19th Century Steampunk Laptop Runs Windows, Linux
Take a step back into the future in this remarkable creation from Datamancer. (re: Various) |
Twin Solid State Musical Tesla Coils In Concert
Did you know that Tesla coils could be made to produce music? Musical Tesla coils? It's starting to look a little like Christmas. (re: Alan Dean Foster) |
Klausner iPhone Voicemail Suit Neglects SF Prior Art
I'm no patent lawyer, but I think that Frederik Pohl described a system like Apple's iPhone voicemail in 1965, and I don't hear him asking for money from Apple. (re: Frederik Pohl) |
Aleutia E1 Solar-Powered Linux Computer
This little unit is maybe the most green computer you can buy; is there a smaller (or another) unit that is sold as a solar-powered computer? (re: Various) |
NEC Translator Cellphone Turns Japanese To English
This is a very cool translator technology; can you think of additional sf references? (re: Larry Niven) |
Giant Air Vortex Gun
You can tell the holiday season is approaching; I'm fondly remembering one of my favorite toys from the 1960's - and look, somebody made a giant version of it. (re: Jack Williamson) |
Sensor-Equipped Dress Tells You How She Feels
This dress communicates more than just a sense of fashion. (re: J.G. Ballard) |
Diabetes Tattoo Tests For Glucose Levels
People with diabetes must monitor their blood glucose levels by sticking themselves with a needle; one scientist may have thought of an easier way. (re: Paul Di Filippo) |
SmartPal V Mecha-Gumby Service Robot
This slim and well-articulated robot has human-friendly service functionality for life quality improvement. (re: Various) |
Reborg-Q Security Robot Now With Face Recognition
This robot from ALSOK is the first to have roving face recognition capabilities. (re: Various) |
Simroid Robot Dental Patient Zombie Oral Prophylaxis
This sophisticated fembot has a number of sensors to make sure that a dentist-in-training is sensitive to a patient's pain. (re: Various) |
PhantomPark Secret Agent Parking System
I'm pretty sure I saw the idea in the sixties - maybe in a James Bond film. Anyway, you can get one now, if you like. (re: Various) |
Virtual Marriages By 2015
If you can't wait to marry a robot by 2050, maybe you could get married in Second Life and enjoy virtual matrimonial bliss. (re: Various) |
Twendy-One Robot Is Your Humanoid Helper
Twendy-One is the kind of robot that might be taking care of you (or your father or grandfather) in a few years - in Japan. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Motion Capture Your Life Anywhere, Anytime
I just realized this is just about exactly what William Gibson was talking about in All Tomorrow's Parties. (re: William Gibson) |
Volitan Solar 'Sail' Yacht
The Volitan looks good in this conceptual video; I like the idea of a boat powered by sun and sail only. (re: Jules Verne) |
LCDetar Laptop Guitar
How many more cool guitars can there be? (re: Various) |
Perching Autonomous Aircraft Perfects Prop Hang
Very cool video of a small aircraft model switching from completely autonomously controlled vertical hang to horizontal flight. (re: Various) |
Interactive Apple Store Has Reactive Walls
Dance to the images at the Apple store in Berlin. (re: John Shirley) |
Universe May End Sooner - Because We Looked
Two physicists seriously assert that we may have hastened the end of the universe because we looked too soon for dark energy. (re: Greg Egan) |
Sarcos Exoskeleton Video
The Sarcos version of an exoskeleton; nice video gives the details. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
zeroHouse Self-Sufficient In Power, Water
This unusual house design results in a dwelling that is not limited to placement on the 'grid' - you could live practically anywhere. (re: Arthur C. Clarke) |
EMIEW 2 Office Worker Robot
Just what you needed - an assistant robot to help you at the office. Sneakernet has now been replaced by robots. (re: Various) |
Is Pico The World's Smallest Robot?
Is this really the world's smallest robot? I'm interested in hearing from people who have a different view. (re: Various) |
Huge Crustacean From 400 Million B.C.
