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
"On-line gaming environments are completely different things... Essentially it's massive global role-playing."
- Peter Watts
 |
| Joystick Controls w/Remote Display | ||
| A fire-by-wire remote-controlled weapon system. |
This remarkable prediction contains several interesting elements. The rifles are aimed by what amounts to a joystick controller; the rifleman is protected from enemy fire, observing the field of fire with a remote display.
| The riflemen [in the ironclad, armored infantry vehicle] each occupied a small cabin of peculiar construction. Their rifles, however, were very different pieces of apparatus from the simple mechanisms in the hands of their adversaries. These were in the first place automatic [weapons, reloaded] from a magazine each time they fired... and they had the most remarkable sights imaginable, sights which threw a bright little camera-obscura picture into the light-tight box in which the rifleman sat below. This ... picture was marked with two crossed lines, and whatever was covered by the intersection of these two lines, the rifle hit. [The rifleman's one hand] held the [control like a draftsman's dividers] for judging distance, and the other grasped a big knob like a door handle. As he pushed this knob about the rifle above swung to correspond ... and then [he] pressed a finger upon a little push like an electric bell-push, conveniently placed in the centre of the knob. Then the [target] was shot. |
| Technovelgy from The Land Ironclads,
by H.G. Wells. Published by Unknown in 1903 Additional resources -
|
I found a cool-looking model of the Ironclads from the story here at H.G. Wells' Land Ironclad. Thanks to S. Jones for contributing this item and a quote.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 2 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Land Ironclads
More Ideas
and Technology by H.G. Wells
Tech news articles related to The Land Ironclads
Tech news articles related to works by H.G. Wells
| Worm Disrupts Physics Simulations Undetected For A Decade |
| Moscow Attacked By Hundreds Of Drones |
| China's Handheld Electromagnetic Gun |
| Is The Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 A Heinlein Vibroblade? |
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
'Why, a clockwork dancer, or, better still, one that would go by electricity and never run down...'
'Maybe the individual intelligence of each Cubic pools into a group intelligence...'
'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.'
