 |
Dictionary of Clothing Terms in Science Fiction
(Technovelgy items at top: skip
down to News)
Name |
Author (Publication Date) |
Airbag Jacket - instant Michelin Man A jacket or coverall with inflatable air bags throughout for protection against impact. |
Neal Stephenson (1992) |
Air-Conditioned Coat An otherwise ordinary overcoat that fights the heat. |
Bruce Sterling (1993) |
Arachnofiber Uniforms - Spidey delivers pizza Remarkable attire for a pizza delivery person; but given the violence of near future America, the protection offered by ordinary uniforms was insufficient. |
Neal Stephenson (1992) |
Armor Cloth Extremely tough synthetic fabric. |
Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle) (1974) |
Artificial Cloth The creation of fabrics without organic natural fibers. |
Hugo Gernsback (1911) |
Artificial Silk A fabric like silk produced entirely without silkworms. |
George Parsons Lathrop (1897) |
Automated Surface Measurement - 100 years before cgi needed it A mechanical method of accurately measuring a surface. |
H.G. Wells (1899) |
Bio-Fabric - living cloth Living cloth that constantly adapts itself to the personality and needs of its wearer. |
J.G. Ballard (1970) |
Catchpocket A small container in a stillsuit that stored reclaimed water. |
Frank Herbert (1965) |
Chameleon Battle-Dress Camouflage that allows its wearer to visually blend into the environment. |
Gordon R. Dickson (1960) |
Chameleon Cloth - great camouflage Clothing that changes color and pattern to match its surroundings. |
George RR Martin (1977) |
Crowdcutter A device worn to part crowds. |
Malka Older (2016) |
Digital Running Shoes - just measure it Shoes with a digital readout showing performance. |
Bruce Sterling (1988) |
Electric Diaper A diaper that will indicate when it is wet. |
David H. Keller (1928) |
Electrically Heated Clothes Using artificial heating to counteract the cold of space. |
A.E. van Vogt (1940) |
Email Shirt See your email on your shirt. |
Margaret Atwood (2003) |
Fabricules - squeaky clean nanomachine Tiny bits of fabric that were self-cleaning; gloves made of this material always stayed clean. |
Neal Stephenson (1995) |
Heat-Suit Perfect for those incredibly hot planets with breathable atmospheres. |
Murray Leinster (1955) |
Inert-Wear - unfashionably static Clothing made of dead fibers; clothing that is unmoving, static. |
J.G. Ballard (1970) |
Jubba Cloak An all-purpose garment in common use on Arrakis |
Frank Herbert (1965) |
Mecho-Clothing Apparel created entirely by machines. |
Philip K. Dick (1954) |
Mimetic Polycarbon Suit - urban camouflage Clothing made from a fiber that could change colors based on either recorded images or real-time picture input. |
William Gibson (1984) |
Onionskin Transparent Jeans See-through pants. |
Gary Shteyngart (2011) |
Pneumo-Slacks Pants that make you look beefier. |
Lewis Padgett (1943) |
Scramble Suit - instant anonymity A superthin membrane upon which are projected the characteristics of a million different people, it confers instant anonymity. |
Philip K. Dick (1977) |
Self-Cleaning Gym Suit Removes the source of odor. |
Margaret Atwood (2003) |
Shari A multipurpose net worn as clothing. |
Margaret St. Clair (1949) |
Shiftsuit A form of adaptive camouflage gear. |
Steve Perry (1986) |
Sideglance Robe A dress that is invisible or opaque, depending on how you look at it. |
Philip K. Dick (1953) |
Sleeve Communicator - before ST:TNG An electronic device controller built into clothing. |
