 |
Science Fiction Dictionary: Ideas, Terms and Technology
(
3946 Inventions Available)
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
| Device Name | Book/Story | Author | Date |
| Fabricow Cattle and other creatures that create gene-designed biomachinery in their wombs. |
Piecework | Brin | 1990 |
| Fabricules Tiny bits of fabric that were self-cleaning; gloves made of this material always stayed clean. |
The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Face Dancer Mimicry enhanced through genetic manipulation. |
Dune Messiah | Herbert | 1969 |
| Face Recognition Sunglasses Sunglasses that connect with a remote database to perform face recognition. |
The Water Knife | Bacigalupi | 2015 |
| Face Seal A dive mask for deep sea diving. |
Starfish | Watts | 1999 |
| Face-Plate The transparent front of a space suit helmet. |
Skylark Three | Smith | 1930 |
| Factory Crawler (or Harvester Crawler) A mobile factory which filtered and processed the sands of Dune for the spice, mélange. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Fairy Digits (Tiny Waldoes) Waldoes used for very fine work. |
Waldo | Heinlein | 1942 |
| Fake-Meter A pocket-sized counterfeit currency detector. |
The Killing Machine | Vance | 1964 |
| False Animal Repairman A specialized roboticist who repaired robotic animals. |
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | Dick | 1968 |
| Family Atomics Noble houses had their own atomic weapons. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Famnexdo A set of four simulacra, one adult male, one adult female and two children; the family next door. |
The Simulacra | Dick | 1964 |
| Fan Ray A protective ray screen in the shape of a cone. |
The Onslaught From Venus | Phillips | 1929 |
| Fanmetal High tensile strength material; used in collapsible structures opened by "fanning" them out. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Farcaster A portal for traveling between distant stars; inexpensive, instantaneous travel to remote worlds. |
Hyperion | Simmons | 1989 |
| Farming Trantor Taking apart a vast city, and returning to farming the land. |
Second Foundation | Asimov | 1953 |
| Farside The portion of the Moon's surface that faces away from Earth. |
We Have Fed Our Sea | Anderson | 1958 |
| Faster-Than-Light Describes something that exceeds the usual speed limit on physical objects of 186,282 miles per second in vacuum. |
Islands of Space | Campbell | 1931 |
| Fatline A communications technology that provides immediate communication between star systems; faster-than-light communication. |
Hyperion | Simmons | 1989 |
| Feeding Room An automated child care. |
Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be) | Souvestre | 1846 |
| Feeler-Planes Special sensors that make extremely detailed three-dimensional models. |
The Houses of Iszm | Vance | 1954 |
| Feelies (Feely) Device adds the tactile element to entertainment. |
Brave New World | Huxley | 1932 |
| Femfatalatron A device that reverses an infatuation for a particular woman. |
The Cyberiad: Fables for the Cybernetic Age | Lem | 1965 |
| Fencing Mirror A dummy fighting instructor for the young Kwisatz Haderach-in-training. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Fenton Silencer A device to cancel noise over a broad area. |
Tales from the White Hart | Clarke | 1957 |
| Ferretscope A counter-surveillance tool to detect the presence of listening devices. |
If This Goes On... | Heinlein | 1940 |
| Fido Combination television, news camera and surveillance device. |
Riders of the Purple Wage | Farmer | 1967 |
| Field-Minder An agricultural robot. |
But Who Can Replace A Man | Aldiss | 1958 |
| Field-Projector A device that dematerializes a person and then sends forth a ray that will then rematerialize a person at the end. |
Easy Money | Hamilton | 1938 |
| Fieldstim A device that used stimulation of a large skin area to impart images to the user. |
Freezone | Shirley | 1985 |
| Fight Machine (Boxing Robot) An autonomous boxer. |
Jingle in the Jungle | Giunta | 1957 |
