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
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"At its best, SF is the medium in which our miserable certainty that tomorrow will be different from today in ways we can't predict, can be transmuted to a sense of excitement and anticipation, occasionally evolving into awe."
- John Brunner
 |
| Spider (Robotic Insects) | ||
| Scuttling insect robots. |
Maniacal bad guy played by KISS' Gene Simmons creates scuttling insect robots with acid-tipped stingers; they chase Tom Selleck. What more do you need to know?
 (Killer-Spider-Robots attack Tom Selleck in Runaway) |
| Technovelgy from Runaway,
by Michael Crichton. Published by Tri-Star Pictures in 1985 Additional resources -
|
These little guys were pretty scary - and they worked in packs.
See this video (*spoiler alert!) for creepy details.
Here's an excerpt from the movie script:
I can't have any witnesses.The spiders have been programmed to
kill the first one off the elevator.
They'll let you in.
But they won't let you out.
There's nothing you can do!
Compare to the metallic spider from The War of the Worlds (1898) by H.G. Wells, the scarab robot from The Scarab (1936) by Raymond Z. Gallun, the spider robot from The Mystery of Element 117 (1949) by Milton K. Smith, the mechanical hound from Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury, the metal insects from The Invincible (1954) by Stanislaw Lem, the Sheem spider robot from The Witches of Karres (1966) by James Schmitz, the spider tripod from Rendezvous With Rama (1972) by Arthur C. Clarke, the spider cable device from The Web Between the Worlds (1979) by Charles Sheffield and the recon spiders from Minority Report (Movie) (2002) by Steven Spielberg.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Runaway
More Ideas
and Technology by Michael Crichton
Tech news articles related to Runaway
Tech news articles related to works by Michael Crichton
Spider (Robotic Insects)-related
news articles:
- RISE Robot: Six-Legged BIODYNOTICS Runaway
- N.S.E.C.T. Robotic Attack Insect From Tyco
- Wall-Climbing Robots Use Compliant Electroadhesion
- A-Pod Robot Hexapod Video
- Dancing DIY Hexapod Robot Video
- DreamROBO Climbing Robots
- KMR-M6 Hexapod Robot
- Robots Race Ahead - On Cockroach Legs
- Oh Great, Fence-Climbing Robots
- TITAN-III Spider Robot Is WAY Too Quick (Video)
- Oh Great (Part 2), Fence-Climbing Robots
| VaMEx Biomimetic Mars Robot Inspired By Skink |
| DIY Robotic Content Farming |
| Vero Robotic Dog With Vacuum Cleaner Feet |
| Boy Makes Biomimetic Turtle Robot |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
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 Science Fiction 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
'Looks like she has bought the Avatar Construction Set and put together her own...'
'Across the ground something small and metallic came, flashing in the dull sunlight of midday.'
'A broken circle with arrows pointing to a right-hand flow appeared in the chalf.'
'The object seemed melted together like wax — nothing was distinguishable.'
'Midges have many capabilities. To the untrained eye, they look like sparrows.'
'I made disks of my own voice to the number of five hundred very carefully chosen words.'
'His sensors out and working, and the whirring of the tape that sucked up sight and sound and shape and smell and form...'