Scientists are staggered by the size of this behemoth from 400 million B.C. (re: Arthur C. Clarke) |
Air Hockey Table Made From iPhone
This little app just sort of struck me as cool; perhaps it is because I'm hoping that an iPhone might appear for me this Christmas. (re: Various) |
Draw A World Where Physical Laws Apply
Create a world in which physical laws apply as soon as you pick up your crayon. (re: Various) |
Easy With Eve Virtual Teacher Understands Student Emotions
Easy with Eve is a pretty good match for a standard sf cybernetic teaching system; can you think of a better example than mine? (re: Bruce Sterling) |
Forced Resonance Ultra-Short Pulse Laser Kills Viruses Dead
It appears that every virus has a specific frequency that will cause it to vibrate - and shake itself apart - and the process can be done without harming healthy tissue. (re: Robert J. Sawyer) |
Virtual Theft From Habbo Hotel
When there is a theft of virtal goods in a virtual world, does your avatar spend time in a virtual jail? Interesting tie-in with an excellent new Charles Stross novel. (re: Charles Stross) |
Kindle E-Book Reader From Amazon
Yet another e-book reader, you say? Maybe, but this one has online book powerhouse Amazon.com behind it. (re: Stanislaw Lem) |
Laser Dazzler Looked At By Canadian Forces
Are sunglasses a reasonable countermeasure for this device? (re: Various) |
Thoughts Become Words With Brain Implant
The wish may be the father of the thought, but now the thought can directly father the word - with brain implants. (re: Niven and Pournelle) |
WatAir Dew-Harvesting 'Web' Kit
Dune fans are not surprised at this development; dew is a remarkable water source. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Poker Bots No Limit Texas Turing Poker
Poker bots are getting better and better - can you spot the bot when you play online? (re: Various) |
Eye-Fi Equals SD Memory Card Plus Wi-Fi
Amazing device for its size - it's a memory card... no, it's a network connectivity device... actually, both. (re: David Brin) |
Magicmirror Augments Your Real Shopping
Interesting effort to bring people back into stores by incorporating some of their online experience. (re: Various) |
Meat Chairs And Chairdogs
Think of a genetically engineered chairdog. Now think of a chairdog with it's furry skin removed. Now click. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Russian Robot Suitcase
The modern science of robotics addresses one of the oldest concerns of man - who carries the luggage? (re: John Brunner) |
Kiva Robot Shelves Come To You In This Warehouse
I love it when turning a time-honored paradigm on its head yields a two hundred percent increase in efficiency. (re: Various) |
3D Cat Scan Display With Non-Contact Control
This remarkable display not only provides 3D views of CAT scan data, but allows physicians to manipulate the image without having to touch anything. (re: Various) |
Near-Miss Asteroid Is Found To Be Artificial
Astronomers about to announce one of the closest near-misses by an asteroid in history, make an amazing discovery. (re: Arthur C. Clarke) |
Ion Mask - Plasma Coating Waterproofs Electronics, Fabrics
This coating is a 'plowshared' technology from P2i, a UK Ministry of Defense contractor. (re: Clifford Simak) |
Glasses Camera With Digital Video Recorder
These glasses are an almost perfect match for David Brin's True-vu lenses from his 1990 novel Earth. (re: David Brin) |
Robo-Rucksack: Six-Year-Old Designs Talking 'Smart Backpack'
This clever and innovative backpack (or rucksack, as they say in the UK) was designed by an elementary school child. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Robot Designed To Break First Law - In Order To Save It
A researcher takes a somewhat different direction in trying to figure out ways to keep robots from hurting people. (re: Isaac Asimov) |
Light-Emitting Wallpaper From Jonas Samson
This idea provides a uniquely artistic way of providing indoor lighting. (re: Richard Morgan) |
Medusa Quadruped Robot Toy
This little bot can be easily assembled; it is used for classroom instruction in Japan. (re: Various) |
Got Big Ears, Large Forehead? Star Trek Needs You
If you have any one of these exceptional characteristics, you may have a future in Hollywood! (re: Gene Roddenberry) |
