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 ")
SnapBot Robots - You Choose Their Legs And They Choose Their Gaits
It's not really polite to tear the limbs off robots.
Humanoid Robots Building Humanoid Robots
''Pardon me, Struthers,' he broke in suddenly... 'haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?'' - Isaac Asimov (1940)
What's The Best Way To Ship And Unpack Humanoid Robots?
'I opened the oblong box, where lay the automatons side by side...' - Elizabeth Bellamy, 1899.
SpiRobs Soft Spiral Robotic Arm
'Beware the 'long, flexible, glittering tentacles...' - HG Wells, 1898
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
Tiny Flying Robot Weighs Just One Gram
'Aerostat meant anything that hung in the air. This was an easy trick to pull off nowadays.'
Some Ringworld Configurations Are Stable
'The Ringworld had no horizon. There was no line where the land curved away from the sky.'
TRANSFORM Dynamic Furniture Concept Becomes What You Need
'An adjustment panel outside the door would cause it to extrude various appurtenances in memory plastic...'
Harvard Metamaterials Change Structure Instantly
'Annealed in any shape for a time, and codified, the structure of that shape is retained down to the molecules.'
SnapBot Robots - You Choose Their Legs And They Choose Their Gaits
It's not really polite to tear the limbs off robots.
Dino From Magical Toys An AI Companion To Children
'...the imaginary companions discovered by needful children.'
Humanoid Robots Building Humanoid Robots
''Pardon me, Struthers,' he broke in suddenly... 'haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?''
Darpa 'Defiant' Unmanned Autonomous Ship
'There was no wheel, and no steersman!'
What's The Best Way To Ship And Unpack Humanoid Robots?
'I opened the oblong box, where lay the automatons side by side...'
DNA Printed Book By Isaac Asimov Now Available
'They tied the memory to the bloodline and that was their record!'
AI Computer Chip Designs Passeth Human Understanding
'It seems that at one time computers were designed directly by human beings.'
Space Traffic Management (STM) Needed Now
'...the spot was a lonely one in an uncharted region, far from the normal lanes of space traffic.'
Fine-Tune Your Infinite Book The Way You Want It
'I squatted down beside the roller and tried to make some sense out of the knobs. There were thirty-nine of them...'
SpiRobs Soft Spiral Robotic Arm
'Beware the long, flexible, glittering tentacles...'
Holland Factory 3D Printing 500 Tons Of Steak Per Month
'...I don’t understand technical things — tell me, does it ever feel anything?"
Stratospheric Solar Geoengineering From Harvard
'Pina2bo would have to operate full blast for many years to put as much SO2 into the stratosphere as its namesake had done in a few minutes.'
