MiniC.A.T Urban Air Car
This remarkable car is on the verge of mass production in India; it runs entirely on air. (re: ) |
Cool Robots At Dartmouth (And Greenland)
Not just nifty, these robots are built to handle the most demanding conditions on Earth. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Science Fiction And The Imagination of Technologists
MIT's Technology Review acknowledges the contributions of science fiction writers. (re: Various) |
Could Robots Use A Little Down Time?
Can robots actually benefit from a dream-like state? Dr. Christoph Adami wonders. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
World's Largest Tablet PC From Sharp
Forget about packing this one under your arm. (re: Ray Bradbury) |
Lorentz-Actuated Orbit Spacecraft May Ride Planetary Magnetic Fields
Interesting proposal by NASA to fund research on the last known propellantless propulsion method. (re: Robert Adams) |
Microsoft Researches The Future On Video
Interesting short video from Microsoft research has science-fictional (and real) precursors. (re: ) |
HUBO FX-1 Robot Chair With Legs
Robotic walking chair, when you need to have someone walk for you. (re: ) |
Urey Life Detector
The ESA's ExoMars will carry this device to Mars to search for life. (re: Frank Herbert) |
HeadThere Giraffe Telepresence Robot
This is a pretty cool-looking example of an inexpensive remote-controlled telepresence device. (re: Niven and Pournelle) |
Remote-Controlled Pigeon Could Enable DSL
Cyborg pigeons fill the skies! Okay, there is one prototype pigeon, but it seems to work. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Everything Is Toy RFID-Enabled Fun
Cool prototype lets you impose music on your environment that makes you part of things, rather than distancing you from your surroundings. (re: Vernor Vinge) |
eBayaday Sells A View On eBay
Slow light concept makes its way into the world of art. (re: Bob Shaw) |
Cybernetic Jellyfish Evolve
Interesting art video and Sterling/Rucker short story come together. (re: Rudy Rucker/Bruce Sterling) |
Beetle-Sized Robot Roams Your Body
Tiny bot can roam your body under the direction of doctors. (re: ) |
PaPeRo Your Blogging Robot Boswell
PaPeRo now takes on the characteristics of James Boswell, famed biographer of Samuel Johnson. (re: James Boswell) |
Car Seat Prototype Knows When You Are Sleepy
This smart car seat will wake you up when you get sleepy behind the wheel - but will it get to market fast enough? (re: Harry Harrison) |
'Expert System' Found Practicing Law Without License
Court of Appeals confirms earlier court ruling that software was practicing law without a license. (re: David Brin) |
Bacteria Save Your Data, Make Multiple Backups
Remarkable feat by researchers makes those so-called thumbdrives look monster-sized by comparison. (re: Barbara Hambly) |
Dexter Dynamically Balancing Humanoid Robot
Dexter is perhaps the first bipedal robot that dynamically balances himself as he takes each step. (re: George Lucas) |
Intellidrug Medication Dispensing Tooth
Interesting idea from overseas on how to help patients take medications regularly. (re: Frank Herbert) |
SuperBot Modular Robot Connects With NASA
SuperBot is a modular robot prototype that will choose its own way to explore and perform tasks in space. (re: Abraham Merritt) |
Banryu Guard Dragon Home Robot
This great-looking quadruped robot walks like a dragon, sniffing the air and taking pictures. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
Segway Robotic Mobility Platform Looks Like A Tumblebug
This nifty little item might be usable by engineers as well as by their robotic applications. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Computerized Lip-Reading Crime Fighters
Interesting project to teach computers how to lip-read automatically. (re: Arthur C. Clarke) |
Ubiko Robot A Fireman's Friend
This catlike robot is a better friend to firemen than that organic Dalmatian creature they use. (re: Ray Bradbury) |
Paralysis Beam From Peak Beam Systems
It appears that the US Army is interested in developing a paralysis ray. (re: E.C. Tubb) |
Onboard Threat Detection System For Big Brother Airlines
This system seems a bit too intrusive, and probably would not make me feel more secure while flying. (re: George Orwell) |
Varioptic Liquid Lens For Phone Cameras
The oil (and water) lens finally makes it into consumer products that will be available near you. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Space Robot Knows Your Mood
The space is the robot - just the thing for those long meetings. (re: Ray Bradbury) |
