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
"...if you want to know what your future looks like, don't waste your time on Analog; read Time magazine. We are already saturated in the future. "
- Peter Watts
 |
| Stereovision Tank | ||
| Three dimensional mass media (the grandson of television). |
In the novel, Heinlein presents an interesting solution to the problem of presenting three-dimensional views without using special glasses. Note that this was written before anyone knew what a hologram was.
| They went to the living room; Jill sat at his feet and they applied themselves to martinis. Opposite his chair was a stereovision tank disguised as an aquarium; he switched it on, guppies and tetras gave way to the face of the well-known winchell Augustus Greaves. |
| From Stranger in a Strange Land,
by Robert Heinlein. Published by Putnam in 1961 Additional resources -
|
As an aside, this is also probably the first reference for the idea of a screen saver. One of the earliest implemented screen savers was an aquarium scene.
There is an earlier mention of stereovision in The Star Beast, published in 1954; this quote is more interesting.
It is important to note that a sterovision tank is different from a "3D" movie or flatscreen projection. The first 3D movie is probably Power of Love, released in 1922. It used the anaglyph process, which involved shooting two views of a scene (each in its own color) and then combining them. The familiar red and green lensed glasses were used to create a stereoscopic effect. The famous movie House of Wax really kicked off the 3D movie craze in the early 1950's.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 1 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Stranger in a Strange Land
More Ideas
and Technology by Robert Heinlein
Tech news articles related to Stranger in a Strange Land
Tech news articles related to works by Robert Heinlein
Stereovision Tank-related
news articles:
- Three Dimensional Flat Panel Screen Announced
- Processing Three-Dimensional Video In Real Time
- 3D Holographic Images And Heinlein's Stereovision Tank
- pCubee 3D Display Skips iPad For iCube
| Sansar Social Virtual Reality Platform In 2017? |
| Publishing Technologies In Science Fiction |
| Hurdl PIXL Wearable Helps Fans Connect With Stars |
| Advertising Drones Hover Over Traffic In Mexico |
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 Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
'My telelubricator here neutralizes the interatomic bonds the surface of any solid...'
'Harrington glanced at his wrist watch - a bulky affair - and whistled.'
'As a matter of fact, this mouse is going to keep on thinking forever.'
