Dictionary of Input Device Terms in Science Fiction
(Technovelgy items at top: skip down to News)

Name

Author (Publication Date)

Dental Switchboard - tongue switching
A control device tied in with teeth and nerve endings.

Alfred Bester (1956)
Direct Interface - cut NaturallySpeaking out of the loop
A form of computer interface that inputs text into a computer by thinking.

John Varley (1992)
Emblok - MP3 player for memories
A device that imparts memories into the regrown brain, just like uploading content into a computer's random access memory.

John Barnes (1998)
GPS Sunglasses - you are here
Sunglasses that contain both global positioning system components and cell phone services.

William Gibson (1999)
Handwriter - tattoo as output device
A text input device implanted in your skin.

John Varley (1992)
Motion Capture Suit - lifetime motion capture
A tight fitting garment that uses sensors at various positions to record movement in space; can be used as the basis for computer graphic creations.

William Gibson (1999)
Psypyx - will your memories wind up on Kazaa?
A way of gathering and recording mental impressions.

John Barnes (1998)
Subvocal Input Device - under your breath
Attached sensors read nerve signals to determine what the user will say next.

David Brin (1990)

Related Science Fiction in the News

MIT Headset Lets You Communicate Without Speaking
'The subvocal read nerve signals, letting her enter words by just beginning to will them...' - David Brin, 1990.
(re: David Brin, 10/26/2018 )
Tongue Mouse Created By Valve Engineer
'He pressed hard with his tongue against his right upper first molar.'- Alfred Bester, 1956.
(re: Alfred Bester, 12/8/2013 )
Skinput Uses Your Skin As An Input Device
Nifty input technology takes advantage of your biggest organ to provide you with easy input.
(re: John Varley, 3/2/2010 )
AcceleGlove Open-Source Data Glove
This device was developed at great expense by your government, and now you can have one at a very reasonable price; developers use Java to program it.
(re: Steven Spielberg, 6/30/2009 )
Roomba Detects Emotions Like HAL-9000
Just wait until this device is used to control more powerful technology. Let sleeping Krell lie, I say.
(re: Arthur C. Clarke, 3/19/2009 )
CirculaFloor 'Stair Stepper' Smart Tile Video
Like walking across a stream on stepping stones, the CirculaFloor is a poor man's holodeck. And now, you can walk uphill. With video.
(re: Gene Roddenberry, 2/26/2009 )
Gangs Take PINs From Card Readers
Organized gangs are defrauding entire villages in Britain; common theft aided by sophisticated technology.
(re: John Cameron, 9/8/2008 )
DAVID Freeware Laser Range Scanning
Excellent software package solves problems that only science fiction authors attempted a generation ago.
(re: Jack Vance, 1/25/2007 )
CirculaFloor - Smart Tile Holodeck?
The CirculaFloor is a computer interface; it consists of a set of movable floor tiles. As the user walks in a chosen direction, the floor tile maintains the position.
(re: Gene Roddenberry, 8/24/2004 )
Phone Dial Web Browser
David Lu's Phone Dial Web Browser is a web browser that uses a rotary phone dial as an interface. (Just dial 64.78.51.83 for Technovelgy.com.)
(re: William Gibson, 4/23/2004 )
Nokia Lifeblog Multimedia Diary
It's all important - it's your life, isn't it? Why not keep a permanent record of every last detail. Nokia knows you want to do it.
Just watch out for overuse of that annotation feature.
(re: William Gibson, 3/18/2004 )

 

 

 

 

 

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