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
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Timeline
of Science Fiction Ideas, Technology and Inventions
(sorted by Publication Date)
Most of these items are linked to information about similar real-life inventions and inventors; click on an invention to learn more about it.
1600-1899 1900-1929 1930's 1940's 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000+
| Date | Device Name (Novel Author) |
| 2000 | Randominoes (from Nymphomation by Jeff Noon) Dominoes that randomly generate new numbers. |
| 2000 | Oceanic Thermal Energy Converter (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes)) A device that uses the sea to help create electricity. |
| 2000 | Beetle (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes)) A hard-shelled dirigible. |
| 2000 | Napcap Capsule (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes)) A handy refuge for travelers in busy terminals; a sleep aid when you really need one. |
| 2000 | Napcap Induction Cap (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes)) A device that aids sleep and relaxation by working with the subject's brain waves. |
| 2000 | Bubble (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes)) An undersea elevator. |
| 2000 | Provigil-C (from A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo) A special drug that promotes wakefulness in troops. |
| 2000 | Blurbflies (Sing. Blurbfly) (from Nymphomation by Jeff Noon) Small robotic/organic advertisers. |
| 2000 | Anti-Virus Design Software (from Super-Cannes: A Novel by J.G. Ballard) Create a living space such that the spread of disease is less likely. |
| 2000 | Artificial Intelligence Device (AID) (from A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo) Hand-held device responds intelligently to military intelligence requests. |
| 2000 | Floating Island (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes)) Large artificial islands floating on Earth's seas. |
| 2001 | Utopian End-Times (from The Dog Said Bow-Wow by Michael Swanwick) The annihilation of technological culture. |
| 2001 | Wearables (from Fast Times At Fairmont High by Vernor Vinge) Slang for 'wearable computer.' |
| 2001 | Datapack (from Dune: House Harkonnen by Brian Herbert) A compact device for carrying data. |
| 2001 | Weather Pod (from Dune: House Harkonnen by Brian Herbert) Imperial technology available to planetologists only. |
| 2001 | Smart Contact Lenses (from Fast Times At Fairmont High by Vernor Vinge) Contact lenses that have a built-in computer display. |
| 2001 | Multiple-Brain Computer (from The Dog Said Bow-Wow by Michael Swanwick) Person augmented with multiple implanted brains. |
| 2001 | Human Leather (from The Dog Said Bow-Wow by Michael Swanwick) Leather from cloned human skin. |
| 2001 | Inertial Bracelet (from Psychohistorical Crisis by Donald Kingsbury) Device to still hand tremors. |
| 2002 | Bullet-guard Overalls (from Kiln People by David Brin) Very tough fabric. |
| 2002 | Maelstrom (from Maelstrom by Peter Watts) A description of the next generation Internet |
| 2002 | Manna (from Manna by Marshall Brain) A software program that autonomously manages restaurants or other service industry businesses. |
| 2002 | Durachrome (from Honor of the Regiment by Keith Laumer) Very hard alloy for tanks. |
| 2002 | E-paper Newspaper (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) A paper-thin, flexible LCD-style display that is large enough to display a full newspaper page. |
| 2002 | Gravity Tube (from Chindi by Jack McDevitt) A special passage way that eases the movement of material within a ship. |
| 2002 | Provigil (from When the Devil Dances by John Ringo) A medication that makes the user 'untired' - not just more awake. |
| 2002 | Vagus Nerve Bio-Chip (from Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold) Relief from nausea without drugs. |
| 2002 | Photo-Voltaic Robes (from Snow in the Desert by Neal Asher) Outerwear made from material that absorbs sunlight and outputs electricity. |
| 2002 | Poppins (from Kiln People by David Brin) An android body imprinted with the personality of a Master Nanny. |
| 2002 | Imprint (A Ditto Blank) (from Kiln People by David Brin) Impress one's personality upon a 'ditto blank' android. |
| 2002 | Minority Report Ads (Biometric Personalized Ads) (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) Advertisements that speak directly to the consumer in public settings. |
| 2002 | Robofish (Mitsubishi Robot Turbot) (from Slow Life by Michael Swanwick) A powerful, meter-long robotic fish used to take samples from liquid lakes on other worlds (like Titan). |
| 2002 | E-Suit (Environmental Suit) (from Chindi by Jack McDevitt) A forcefield that encloses air and heat around the body, but does not repel objects or radiation. |
| 2002 | Workplace Distancing (from Manna by Marshall Brain) A computer application that arranges that workers never encounter each other, to reduce gossiping and wasted time. |
