 |
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 |
| ICE (intrusion countermeasures electronics) Electronic protection for computer databases. |
Neuromancer | Gibson | 1984 |
| Ice Dart A variation on an old locked door mystery idea. |
Nanotime | Kosko | 1987 |
| Iceberg Water Tub An enormous bag or tub that encloses an iceberg used to supply fresh water. |
Oath of Fealty | Pournelle (w/L. Niven) | 1981 |
| Ice-Nine A crystalline form of water so stable that in practical terms it would never melt. |
Cat's Cradle | Vonnegut, Jr. | 1963 |
| Icon Thumbsized Image A very early reference to a screen icon. |
2001: A Space Odyssey | Clarke | 1968 |
| Ideator A computer device specifically made to help model genes and proteins for identification. |
Darwin's Children | Bear | 2003 |
| Ident Darts Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that track individuals. |
The Electric Ant | Dick | 1969 |
| Identification Beacon Radio pulse to identify orbiting craft. |
Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Identification Ring An apparently ordinary ring, which minutely describes and identifies its wearer. |
Sinister Barrier | Russell | 1939 |
| Identificator A hologram projector used to flash door signs. |
The Star King | Vance | 1964 |
| Ident-Key Allows the retrieval of a person's entire history of reading material, allowing the prediction of his future thinking. |
The Penultimate Truth | Dick | 1964 |
| Idoru A virtual person like a video game character; an entity given specific characteristics, existing only in computer networks. |
Idoru | Gibson | 1996 |
| Igloo Inflatable Moon Habitat An inflatable, portable lunar shelter that can be easily moved and set up. |
A Fall of Moondust | Clarke | 1961 |
| Igloo-Shaped Space Shelter Easy to set up on airless asteroids. |
Collision Orbit | Williamson | 1942 |
| Illuminum A metal that glows with its own light. |
Altered Carbon | Morgan | 2003 |
| Illyrion Super-heavy and super-stable elements with atomic numbers greater than 296. |
Nova | Delany | 1968 |
| Ilse The first intelligent ship brain. |
Long Shot | Vinge | 1972 |
| Image-Amps Boost the signal from the eyes to see in the dark. |
Neuromancer | Gibson | 1984 |
| Immersive Home Video Technology lets users interact with home videos. |
Minority Report (Movie) | Spielberg | 2002 |
| Immunocules Very small, lightweight objects able to move in three dimensions; they form a protective shield against airborne devices. |
The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Imp Personal Robot A small 'subtree' robot that is designed for the personal use of astronauts. |
Rocheworld | Forward | 1985 |
| Impact Suit A body suit that is flexible, but upon a hard impact becomes rigid and impenetrable. |
The Flying Sorcerers | Gerrold (w/L, Niven) | 1971 |
| Impactor Determines Composition The use of an impactor to smash into a small celestial body; watching the impact can determine the composition of the small body. |
The Mechanical Monarch | Tubb | 1958 |
| Imperial Handicraft Globe Perfectly crafted globe for planetary governors. |
Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Impermite A substance that is impervious to penetration. |
Redmask of the Outlands | Schachner | 1934 |
| Impervium Unique material is impenetrable and indestructible. |
Clash by Night | O'Donnell | 1943 |
| Implanted Comlink Transceiver inserted below the skin. |
Savior | Kress | 2004 |
| Implanted Credit Card A credit card system that could be surgically implanted; uses radio frequency identification to communicate with checkout hardware. |
The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Implanted Interface With Retinal Nerves Circuitry that provides a 'look' at what the eye sees. |
The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe (The Unsleeping Eye) | Compton | 1973 |
| Implanted Microprocessor Monitor Chips that are implanted in people to ensure compliance with company rules. |
Neuromancer | Gibson | 1984 |
| Implanted Steel Teeth Replacement teeth implanted in the jaw. |
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch | Dick | 1965 |
| Implanted Tranceiver Device enables two-way communication with needing to carry a device. |
The Godmakers | Herbert | 1972 |
| Implant-Watch Subcutaneous timepiece; uses patterns of colored lights to show the time. |
Cloak of Anarchy | Niven | 1972 |
| Imprint (A Ditto Blank) Impress one's personality upon a 'ditto blank' android. |
Kiln People | Brin | 2002 |
| Improve Memory Help immortals make sense of their memories. |
Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Indestructible Contract Legal document in which can't be easily altered or damaged. |
Dorsai! | Dickson | 1960 |