Murray Leinster (1945) |
Spray-Foam Blouse - spray and wear Clothing that is sprayed on fresh. |
Philip K. Dick (1969) |
Spray-On Clothing - dresses in a can Body coverings from a spray can. |
Stanislaw Lem (1961) |
Spray-On Clothing Web A 'web' clothing foundation that can be sprayed on and then molded by a couturier. |
Jack Vance (1952) |
Spray-On Gloves Fashionable evening gloves that are sprayed onto the hand and arm. |
Jack Vance (1952) |
Stillsuit - when you want water retention It covers almost the entire body, provides cooling and ensures that almost no moisture is lost. |
Frank Herbert (1965) |
Stillsuit Desert Boots Special boots that offered parasitic power harvesting. |
Frank Herbert (1969) |
Transparent Overalls Perfect for prisoners, because nothing can be concealed. |
Harry Harrison (1970) |
Watertube Carries water to and from the catchpockets in a Fremen stillsuit. |
Frank Herbert (1965) |
Related Science Fiction in the News
Skip Movewear Arc'teryx AI Pants '...the terrible Jovian gravity that made each movement an effort.' - Edmond Hamilon, 1930. (re: Edmond Hamilton, 10/17/2024 ) |
Kolors Virtual-Try-On Predicted, And TRIED, By Harry Harrison 'Bill blinked at his own face under the plumed helmet...' - Harry Harrison, 1965 (re: Harry Harrison, 9/11/2024 ) |
Qore IcePlates Are Personal Cooling Suits '... underneath they consisted of networks of cooling tubes against the skin.' - Neal Stephenson, 2021. (re: Neal Stephenson, 8/7/2024 ) |
Fabrican Dress Sprayed Directly Onto Model On Coperni Runway '...that might appeal to women, because by discharging from a few or a few dozen bottles a liquid that immediately set into fabrics... they could have a new creation every time.' - Stanislaw Lem, 1961. (re: Stanislaw Lem, 10/25/2022 ) |
Hip'Safe Airbag For Seniors, From Helite 'Other airbags go off around her torso and pelvis...' - Neal Stephenson, 1992. (re: Neal Stephenson, 8/29/2022 ) |
iSphere Plastique Fantastique Face Mask Alternative 'Among these were some clad in the insulated space-suits, with their transparent glassite helmets.' - Edmond Hamilton, 1931. (re: Edmond Hamilton, 8/19/2020 ) |
Inkjet-Printed Wearable Solar Cells Ultra-thin wearable organic photovoltaic material. (re: Rudy Rucker, 8/17/2020 ) |
E - Ink's Automatic Self Styling Color-Changing Dress 'The racks of gowns itched and quivered, their colors running into blurred pools.' - JG Ballard, 1970. (re: JG Ballard, 4/21/2020 ) |
Clothes That Do Photosynthesis 'Clothes are no longer made from dead fibers of fixed color and texture...' - JG Ballard, 1970 (re: JG Ballard, 1/30/2020 ) |
Fabric Automatically Cools Or Insulates Based On Environment '...a high-efficiency filter and heat-exchange system.' - Frank Herbert, 1965. (re: Frank Herbert, 2/17/2019 ) |
Foldimate Folds Your Clothes Perfectly Look ma, my room is clean! I can hear you now. (re: Philip K. Dick, 8/29/2018 ) |
'Power Clothing' - The Seismic 'Super Suit' 'The real genius in the design is that you don't have to control the suit; you just wear it...' - Robert Heinlein, 1959. (re: Robert Heinlein, 7/9/2018 ) |
Shiftwear Display Shoes 'He unlaced her shoe and glanced at its readout.' Bruce Sterling, 1988. (re: Bruce Sterling, 1/13/2018 ) |
Jabil Integrated Textile Heart Monitoring 'Della's first present was an imipolex sweatshirt called a heartshirt…' Rudy Rucker, 1988. (re: Rudy Rucker, 12/10/2017 ) |
Wearable Smart Jacket He pressed the button in his sleeve communicator and snapped: 'Action stations!' - Murray Leinster, 1945. (re: Murray Leinster, 3/4/2017 ) |
