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

Name

Author (Publication Date)

Aero Bus (Flying Bus)
A flying bus.

Rose Macaulay (1918)
Aerocab
A floating taxicab.

Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) (1929)
Air Tunnel
A means of sending trains through the air.

Harl Vincent (1929)
Aircab
A flying autonomous taxi cab.

Harl Vincent (1934)
Air-Car - a flying taxi
A personal flying car

Harry Bates (1934)
Air-Propelled Train - silent mass transit
A silent means of mass transit.

Ray Bradbury (1953)
Air-Ship (VTOL Airship)
A flying machine capable of vertical take-off and landing.

George Griffith (1893)
Air-Shoes
Footgear provides the wearer with the ability to "walk" through the air, climbing as needed.

Francis Flagg (1930)
Air-Taxi - hail the skies
A flying taxicab with autonomous features.

Isaac Asimov (1988)
Autobus
Robot-guided public transportation.

Stanley G. and Helen Weinbaum (1938)
Autocab
An fully automated taxi cab.

Robert Heinlein (1951)
Auto-Car
A personal vehicle for indoor and outdoor use.

David H. Keller (1928)
Autofreighter
An autonomous vessel carrying trade materials.

Ray Naylor (2022)
Automated Taxi
A driverless taxicab.

Alan Dean Foster (2006)
Automatic Air Mail Plane
A pilotless airplane for delivery of cargo.

David H. Keller (1935)
Automatic Pilot - a brief history
A device to control the movement of aircraft using computer components.

Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952)
Autonomic Cab - all on its own
An automated taxicab (without robotic driver).

Philip K. Dick (1965)
Autonomous Ship
A sea-going vessel that can leave port, traverse vast distances, and then dock, entirely without human assistance.

Miles J. Breuer (1930)
Bat Wings - enable personal flight
The dream of human-powered winged flight becomes a reality - in low gravity, of course.

Larry Niven (1985)
Beam Car
A vehicle like an elevator car, but which travels on a radio and magnetic beam, from the surface of a planet up to a satellite.

Harl Vincent (1934)
Beetle - a balloon with a shell
A hard-shelled dirigible.

Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (2000)
Boat-Tree
A tree, the pods of which can be grown as boats.

Jack Vance (1954)
Bounce Tube - pneumatic tube system for people
A people-sized pneumatic tube system used for short, quick trips in the vertical dimension.

Robert Heinlein (1956)
Bubble - undersea elevator
An undersea elevator.

Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (2000)
Bubble Car - does it come in moiré?
Self-steering, hovering, this is the car of the future.

Larry Niven (1976)
Chevaline - robotic horse
An open robotic vehicle for one person, shaped like a horse.

Neal Stephenson (1995)
Conveyor
A great moving belt carrying people between cities.

Nat Schachner (1932)
Conveyor Ribbon
A moving sidewalk.

Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931)
Copter Harness
A single person flying machine.

Robert Heinlein (1954)
Directed Cars in Tunnels
Self-driving vehicles.

Stanton A. Coblentz (1939)
Directional Ticket - the ticket guides you
A ticket that also has the property of glowing while you are going toward what you bought.

Isaac Asimov (1951)
Larry Niven (1972)
Dray-Fish - harness fish power
Large fish trained to be harnessed to large houseboats.

Jack Vance (1976)
Driverless Taxi
A taxi that does not require a driver.

David H. Keller (1935)
Dumbler
Half-sentient spores of the whistle thistle.

Brian Aldiss (1962)
Express Dolphin
A most agreeable means of locomotion under the waves.

Emile Souvestre (1846)
Farcaster - step through to another planet
A portal for traveling between distant stars; inexpensive, instantaneous travel to remote worlds.

Dan Simmons (1989)
Flex-Wheels
Special wheels designed for getting around on the Moon.

Arthur C. Clarke (1968)
Flycycle - if a Harley could fly
Combination flying motorcycle, kitchen and autodoc.