Mothbot: Moth Controls Robotic Vehicle
Fascinating combination of insect and machine puts the prospect of cheap mobile biosensors within reach. (re: Vernor Vinge) |
Distant Sun Has Planetary System Like Ours
Pretty soon, we'll find one enough like ours that we can start planning a trip. (re: Various) |
Saturn And Forbidden Planet Movie Share Soundtrack
The radio emissions of Saturn captured by the Cassini spacecraft bear an uncanny resemblance to the otherworldly electronic soundtrack of the 1956 movie Forbidden Planet. (re: Various) |
Toddlers Embrace Our (Giggling) Robotic Overlords
Children show that robots can be friends and peers in this three month study of toddlers and bots. (re: Brian Aldiss) |
Robot Arm With Fluidic Muscles
Fascinating robotic arm technology is based on the human skeletal structure. (re: Harry Harrison) |
Mod My Life Site Working On Meat Puppets
This is a uniquely disturbing site with a truly bizarre mission - to put you in control of another person. (re: William Gibson) |
Breath Powered USB Charger (And Stillsuit)
It appears that a key element of Frank Herbert's stillsuit is now available to help you recharge your gadgets. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Carnegie Mellon's Boss Wins DARPA Urban Challenge
It was a complicated call, but Carnegie Mellon pulls it out in the DARPA Urban Challenge. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Mighty Mice Now With PEPCK-Cmus!
These remarkable transgenic mice can run kilometers without stopping. (re: Various) |
Ray Bradbury: Your Parlor TV Walls Are Almost Ready
Can you dance faster than the White Clown, shout louder than 'Mr. Gimmick' and the parlor families? Better start practicing, because the TV parlor is just about ready. (re: Ray Bradbury) |
2007 DARPA Urban Challenge Videos
Take a look at fresh videos of the autonomous vehicles entered into the urban challenge. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
NEC Develops Wideband Wearable Antenna
Many science-fictional gadgets depend on being tiny, and yet they can easily receive transmissions from great distances. Now, we know where the antenna is. (re: Various) |
'Peacebots' Protest Robot Conflict Event
Would male roboticists and female roboticists design differently, if they were encouraged to do so? (re: Various) |
Waterspout Helicopter Designed To Take Off Underwater
Here's a cool design from a team of American and Israeli students; a submarine-based helicopter that can take off while the sub is still submerged. (re: Various) |
Hancock, Mass Surveillance Programming Language From AT&T
Is it illegal for phone companies to aid the government as it searches through the records of tens of thousands of innocent Americans? Legal or not, AT&T is good at it - they've got patents. (re: Various) |
Invisible Tank Makes The Rounds (I Think)
I'm not really sure about this story, but I couldn't resist it. (re: Ray Cummings) |
Kuka Robot Bible Calligraphy
Can a robot benefit from performing a devotional task? (re: Arthur C. Clarke) |
Mood Recognition Technology: Pivo 2 Driver Experience Enhanced
Here's a closer look at Pivo 2 and its unique effort to sense the mood of the driver to improve vehicle safety. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Credit Card Embedded Authentication Device Looks Retro, Is Advanced
I bet they could build a lot more into this little gadget if they tried - in the meantime, beat banking fraud with it. (re: Edward Bellamy) |
Terabyte Thumb Drives Using Programmable Metallization Cell (PMC) Tech
This advance comes just as manufacturers are reaching the limits of flash memory technology. Whew! (re: Dan Simmons) |
Flexible Integrated Energy Device (FIED) - Wearable Rechargers
One is fictional, the other one doesn't exist yet - but engineers are working on it. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Tadpoles Grow Extra Eye On Command
Tadpoles grow a third eye wherever scientists command; spare human eyes (or eye parts) may not be too far away. (re: Ridley Scott) |
BODiBEAT By Yamaha Lets Your Heart Pick MP3s
While you listen to the beat, it also listens to the beat - of your heart. (re: Various) |
Mobile Journalism Toolkit By Nokia And Reuters