Fluorescent Bacteria Fashion 'The racks of gowns itched and quivered, their colors running into blurred pools.' - J.G. Ballard, 1970. (re: J.G. Ballard, 3/2/2017 ) |
Eighth Sense Emotion-Responsive Cloak 'This sensitivity to mood explains the real popularity of bio-fabrics...' - JG Ballard, 1970. (re: JG Ballard, 11/23/2016 ) |
proCover Smart Sock Prosthetic Limb Enhancement 'Series of chemelectric afferent nerve-analogues, which permitted it to gauge to an ounce...' - Roger Zelazny, 1965. (re: Roger Zelazny, 10/8/2016 ) |
Smart Fabric Can Harvest Energy From Sunshine And Motion 'The clothes and jewellery drew their tiny power requirements from her movements.' - Alastair Reynolds, 2005. (re: Alastair Reynolds, 9/19/2016 ) |
Fashion Needs To Step Up Technology Education 'Keeping up with advances in fashion is almost as easy as reading - if you're reading science fiction.' (re: Various, 8/27/2016 ) |
Self-Healing Textiles! Say Goodbye To Torn Jeans 'The constant renewal of the fibers, repairing any faults...' - JG Ballard, 1970. (re: JG Ballard, 8/13/2016 ) |
Aerochromics Shirt Makes You An Air Quality Monitor Clothing really should do more. (re: William Gibson, 7/17/2016 ) |
Textiles Self-Cleaning In Sunlight 'You could thrust your gloved hand into mud, and it would be white a few seconds later' - Neal Stephenson, 1995. (re: Neal Stephenson, 3/22/2016 ) |
3D Modeling And Virtual Reality Tech Patents For Body Labs '... Another small figure in a more voluminous type of robe marched on to the dial.' - HG Wells, 1899. (re: HG Wells, 3/14/2016 ) |
Smart Clothing From Finland 'A dress can change its color and texture in a few seconds...' - JG Ballard, 1970. (re: JG Ballard, 2/27/2016 ) |
Microsupercapacitors Make Wearable Electronics Disappear 'He pressed the button in his sleeve communicator...' - Murray Leinster, 1945. (re: Rudy Rucker, 12/10/2015 ) |
Second Skin Clothing By Biologic Changes With You 'A dress can change its color and texture in a few seconds...' - JG Ballard, 1970. (re: JG Ballard, 10/20/2015 ) |
LikeAGlove Smart Garment Knows Your Size 'The tailor set moving a mechanism...'- HG Wells, 1898. (re: HG Wells, 12/16/2014 ) |
Bullet-Proof Kevlar Woven Electronics 'Check the watch imprinted on his sleeve...'- Niven and Barnes, 1981. (re: Niven and Barnes, 11/15/2014 ) |
Ralph Lauren Polo Tech Shirt 'It can feel your heartbeat...'- Rudy Rucker, 1988. (re: Rudy Rucker, 8/26/2014 ) |
Bespoke Clothing In 30 Minutes 'He sat himself down in a sales cubicle and dialed the code number for kilts.'- Robert Heinlein, 1941. (re: Robert Heinlein, 8/1/2014 ) |
x.pose 3D Printed Corset Has Data Transparency 'I'll put on my new plastirobe, the one I've never had nerve enough to wear.'- Philip K. Dick, 1954 (re: Philip K. Dick, 6/12/2014 ) |
Focus Life Gear Protects From Virtual World 'Stooping, he peeled off thick overtrousers as massive as the coat.'- Robert Heinlein, 1941. (re: Robert Heinlein, 5/24/2014 ) |
OMsignal Heart Shirt With Woven Electronics 'It can feel your heartbeat … look...'- Rudy Rucker, 1988. (re: Rudy Rucker, 5/13/2014 ) |
Motorcycle Racing Suit With Airbags She jerks the manual release on her cervical collar and goes into full Michelin Man mode- Neal Stephenson, 1992. (re: Neal Stephenson, 1/17/2014 ) |
Protocell Running Shoes Regenerate 'Clothes are no longer made from dead fibers of fixed color…'- JG Ballard, 1970. (re: JG Ballard, 12/12/2013 ) |