Larry Niven (1970)
Go-Buggy
A ground-only vehicle.

Frank Herbert (1972)
Gravitic Repulsion Elevator - going up
The elevator was of the new sort that ran by gravitic repulsion.

Isaac Asimov (1951)
Gravity Train
An underground railway system that utilizes gravity for acceleration.

John Varley (1977)
Gravity Web - keep gravity to a minimum
Device for limiting the extent to which a person is subject to gravitational attraction.

Frank Herbert (1969)
Gravity-assisted Subway - the shortest possible distance
The fastest way between continents (that does not entail leaving the ground).

Larry Niven (1976)
Gyrocab - first use
A flying taxi.

Jerry Shelton (1947)
Gyrocar Monorail
A self-balancing vehicle.

Malcolm Jameson (1944)
Hawking Mat - okay, it's a flying carpet
About two meters long and one meter wide, made of shielded monofilaments, with a bright textile design - okay, it's a flying carpet.

Dan Simmons (1989)
Helicab - first use
A taxi cab that flies using helicopter rotors.

John Weston (1950)
Hushicopter
A nearly-silent helicopter.

Isaac Asimov (1987)
Instantaneous Kodaks (Traffic Control)
Use of cameras to help police officers enforce speed limits.

John Jacob Astor IV (1894)
Inter-Vehicle Communication
The ability to talk car-to-car directly.

Philip K. Dick (1965)
Interway - computer-controlled highway
Computer-controlled highway.

Paul Black (2003)
JAL Shuttle
Shuttle capable of attaining low earth orbit.

William Gibson (1984)
Jaunte Stage - a little space to teleport
A cleared space that existed to serve the needs of people who would jaunte (teleport) into that space.

Alfred Bester (1956)
Jiffi-scuttler
A device providing near instantaneous travel between two points.

Philip K. Dick (1954)
Jump Harness - rocket pack
A device small enough to be worn as a backpack, that gave booster power for jumping.

Robert Heinlein (1961)
Jumpdoor - entrance to the rabbit hole
The entrance to an energy passage providing instantaneous transportation between points across the galaxy.

Frank Herbert (1969)
Levitators
Allows free flight in the interior volume of a vast sphere in space.

Harl Vincent (1934)
Lift Chair
A single occupant lifted by great birds.

Jack Vance (1967)
MagnaPoon - as in harpoon
To hitch a ride from a faster vehicle while riding a skateboard (from harpoon).

Neal Stephenson (1992)
Magnetic Elevator - no watches allowed
A device that uses very powerful electromagnets for propulsion.

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1918)
Magnetic Grapple-Beams
Short range magnetic field to guide flying cars and park them properly.

Philip K. Dick (1955)
Magnetic Railroads
A scheme for powering railroads using enormous electromagnets.

John Jacob Astor IV (1894)
Millipede Train - lotsa little legs
A train that is able to move without tracks or other supports.

Greg Bear (1985)
Arthur C. Clarke (1968)
Monocab
A single compartment monorail car.

Arthur C. Clarke (1955)
Monoline - overland sailing
A wind-driven overland transport.

Jack Vance (1952)
Motorized Combat Boots - quick in a crowd
Russian army-surplus self-propelled footgear.

Charles Stross (2005)
Moving Roadway - like a baggage conveyor
A roadway that is in motion, with seats and kiosks, that goes around curves.

H.G. Wells (1899)
Nautilus - Captain Nemo's ride
The wondrous submarine of Captain Nemo; the instrument of his escape from humanity and his revenge upon it.

Jules Verne (1875)
O-220
Ultralight zeppelin

Edgar Rice Burroughs (1929)
Passenger-Carrying Mortar
A unique way of crossing a river, without a boat or a bridge.

Emile Souvestre (1846)
Pedomotive - power stilts
A kind of stilt-like leg extenders; take longer strides, get there faster. Extreme sports gear.

Neal Stephenson (1995)
People-Mover
A fixed mode of transporting people outside; and, they get to sit down.