These companies are not the first to think about what future journalists will need; see what Niven, Varley and Dick had to say. (re: Larry Niven) |
Caltech Electronic Nose: The Lewis Group Smells Success
The electronic nose knows; the Lewis group has created an olfactory sensor remarkably like yours, and just the thing for a certain mechanical hound. (re: Ray Bradbury) |
Steering Wheel Finger Vein Authentication
Hitachi has thought of an unusual use for finger vein authentication; Niven and Lerner have thought of an unusual use for tongue authentication. (re: Niven (w/EM Lerner)) |
DoCoMo S0703i Smellular Phone Makes Scents
This is one phone that lets you smell the ... well, maybe not roses, but at least you can smell something as you go through your day. (re: Frederik Pohl) |
E-Paper By Bridgestone: Ultrathin And Supersized
Your foldable, crushable, tossable e-paper will be ready by 2009; see a sample now. (re: Neal Stephenson) |
Solar Power Satellites Urged By Pentagon
Scientists first speculated on this method in the 1960's, but Clifford Simak thought about it much earlier. (re: Clifford Simak) |
Virtual Fence To Be Tested This Month
A virtual barrier between the US and Mexico is being tested; the glitches that stopped this Boeing product from being complete last summer have been fixed. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Round Screen LCDs Take Us Back
I've had enough of rectangular displays - this one is pleasingly round. (re: H.G. Wells) |
Blind Haptic Braille Tattoos - HiTek Scarification
As a form of communication, this technique (which has ancient origins) now has a modern twist. (re: Various) |
British Intelligence Pays For Ads In Video Games
Cheaper than putting together a whole new game, British intelligence is looking for a few good, uh, first person shooters. (re: Various) |
Bone Conduction Cell Phone
Who would think of a bone conduction phone. Besides Pantech - RAH, that's who. (re: robert Heinlein) |
Eyeball Tattoo Creates Eyes Of The Ibad
These guys look like something straight out of a Dune movie casting call. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Morphing Micro Air-Land Vehicle: It Flies, It Crawls
There is something definitely creepy about a small flying vehicle that also crawls along to be able to spy better. (re: Raymond Z. Gallun) |
Scarab Lunar Prospecting Robot
The Scarab robot provides a test-bed for all kinds of thinking about lunar prospecting. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
LifeReader Senses The Enemy Through Walls
Frank Herbert thought about the military applications for a 'life detector' fifty years ago; the real military is catching up. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Could Lightning Power Generators?
If this works, I'm going to festoon my house with lightning rods, and then sell the power back to DTE. (re: Steven Spielberg) |
Yabafo Brings Free Fall Experience To Jaded Shoppers
This amazing amusement park ride is the first of its kind to bring free-fall excitement to shopping in a vertical mall. (re: 'Doc' Smith) |
Google Vanity Ring: Search Engine Popularity Bling
For those of you who want some sort of ego-bling to tout your online self, read on. (re: Various) |
Tachikoma Cyber Superalloy Toy
Finally, a cool anime-styling spider-tank robot for the masses. If you can pay in yen. (re: Various) |
Big Brother Test Hall At Penn State
Since old-fashioned honor codes don't seem to be working, Penn State turns to newfangled security gadgets - which, it turns out, are an old story too. (re: George Orwell.) |
Sales Robot IRI-Millennia Opens Gates Of Hell
Oh, sure, when there are lots of you and just one of them - like at a tradeshow - you'll think they're cute. Just wait. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
Augmented Reality Humanoid Robot U-Tsu-Shi-O-Mi
I'm not sure why I think this is so disturbing, but I think that it's the sensitive featureless robot used as the substrate that gets me... (re: Vernor Vinge) |
Japanese Researchers Jack Halfway Into The Matrix
It appears that we are getting much closer to implementing that consensual hallucination known as the Matrix. (re: Vernor Vinge) |
A Brain Radiator For Epileptics
This unusual remedy appears to have a science-fictional precursor. (re: Various) |