| Indirect Cold Light Apparently source-less lighting, highly efficient, with no waste heat. |
The Silent Destroyer | Juve | 1929 |
| Individual Flyer Personal antigravity and wing unit. |
Asteroid Pirates | Heckman | 1938 |
| Individualized Clothing Manufacture A device that will produce suits of clothing based on measurement data gathered. |
When the Sleeper Wakes | Wells | 1899 |
| Indoor Stadium An entirely enclosed baseball stadium. |
Flamingo: A Drama of A.D. 1950 | Heller | 1930 |
| Indoor Weighted Belt Device to stay grounded in low gravity on the Moon. |
Blood of the Moon | Cummings | 1936 |
| Inert Resin A special coating that eliminates maintenance on marine structures. |
Islands in the Net | Sterling | 1988 |
| Inertia Screen A device that canceled out the law of inertia to help decelerating space craft occupants. |
Space Rating | Berryman | 1939 |
| Inertia Tank A device that protected its delicate contents by cushioning. |
Masson's Secret | Gallun | 1939 |
| Inertial Bracelet Device to still hand tremors. |
Psychohistorical Crisis | Kingsbury | 2001 |
| Inertialess Drive Faster-than-light travel achieved! |
Triplanetary | Smith | 1934 |
| Inertron Material with all the properties of heavier metals, but lighter. |
Armageddon: 2419 A.D. | Nowlan | 1928 |
| Inert-Wear Clothing made of dead fibers; clothing that is unmoving, static. |
Say Goodby to the Wind | Ballard | 1970 |
| Infiltrators Surveillance devices, small and insectile. |
Vulcan's Hammer | Dick | 1960 |
| Infinite Improbability Drive Generates a field in which anything, no mater how improbable, can exist. |
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Adams | 1979 |
| Inflatable Air Lock Air lock making use of inflatable side walls to achieve large size. |
Space Tug | Leinster | 1953 |
| Inflatable Church A church using an inflatable projection screen as an altar. |
The Shockwave Rider | Brunner | 1975 |
| Inflatable Expansion Bubble Inflatable chamber to provide temporary additional space for cramped space craft. |
Crashlander | Niven | 1994 |
| Inflatable Living-Globe An inflatable bubble in space, suitable for human habitation. |
The Beat Cluster | Leiber | 1961 |
| Inflatable Lunar Resort An inflatable structure on the moon, intended to provide rest and relaxation to lunar residents. |
Solar Lottery | Dick | 1955 |
| Inflatable Roofed Valley A habitat on an asteroid created by placing a tent-like roof over a natural valley or depression, and then inflating it. |
Misfit | Heinlein | 1939 |
| Infowar Operation Making use of various means to disrupt the enemy's military and civilian information networks. |
Distraction | Sterling | 1998 |
| Ingestible Communication Capsule A tiny transmitter that can be swallowed, which makes possible voice communication. |
Triplanetary | Smith | 1934 |
| Inorganic Evolution A process by which robots could alter their own structure, or the ways that they interact with other robots, to adapt to a changing world. |
The Invincible | Lem | 1954 |
| Insosuit A space suit specially designed to resist extreme heat. |
Runaround | Asimov | 1942 |
| Instant Customized Clothing A machine that produced a selected item of clothing, on the spot, based on customer demand. |
Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Instant Photography A photograph that develops immediately inside the camera. |
The Silent Destroyer | Juve | 1929 |
| Instantaneous Kodaks (Traffic Control) Use of cameras to help police officers enforce speed limits. |
A Journey In Other Worlds | Astor IV | 1894 |
| Integral Calculator A device that accepts complex equations and solves them. |
Exiles of the Moon | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Intellectual Cell A smart lymphocyte; a cell with enhanced capacity for memory, understanding and communication. |
Blood Music | Bear | 1984 |
| Intelligent Trash Sorting Robots sort the garbage - almost completely. |
The Velvet Glove | Harrison | 1956 |
| Interactive Blackboard Early description of an interactive display device for lectures and demonstrations. |
Vulcan's Hammer | Dick | 1960 |
| Interactive Map A small book with a 'touch-screen' paper interactive map. |
Return from the Stars | Lem | 1961 |
| Interactive Suicide Note A last message for the people you are leaving behind - that encourages their participation. |
Press Enter | Varley | 1984 |
| Interactive Video Column A video display in a chain convenience store that shows random scenes from other stores in the chain around the world. |
All Tomorrow's Parties | Gibson | 1999 |
| Interchangeable Hands Specialized manual extremities. |
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch | Dick | 1965 |