Owlet Vitals, The Future Of Baby Monitoring 'In every diaper there is a fine copper wire…' - David H. Keller, 1928. (re: David H. Keller, 11/13/2013 ) |
A Forced Air-Cooled Jacket? 'He went to the hall closet to get his pith helmet and his mandatory cooling-unit...'- Philip K. Dick, 1964. (re: Murray Leinster, 8/13/2013 ) |
SolePower Insole Generates Power By Walking '...the action of the heel-powered pumps that drove his stillsuit.'- Frank Herbert, 1969 (re: Frank Herbert, 7/11/2013 ) |
Oceanwings For Underwater Human Flight 'He flexed his legs, the massive flukes thrust back jerkily in response...'- David Brin, 1979. (re: David Brin, 5/26/2013 ) |
Sweat Be Gone! Non-Wetting Fabric 'The skin-contact layer is porous.'- Frank Herbert, 1965. (re: Frank Herbert, 5/24/2013 ) |
Superomniphobic Fabrics Are Super Clean 'Most gentlemen's and ladies' gloves nowadays were constructed of infinitesimal fabricules that knew how to eject dirt...'- Neal Stephenson, 1995 (re: Neal Stephenson, 1/17/2013 ) |
Sean Jean 'Fashion Video Name Tag' Fleece Why not a display to go with your sleeve communicator? Murray Leinster would have been down with it. (re: Murray Leinster, 12/7/2012 ) |
Body Scanner May Improve Online Shopping '...the tailor pulled out a number of slotted arms terminating in little discs...'- H.G. Wells, 1899. (re: HG Wells, 11/27/2012 ) |
Smart Bra From First Warning Systems '...a delicate current is sent ... to an amplifier and a certain sound is made, and the nurse will properly react...'- David H. Keller, 1928. (re: David H. Keller, 10/11/2012 ) |
3D Printed Clothing 'Escapism' Couture Collection Someday you'll just get new clothing from the 3D fab machine in your closet. (re: Robert Heinlein, 3/5/2012 ) |
North Face (Or Snow Crash?) Avalanche Airbag Clothing The Powder Guide ABS vest is just the thing for your active lifestyle, on and off the slopes. (re: Neal Stephenson, 2/9/2012 ) |
Raincatch Raincoat Has Dune-Style Watertube And Catchpocket 'And us sipping our catchpockets the instant they show dewsparkle.' (re: Frank Herbert, 1/22/2012 ) |
Author Barely Stays Ahead Of The Future With Transparent Jeans Mainstream authors can barely keep up; old-school sf authors have already come and gone. (re: Gary Shteyngart, 9/6/2011 ) |
'Warning Signs' T-Shirt Is CO2 Detector Why not let others see your concerns? (re: Rudy Rucker, 4/21/2011 ) |
Self-Cleaning SilverSport Gym Gear Uses Nanosilver Stinky gym gear now a thing of the past? (re: Neal Stephenson, 2/3/2011 ) |
Stretchable Silicon Electronics For Sports Apparel Maybe Reebok could include a stopwatch along with the sensors; that's what Niven and Barnes fans are hoping. (re: Niven and Barnes, 12/9/2010 ) |
DEFLEXION Apparel For Superheroes High impact protection while retaining excellent breathability and washability. (re: Larry Niven, 11/20/2010 ) |
Fabrican Spray-On T-Shirt Video This video recently turned up; Stanislaw Lem nailed this idea almost fifty years ago. (re: Stanislaw Lem, 9/16/2010 ) |
Exmobaby Biosensor Pajamas For Baby Hush little baby, don't say a word. Mama's gonna ... be watching you on her cell phone. (re: David H. Keller, 9/1/2010 ) |
Nike's Air Kicks Back To The Future Power Laces Marty McFly, your shoes are almost ready. (re: , 8/31/2010 ) |
Power Laces From Back To The Future 2 Marty McFly, your auto-lacing shoes are almost ready. With video. (re: Various, 7/5/2010 ) |
SmartCap Detects Fatigue Although I think it needs a buzzer for home use, this device could save lives. (re: Philip K. Dick, 5/27/2010 ) |