| Filament Paper Book Very small book, made for space travelers in an era when the smallest added weight was costly. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Filing Crystal Part kiosk, part storage system. |
Babel-17 | Delany | 1966 |
| Filling Station Moon The idea that Man could first go to the Moon to obtain fuel or propellant. |
A Daring Trip To Mars | Valier | 1931 |
| Filmag A video magazine. |
Sunward Flight | Zagat | 1943 |
| Filmbook A storage medium for information, both text and video. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Filter Program Using programs to filter Internet results; a person need see only what they want to see. |
Earth | Brin | 1990 |
| Filter Wheel A device for filtering liquid or gas to obtain a pure sample of a selected molecule. |
The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Filterable Virus A special virus that is instantly carcinomatous. |
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch | Dick | 1965 |
| Filter-Mask Perfect for dystopian future air pollution. |
The Sheep Look Up | Brunner | 1972 |
| Filt-Plug A nose plug worn to collect moisture from exhaled air. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Finely Divided Dust Propellant Reaction mass to drive spacecraft. |
Earthlight | Clarke | 1955 |
| Finger Jet Bath The ultimate in luxury tubs. |
The Houses of Iszm | Vance | 1954 |
| Finger Watch A ring that contains a working timepiece and a display. |
Key Decision | Fyfe | 1951 |
| Fire Storm When clouds of antimatter dust encountered ordinary matter spaceships. |
Collision Orbit | Williamson | 1942 |
| Firebulance An ambulance equipped to sterilize by fire. |
Vector | St. Clair | 1958 |
| First Contact The initial encounter with a non-human race. |
Proxima Centauri | Leinster | 1935 |
| Fixed Star Advertising In which the positions of the fixed stars are changed to form advertising. |
Pi in the Sky | Brown | 1945 |
| Flame Barrier A form of protective force field. |
The Storm | van Vogt | 1943 |
| Flame Disintegrator Ravening flames from a hand-held device. |
The Eternal Wanderer | Schachner | Astounding |
| Flame Pistol A hand-held weapon that incinerates opponents. |
Invisible Ships | Vincent | 1931 |
| Flame Projector Handheld device shoots flame. |
Water-Bound World | Vincent | 1932 |
| Flash Crowd (Flash Mob) What you call a group of people who suddenly appear at an interesting location. |
Flash Crowd | Niven | 1972 |
| Flash Suit Special suit for practice battles. |
Ender's Game | Card | 1985 |
| Flashlight Laser Small cylindrical device that generates a green beam of variable intensity and focal length; can illuminate or cut. |
Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Flat Cat A nearly two-dimensional furry little beast. |
The Rolling Stones | Heinlein | 1952 |
| Flat Photo A two-dimensional pictorial representation of a three-dimensional real space. A picture. |
Hyperion | Simmons | 1989 |
| Flatscreen Movie Like holographic or three-dimensional recordings, but showing only two dimensions. |
Orbital Resources | Barnes | 1991 |
| Flavor-Capsule A small pill used to turn ordinary water into a flavored beverage. |
Foundation and Empire | Asimov | 1952 |
| Flavor-Fix Rheostat Technology makes sure that the flavor of automatically-produced food is perfect. |
The Jester | Tenn | 1951 |
| Flesh Gun A weapon that burns the skin and meat off the victim. |
The Computer Connection | Bester | 1974 |
| Flesh Men Thinking beings that are not mechanical robots - human beings. |
Robots of the World! Arise! | Wolf | 1952 |
| Flesh Putty A flesh replacement, good for putting in bullet holes. |
Titanium Noir | Harkaway | 2023 |
| Flexible Armor Suit A pressure suit that, while flexible, becomes rigid like armor upon impact. |
Neutron Star | Niven | 1966 |
| Flexible Car Map A nonrigid map that extrudes from the dashboard of a car when needed. |
Heavy Weather | Sterling | 1994 |
| Flexible Frank An all-purpose household robot. |
The Door Into Summer | Heinlein | 1956 |
| Flexible Metal Arms (Tentacles) An interesting description of how mechanical tentacles might function. |
The Metal Giants | Hamilton | 1926 |
| Flexible Sprung Boots Boots designed to be flexible when walking, but upon a hard step, will have a spring characteristic. |