| Interests Profile An intelligent agent; a software program with your personal tastes on file. |
The Age of The Pussyfoot | Pohl | 1966 |
| Intergalactic Going between galaxies. |
Invaders From The Infinite | Campbell | 1932 |
| Internal Body Power Pack A tiny battery used to power implants. |
The Stars My Destination | Bester | 1956 |
| International Fantasy Gaming Society (IFGS) A group dedicated to playing live action role-playing games. |
Dream Park | Niven (w/S. Barnes) | 1981 |
| Internet Addiction A state in which human beings experience addiction to computer access and data streams. |
Hyperion | Simmons | 1989 |
| Interplanetary Clearance Bureaucratic red tape associated with busy space ports. |
Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Interplanetary Communications Center The backbone for a solar system-wide communications system. |
QRM - Interplanetary | Smith | 1942 |
| Interplanetary Passport Required document for space travelers. |
Murder in the Void | Hamilton | 1938 |
| Interplanetary Radiograph Station Network of communication in the solar system. |
On The Martian Way | Bishop | 1907 |
| Interplanetary Restaurant An eatery and watering hole designed for use by a variety of space-faring races. |
Asteroid Pirates | Heckman | 1938 |
| Interplanetary Union Of Spacemen An organized union of people who work in space. |
Old Fireball | Schachner | 1941 |
| Interplanetary-Liner A vast passenger ship in space. |
Liners of Space | Vanny | 1930 |
| Interstellar Express Car Uses anti-gravitation metal to achieve terrific speeds in space. |
In the Deep of Time | Lathrop | 1897 |
| Interstellar Laser Propulsion System A means of traveling to the stars, using a Sol-based laser system and light sail-equipped ship. |
Rocheworld | Forward | 1985 |
| Inter-Universal Messenger A device intended to travel to another dimension. |
Cities in Flight | Blish | 1957 |
| Inter-Vehicle Communication The ability to talk car-to-car directly. |
The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch | Dick | 1965 |
| Interway Computer-controlled highway. |
The Tels | Black | 2003 |
| IntruGrab A system designed to capture intruders. |
The Hunch | Anvil | 1961 |
| Inurbanity (Inurbane) Criminal penalties for persons who are unable to behave properly in crowded cubic cities. |
The Cubic City | Tucker, D.D. | 1929 |
| Invasion Gate For Aliens Using alien instructions to create a gate for alien invasion. |
Monsters of Mars | Hamilton | 1931 |
| Inviolability Field A kind of field of force built into a robe, to protect an individual person. |
Gather, Darkness! | Leiber | 1943 |
| Invisibility The idea that it is possible to make a person invisible using some sort of optical technology to alter the body. |
The Invisible Man | Wells | 1897 |
| Invisibility Magnets They can cloak a space ship by bending light around it. |
Redmask of the Outlands | Schachner | 1934 |
| Invisibility Shield A means of concealing a physical object to the naked eye. |
Triplanetary | Smith | 1934 |
| Invisible Cloak A cloak that renders the wearer invisible. |
Brigands of the Moon | Cummings | 1930 |
| Invisible Watchmen Automated 'home security' sentry system that targets and eliminates intruders. |
Murder in the Void | Hamilton | 1938 |
| Invulnerable Wall A material created by insects that grew stronger as it was compressed. |
Jackpot | Simak | 1956 |
| Ion Cannon Fires blasts of charged particles. |
Star Wars | Lucas | 1976 |
| Ion Drive A space drive that emits a stream of ions as reaction mass; it starts out slow but builds up to interstellar speeds. |
Equalizer | Williamson | 1947 |
| Iridium Spirals (Street Lights) Streetlights provide sunlight at night. |
Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Iridium-Sponge Brain A human-like metal brain for robots. |
Adam Link's Vengeance | Binder | 1940 |
| Iron Fingers Special metal manipulators set on the hull of a space craft, and manipulated from the inside. |
The Death's Head Meteor | Jones | 1930 |
| Iron Inlay Plates Works perfectly with an electromagnetic table to maintain place settings. |
A Daring Trip To Mars | Valier | 1931 |
| Iron Man Robot With Human Brain A huge robot with a tub containing a human brain. |
Iron Man | Ernst | 1933 |
| Ironing Robot A robot that smooths the wrinkles out of clothing. |
Iron (утюг) | Mikheev | 1972 |
| Isolation Barrage Device prevents eavesdropping. |
Wandl, The Invader | Cummings | 1932 |
| Ixian Probe A device that looks at brain tissue so carefully that memories can be seen. |
Heretics of Dune | Herbert | 1984 |
| Ixian Sight Mask Device to allow the blind to see. |
Children of Dune | Herbert | 1976 |
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)