Chinese Fans Make Citroen C2 Transformer
Fans are fans the world over, and who knows where they get their ideas. (re: Various) |
Avatars To Walk Between Virtual Worlds
In Hindu theology, avatars can pass freely between worlds; soon, computer avatars may do the same. (re: Neal Stephenson) |
Wellness Mobile Phone Personal Trainer In A Cellphone
If it wasn't so personal and polite, I might think that having a personal trainer connected to the phone company is a bit intrusive. (re: Frederik Pohl) |
WAO-1 Therapeutic Face Massage Robot
This helpful robot may provide a mechanical solution to TMJ and other disorders. (re: Frank Herbert) |
GM OnStar Will Soon Let Police Stop Your Car
Is this new feature a good idea, or a security nightmare? What if the OnStar operator shut down the wrong car - like yours - by mistake? (re: Keith Laumer) |
Bed-Case: Sweet Dreams, Bibliophiles
Nifty design from a student lets sf fans combine two essential items of furniture - beds and bookcases. (re: Various) |
Heinlein's Giant Waldo Comes To Life
Engineers and scrap metal artists worked hard to bring this enormous robotic hand to life. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Orion Emergency Egress System: Roller Coaster For Astronauts
Unfortunately, you must be at least 58.5 inches tall - sorry, kids. (re: Various) |
Air Leak Sensor For Spacecraft
This air sensor uses a new method to find air leaks in spacecraft; Heinlein, however, had a more colorful idea about sixty years earlier. (re: Leo Zagat) |
JVC Clapper Gesture Recognition TV
Yes, that's right, you've wasted your valuable vegetating hours looking for the remote for the last time. (re: Douglas Adams) |
Quasi Universal Intergalactic Denomination (QUID) New Space Currency
It's a mouthful - but you can call it a QUID for short. Why can't I just call them 'credits?' (re: Various) |
DIY Telepresence By Teleoperated Robot
Do it yourself telepresence robotics makes IvanAnywhere cool. (re: Niven) |
Plasteel? UM's New Ultrastrong Nanocomposite
Nifty new material built in layers like mother of pearl has the strength, if not the ductility, of steel. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Nissan Pivo 2 Concept Car With R2D2 Companion Robot
You've gotta love this bug-like buggy, but you'll have to watch the tire wear. (re: George Lucas) |
Reduce Snoring With Computerized Pillow
This little wonder may be just the thing so that everyone else can get to sleep - if you are the snorer. (re: Various) |
Invisibility Cloak Works In Visible Spectrum
Is this the world's first true invisibility cloak? (re: Ray Cummings) |
Jelly-Fish 45 Habitat: Captain Nemo Wants One
This would be a great vacation home; maybe you could rent? (re: Jules Verne) |
Betavoltaic Battery: 30 Years Of Power
Is it possible to create a small battery that could power a laptop for years? (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Big Brother Wants To Sell You Something
I guess it's less sinister when malls surveil you to see how rich you are, but it's still kind of 1984-ish. (re: Steven Spielberg) |
Baby's First Tinfoil Hat - MummyWraps With Swiss Shield
This interesting item for expectant mothers makes humorous reading - let's hope there's nothing to it. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Ministry of Silly (Robot) Walks
Robots haven't been walking long, but they've made great strides. And sometimes, not so great strides. But we like them anyway. (re: Various) |
Sony OLED TV Superthin
This remarkably thin television is now available in Japan; expensive, but the future usually is (at first). (re: Larry Niven) |
Prototype Jockey-Ridden Hopping Robot
A new sport in the process of being born? You be the judge. (re: Bruce Sterling) |
ELASTIC Shotgun Cam Network
This would seem to be the ultimate in ease of 'extending infrastructure' to a new location. (re: Various) |
Ice-Nine Modeled In Harvard Computer - We're Doomed
Okay, the world probably won't end, but Harvard researchers really do think they have found a way for ice to be solid at room temp. (re: Kurt Vonnegut) |
Mowgli Leaping Frog Robot
I can just see this cool jumping robot leaping over Godzilla in an upcoming movie... (re: Various) |
Ultrathin Computer Memory Fabricated