Rudy Rucker (1988)
Pneumatic Tube Station
Passengers are sealed into a narrow cylinder that is shot through a pressurized tube to their destination.

Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931)
Pocket-Wings
Individual powered flight.

Clement Fezandie (1921)
Position Locator Display
Screen shows the position of hundreds of aircraft;

Ed Earl Repp (1929)
Power-Wagon - legless beast of burden
Wagon powered by muscular creature from Etamin 9; uses carbohydrate syrup for fuel.

Jack Vance (1967)
Prism Window - better plane window
A device for getting a better view of the ground from inside an airplane.

Frederik Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) (1952)
Public Vehicle Tube
Underground transportation tubes.

Jack Vance (1954)
Ramsbotham Gate - wormhole
A means of getting from point A to point B without traversing the space in-between.

Robert Heinlein (1955)
Rapid-Transit Hover Blimp
Public transportation for a paranoid age.

Philip K. Dick (1969)
Remote Control Taxicab
A cab that is piloted by a remote operator.

Philip K. Dick (1957)
Rescue Nets
Nets raised around the circumference of a vast air transport.

Ed Earl Repp (1929)
Ring Road - mag-lev old-style
A magnetically levitated train.

Robert Heinlein (1953)
Robot Taxi
A taxicab with a robotic driver.

Philip K. Dick (1955)
Robotic Horse - Faithful Cybernetic Companion - magical
A robot that is specifically designed to closely resemble a horse.

Christopher Stasheff (1969)
Rolling Road - public transport
A set of fast-moving strips to move people over distances.

Robert Heinlein (1940)
Salamander - it was a pleasure to burn
Name given to the fire trucks of the future, which carry kerosene rather than water, and are used to burn houses.

Ray Bradbury (1953)
Sand Ship
A wind-powered vehicle in the desert.

Ray Bradbury (1950)
Seeder Ramship
A spacecraft designed to travel from one star system to another , terrafoming worlds for use.

Larry Niven (1991)
Single Vehicle Tunnel
A small diameter tunnel that accepts a single vehicle to a single destination.

Isaac Asimov (1951)
Skyhook - unique lifter
Part dirigible, part plane.

Jerry Pournelle (1976)
Slidewalk - conveyor for people
A moving sidewalk; a conveyor belt for people.

Fritz Leiber (1941)
Smart Bike
A motorcycle with sophisticated systems for steering and balance.

Bruce Sterling (1998)
Smart Lanes - my way IS the highway
Roadways that monitored, directed and controlled traffic.

Bart Kosko (1987)
Smartcab
An automated taxicab, fully self-driving, that can be summoned from a portable device.

Bruce Bethke (1983)
Smartwheels - variable length spokes
Special "wheels" that are actually sets of spokes that telescope to be as long as they need to be for a smooth ride.

Neal Stephenson (1992)
Space Elevator (Orbital Tower) - best novel reference
A physical link between a point on the surface of the Earth and a satellite in geosynchronous orbit.

Arthur C. Clarke (1978)
Speedcap - late? Go ballistic!
Short for speed capsule (?); sometimes, going ballistic is the fastest way to get there.

John Varley (1983)
Stage Balloon
A regular means of conveyance, like a train or carriage.

Jane Webb Loudon (1828)
Star Machine - explore the stars
A device that serves as a boost to psychokinetic powers of mind, enabling paranormals to send their awareness to distant planets.

Clifford Simak (1961)
Stationary Sidewalk
A sidewalk that is fixed permanently in one location; not a sliding walkway.

Nat Schachner (w. AL Zagat) (1931)
Stepping Discs - open teleportation pads
Open air teleportation pads.

Larry Niven (1970)
Sub-Atlantic Tube - undersea tunnel
A tunnel under the ocean; the shortest distance between the two points.

Hugo Gernsback (1911)
Submarine Tube
A means of transport between Europe and North America via underwater tubes.