Inherit the Stars | Hogan | 1977 |
| Flexible Stem A long flexible tube that can expand and contract its length quickly. |
The Killing Machine | Vance | 1964 |
| Flexible Wall Sheet Display A large clear sheet that displays information. |
The Mechanical Monarch | Tubb | 1958 |
| Flexitime A work system that actually tells you when you've put in your time. |
Master of Space and Time | Rucker | 1984 |
| Flex-Wheels Special wheels designed for getting around on the Moon. |
2001: A Space Odyssey | Clarke | 1968 |
| Flexy (or Flexies) A flexible, quasi-living computer. |
Pushing Ice | Reynolds | 2005 |
| Flicker Drive A space ship drive that allows instantaneous travel across the galaxy. |
Fremder | Hoban | 1996 |
| Flickercladding A covering that allowed robots to absorb incident light or emit light, as needed. |
Wetware | Rucker | 1988 |
| Flight Stick A personal flying vehicle, stripped down to the basics. |
The Flight of the Horse | Niven | 1969 |
| Flip to Brake Maneuver to put the tail end (with rocket output) in the forward direction of travel to use for lowering velocity. |
Murder on the Asteroid | Binder | 1933 |
| Flitter A small craft used for short-range journeys. |
Vortex Blaster | Smith | 1941 |
| Flitterboat A one-man cargo space craft. |
A Spaceship Named McGuire | Garrett | 1961 |
| Floater A device that allows the user to literally float in the air |
Armageddon: 2419 A.D. | Nowlan | 1928 |
| Floater (Vehicle) A conveyance distinguished primarily by antigravity power. |
The Machine | Campbell | 1935 |
| Float-home Living entity genetically designed for use as a houseboat. |
Whipping Star | Herbert | 1969 |
| Floating Booths Comfortable bar booths that float around and come together for conversation. |
Handicap | Niven | 1967 |
| Floating Building An apartment building that floats a few feet off the ground. |
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said | Dick | 1974 |
| Floating Castle A vast building floating freely above the land surface of Ringworld. |
Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Floating Island Large artificial islands floating on Earth's seas. |
Saturn's Race | Niven (w/S. Barnes) | 2000 |
| Floating Lunar Dust Electrostatically charged particles that float above the surface of the Moon. |
Dust Rag | Clement | 1956 |
| Floating Robot A robot that floats in mid-air. |
The Floating Robot | O'Brien | 1941 |
| Floating Spherical Pool Control of gravity permits mid-air pools of water. |
One Against The Legion | Williamson | 1939 |
| Floating Villa An artificial island several acres in extent. |
Doom Over Venus | Hamilton | 1940 |
| Fluid Metal Letters A smooth metal display able to display words. |
Vulcan's Hammer | Dick | 1960 |
| Fluor Strips Lighting long narrow devices. |
Sacred Martian Pig (Idris' Pig) | St. Clair | 1949 |
| Flycycle Combination flying motorcycle, kitchen and autodoc. |
Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Flying Car Flying police car has VTOL. |
Blade Runner | Scott | 1982 |
| Flying Crowbars Kinetic energy weapons deployed from space. |
Footfall | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1985 |
| Flying Eye A remote-controlled device for surveillance overflight. |
The Repairman | Harrison | 1959 |
| Flying Harness Device allows free movement in the air. |
Skylark of Space | Smith | 1928 |
| Flying Platform Simple black squares that fly and hover. |
Locked Worlds | Hamilton | 1929 |
| Flying Robot Drone Probe A remote-controlled flying drone used for remote investigation and surveillance. |
The Man in the Maze | Silverberg | 1969 |
| Flying Saucer Spacecraft flown by the androgynes of Titan - under control of the Puppetmasters. |
The Puppet Masters | Heinlein | 1951 |
| Flying Wing A V-shaped plane capable of flight to the edge of the atmosphere. |
Triplanetary | Smith | 1934 |
| Flywheel Cycle A motorcycle powered by a flywheel. |
The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge | Harrison | 1970 |
| Flywheel Launcher Gigantic flywheels that build up enough power to launch a spacecraft - hurl it into the heavens! |