Remarkable development in depositing metal on a substrate may lead to manga (re: Gosho Aoyama) |
Fuji Zerox Copier Automatically Translates
Remarkable device lets you copy, translate or both. (re: Various) |
Scavenge Local Mall CCTV And Make A Movie
Remarkable film created entirely from digital movies scavenged from mall CCTVs. (re: Various) |
Solar-Powered Bike From Thera-P
This is a really flashy looking bicycle - but does it run at night? (re: Various) |
REEM-A Chess-Playing Robot
This friendly little robot is being designed as a companion for you - and an avid chess partner. (re: Ambrose Bierce) |
MIT Tether For Walking On Asteroids
Finding a whole new meaning for the term 'asteroid belt' clever MIT researchers propose a new kind of tether. (re: Various) |
STriDER Tripedal Dynamic Experimental Robot
Surely this is what Arthur C. Clarke imagined in his 1972 novel Rendezvous With Rama. (re: Arthur C. Clarke) |
Peruvian Meteor Sickness Diagnosed
After some investigation, scientists have solved the mystery of the Peruvian meteorite sickness. (re: Michael Crichton) |
Nano Air Vehicle Floats Like Maple Seed
Next time you crunch through the maple seeds in the spring, be careful where you step. (re: Various) |
Roving Robotic Reporter
This story is a little old, but I just discovered it. Philip K. Dick was only off by a couple of years on this one. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
First Zero-Gravity Surgical Robot Demonstration
The same system tested in NASA's NEEMO experiments will now be tested in zero-g on the Vomit Comet. (re: Various) |
MIT Exoskeleton Shoulders The Weight For You
This nifty exoskeleton from MIT is much lighter and uses less power than other weight-supporting exoskeletons, like the BLEEX. (re: Fritz Leiber) |
Twist In Saturn's Electric Ring
Unusual activity out around Saturn-way may have a more fictional explanation. (re: L. Niven and J. Pournelle) |
Americans Give Up Friends For Net
Would you rather get news, information and companionship from the Internet, or from friends face to face? (re: E.M. Forster) |
Raytheon Creates Pain Box From Dune
Raytheon has unwittingly created the pain box straight out of Frank Herbert's Dune novels. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Rare 'Solar Trilobite' Seen By NASA
Another striking example of a nonorganic phenomenon that amazingly resembles life. (re: Arthur C. Clarke) |
MotionPortrait Creates 3D Zombified Version Of You From Photo
This program may be perfectly fine for creating avatars, but I'd like some control over my own likeness, thanks. (re: Various) |
Robo Catcher: Robot Replaces Crane In Arcade Game
Cool new arcade game - at present, only in Japan - substitutes a robot for the crane. (re: Various) |
Meteorite Brings Illness To Peruvian Village
A strange incident in Peru this past weekend has readers thinking about The Andromeda Strain. (re: Michael Crichton) |
WD-2 Face Morphing Robot Could Be Anyone
Eerie face dancer robot has way too many degrees of freedom. (re: Various) |
Inscentinel Honeybees Sniff For Explosives
This special detector actually contains living honeybees trained to sense explosive compounds. (re: Various) |
Donkey Motorcycle And Giant Lizard Rocket Launcher
Can you think of any instances in which animals carried more advanced technology than you would expect? (re: Various) |
E-Disk Altima 416GB Flash Drive World's Highest Capacity
Seems like you could fit a lot of movies into this - why can't I get this in an iPod? (re: Dan Simmons) |
Doctor-Bots Play 'Operation'
Students are hard at work on autonomous surgical robots - Dr. Claw will see you now! (re: Larry Niven) |
Vocal Terrorism Via Virtual Vocal Chords
British scientists spend the week worrying about future forms of terrorism. (re: Various) |
Roboticist Has Real Son Zeno, Robot Son Zeno
The similarities to Super-Toys Last All Summer Long are almost too eerie. (re: Henry Slesar) |
Diamond Light Source Illuminates Manuscripts
Scientists take only thirty years to turn James P. Hogan's fantasy into reality. Well done! (re: James P. Hogan) |
Robots and Religion
Here's a chance to contribute to some interesting research on the topic of intelligent machines and religion. (re: Anthony Boucher) |