Michel Verne (1895)
Tele-Motor-Coasters - power skates
Powered skates for personal transportation.

Hugo Gernsback (1911)
'Thopter - wing-beat plane
Describes any plane capable of wing-beat flight in the manner of birds.

Frank Herbert (1965)
Time Dingbat - time machine welfare
Nickname for a time machine; used for a kind of WPA-like program for the past.

Alfred Bester (1974)
Traffic Lane Discharger
A device that electrically shocked vehicles whose drivers attempted to evade traffic control devices.

Alan Dean Foster (2006)
Transmat - instant transport
A teleportation device.

Robert Silverberg (1970)
Transo - teleportation
Teleportation of objects and personnel, used as the basis for "Trading Post" stores across the planet.

Clifford Simak (1961)
Trans-Oceanic Rocket
Also, a rocket-plane.

Stanley G. Weinbaum (1935)
Trip-Box
A teleportation device.

Roger Zelazny (1982)
Tumblebug - a gyro-stabilized monocycle
A monocycle; a motorcycle that balances on a single wheel.

Robert Heinlein (1940)
Underground MagLev Train
Magnetic levitation train that travels through a tunnel; a vacuum reduces drag.

Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes) (1981)
Vacutubes
A system of public transportation that used partially evacuated tubes and capsules big enough for passengers.

Robert Heinlein (1956)
Vacuum Cylinder
Traveling first class, but like mail, in a tube system.

Ray Cummings (1932)
Vehicle Energy Reclamation
Reclaiming the energy gained by climbing a hill on the way back down.

John Jacob Astor IV (1894)
Vibra-Transmitter (Teleportation)
An early use of the notion of matter transmission.

Frank K. Kelly (1933)
Vortal Tube
An energy passage providing instantaneous transportation between points across the galaxy

Frank Herbert (1969)
Way Station - galactic station master
A device used to transport individuals across the galaxy.

Clifford Simak (1963)