The Brick Moon | Hale | 1869 |
| Foam Station Sprayer A device that stills the stormy Great Red Spot on Jupiter. |
Red Storm on Jupiter | Long, Jr. | 1936 |
| Focusing Psychoactive microbe improves the attention-focusing ability of those infected. |
A Deepness in the Sky | Vinge | 1999 |
| Fold Box A chest that is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. |
Glory Road | Heinlein | 1963 |
| Folding Computer Terminal A foldable pocket computer. |
The Merchants of Souls | Barnes | 2002 |
| Folding Terminal A computer that unfolds itself for use. |
The Mountain in the Sea | Naylor | 2022 |
| Fontema A strange two 'wheeled' animal. |
First Lensman | Smith | 1950 |
| Food Brick Appropriate manufactured food for any species. |
Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Food Factory Mechanized production of food by entirely artificial means. |
Exiles of the Moon | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Food Pellets Sustenance in a concentrated form. |
The Republic of the Future | Dodd | 1887 |
| Food Pills A substitute for ordinary nutrition. |
A Strange Trip | Hopkins | 1885 |
| Food Preparation Machine An automated device for the production of complete meals. |
Unto Us A Child Is Born | Keller | 1933 |
| Food Tablet All of your nutrients in one easy-to-swallow form factor. |
John Jones's Dollar | Keeler | 1915 |
| Foot Loops Hold yourself down in zero gravity situations with this low-tech device. |
The Power Planet | Leinster | 1931 |
| Force Pencil Device straps to forearm, projects a force beam. |
Gather, Darkness! | Leiber | 1943 |
| Forced Scholars Hothouse intellectuals. |
Le Monde Tel Qu'il Sera (The World As It Shall Be) | Souvestre | 1846 |
| Force-Field A barrier to objects, created by projected forces. |
A Subterranean Adventure | Bauer | 1930 |
| Force-Field Penknife A pocket-sized knife, the blade of which is a force-field. |
Foundation | Asimov | 1951 |
| Force-Ray A large, hand-held spear of force. |
Buck Rogers, 2430 AD | Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) | 1929 |
| Force-Screen A variation on the force shield idea. |
The Dweller in Outer Darkness | Long, Jr. | 1939 |
| Fornixation Electrical stimulation of the pleasure centers of the brain. |
Riders of the Purple Wage | Farmer | 1967 |
| Forward Warehousing Using the trunks of cars as little warehouses. |
Stealing Worlds | Schroeder | 2019 |
| Fossil Shell Coin The use of rare natural shells of an extinct species, for money. |
The Coming Race | Bulwer-Lytton | 1871 |
| Fottengill Process An early mention of the idea that energy can be derived from random noise. |
Gypped | Biggle, Jr. | 1956 |
| Fractal Knife The blade uses a fractal geometry to increase its cutting surface. |
Virtual Light | Gibson | 1993 |
| Free Fall Phrase describing how bodies move in orbit. |
Islands of Space | Campbell | 1931 |
| Free Play (The Mind Game) A computer simulation that presents an enjoyable game for young people that is also used for psychological evaluation. |
Ender's Game | Card | 1985 |
| Free Return Trajectory The idea that it would be possible for a projectile to go around the Moon and then return to Earth. |
From the Earth to the Moon | Verne | 1867 |
| Free Robot A robot without a master. |
Robot Unwanted | Keyes | 1952 |
| Free Telephone Call All telephone calls are free - in exchange for short commercials. |
The Subliminal Man | Ballard | 1963 |
| Freedom ID A chip inserted into the hand for identification (and surveillance) purposes. |
Spark | Twelve Hawks | 2014 |
| Freedom Machine A birth control device developed using nanotechnology. |
The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Free-fall Couch Furniture that achieves the comfort of free-fall, the weightless condition normally achieved only in space. |
Hyperion | Simmons | 1989 |
| Freeside Orbital Resort A resort that orbits the Earth. |
Neuromancer | Gibson | 1984 |
| Freezebox A chamber for long term sleep between the stars. |
Think Blue, Count Two | Smith | 1962 |
| Freezone A vast floating island in international waters. |
Freezone | Shirley | 1985 |
