 |
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 |
| Haberman Modified humans controlled by cybernetic implants. |
Scanners Live in Vain | Smith | 1950 |
| Habitable Exoplanet Moon An Earthlike moon that orbits a gas giant. |
Star Wars | Lucas | 1976 |
| HAL 9000 The canonical example of an artificially intelligent computer. |
2001: A Space Odyssey | Clarke | 1968 |
| Half-Sphere Force Field A protective force field that can manifest even as a half-sphere. |
Between Planets | Heinlein | 1951 |
| Hall of Euthanasia A place for (mostly) voluntary suicide. |
One Against The Legion | Williamson | 1939 |
| Hall of the Council An enormous council chamber, fit for a galaxy. |
Crashing Suns | Hamilton | 1928 |
| Halo Device that incapacitates a person by inducing unconsciousness. |
Minority Report (Movie) | Spielberg | 2002 |
| Hammer Flying blunt trauma weapon remote-controlled by an artificially intelligent computer. |
Vulcan's Hammer | Dick | 1960 |
| Hand Computer A small pocket-sized computing device. |
The Dead Past | Asimov | 1956 |
| Hand Grip Means of pulling oneself through a space ship at zero gravity. |
Islands of Space | Campbell | 1931 |
| Hand Wave Control Control an electronic or other device with gestures. |
Solar Lottery | Dick | 1955 |
| Handbag Computer Device capable of carrying on your conversation for you. |
The Futurological Congress | Lem | 1974 |
| Handicloset A self-organizing closet |
The Zap Gun | Dick | 1965 |
| Handipad An electronic tablet for information browsing. |
Wyrmhole | Caselberg | 2003 |
| Hand-Jetting Making use of hand-held rockets or other reaction devices to move through space. |
A Question of Salvage | Jameson | 1939 |
| Hand-Rocket A handheld device that used reaction matter to aid explorers in space suits to move around easily in zero gee. |
Murder in the Void | Hamilton | 1938 |
| Hands Free Helmet The helmet of a powered suit has controls activated by head movements. |
Starship Troopers | Heinlein | 1959 |
| Handwriter A text input device implanted in your skin. |
Steel Beach | Varley | 1992 |
| Hangman A telefactoring device that also was able to function independently. |
My Name is Legion | Zelazny | 1976 |
| Hanky Bush A plant with leaves grown to resemble common, multipurpose tissues. |
Sparrowhawk | Easton | 1990 |
| Happicuppa Coffee Bush A species of coffee bush designed for ease of harvesting. |
Oryx and Crake | Atwood | 2003 |
| Happylife Home An automated multi-media home, which provided the good life to its inhabitants. |
The Illustrated Man | Bradbury | 1951 |
| Harbenite Ultralight metal. |
Tarzan at the Eath's Core | Burroughs | 1929 |
| Harvest Power From Stray Energy A means of collecting enough energy from stray electronic impulses to power a device. |
The Golden Girl of Munan | Vincent | 1928 |
| Harvesting Saturn's Rings Mining the rings for industrial purposes. |
The Computer Connection | Bester | 1974 |
| Hawking Mat About two meters long and one meter wide, made of shielded monofilaments, with a bright textile design - okay, it's a flying carpet. |
Hyperion | Simmons | 1989 |
| Head Cheese Intelligent paste made of neurons; spread upon a substrate for computing. |
Starfish | Watts | 1999 |
| Head-Molding Skincaps Get a smooth pate without shaving. |
Prelude to Foundation | Asimov | 1988 |
| Headset Wireless headsets provide computer language translation. |
Idoru | Gibson | 1996 |
| Headspace A virtual world in which a person could raise a virtual baby with full haptic realism. |
Flood | Baxter | 2008 |
| Healing Crystal A small object that burns off diseased tissue, leaving healthy tissue unharmed. |
A Martian Odyssey | Weinbaum | 1934 |
| Hearing Aid A service that allows people to anonymously talk with another person who only listens. |
The Shockwave Rider | Brunner | 1975 |
| Heartshirt A shirt that was able to detect heart sounds and display associated colors. |
Wetware | Rucker | 1988 |
| Heat Generating Magnetic Disks Devices used to artificially raise the temperature of the surface of moons to a reasonable level. |
Spawn of the Red Giants | Long, Jr. | 1937 |
| Heat Ray First use of what appears to be a laser weapon. |
The War of the Worlds | Wells | 1898 |
| Heat Transmitter Device which captures solar energy close to the source and then beams it in concentrated form to outer planets. |
Crashing Suns | Hamilton | 1928 |
| Heat-Removing Staff Device absorbs all heat from its target. |
The Dead Lady of Clown Town | Smith | 1965 |
| Heat-Suit Perfect for those incredibly hot planets with breathable atmospheres. |
Sand Doom | Leinster | 1955 |