Related Science Fiction in the News

San Francisco Autobus
'THE autobus turned silently down the wide street...' - Stanley G. and Helen Weinbaum, 1938.
(re: Stanley G. and Helen Weinbaum, 11/3/2023 )
Volvo's Autonomous Truck
'They were automatic trucks such as are used for making deliveries...' - Miles J. Breuer, 1932.
(re: Miles J. Breuer, 2/19/2023 )
Eviation Alice Electric Plane First Flight
'A white electric plane approached at great speed...' - Charles Cloukey, 1930.
(re: Charles Cloukey, 1/15/2023 )
Robotaxi By Cruise Premieres in Austin, Texas
'... he settled back in a robotaxi and the brilliant lights of the streets flashed past.' - Joe Gibson, 1953.
(re: Joe Gibson, 12/23/2022 )
Aéroplume Blimp For One Reflects 150 Years
You could rent it yourself, but only in 2022 Paris.
(re: Albert Robida, 10/13/2022 )
Shift Moonwalkers Help You Walk Faster? How About Tractor Treads!
'...a man could sleep — if he could sleep in an erect position — while the little tractors on his boots carried him on and on.' - Raymond Z. Gallun, 1938.
(re: Raymond Z. Gallun, 10/11/2022 )
CopterPack Is Robert Heinlein's 1954 Copter Harness
'...a single flyer, hopping free in a copter harness.' - Robert Heinlein, 1954.
(re: Robert Heinlein, 5/27/2021 )
Las Vegas Tunnels To Have Autonomous Teslas
'...just a steady velvety whirr as the taxi sped along.' - Isaac Asimov, 1951
(re: Isaac Asimov, 1/15/2021 )
First Boring Passenger Station In Las Vegas
'...just a steady velvety whirr as the taxi sped along.' - Isaac Asimov, 1951
(re: Isaac Asimov, 11/29/2020 )
Tesla's 20,000 Superchargers
''To recharge the batteries, which can be done in almost every town and village...' - John Jacob Astor IV, 1894.
(re: John Jacob Astor IV, 10/27/2020 )
Gyroscopic Median-Straddling Mass Transit Vehicles
'It was among these leviathans that the little gyrocar was daring to thrust its puny self...' - Kenneth Brown, 1911.
(re: Kenneth Brown, 9/21/2020 )
AutoX Sets Up Asia's Largest Robotaxi Center
'The robot cab seemed to know where it was going and, no doubt, the master machine from which it received its signals knew.' - Robert Heinlein, 1951.
(re: Robert Heinlein, 4/23/2020 )
Einride Remote Operator Controls Multiple Vehicles
'...some bored drone pusher in a remote driving centre has got your life - and half a dozen other lives - in his hands.' - Charles Stross, 2007.
(re: Charles Stross, 4/5/2020 )
Hardt Hyperloop Fast Transit In A Can
'...my method will draw the cars forward by an inductive action that is capable of providing tremendous speeds.' - Harl Vincent, 1929.
(re: Harl Vincent, 4/1/2020 )
Drone Swarm Lifts Truck - Not!
'It was now the season that these Birds were wont to take their flight away...' - Francis Godwin, 1638.
(re: Francis Godwin, 3/27/2020 )
Electric Unicycle Is A Tumblebug
'A tumblebug does not give a man dignity, since it is about the size and shape of a kitchen stool, gyro-stabilized on a single wheel.'
(re: Robert Heinlein, 3/19/2020 )
No Autonomous Trucks? Wait, What?
'...it resembled conventional human-operated transportation vehicles, but with one exception -- there was no driver's cabin.' - Philip K. Dick, 1955.
(re: Philip K. Dick, 3/3/2020 )
Elon Musk's Traffic Tunnel Challenge Is Boring
'The car vibrated... threading the maze of local tubes.' - Jack Vance, 1954.
(re: Jack Vance, 12/21/2019 )
HVSD, Kitty Hawk's Electric Plane
Very quiet commuter plane offers VTOL service.
(re: John W. Campbell, 11/17/2019 )
Skai Air Taxi Costs The Same As Uber
'The air-taxi found its way past and around other ground-cars...' Isaac Asimov, 1988.
(re: Isaac Asimov, 5/25/2019 )
Asimov and Musk - Boring Company Tunnel vs. Street Race
'There was almost no sound, just a steady velvety whirr as the taxi sped along.' - Isaac Asimov, 1951.
(re: Isaac Asimov, 5/13/2019 )
Lilium Electric Air Taxi Prototype
'The air-taxi found its way past and around other ground-cars...' - Isaac Asimov, 1988