| Fresher Short for "refreshing chamber,", it is the future of personal hygiene technology. |
Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Frictionless Cups Cups with a special surface to which liquid does not adhere. |
Protector | Niven | 1973 |
| Frictionless Toilet A toilet bowl that does not require water, because its surface is frictionless. |
The Mote in God's Eye | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1974 |
| Fruit-Picking Machine An humanoid machine for automatic fruit picking. |
The Hidden Colony | von Hanstein | 1935 |
| FTL Abbreviation for "faster than light". |
The Enchanted Forest | Leiber | 1950 |
| Fuel Tree Plants raised as fuel. |
Anathem | Stephenson | 2008 |
| Fulgurator An 'autopropulsive projectile'. |
Facing The Flag | Verne | 1896 |
| Fuligin A material the color of which is blacker than black. |
The Shadow of the Torturer | Wolfe | 1980 |
| Full-Motion Building Advertising Facade An advertising display that covers an entire skyscraper; it provides full-motion video to onlookers. |
Blade Runner | Scott | 1982 |
| Full-Shift Set Variable Infinite possibilities built into a game machine. |
Return Match | Dick | 1967 |
| Funnel-Shaped Landing Framework A special purpose landing dock area that is wider at the top until the craft is captured toward the bottom. |
Evans of the Earth-Guard | Hamilton | 1930 |
| Fur Pressure-Suit A warm pressurized suit for use in the airless void of space. |
Skylark of Space | Smith | 1928 |
| Fusion Power Creating energy from nuclear fusion reactions. |
The Judas Valley | Vance | 1956 |
| Fusion Sunlight Tube Central light source for a spun cylinder space station. |
At the Bottom of a Hole | Niven | 1966 |
| Fyunch(click) An alien assigned to become an expert in just one person. |
The Mote in God's Eye | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1974 |
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
Didn't find
what you were looking for?
Want to Submit
an Item? Comments? Corrections? Contact
us!
Technovelgy.com is devoted to the creative inventions, devices and technology of science fiction authors and movie makers. Look for the Science Fiction Invention Category that interests you, the 3,300+ item Dictionary of Science Fiction, the Science Fiction Timeline, or see what's New. Read more than 6,000 science fiction made real stories - Science Fiction in the News.
Science Fiction
in
the News
Miss Alabama Beauty Contest Offers Different Standards
re: Jack Vance
(11/29/2024)
Has Musk Given Up On Full Self Driving (FSD)?
re: Charles Stross
(11/27/2024)
Prufrock-3 'The Monster' Ready To Launch
re: Frank Philips
(11/25/2024)
Drones In Vast Airborne Grids
re: Neal Stephenson
(11/23/2024)
Starship Special Edition For Lunar Shuttle
re: Arthur C. Clarke
(11/21/2024)
Capturing Asteroids With Nets
re: VE Thiessen
(11/19/2024)
Project Hyperion - Generation Ship Designers Needed!
re: Judson W. Reeves
(11/17/2024)
AI Welfare Position At Anthropic Filled By Human
re: Isaac Asimov
(11/15/2024)
Marslink Proposed By SpaceX
re: George O. Smith
(11/13/2024)
Simple Way To Defeat AI Face Recognition
re: Neal Stephenson
(11/11/2024)
Wood-Panelled LignoSat Launched
re: Dan Simmons
(11/9/2024)
Laser-Beam Welding In Orbital Factories
re: Jerry Pournelle
(11/7/2024)
'Iceberg House' Of Travis Kelce Reflects Science Fiction Of Past Century
re: Clifford Simak
(11/5/2024)
Mechazilla Arms Catch A Falling Starship, But Check Out SF Landing-ARMS
re: Edmond Hamilton
(11/3/2024)
A System To Defeat AI Face Recognition
re: Neal Stephenson
(11/1/2024)
Robot Hand Separate From Robot
re: Philip K Dick
(10/29/2024)
Hybrid Wind Solar Devices
re: Simpson Stokes
(10/27/2024)
Is Optimus Autonomous Or Teleoperated?
re: AG Stangland
(10/25/2024)
Robot Masseuse Rubs People The Right Way
re: AE van Vogt
(10/23/2024)
Solar-Powered Space Trains On The Moon
re: Arthur C. Clarke
(10/21/2024)
Drone Deliveries Instead Of Waiters In Restaurants?
re: H. Beam Piper
(10/19/2024)
Skip Movewear Arc'teryx AI Pants
re: Edmond Hamilton
(10/17/2024)
Optimus Robot Can Charge Itself
re: William Morrison
(10/17/2024)
'Robovan' Name Already Taken - Elon, Try These
re: Weinbaums
(10/15/2024)
