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"Writing about the future, I have a vested interest in there being a future for me to write about."
- John Brunner
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| Robot Fish (Metal Fish) | ||
| Fake flounders for sport fishermen on Martian canals. |
Earliest use of the idea of a "robot fish", as far as I know.
| Deveet’s line tightened. He pulled in a streamlined, flapping object from which the light glistened wetly. “Good catch,” complimented Jonner. “That’s worth a full credit.” Deveet unhooked his catch and laid it on the bank beside him. It was a metal fish: live fish were unknown on Mars. They paid for the privilege of fishing for a certain time and any fish caught were “sold” back to the management at a fixed price, depending on size, to be put back into the lake. “You’re pretty good at it,” said Jonner. “That’s your third tonight.” “It’s all in the speed at which you reel in your line,” explained Deveet. “The fish move at pre-set speeds. They’re made to turn and catch a hook that moves across their path at a slightly slower speed than they’re swimming. The management changes the speeds once a week to keep the fishermen from getting too expert.” |
| Technovelgy from Atom Drive,
by Charles Fontenay. Published by If in 1956 Additional resources -
|
Compare to the robofish from Slow Life by Michael Swanwick.
At Kokomo Joe’s a 1989 story by Brooke Stauffer, contains the actual phrase:
The waves was twinklin’ in the sunshine and there was flyin’ fish around the bow thick as crickets. Once one of ’em jumped too high and landed on deck. I went to throw it back but then I seen it was busted open an’ there was wires and things sticking out of the hole. A robot fish, who’d of thought it? But there was real ones too!
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Atom Drive
More Ideas
and Technology by Charles Fontenay
Tech news articles related to Atom Drive
Tech news articles related to works by Charles Fontenay
Robot Fish (Metal Fish)-related
news articles:
- Ultra-Realistic Robotic Arowana Robo-Fish
| Mornine Sales Robot |
| Bipedal Robot Floats Gently While Walking |
| YES!! Remote Teleoperated Robots predicted by Technovelgy! |
| Will Robots Ever Fold Landry? |
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'If you're one of those rarities who haven't attended a rocket-polo "carnage", let me tell you it's a colorful affair.'
'They filed clumsily into the battleroom, like children in a swimming pool for the first time, clinging to the handholds along the side.'
'a walking balloon proceeded with long strides of its aluminum legs...'
'There was nowhere on the planet where science and technology could not provide one with a comfortable home...'
'Most men updated their PIP on New Year's Day...'
'...a misshapen, many-tentacled thing about twice the size of a man.'