Polymer Vision Readius With Merely Foldable Display
I liked the idea of a fully rollable display better. Picky, picky, picky. (re: William Gibson) |
Pay With Your Cellphone
All you really need is your joymaker - I mean, cellphone. (re: Frederik Pohl) |
The Wisdom Door Knows You
Clever use of biometrics to identify those who may pass. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
Gravitonus Ergonomic Workstation
Just ask yourself this: does my gaming system orient me properly to the Earth (or other local) gravitational field? I didn't think so. (re: ) |
RFID 'Powder' - World's Smallest RFID Tag
New tag from Hitachi is incredibly small - truly RFID in powder form. (re: Bruce Sterling) |
Automatic License Plate Recognition Goes Mobile
The police can now check up to 3,000 license plates per hour as they cruise down the road. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Robot Hand HOWARD Stroke Rehabilitation
Robot helps people to relearn simple manual tasks following strokes. (re: ) |
Robotic Ankle Exoskeleton Helps Users Regain Limb Function
Research provides a device that both supports the ankle, and helps interpret the brain's signals. (re: Fritz Leiber) |
Doomsday Vault Design Now Final
My only question, which no one seems to be asking, is 'Why don't the humans get a vault?' (re: John Varley) |
Robot Suicide Ad Changed By GM
Here's a suggestion on how to present a really depressed robot in a way that everyone likes. (re: Douglas Adams) |
Pyro Dancin' to the Infernoptix Beat
This is so great - now see more details than ever before with this amazing display. (re: ) |
X-Hawk Fancraft Like Blade Runner Flying Car?
Interesting working prototype of a flying car-style VTOL aircraft. (re: Ridley Scott) |
Debris Cloud From Chinese ASAT A Menace To Space Lanes
Arr, best keep a weather eye for Chinese weather satellite debris whilst passing through the debris cloud... (re: Arthur C. Clarke) |
Covert Iris Scanner Close To Minority Report Future
Don't take your privacy for granted, Mr. Anderton. They've got public iris scanning now. (re: Stephen Spielberg) |
Whereabouts Clock Set to 'Unreleased'
What ever happened to the Whereabouts Clock? I should have one by now - all my kids have cell phones. (re: J.K. Rowling) |
Robot Parking In Fact and In Fiction
Okay, George Jetson had a car that folded into a briefcase; but you can take your car to NYC and have the robot garage park it for you in real life. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
WiiBot Kuka Robot Controlled WiiMotely
Two engineers create a non-trivial fencing and tennis-playing robot - part Kuka, part Wii. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Whisson Windmills To Water Australia Like Vaporators?
Inventor from Oz creates windmills that pull water from the air - then you'll really need a droid that speaks the binary language of moisture vaporators. (re: George Lucas) |
Transformer Clothing
J.G. Ballard wrote about clothing that would do this - but it's been implemented using a more mechanistic technology. (re: J.G. Ballard) |
Immortal Computing - Microsoft's 'House Records'
Interesting patent troll by Microsoft reveals an interest in the history of computers and digital information. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Active Denial System Heat Ray Warming Up
Raytheon finally gets this nonlethal crowd-dispersing weapon out in public view. (re: H.G. Wells) |
Sniffer Robot With Infotaxis Algorithms On The Hunt
New algorithms bring Ray Bradbury's hunting mechanical hound closer - do you know who has your olfactory combination on file? (re: Ray Bradbury) |
TechX Urban Warfare Robot Challenge
Street-fighting autonomous robots wanted for new Challenge. (re: James Cameron) |
DAVID Freeware Laser Range Scanning
Excellent software package solves problems that only science fiction authors attempted a generation ago. (re: Jack Vance) |
Chaos Robot - Four Track Offroad Flailing
Unusual design permits this little 'bot to crawl practically anywhere. (re: Various) |
Internet Kiosks Around The World
Everywhere you go, there you are - on the Internet. (re: Various) |
Robot Nurses Seem Unavoidable
Worried about impersonal health care? How about some nice, caring 'intelligent robot swarms?' (re: David H. Keller) |
Gemotion Bas Relief Display
Unique technology provides a soft, 'living' 3D surface vision. (re: Various) |
Drivemocion More Expressive Than KITT
I hope this thing offers more than just the smiley face. (re: Various) |
HyperBike - NASA-Supported Heinlein Lunocycle?