| Hedgerly Effect A means of producing a gravitational field artificially. |
Meddler's Moon | Smith | 1947 |
| Heighliner Enormous starship used by the Spacing Guild for interstellar travel. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Helen O'Loy A robot is enhanced to offer feelings and affection. |
Helen O'Loy | del Rey | 1938 |
| Helicab A taxi cab that flies using helicopter rotors. |
Heli-Cab Hack | Weston | 1950 |
| Helicops Small, private flyers for business commuting. |
The Black Star Passes | Campbell | 1930 |
| Helicoptomic A hovering craft used by referees in rocket polo. |
Ra For The Rajah | Peterson | 1938 |
| Helio-Beryllium Unusual alloy combines a metal and a gas. |
Out Around Rigel | Wilson | 1931 |
| Heliocar Ground vehicle that can also lift off like a helicopter. |
The Prince of Space | Williamson | 1931 |
| Helio-Dynamophores (Sun-Power-Generators) Photo-electric elements which transformed the solar heat direct into electric energy. |
Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Helium Metal An ore with the spectroscopic line of Helium. |
In the Deep of Time | Lathrop | 1897 |
| Helium Tubes Lighting that exactly mimics the frequencies of sunlight. |
The Cubic City | Tucker, D.D. | 1929 |
| Helix Gun A device for capturing ferrous meteors. |
Salvage in Space | Williamson | 1933 |
| Hell-Stone An incomparably beautiful and rare jewel. |
Star of Dreams | Williamson | 1941 |
| Helmet Visor Display A heads-up display with a variety of advanced features. |
The Tank Lords | Drake | 1997 |
| Helmet-Mounted Display Screen A small electronic display mounted for easy viewing. |
Rock Diver | Harrison | 1951 |
| Herculoy A very strong alloy like steel. |
The Howling Bounders | Vance | 1949 |
| Heritable Memories Bloodline Using magical means to tie specific memories to the bloodlines of selected families. |
The Time of the Dark | Hambly | 1982 |
| Hibernaculum A small, self-contained chamber in which a person could endure months of enforced sleep. |
2001: A Space Odyssey | Clarke | 1968 |
| Hide in the Asteroids Match speed with the asteroids and become undetectable. |
Plague | Leinster | 1944 |
| High Kavalaan Aircar Flying SUV equipped with laser weapons. |
Dying of the Light | Martin | 1977 |
| High Orbit Archipelago The habitable spaces in high earth orbit. |
Mona Lisa Overdrive | Gibson | 1988 |
| High Tech Trash Can The future of waste management. |
Islands in the Net | Sterling | 1988 |
| High-Frequency Oven This describes the essence of a microwave. |
Space Cadet | Heinlein | 1948 |
| High-Voltage Cuffs Metallic shirt-sleeve cuffs capable of carrying a charge. |
Snow Crash | Stephenson | 1992 |
| Hilsch Vortex Tube A T-shaped device that admits air under pressure and outputs hot air from side and cold from the other. |
The Space Merchants | Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) | 1952 |
| Hinged Mittens (for Space Suit) Space worthy mittens for space suits. |
The Bluff of the Hawk | Gilmore | 1932 |
| Hired Girl Robot The amazing floor-cleaning robot! |
The Door Into Summer | Heinlein | 1956 |
| Histo-Research Historical research using a time machine. |
The Meddler | Dick | 1954 |
| Historical Listening Machine Device can hear sounds from down through the ages. |
The Machine That Knew Too Much | Locke | 1933 |
| Hive Mind A group mind. |
The Face of the Deep | Hamilton | 1942 |
| Hive-Sign Specialized sign language developed by an offshoot of humanity. |
Hellstrom's Hive | Herbert | 1972 |
| Hollow Asteroid An asteroid that has been hollowed out for use as a space habitat. |
Juke Box Asteroid | Farrell | 1944 |
| Holo Abbreviation of "hologram". |
Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Holo (License) A three-dimensional driver license and identification card. |
Rim | Besher | 1994 |
| Holo-Cube A very large holographic display, that a person could walk into. |
A Scanner Darkly | Dick | 1977 |
| Holodeck A computer-simulated environment. |
Encounter at Farpoint | Gerrold | 1987 |
| Holomist A means of projecting a commercial message onto a fine spray. |
The Ophiuchi Hotline | Varley | 1977 |
| Holopad A small display like an iPad that shows 3D images. |
The Fountains of Paradise | Clarke | 1978 |
| Holo-Printing Errors introduced in data storage media when recording under improper conditions. |
A Scanner Darkly | Dick | 1977 |
| Holo-Scanner A small portable device that acquired holographic surveillance images. |
A Scanner Darkly | Dick | 1977 |
| Home Ad Blocker Device insulates house against intrusion by 3D advertisements. |
The Computer Connection | Bester | 1974 |