(re: Isaac Asimov, 5/7/2019 )
Arizona Luddites Attack Self-Driving Vehicles
'Trucks don't drive by themselves...' Or do they?
(re: Various, 12/29/2018 )
Volvo's Self-Driving Mining Trucks
'A procession of automatic ore carts was racing over the bleak slag' - Philip K. Dick, 1955
(re: Philip K. Dick, 11/27/2018 )
Musk Declares Tesla Supercharger Capacity Will Double By Next Year
'Recharge the batteries... in almost every town and village...'- John Jacob Astor IV, 1894.
(re: John Jacob Astor IV, 11/20/2018 )
Ford's Autonomous Cabs 'Transportation As A Service'
'He was glad to crawl into his autocab and close the cover.' - Robert Heinlein, 1951.
(re: Robert Heinlein, 11/18/2018 )
World's First Autonomous Tram In Germany
What's it like for autonomous trams when they're turned off at night?
(re: Isaac Asimov, 9/11/2018 )
UberAIR Asks For Skytaxi Landing Prototypes
I'd rather just call one to my front yard, please.
(re: Various, 5/5/2018 )
Boring Tunnel Almost Ready
Your underground future is almost here!
(re: Various, 5/3/2018 )
Is Teleportation A Death Sentence?
'A long trail of dead, he thought, left across the stars...' - Clifford Simak, 1963.
(re: Clifford Simak, 3/20/2018 )
Musk Tweets A Boring Tunnel Pic
'We hit the sub-basement and went at once to the express tubes...' - Robert Heinlein, 1956.
(re: Robert Heinlein, 10/26/2017 )
Tesla Electric Automatobus Prototype Spotted?
Those buses need to feed on something.
(re: Isaac Asimov, 10/23/2017 )
easyJet Short-Haul Electric Jets
Have a little faith, will you? They're working on it.
(re: John W. Campbell, 9/24/2017 )
Hyperloop One Video Shows It Works!
'Complete evacuation of the interior of the tubes [and] a wave that provides the new propulsive energy for the cars...' Hard Vincent, 1929.
(re: Harl Vincent, 7/10/2017 )
Flexup Tire Design Good For Tumblebugs
'Each spoke telescopes into five sections.'- Neal Stephenson, 1992.
(re: Neal Stephenson, 7/5/2017 )
Musk Tunnels Wisely Restrict Drivers
Too many robots.
(re: Schachner and Zagat, 4/22/2017 )
Amazing Tesla Autopilot Video
'As the beautiful old car cruised in almost perfect silence under the guidance of its automatic controls...' - Arthur C. Clarke, 1976.
(re: Arthur C. Clarke, 4/8/2017 )
Mercedes-Benz Autonomous Taxi Fleet In 3 Years
'... the taxi utilized sophisticated electronic sensors to perceive its surroundings.' - Allan Dean Foster, 2006.
(re: Alan Dean Foster, 4/1/2017 )
President Trump's Wall As Otra Nation Hyperloop
'...an hollow tube must be constructed the whole distance... as to admit a four wheeled carriage...'- George Medhurst, 1812.
(re: Harl Vincent, 3/25/2017 )
Flying In An Ironman Suit
Just ask WWTSD? That's 'What Would Tony Stark Do...'
(re: Various, 3/17/2017 )
Griff 300 Octocopter Carries You And Friend
'The cab came floating down out of the sky...' - James Blish, 1957.
(re: James Blish, 12/24/2016 )
British Airways To Offer An Ingestible Sensor To Passengers
The modern way to get feedback from passengers.
(re: Various, 11/22/2016 )
Vahana, The Airbus Flying Taxi
'The cab came floating down out of the sky at the intersection.'
(re: James Blish, 10/20/2016 )
Hi-Yo Modobag! Away!
'A tumblebug does not give a man dignity...' - Robert Heinlein, 1941.
(re: Robert Heinlein, 9/11/2016 )
Fleets Of Ford Autonomous Cars In 5 Years
'He urgently addressed the vehicle's AI."Can't we go any faster?' - Allan Dean Foster, 2006.
(re: Allan Dean Foster, 8/12/2016 )
No Human Drivers By 2040 - Israel
'It's been a criminal offense... to drive manually on a public highway.' - Arthur C. Clarke, 1976.
(re: Isaac Asimov, 6/25/2016 )
Human-Carrying Drone Taxi 184 Approved For Test Flights
'The cab was an egg-shaped bubble...' - James Blish, 1957.
(re: James Blish, 6/2/2016 )
Solowheel Xtreme Heinlein Tumblebug Video
'The cadets 'stood to horse' alongside their poised tumblebugs...' - Robert Heinlein, 1940.