Invisible Dress: Your Fashion Future Essential couture for the technologically fashion-minded. (re: Philip K. Dick, 5/10/2010 ) |
Tweet Sleeve Displays Your Emotions Insights into your heart, one hundred and forty characters at a time. (re: Murray Leinster, 4/27/2010 ) |
Spyder Olympic GS Suit With d3o Skiers at the Vancouver Olympics will use the latest in 'impact suits' made with d3o. (re: David Gerrold (w. L Niven), 2/1/2010 ) |
Sound Reactive Nightgown An unusual demonstration piece, this garment is very sensitive to noise. (re: JG Ballard, 1/30/2010 ) |
Smart Second Skin Dress Interacts With Wearer Why be satisfied with that 'inert-wear' that you usually put on in the morning? Why shouldn't you have clothing that interacts with you? (re: J.G. Ballard, 1/14/2010 ) |
Life Dress Plays Game Of Life Interesting designer fashion displays the game of life while the wearer mingles, playing the game of life herself. (re: Philip K. Dick, 12/21/2009 ) |
Femphonic Audio Jacket With On-Sleeve Controller Electronic ontrols built into clothingis an idea that is at least sixty years old. I still like it. (re: Murray Leinster, 12/16/2009 ) |
Motorcycle SuperFabric Now With d3o Shock Absorption It's not quite a super-suit, but the new multi-function motorcycle protection garment from d3o and SuperFabric is getting us closer. (re: Various, 7/21/2009 ) |
Air Bag Jacket Saves Life Of Motorcyclist Although this is an old story, it's a pretty good call by an sf writer. (re: Neal Stephenson, 6/23/2009 ) |
TV-B-Gone Hoodie I've been at the Google I/O conference this week, and this was just one of the cool devices featured at their after party. (re: Murray Leinster, 5/28/2009 ) |
Photo-Veil Camo Digi Military Wrap Gather ye your images from divers sources, then place on a mesh to confuse thine enemies. Dick, Gibson, Martin - of whom does this remind you? (re: George R.R. Martin, 4/26/2009 ) |
Gundam Robot Slippers Have Giant Mech Sound I'm still working on an sfnal twist to this story - other than the Gundam angle, of course. (re: Yoshiuki Tomino, 2/9/2009 ) |
SG5 Solar Mesh Wetsuit For Aquatic Superheroes From Billabong This nifty item of apparel is exactly what you aquatically based superheroes have been looking for. (re: Varioius, 1/14/2009 ) |
Thought-Screen Helmets A Classic American Craft Fashionable, practical and above all, home made. I also have some new materials to recommend. (re: Philip K. Dick, 11/28/2008 ) |
Blackhawk Built-In Tourniquet Pants, Shirts Radical clothing system has real practical value; I can see this for extreme hikers, mountain climbers, etc. as well. (re: Joe Haldeman, 11/6/2008 ) |
GPS Lingerie 'Find Me If You Can' Misplaced your girlfriend? No problem - if she wants to be found. With video. (re: Murray Leinster, 11/3/2008 ) |
Solar Power Necktie (Clip-On Only) Another great application for circuit/textile combinations. What's the earliest reference to the idea of combining textiles and wiring? (re: David H. Keller, 8/18/2008 ) |
Solar-Powered Bra This versatile item of apparel also comes with two reusable drink containers. (re: Schachner & Zagat, 5/14/2008 ) |
T-Sketch The Whiteboard T-Shirt Oh, sure, I've seen this before. You remember those bell-shaped aliens from another universe in that 1931 story, right? Okay, maybe not. But I do. (re: Schachner/Zagat, 3/28/2008 ) |
Self-Cleaning Wool And Silk Fabrics Self-cleaning clothing would be great; it would be particularly good for clothes that ordinarily must be dry-cleaned, like wool and silk. (re: Neal Stephenson, 2/18/2008 ) |