| Home Manager A device that responds to verbal or other commands; serves as an intelligent telephone answering machine and other tasks. |
Queen of Angels | Bear | 1990 |
| Home News Printer A device that prints out the newspaper of your choice right in your own home. |
The Senator's Daughter | Mitchell | 1879 |
| Home Planet Usually the birthplace of your species or simply your planet of origin. |
In the Deep of Time | Lathrop | 1897 |
| Home Robot A robotic device designed to serve families in their homes. |
Runaway | Crichton | 1985 |
| Home Termite Habitat Edible insects raised fresh in your own kitchen! |
Natulife | Brin | 1994 |
| Home Therapy Appliances, Inc. A store at which a variety of therapy devices are made available |
Bad Medicine | Sheckley | 1956 |
| Homeopape A automated device that produces a newspaper without human assistance. |
Ubik | Dick | 1969 |
| Homeostatic Newspaper An autonomous news-gathering and publishing entity; abbreviated as homeopape. |
If There Were No Benny Cemoli | Dick | 1953 |
| Homer A device fired from a gun that ends the life of a citizen, based on the color of their palm flower. |
Logan's Run | Nolan (w/G.C. Johnson) | 1967 |
| Homeworld (Home-World) One's planet of origin. |
A Honeymoon In Space | Griffith | 1901 |
| Homing Butterflies Butterflies modified to accompany a purchased bouquet. |
Moxyland | Beukes | 2008 |
| Homo Superior A human subspecies created through radical applications of biotechnology. |
Alpha Centauri | Meier | 1999 |
| Homorium A kind of nursery that could bring a human being to maturity in a single year. |
The Last Men | Long, Jr. | 1934 |
| Homotropic News Vending Machine An autonomous news-selling robot, that was able to specifically seek out human beings. |
The Game Players of Titan | Dick | 1963 |
| Hood Hologram A hologrammatic display on the outside surface of a car. |
Virtual Light | Gibson | 1993 |
| Hooman An alternative spelling. |
Castaways of Eros | Bond | 1943 |
| Hopper A vehicle with a single leg and rotors to enhance 'hang time.' |
Lucky Starr and the Oceans of Venus | Asimov | 1954 |
| Horsten Psychomat Re-creates a mental scene for the viewer. |
The Worlds of If | Weinbaum | 1935 |
| Hostage Gas A gas sprayed over a population; to survive, those who breathe it must report to centers for the antidote. |
The Uplift War | Brin | 1987 |
| Hotdesk A desk space that was itself ready for input. |
Idoru | Gibson | 1996 |
| Hotello A portable room within a room. |
New York 2140 | Robinson | 2017 |
| House Cleaning Device A robotic means of thorough home cleaning. |
Paradise and Iron | Breuer | 1930 |
| House Records The vast archival information management system of the Bene Gesserit sisterhood, covering millennia. |
Heretics of Dune | Herbert | 1984 |
| House Records Archivist A specialist who correlated information within the House Records of the Bene Gesserit. |
Heretics of Dune | Herbert | 1984 |
| House Trees Living trees grown as houses; large hollow pods serve as living spaces. |
The Houses of Iszm | Vance | 1954 |
| House Voice A house-based system that mediates technologies (like phone) with a verbal interface directed to the inhabitants of the house. |
Mona Lisa Overdrive | Gibson | 1988 |
| Housefly Monitor A living fly that is outfitted with sensors for surveillance work. |
Lies, Inc. | Dick | 1964 |
| House-of-Cards Construction Architectural technique that uses computers to help buildings maintain their balance during earthquakes. |
Rainbows End | Vinge | 2006 |
| Hovercraft A vehicle that moves about on a cushion of air. |
Mona Lisa Overdrive | Gibson | 1988 |
| Hoverlimo A hovercraft for hire, with servility built in. |
Steel Beach | Varley | 1992 |
| Howard Families A project designed to produce a group of people with exceptionally long life. |
Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Hubrizine A drug that brings about greater alertness and cheerfulness. |
We Can Build You | Dick | 1972 |
| HUD Glasses Integrated glasses and projector provides a portable heads-up display for augmented reality. |
Daemon | Suarez | 2006 |
| Human Blood Chlorophyll Replacement of elements of human blood with chlorophyll. |
The Murgatroyd Experiment | Meek | 1929 |
| Human Habit Pattern Machines Imposing human habits onto machines. |
The Tunnel Under The World | Pohl | 1955 |
| Human Object Recognition System uses human beings as an aid to robotic object recognition. |
The Velvet Glove | Harrison | 1956 |
| Human Quarter A ghetto for human beings; in this case, in a world of robots. |
James P. Crow | Dick | 1954 |
| Human Serial Number A unique number tattooed on body of a person. |
Unto Us A Child Is Born | Keller | 1933 |