(re: Robert Heinlein, 11/21/2015 )
WEpod Driverless Vehicle On The Netherlands Roads
'The car moved smoothly away. Mirelly-Lyra half relaxed; she was not steering.' - Larry Niven, 1978.
(re: Larry Niven, 9/18/2015 )
Airbus E-Fan All-Electric Plane Now Ready
I couldn't believe it, either. An amazing technical feat.
(re: John W. Campbell, 6/14/2015 )
Self-Driving Truck Corridor From Manitoba To Mexico?
This might be the safer idea...
(re: Miles J. Breuer, 5/23/2015 )
Rollkers Walking Skates
'Each had three small, rubber-covered wheels, one in front and two in the rear.'- Hugo Gernsback, 1911.
(re: Hugo Gernsback, 3/19/2015 )
Fix Michigan Roads, Or Get Hovercars?
'Dead for many years was the old concept of smooth, hard-surfaced, almost polished highways...'- Clifford Simak, 1961.
(re: Clifford Simak, 3/17/2015 )
Hyperloop Track Starts Next Year
All aboard! This is not just a test track, or a scale model. This is the real deal.
(re: Harl Vincent, 2/27/2015 )
Ninebot One Self-Balancing Wheel
'It had been a long time since the Chief Engineer had ridden one of these silly-looking little vehicles...'- Robert Heinlein, 1941
(re: Robert Heinlein, 12/10/2014 )
Calling Google's RoboTaxi
'The taxi utilized sophisticated electronic sensors to perceive its surroundings...'- Allan Dean Foster, 2006.
(re: Allan Dean Foster, 8/23/2013 )
Hyperloop Transport Proposed By Tesla's Elon Musk
'...an hollow tube must be constructed the whole distance... of such dimensions as to admit a four wheeled carriage...'- George Medhurst, 1812.
(re: Harl Vincent, 7/12/2013 )
Evacuated Tube Transport Idea Is 200 Years Old This Year!
Take a look at the financial calculations behind this idea; one-tenth the cost of high-speed rail!
(re: Robert Heinlein, 4/3/2012 )
myTaxi iPhone App May Transform Taxi Business
Let's start combining these modern developments to get the services we want.
(re: Various, 3/11/2012 )
'Loogie Gun' Deployed On Pennsylvania Turnpike
Ever been stuck on the highway?
(re: Neal Stephenson, 11/23/2011 )
VoltAir Electric Aircraft Concept
An electric powered aircraft might be quieter and more comfortable.
(re: John W. Campbell, 7/21/2011 )
Solowheel Self-Balancing Unicycle
I'm not sure if this is the future of transportation, but you can carry it easier than a Segway.
(re: Robert Heinlein, 2/16/2011 )
Could Blimps Replace Planes For Cargo?
SF writers haven't given up on dirigibles, neither should we.
(re: Jerry Pournelle, 7/1/2010 )
Electric Jet Planes With Superconducting Generators
A recent study blames 15-20% of arctic melting on high altitude emissions from jet planes. Could electric jet planes work?
(re: John W. Campbell, 12/26/2009 )
Robotic Roller Skate Micro-Mobility
Personal transportation for each foot is an idea that just won't go away; take a look at the prototypes in this short video.
(re: Hugo Gernsback, 12/2/2009 )
SkyTran's Sky Pod MagLev Taxis
Speaking as someone who spent about 6,000 hours commuting to work in a car and steering it down the same road over and over, I'd rather just ride, thanks. When do I get my Sky Pods?
(re: Larry Niven, 10/13/2009 )
ULTra Personal Pod Driverless Taxis Here!
This driverless taxi apparently lacks a depressed robotic driver; it drives itself.
(re: James Blish, 8/19/2009 )
Rebuild Highways - Or Think Differently
It turns out that Larry Niven had an interesting idea for what to do with highways in our modern age.
(re: Larry Niven, 1/25/2009 )
Laser Aircraft Refueling: Power Transfer Beams?
Patent application provides hope that there will be air travel after the age of oil.
(re: Gene Roddenberry, 12/9/2008 )
What Should A Hybrid Sound Like?
If a car could make any sound, what sound should it make?
(re: Robert Heinlein, 8/13/2008 )
Skyhook Jess Heavy Lifter Like Pournelle's Skyhook