NavJacket Guides Skiers With Built-In Display, Headphones Amazing jacket is nicer than my car - it has GPS-guided voice and screen navigation. And lots of other features. And you can ski in it. (re: Niven and Barnes, 12/14/2007 ) |
Sensor-Equipped Dress Tells You How She Feels This dress communicates more than just a sense of fashion. (re: J.G. Ballard, 12/1/2007 ) |
T-Qualiser Club Shirt Has Electro- Gobbledi- Googescence This shirt tells you whether you're getting enough base at the club. (re: Rudy Rucker, 6/6/2007 ) |
Nanoparticle-Treated Clothing Prevents Colds And Flu The catwalk now holds the key to disease prevention. (re: Various, 5/8/2007 ) |
Digital Lederhosen MP3 Player Bavarian-Style At last, traditional Bavarian lederhosen are now available with MP3 controller buttons. (re: Murray Leinster, 3/27/2007 ) |
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, 1/30/2007 ) |
Self-Cleaning Sportswear Newfangled clothing may never need to be washed - even your old gym socks. (re: Neal Stephenson, 1/4/2007 ) |
Rollerman Jean-Yves Blondeau Design student wants to prove people can roll in any position. QED, baby. (re: Various, 11/8/2006 ) |
Pong Dress The Pong Dress implements the classic video game in a fashion plate setting. (re: Philip K. Dick, 8/24/2006 ) |
Scientific Proof For Superhero Tights Superheroes wore skintight suits for a great reason, say French researchers. (re: Various, 6/21/2006 ) |
Chameleon T-Shirts With Electrochromic Polymers At last, William Gibson's polycarbon suit is starting to take shape - good news for all Panther Moderns. (re: William Gibson, 4/10/2006 ) |
Fabrican - Spray On Clothing To change your look, just spray it on. It's clothing in a can - and Stanislaw Lem wrote about it in 1961. (re: Stanislaw Lem, 3/26/2006 ) |
PKD's Scramble Suit In A Scanner Darkly Movie Trailer The new trailer for Philip K. Dick's novel has some cool views of one of my favorite items - the scramble suit. (re: Philip K. Dick, 2/22/2006 ) |
Skiers Get d3o-Based 'Impact Suits' Looks like the science-fictional 'impact suit' of the 1970's comes true in 2006. (re: D. Gerrold and L. Niven, 2/14/2006 ) |
Self-Cleaning Fabric - Polymer Film Sprinkled With Silver Nanoparticles Researchers at Clemson University are trying to make your clothes cleaner - permanently. The secret is a polymer film of polyglycicidyl methacrylate sprinkled with silver nanoparticles. (re: Neal Stephenson, 11/23/2004 ) |
Carbon Nanofiber Makes Smart Yarn Carbon nanofiber can now be spun like yarn to make an amazing variety of new inventions possible. (re: Neal Stephenson, 11/22/2004 ) |
MP3 Player Jacket Has Control Sleeves A jacket with a built-in MP3 player is available from Rosner GmbH & Co., a German clothing firm. The 128 Mbyte player (developed by Infineon) is controlled by manipulating cloth buttons on the left sleeve. Headphones? They're in the collar. (re: Larry Niven and Steve Barnes, 7/27/2004 ) |
Scentsory Chameleon Bodysuit: Biometric Fashion The Scentsory Chameleon Bodysuit is a "smart second skin" with integrated printed organic opto-electronics and integrated flexible nano-genetic devices on textiles. (re: Rudy Rucker, 5/19/2004 ) |
Raven - VectraSense ThinkShoe With DigitalDNA The Raven ThinkShoe, an atheletic shoe that senses activity levels and adjusts dynamically, is now available from Vectrasense. (re: Bruce Sterling, 5/6/2004 ) |
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