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

"I long ago realized that I could reach far more people by writing something, than by walking down the street with a banner."
- John Brunner

Trip-Box  
  A teleportation device.  

"Can you come through right now?"

"Maybe." He glanced at the gleaming cage to his left. "But what's this all about?"

"I'll have to tell you in person. Please reverse the transfer charges. It is important, Mr. Singer."

"All right. I'll come."

He moved to his trip box and began its activation. It whined faintly for an instant. Zones of color moved upward within the shafts.

"Ready," he said, stepping into the unit. Looking down, he saw that his feet were growing dim. For a moment, the world was disarrayed. Then his thoughts fell back into place again. He was standing within the unit similar to his own...

Technovelgy from Eye of Cat, by Roger Zelazny.
Published by Pocket Books in 1982
Additional resources -

Another thing I like about this expression is that you can make a cool (or even "groovy") verb out of it:

He was nowhere on the premises, and they guessed that he had tripped out from one of the downstairs boxes.

Teleportation is, of course, a science fiction staple. Compare to libra-transmitter from Into the Meteorite Orbit by Frank R. Kelly, the cosmic express from The Cosmic Express by Jack Williamson, Jaunte from The Stars My Destination and the Transo from Time is the Simplest Thing by Clifford Simak.

See also Compare to the telepomp from The Man Without a Body (1877) by Edward Page Mitchell, the displacement booth from Flash Crowd (1972) by Larry Niven, the stepping discs from Ringworld (1970) by Larry Niven and the trip box from Eye of Cat (1982) by Roger Zelazny.

Also, see the Transo from Time is the Simplest Thing by Clifford Simak and the geofractor (1939) from One Against the Legion by Jack Williamson.

Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |

Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Eye of Cat
  More Ideas and Technology by Roger Zelazny
  Tech news articles related to Eye of Cat
  Tech news articles related to works by Roger Zelazny

Articles related to Transportation
CORLEO Robotic Horse Concept Looks Ready To Ride
Futuristic Transit Elevated Bus Never Really Worked
Japan Automated Cargo Transport
Tesla Electric 'Giga Train' Operational In Germany

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>

Google
  Web TechNovelgy.com   

 

 

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

Science Fiction in the News

LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
'Their only check on the growth and development of Vulcan 3 lay in two clues: the amount of rock thrown up to the surface... and the amount of the raw materials and tools and parts which the computer requested.'

Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
'There ain't no such thing as a free lunch.'

Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
'I guess there's nobody round this table who doesn't have a Crosswell [tapeworm] working for him in the small intestine.'

When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
'Figments of his mind in one sense, of course, for he had shaped them...'

China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
'So the parent drone carries a spotter that it launches...'

Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
'...nurse drones that would cruise around dumping large amounts of power into randomly selected pods.'

Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'

Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
'...for months Grantline bores had dug into the cliff.'

Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
'I hope all those other cars are on automatic,' he said anxiously.

Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness?
'It’s smart enough to go wrong in very complicated ways, but not smart enough to help us find out what’s wrong.'

More SF in the News

More Beyond Technovelgy

Home | Glossary | Science Fiction Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.