This unique bicycle combines elements of old-fashioned big wheels and racing wheelchairs. NASA's interested, too. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
HCID: Handwear Computer Input Device Combat Glove
Interesting military control glove concept under development. (re: Various) |
Khronos Projector at NextFest 2006
Very cool interface should give you a new thought about the iPhone - flexible screen! (re: Various) |
Gravity Assist Will Help Pluto-Bound Craft
Jupiter will offer NASA a real speed boost in February - who thought of how to do it first? (re: Ray Cummings) |
Slow Light 'Scenedow' Close At Hand
It looks like a prototype 'scenedow' from Light of Other Days has been created at the University of Rochester. (re: Bob Shaw) |
PongSats - Tiny 'Satellites' At Space's Edge
Excellent program allows amateurs to send their experiments aloft. (re: Robert Silverberg) |
Put Your Ads Where Space Begins
These ads are taken to the edge of space, but can't quite be viewed by space tourists. (re: Alan Nelson) |
Motorola AUDEX Jacket With Sleeve Controls
Love those Leinster sleeve controls; the jacket does have a 1940's appeal to it. (re: Murray Leinster) |
Invisible RFID Ink Tattoos For Cattle, People
This new technology solves several vexing problems, and it makes it easy for large unruly herds to be tracked more easily. (re: Niven/Barnes) |
Advertising-Funded Cellphone Content
Free phone service may be coming whether you like it or not. The system depends on it. (re: J.G. Ballard) |
Cellular Phone Robot And iPhone - Joymaker Wannabes
Pohl's amazing joymaker from his 1965 novel still exceeds the vision presented for cellphones - but not by much. (re: Frederik Pohl) |
Digital Billboards Worth Billions
This part of our science-fictional future I can really live without; you'll pay money for unmarked, non-ad-saturated nature. (re: J.G. Ballard) |
Exoskeleton Like Halo Suit
If you can build a suit to fight with bears, you can build a military exoskeleton with some practical experience built in. (re: Various) |
The Pirate Bay Wants Data Haven On Sealand
One way or the other, The Pirate Bay wants a place to do data storage without interference from governments. (re: Bruce Sterling) |
Contour Crafting House Printer Nears Test
It appears that the work of Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis and his 'house printer' will finally get a real-world test in the next few months. (re: Murray Leinster) |
Roboboa Dancing Robot Snake
Those folks at WowWee have been busy; this article may link to cooler robotic snakes, but none that you can buy off the shelf. (re: Roger Zelazny) |
iPhone Multi-Touch Screen's Big Brother(s)
If you think Steve Jobs is a good salesman, watch Jeff Han. (re: Stephen Spielberg) |
Canadian Coins Are Bugged Money
DoD reports say that contractors have received cash with listening devices - now, where have I read that before? (re: Bruce Sterling) |
Meth Coffee Now The Coffiest
It's an edgy beverage with a special alkaloid dusted right in. (re: Pohl/Kornbluth) |
Fab@Home 'Fabber' Freeform Fabricator
Lipson and Malone bring the printing of three-dimensional objects into the home with this project. (re: Jack Williamson) |
Robopanda Toys Last All Summer Long
This is one robotic bear that comes with its own toys. (re: Harry Harrison) |
Map Of World Happiness - A Global Projection of Subjective Well-Being
For the first time, a global projection of happiness is available; how happy are you? (re: Various) |
Skin Cells Genetically Modified To Fight Infection
This medical advance will help burn patients, who face lethal infection in skin graft procedures. (re: John Varley) |
Parasitic Worms Create 'Zombie' Snails
I thought Toxoplasma gondii was bad, but these poor snails really get a raw deal. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Use Google To Search The Heavens
Google has once again allied themselves with a spectacular scientific project - have they bitten off more data than they can chew? (re: Neal Stephenson) |
Robotic Cable Inspection System
This unique robot operates under very difficult and constrained conditions; we need one of these for the space elevator program, too. (re: Arthur C. Clarke) |
Roboquad Quadruped Robot From WowWee
This four-legged robot toy from WowWee will chase your cat for you. (re: Various) |
Romi Robot Orwellian Vacuum Cleaner
Diminutive vacuum cleaner - is really a spybot. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Disco Capsule Endoscope Theme Park Video
Awesome promotional video takes you to places you never imagined, yet lie within you. Really. (re: Various) |
Self-Cleaning Sportswear
Newfangled clothing may never need to be washed - even your old gym socks. (re: Neal Stephenson) |
Desktop Nanofactory Video
Excellent visualization of how it might work; not really news, but worth watching. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
Liquid Lakes On Titan Ready For Robofish
Newly available radar imaging data from Cassini's latest flyby appears to confirm it. (re: Michael Swanwick) |
EveR2-Muse Robot's Many Faces
The latest incarnation of the EveR2-Muse entertainment fembot now includes the latest feminine emotions. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
Transgenic Pigs Glow Green
Diligent Chinese researchers with one eye on the calendar create three little piggies with a green glow. (re: Margaret Atwood) |
Too Many Mars Missions Planned?