Interesting aircraft combines elements of a blimp and a helicopter for transporting heavy equipment and materials where there are no roads. Pournelle fans are already familiar with the idea and the name.
(re: Jerry Pournelle, 7/9/2008 )
Never-Stop Rail Transit System Proposed
Take a look at this approach to a well-known problem; sf writers have their own ideas.
(re: Robert Heinlein, 6/19/2008 )
Autonomous Docking Laser-Guided Robotic Wheelchair
This is a very useful device and it turns out to be even more difficult on Earth.
(re: Various, 5/4/2008 )
Ticketime Concept Timepiece Ticket
Neat concept reminds me of the master, Isaac Asimov, who also wanted to improve tickets.
(re: Isaac Asimov, 4/30/2008 )
Russians Plan Railroad Gandydancer Robots
Russian robots speak of a future worker's paradise - in which the dangerous jobs would be performed by robots.
(re: Various, 12/21/2007 )
Heinlein Controlways Predicted By Kiwi Profs
Professors seem to be channeling RAH on this one.
(re: Robert Heinlein, 8/28/2007 )
Russian Power Boots Can Use Biofuels
These Power Boots are dangerously cool, in fact and in fiction.
(re: Charles Stross, 9/15/2006 )
ULTra PRT (Personal Rapid Transit) Planned For London
The ULTra is back in the news, this time at Heathrow airport.
(re: James Blish, 9/9/2006 )
Dynalifter Prototype Ready For Flight
Amateur aircraft builders create the prototype for giant heavy lifter airships.
(re: Jerry Pournelle, 1/5/2006 )
Self-Steering Buses In Cambridge
Self-steering cars and buses are coming!
(re: Isaac Asimov, 1/3/2006 )
DARPA's Walrus and Griffith's War-Balloons
Not your great-grandfather's airship, the Walrus will be able to lift a fighting force.
(re: George Griffith, 9/7/2005 )
World's Fastest Elevator Now In World's Tallest Building - Going Up?
Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corp announced the installation of the world's fastest passenger elevator just exactly where it is needed - in Taipei 101, the world's tallest building. The elevator runs at a top speed of 1,010 meters per minute
(re: Isaac Asimov, 12/18/2004 )
Stealth Now Old Hat - USAF Looks Into Teleportation
Lest you think that our friends at DARPA are the only ones interested in science-fictional possibilities, the USAF recently took delivery on a new study regarding the military potential of teleportation.
(re: Frank Herbert, 11/1/2004 )
Motosk8 - Next Best Thing To Tele-Motor-Coasters
Motosk8 is a very special kind of personal transportation, designed by extreme sports enthusiast Tim Gendle.
(re: Hugo Gernsback, 9/30/2004 )
ULTra - driverless automatic taxi
The ULTra, an automated, driverless taxi system, offers a small private car (up to four passengers) that goes straight to the destination set by the user.
(re: Larry Niven, 4/14/2004 )
AirScooter II Ultralight: Heinlein's Copter Harness?
In 1954, Robert Heinlein described a "copter harness" - you will soon be able to buy the AirScooter II, an easy-to-fly ultralight aircraft that comes pretty close.
(re: Robert Heinlein, 4/7/2004 )
Poweriser: Extreme Sports Gear from The Diamond Age
In The Diamond Age, author Neal Stephenson creates a vivid picture of a future Shanghai. The novel mixes "futuristic" devices based on nanotechnology with simpler mechanical devices that are almost Victorian in their simplicity... Imagine my surpri
(re: Neal Stephenson, 3/11/2004 )
Ghostrider Robot: Sterling's Smart Motorcycle?
The Ghostrider Robot (aka Dexterit), an entrant to the upcoming "Grand Challenge" race sponsored by DARPA, is an autonomous self-balancing robotic motorcycle.<
(re: Bruce Sterling, 3/9/2004 )
First Flight of a Laser Powered Airplane
Today, NASA tested a laser-powered airplane: a 312-gram (11-ounce), 1.5-meter (five-foot) wingspan plane. A laser beam struck the photovoltaic cells that powered the tiny motor that turned its propeller.
(re: Larry Niven, 10/11/2003 )

 

 

 

 

 

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