers healing and hibernation for space travelers. |
| 2014 | Norm-All Program (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) A set of algorithms that determine a reasonable location for every citizen. |
| 2014 | Timeout (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) The part of a Skyrene's life that is spent in Warm Sleep travel between Earth and the destination planet. |
| 2014 | Skintight (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) Specialized space suit for low atmospheric pressure environments like Mars. |
| 2014 | Oxygen Fountain (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) A small factory for making oxygen on the Martian surface. |
| 2014 | Puff (Puff Balls) (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) Material that is used to help Skyrines dropped to the surface of Mars get rid of some of that excess velocity. |
| 2014 | EYE Program (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) A massive government database on civilians. |
| 2015 | Public Urine Collection (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) Arcologies offer public latrines, then collect for reclamation. |
| 2015 | Jonnytruck (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) A movable bathroom for hire; cost is offset by reclamation. |
| 2015 | Vehicle Seeds (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear) A matrix of materials and instructions that allow vehicles to grow themselves when placed in an environment of plentiful materials. |
| 2015 | Centipede (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear) Perfect craft for crawling through slushy, frozen lakes - on Titan. |
| 2015 | Cranial Amplified Programming CAP (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear) An aid to learning, which you apply directly to your skull. |
| 2015 | Clearsac (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) A simple device that filters water perfectly for reuse. |
| 2015 | Face Recognition Sunglasses (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) Sunglasses that connect with a remote database to perform face recognition. |
| 2016 | Crowdcutter (from Infomocracy by Malka Older) A device worn to part crowds. |
| 2016 | Logical Pathogen (from The Medusa Chronicles by Alastair Reynolds (w/S. Baxter)) Malware concealed in DNA. |
| 2017 | Superscraper (from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson) Buildings that are hundreds of stories tall. |
| 2017 | Hotello (from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson) A portable room within a room. |
| 2019 | OLED Body Film (from Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan) Attaching or implanting flexible screen material to the body as decoration. |
| 2019 | VEIL (from Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson) A wearable device used to foil facial recognition systems. |
| 2019 | Forward Warehousing (from Stealing Worlds by Karl Schroeder) Using the trunks of cars as little warehouses. |
| 2019 | Edit Stream (from Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson) Internet content curated by a single person or service, then streamed to those who pay for the service. |
| 2019 | PURDAH (from Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson) A method of ensuring that a given text was created by its putative author, while masking the identity of the author. |
1600-1899 1900-1949 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's
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The New Habitable Zones Include Asimov's Ribbon Worlds
re: Harl VIncent
(1/23/2026)
3D Printing A 12-Meter Boat Hull
re: Murray Leinster
(1/15/2026)
China Still Working On Rescue Robot That Eats People
re: Various
(1/13/2026)
Lawyer AIs Create Chaos In Our Legal System
re: David Brin
(1/11/2026)
Chinese Hospital Tries Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron' Cosplay
re: Kurt Vonnegut
(1/9/2026)
Robot Clerks Become A Reality In China
re: Miriam Allen deFord
(1/7/2026)
Can One Robot Do Many Tasks?
re: Robert Sheckley
(1/5/2026)
Atlas Robot Makes Uncomfortable Movements
re: James Cameron
(1/3/2026)
Boring Company Drills Asimov's Single Vehicle Tunnels
re: Isaac Asimov
(1/1/2026)
Humanoid Robots Tickle The Ivories
re: Herbert Goldstone
(12/29/2025)
A Remarkable Coincidence
re: Arthur C. Clarke
(12/27/2025)
Cortex 1 - Today A Warehouse, Tomorrow A Calculator Planet
re: Clifford Simak
(12/25/2025)
Perching Ambush Drones
re: Philip K. Dick
(12/23/2025)
Leader-Follower Autonomous Vehicle Technology
re: Gordon R. Dickson
(12/21/2025)
Golf Ball Test Robot Wears Them Out
re: Frederik Pohl
(12/19/2025)
Boring Company Vegas Loop Like Asimov Said
re: Isaac Asimov
(12/17/2025)
Rigid Metallic Clothing From Science Fiction To You
re: Edmond Hamilton
(12/15/2025)
Is The Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 A Heinlein Vibroblade?
re: Robert Heinlein
(12/13/2025)
Roborock Saros Z70 Is A Robot Vacuum With An Arm
re: Robert Heinlein
(12/11/2025)
A Beautiful Visualization Of Compact Food
re: Edward Page Mitchell
(12/9/2025)
Bone-Building Drug Evenity Approved
re: Edmond Hamilton
(12/7/2025)
Secret Kill Switch Found In Yutong Buses
re: Keith Laumer
(12/5/2025)
Inmotion Electric Unicycle In Combat
re: Robert Heinlein
(12/3/2025)
Grok Scores Best In Psychological Tests
re: Isaac Asimov
(12/1/2025)
PaXini Supersensitive Robot Fingers
re: Ray Cummings
(11/29/2025)
Congress Considers Automatic Emergency Braking, One Hundred Years Too Late
re: Bernard Brown
(11/27/2025)
The Desert Ship Sailed In Imagination
re: Ray Bradbury
(11/25/2025)
The Zapata Air Scooter Would Be Great In A Science Fiction Story
re: Robert Heinlein
(11/23/2025)
Thermostabilized Wet Meat Product (NASA Prototype)
re: Various
(11/21/2025)
Could Crystal Batteries Generate Power For Centuries?
re: Edmond Hamilton
(11/19/2025)
India Ponders Always-On Smartphone Location Tracking
re: Jack Vance
(11/17/2025)
Amazon Will Send You Heinlein's Knockdown Cabin
re: Robert Heinlein
(11/15/2025)
(See More Science Fiction in the News)