Very funny spoof of the increasing traffic on Mars. (re: Various) |
NASA Needs Fake Moondust By The Ton
NASA engineers need moondust to perfect plans for lunar return in the next decade. (re: Various) |
Peter Robbins' Alicia, Tom Swift's Jetmarine
Remarkable homebrew submersible allows builder to live his Tom Swift-inspired fantasy. (re: Victor Appleton) |
Actroid DER2 Late Model Fembot
This robotic receptionist upgrade has many new features. (re: Fritz Leiber) |
Virtual Milgram Experiment
In this unusual twist on an iconic psych experiment of the 1960's, humans show what they are made of. (re: Various) |
Trackable Clothing Now Solar Powered
These jackets could come in handy just for regular people traveling in their cars, based on recent events. (re: Various) |
First Jetpowered Flying Man
Apparently, the first successful jet-pack; it looks pretty good on YouTube. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Snake-like Robots For Throat Surgery Doc Ock-Style
Snakelike robots down your throat? Fortunately, they will be under the control of skilled physicians. (re: Various) |
Polar Rose Photo Privacy And Surveillance Concerns
Polar Rose finally addresses some of the privacy and surveillance concerns of its critics. (re: Various) |
iEarth From Google, Nasa... Snow Crash?
New application effectively implements application envisaged in Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. (re: Neal Stephenson) |
Insect Lab Beetle Clockwork Sculpture
Not robots - but an amazingly cool set of sculptures that are a science-fiction fan's dream come true - if you think about insects and clockwork. (re: Raymond Z. Gallun) |
Sweet Wheat - No Sugar Added
New development in plants means no more teaspoons full of sugar for your morning cereal. (re: Various) |
Porta-Person Remote Conferencing Stand-In
Remote-controlled portable person helps teleconferencers be in two places at once. (re: Raymond Z. Gallun) |
Power Sheet Provides Flexible Wireless Electricity
This system could provide great flexibility for recharging all of your zillions of devices, without having to take a zillion separate chargers everywhere. (re: Various) |
Compact Vortex Generator Inspired By Squids
Biomimetics scores another triumph - this time, pulsatile jet propulsion. (re: Various) |
Robotic Hand Has Sensitive Fingertips
Latest version of the Southampton robotic hand is very sensitive indeed. (re: Ray Cummings) |
Baseball Batting Robot May Make Steroids Obsolete
This guy isn't as bulked up as some of today's players, but he's honest about what he uses - compressed air. (re: Various) |
Martians Could Kill Life On Earth, Says Scientist
A prominent UK scientist apparently believes that it is possible that Martian water harbors life - maybe dangerous life. (re: H.G. Wells) |
Grow Your Own Furniture
Christopher Castle has a uniquely green solution to creating furniture the all-natural way. (re: Jack Vance) |
Philips Readius E-Ink Video
This video really demonstrates how cool this device is. (re: William Gibson) |
Innespace Dolphin Boat Breaks The Surface
This is another cool dolphin boat - closer to a product this time. (re: David Brin) |
RoomRender Futuristic Smart Room
The smart room has moved beyond prototype to a product that is now available. (re: Ray Bradbury) |
Bio Ink Jet Printing Muscle And Bone
This unique system is the first step in creating replacements for complex body structures like joints. (re: Various) |
Butterfly Wing Phone Screen
This unusual design has the virtue of being realizable with today's technology. (re: William Gibson) |
Augmented Reality Shopping In Osaka
Using this system, you could see how you looked in different items of apparel without that tedious dressing and undressing. (re: Vernor Vinge) |
Earth Barcoded For Alien Convenience
A seemingly innocent art project meant to get you thinking about our real and virtual worlds is so much more, if you know how to look at it. (re: Jules Verne) |
Hack Your Reality The Virtual Way
Yet another way for us to manipulate ourselves; and for others to manipulate our internal worlds, perhaps. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
Sawfish Underwater Lumberjack Robot
This product dives underwater to recover lumber otherwise wasted in reservoirs and lakes. (re: Various) |
2 Lunar Base Concepts 75 Years Apart
NASA has released some of their thinking about lunar exploration; read what others thought seventy-five years earlier. (re: Ray Cummings) |
Soviet Military Prison Dream Vacation
