Science Fiction
Dictionary
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
 |
Skypark Robotic Parking Garage: The Future Of Enormous Machines
The Apex Skypark is a fully-realized version of the sfnal idea of a parking garage. The Skypark video below is kind of chatty in a retrofuturistic kind of way, but it does get its point across, along with good footage of the device in action.
(Skypark robotic parking garage)
As the video points out, there are significant advantages, including better land use, low operating cost, modular construction. It can also be safer and offer fewer hassles to customers.
I'm fascinated with robotic parking garages for several reasons. The first is that I initially encountered the idea in science fiction novels; see the references for the aptly named robopark from Robert Heinlein's 1941 story Methuselah's Children and the grapple tracks in the automated parking building from Frank Herbert's 1977 novel The Dosadi Experiment.
Oh, and don't forget the very cool visualization of a robotic parking garage in the movie I, Robot.
(Robot parking garage from iRobot movie)
I'm also fascinated by the idea of huge machines, especially machines large enough to encompass entire cities or planets. In particular, I'm thinking of what is probably the canonical example, the vast Machine from EM Forster's The Machine Stops, published in 1909. Also, don't forget the machine city from John W. Campbell's 1934 story Twilight. I also liked Clifford Simak's description of the metal calculator planet from his 1949 story Limiting Factor.
As far as visual examples, this inside look at the vast machines of the Krell from the 1956 film Forbidden Planet is one of my favorites.
(Krell technology from Forbidden Planet)
For a more modern example, consider this view of the reality behind the Matrix.
(The reality behind the Matrix)
Do you have a similar fascination with enormous machine spaces? Is there room for vast machines in our supposedly nanoscale future? Leave your mental images in the comments below.
Anyway, learn about a different scheme for a robot parking garage; see also the article Let a robot park your car at Electricpig.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 7/24/2008)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 7 )
Related News Stories - (" Robotics ")
No Tips! Robotic Food Delivery In Phoenix
'...he rewired the delivery robot so that it would serve him midnight snacks.' Robert Heinlein, 1962.
Micro-Robots Are Smallest, Fully Functional
'With a whir, the Scarab shot from the concealing shadows of the corner where it had hidden itself.' - Raymond Z. Gallun, 1936.
DIY Robotic Hand Made After Loss Of Fingers
'I made them... with the fine work of the watchmaker...' - Boris Zhitkov, 1931.
Robot Snakes No Longer Stopped By Stairs
'...she dropped her hands from the wheel, took the robot snake from his box.' - Lee Chaytor, 1958.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
SpaceX Wants A Moonbase Alpha
'And he had been sent with troops, supplies and bombs to command Russia's most trusted post, the Moonbase.'
Vast Apartment Living Will Get Even More Vast
'What is your population', I asked. 'About eighty millions.'
NASA Wants Self-Driving Or Remote-Controlled Vehicles For Lunar Astronauts
'THE autobus turned silently down the wide street of Hydropole. Robot-guided, insulated from noise and cold...'
Elon Musk Says Robotaxis Will Be Ready This August, 2024
'The car had no steering wheel, and no one drove!'
Moonwalkers AI-Controlled Electric Shoes
Now that's power walking that Hugo Gernsback would have approved.
Steve Jobs: 'Capture The Next Aristotle - With AI'
'It was disturbing to think of the Flatline as a construct...'
No Tips! Robotic Food Delivery In Phoenix
'...he rewired the delivery robot so that it would serve him midnight snacks.'
Electric Catamaran 'Explorer Eco 40m' Has 'Solar Skin'
'On went the electric-yacht faster and still faster.'
Orbital Mechanics, The Liftoff, The Turnover, The Retrograde Burn
'...the huge vessel had spun, with a sickening lurch, through a complete half-circle, the instant the power was reversed.'
Harvest Power From Tears And Blinking With Smart Contact Lens
'...he realized that it was not quite a clear lens. Speckles of colored brightness swirled and gathered in it.'
Europa Clipper Plate Carries A Special Message
'...a universal cryptogram — yet it is one which can be interpreted by any intelligent creature on any planet in the Solar System!'
Micro-Robots Are Smallest, Fully Functional
'With a whir, the Scarab shot from the concealing shadows of the corner where it had hidden itself.'
AI Enhances Images Your Brain Sees
'I could have sworn the psychomat showed pictures almost as sharp and detailed as reality itself'
Illustrating Classic Heinlein With AI
'Stasis, cold sleep, hibernation, hypothermia, reduced metabolism, call it what you will - the logistics-medicine research teams had found a way to stack people like cordwood and use them when needed.'
Deflector Plasma Screen For Drones ala Star Wars
'If the enemy persists in attacking or even intensifies their power, the density of the plasma in space will suddenly increase, causing it to reflect most of the incoming energy like a mirror.'
DIY Robotic Hand Made After Loss Of Fingers
'I made them... with the fine work of the watchmaker...'
