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
"The best fuzzy rules, the best knowledge, deal with the turning points of the system. If a race-car driver teaches you how to drive, you don't need him to show you how to drive on the straightaway. It's how he handles the curves that matters."
- Bart Kosko
 |
| Autoporter | ||
| A device that carries your bag for you at airports. |
Another great thing - that I can't get.
| ...he nabbed an autoporter and - after consulting the illuminated fee table on its flank - credded the minimum: $35 for an hour's service... From now until his credit expired the machine would carry his bag in its soft plastic jaws and follow him as faithfully as a well-trained hound, which indeed it resembled, down to the whimper it was programmed to utter at the 55-minute mark, and the howl at 58. At 60 it would drop the bag and slink away. |
| From The Shockwave Rider,
by John Brunner. Published by Harper and Row in 1975 Additional resources -
|
This is a much better option than those rental luggage carriers, since you don't need to push it. Besides, the canine reference brings with it a welcome sense of loyal service (what you would expect from your dog).
Compare to the televox robot porter from On Board the Martian Liner (1931) by Miles J. Breuer and to Luggage (with legs) from The Color of Magic (1983) by Terry Pratchett.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 1 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Shockwave Rider
More Ideas
and Technology by John Brunner
Tech news articles related to The Shockwave Rider
Tech news articles related to works by John Brunner
Autoporter-related
news articles:
- TMSUK Robot Carries Your Bags
- Porter 'Robots' For Baggage, If Not People
- Russian Robot Suitcase
- RoboPorter Carries Your Baggage, Guides You
- Live Luggage Ready To Roll
- Shadow Caddy Robot Is Golfer's Dream Bot
- Dog Wan Robot Available For Lease
- Robotic Wheelchair Autonomously Follows Walking Companion
- The Robotic Shopping Cart Of The Future
- Budgee Robot Carries Your Bags
- Oh, Just Let Robots Run Airports
- Robotic Suitcase Follows You
- Walmart Shopping Cart Robots Will Follow You
- You Can't Lose The Travelmate Autonomous Suitcase - It Follows You
- Piaggio Gita Personal Robot Porter
- Soon, Your Tesla Will Follow You Like A Pet
- Updated Piaggio Gita Personal Robot Porter
| Google's Cartographer Backpack For Indoor Mapping |
| Live Luggage Ready To Roll |
| Porter 'Robots' For Baggage, If Not People |
| Tweel - (Almost) A Smart Wheel |
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
'Mars,' the kid repeated, threw Boone a Scout salute and made a sixty-foot leap over the crowd.
The system may be used to create critical infrastructure on the Moon, including landing pads, blast shields, and roads.
'I was patiently building the most dangerous thing in creation...'
'The Enforcement Droid series 209 is a self-sufficient law enforcement robot...'
'Buses without drivers moved close to the curb and stopped at intervals.'
'... infected males were more than 46 times more likely to become pack leaders than uninfected males.'
'He had left Earth to get away from its gravitational field...'
'Faster the cubes moved; faster the circle revolved; the pyramids raised themselves, stood bolt upright on their square bases...'
'Life experience is linearly additive, but the correlation of memory impressions is an unlimited expansion.'