I really thought I'd seen everything you could do for vacation. Obviously, I lead a sheltered life. (re: Various) |
My Spoon Robot On Full Auto
This is a great addition to the assistive technologies now available commercially. It also poses a danger to Americans. (re: Various) |
Russia Studies Space-Elevator Clusters For Moon
Russia enters the space tether slingshot race - a 'space railway' that will reduce the cost of boosting payloads to the Moon. (re: Various) |
Rity - Sobot Longs To Be Near You
This remarkable experiment demonstrates that a computer program can download itself into objects to serve you. (re: Frederik Pohl) |
Femtosecond Laser Pulse Turns Metals Pitch Black
Remarkable process creates a perfectly black finish without paints or other coatings. (re: E.E. 'Doc Smith) |
Urban Cactus Architecture
This unusual building calls other science-fictional buildings to mind. (re: Jack Vance) |
Microrobot To Swim Like Bacteria With Flagellar Propeller
Dr. Friend and his team have been working on the propulsion system that will make this possible. (re: Various) |
RoboSalmon Are Descended From SHARCs
Ah, the RoboSalmon are returning to Glasgow, Scotland to spawn... Well, they are building the first one there. (re: Michael Swanwick) |
'Precrime' Database For London Homicide Prevention Unit
London's Metropolitan Precrime ... I mean, Police Homicide Prevention Unit are looking for people who will one day commit crimes. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
Online Magic Wardrobe From Accenture
The study that goes along with this thing has some interesting ideas in it. Even if you aren't much for fashion. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
RIDC-01 Robot Maid Will Not Replace Rosie In Our Hearts
This robot maid is, unfortunately, not yet commercially available, but it actually exists, unlike Rosie from the Jetson's. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Reborg-Q May You Shop In Peace
Not just a mall walker, this robot can sense water and fire, check employee security badges and even make promotional announcements. (re: Niven and Pournelle) |
Electronic Erasable Paper - Xerox Seeks E-Palimpsest
Xerox is still looking for the perfect palimpsest - eraseable electronic reusable paper. (re: Greg Bear) |
Detect Aggressive Voices With Sigard By Sound Intelligence
If you've been waiting for HAL to tell you to take a stress pill, your wait is over. (re: Arthur C. Clarke) |
Shape-Memory Polymers Temperature Morphing
Special polymers perform amazing stunts in response to modest temperature changes. (re: Samuel R. Delany) |
Digital Bible Player
At last - a pious portable media player. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Smart Homes And Municipal Darwinism
Recycling and self-sufficient, self-fueling homes are one thing, but let's not let this thing get out of hand. (re: Philip Reeve) |
UK Officers Wear Brin's True-Vu Lenses
I think David Brin called this one about sixteen years ago; Britain really has a thing about surveillance... (re: David Brin) |
Modafinil 24-hour Living Through Chemistry
Is sleep a lifestyle choice? Read on. (re: Paul Di Filippo) |
Lifeblood And Beta Tank Bubble-Based 'Stereo Tanks'
Unusual sculptures that use bubbles as pixels in low-res displays - 2D and 3D. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
Be The Soul Of The New Machine
This tele-operated robot will move along with you as you walk, and let you manipulate objects in a remote environment. (re: Clifford Simak) |
Robot Walks After Conceptualizing Own Structure
Amazing video shows robot introspecting to determine its own structure, and then constructing a gait for itself. (re: Roger P. Graham) |
Optimus OLED(Not!) Keyboard Chameleon
This keyboard changes its colors (or its keys) for every occasion. (re: Arthur C. Clarke) |
First Chinese Security Guard Robot
This security bot is able to avoid obstacles, follow a predesignated route and send images of trouble. (re: Philip K. Dick) |
'New' Israeli Bionic Hornet Concept Is 70 Years Old
The Israelis shouldn't bother with making up science-fictional insect-sized robots - let the writers do it! (re: Raymond Z. Gallun) |
Chick Embryo Regrows Wing With Wnt Signaling
Remarkable achievement from the Salk Institute; eleven years of work have paid off. (re: Frank Herbert) |
Jardiland Real Radish Races Via Internet
Virtualized real-world pets, these radishes are real radicles. (re: Various) |
Manned Asteroid Mission For Constellation Program?
Other uses are being planned for the lunar landing gear NASA already has in the works. (re: Robert Heinlein) |