| Humanoid An alien with a human-like shape and appearance. |
Homo Sol | Asimov | 1940 |
| Humeld A human being with augmented body parts. |
The Human Blend | Foster | 2010 |
| Humming-Code A personal communication. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Hunter Program Searching for occupied dwellings by monitoring electric power usage. |
Mindkiller | Robinson | 1982 |
| Hunter-seeker An assassination device that floats in mid-air; kills by entering the body and following nerve pathways to vital organs. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Hunting Robe A very thin, furry hunter that captures by constriction. |
Time is the Simplest Thing | Simak | 1961 |
| Hush Corner A space made private by canceling sound waves in that area. |
Double Star | Heinlein | 1956 |
| Hush Hood A device that cancels noise, ensuring that others cannot overhear. |
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress | Heinlein | 1966 |
| Hush-a-Phone A special kind of telephone that reduced noise while talking. |
The Roads Must Roll | Heinlein | 1940 |
| Hushicopter A nearly-silent helicopter. |
Fantastic Voyage II: Destination Brain | Asimov | 1987 |
| Husk of an Atom A negative universe substance. |
The Roaring Blot | Long, Jr. | 1936 |
| Hybrid Mass Driver A device for launching space craft on the first stage of a journey to space. |
The Man Who Sold The Moon | Heinlein | 1950 |
| Hydropathic bed A heated bed that used something more comfortable than water. |
The Demolished Man | Bester | 1952 |
| Hydroponics Growing food without soil, typically from water saturated with nutrients. |
The Hydroponic Monster | Moravsky | 1940 |
| Hydroponics in Space Growing plants for food without soil on a spacecraft. |
The Planet Strappers | Gallun | 1961 |
| Hyperbolic Solenoid Device that creates and manipulates magnetic fields. |
The Exhalted | de Camp | 1940 |
| Hypercard A virtual business card; what one avatar might hand another to introduce themselves. |
Snow Crash | Stephenson | 1992 |
| Hyper-Developed Mulies Bioengineered animals that optimally transform vegetable matter into usable mechanical energy. |
The Calorie Man | Bacigalupi | 2005 |
| Hyperfilament A very high tensile strength material structured as a long thin line or ribbon. |
The Fountains of Paradise | Clarke | 1978 |
| Hyperpig A genetic chimera of pig and human. |
Redemption Ark | Reynolds | 2002 |
| Hypersee Faster than light. |
The Best of Fences | Garrett | 1956 |
| Hyper-space A realm or parallel universe in which it is possible to travel much faster than light. |
The Invisible Bubble | Meadowcroft | 1928 |
| Hyperspace Beacon Located in real space, these devices provide reference points in hyperspace to make navigation possible. |
The Repairman | Harrison | 1959 |
| Hyperstereoscope A book of three-dimensional pages. |
The Book of Worlds | Breuer | 1929 |
| Hypertracer A device that allows a pursuer to follow a spaceship through hyperspace. |
Second Foundation | Asimov | 1953 |
| Hypnobioscope The first fictional reference to sleep teaching. |
Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Hypno-Encyclopedic Techniques If you plan to live for centuries, you need to organize your memories. |
Time Enough For Love | Heinlein | 1973 |
| Hypno-Ligation A means of psychological control over an individual. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Hypno-Motor Control A means of controlling the body remotely, cutting off the need for local control (ie, by your mind). |
Sales Pitch | Dick | 1954 |
| Hypnopædia (Sleep-Teaching) The idea that a person can learn explicit subject matter while sleeping. |
Brave New World | Huxley | 1932 |
| Hypnosis Ray Eases the words of dictators into the minds of the credulous. |
Beyond All Weapons | Russell | 1941 |
| Hypnoteleset A device that guarantees quick, surrogate sleep. |
The Space Merchants | Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) | 1952 |
| Hypnotelevisor A device that displays memories directly on a helmet screen. |
Buck Rogers, 2430 AD | Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) | 1929 |
| Hypnotic injunction A method of hypnosis that prevents people from revealing particular information. |
Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Hypo Arm A robotic arm used to autonomously deliver pharmaceuticals to patients. |
Simulated Trainer | Harrison | 1958 |
| Hypomatrin A spinal anesthetic that allows the reformation of personality. |
The Confession of Dr. DeKalb | Coblentz | 1934 |
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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