| 2002 | Terrafoam Dorm Building (from Manna by Marshall Brain) Maximum people in minimum space. |
| 2002 | AI-Based Hiring and Firing (from Manna by Marshall Brain) Letting a computer system handle the hiring and firing of employees. |
| 2002 | Folding Computer Terminal (from The Merchants of Souls by John Barnes) A foldable pocket computer. |
| 2002 | Immersive Home Video (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) Technology lets users interact with home videos. |
| 2002 | Ditto Blank (from Kiln People by David Brin) A mentally unformed android, upon which a personality could be impressed. |
| 2002 | Recon Spiders (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) Tiny spider-sized robots that are able to search buildings and identify occupants. |
| 2002 | Reggie the Bartending Machine (from The Outpost by Mike Resnick) A mechanism able to mix drinks; a robot bartender. |
| 2002 | Hyperpig (from Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds) A genetic chimera of pig and human. |
| 2002 | Data Tiles (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) Transparent panes that contain data and programs. |
| 2002 | Wired Glove Interface Display (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) A large screen display that uses a wired glove interface. |
| 2002 | Precrime Sleeve Communicator (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) A device for communication worn as part of the uniform jacket. |
| 2002 | Pocket Dome (from Chindi by Jack McDevitt) Handy easy-to-set-up shelter. |
| 2002 | Mobile Persocom (from Chobits by Manga Clamp) A personal computer in human form. |
| 2002 | Sick Stick (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) Baton that induces vomiting upon contact. |
| 2002 | Halo (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) Device that incapacitates a person by inducing unconsciousness. |
| 2002 | Public Iris Scanner (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) A device that uses iris-scanning for identification, and does not require subject awareness. |
| 2003 | External Eyelenses (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) Way retro means of correcting vision problems in human beings. |
| 2003 | Olfactory Wakeup Call (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) An alarm clock that works by wafting scents your way. |
| 2003 | Specimen Track (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear) A means for transporting laboratory specimens from one workstation to another in an automated lab. |
| 2003 | Needlecast (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) A tightbeam transmission of your very being. |
| 2003 | Illuminum (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) A metal that glows with its own light. |
| 2003 | Cortical Stack (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) Implanted hardware device that contains a backup copy of your mental self. |
| 2003 | Synthetic Sleeve (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) An artificial body, into which a person can be downloaded. |
| 2003 | Touch Tablet (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear) Another name for a wireless Tablet PC. |
| 2003 | Automated Sentry (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear) A biometric device that scans facial features for identification. |
| 2003 | Ideator (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear) A computer device specifically made to help model genes and proteins for identification. |
| 2003 | Interway (from The Tels by Paul Black) Computer-controlled highway. |
| 2003 | Little Bird (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear) A remote-control "eye-in-the-sky" miniature drone plane (UAV). |
| 2003 | E-Sheet (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear) A disposable medium for reading electronic messages. |
| 2003 | Slow Gun (from Singularity Sky by Charles Stross) Device shoots slow projectiles that use neurotoxin. |
| 2003 | E-paper Hologram (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear) A cover image that really pops out at the viewer. |
| 2003 | Philips Squeeze Gun (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) A handheld railgun |
| 2003 | Speaker Chips (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear) Integrated circuit chips placed in books; they could read the book and advertise it. |
| 2003 | Whuffie (from Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow) A system in which one's actions, as perceived by others, directly procure the necessities of life; reputation-based currency. |
| 2003 | Autosurgeon (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) A mechanical aid to physicians, performing surgical procedures with surgeons present. |
| 2003 | Spray-on Surgical Gloves (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) Effective glove for surgeons that is skin tight. |
| 2003 | Automatic Hotel (Hotel Hendrix) (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) A fully automated hotel; complete services provided from check-in to check-out. |
| 2003 | Municipal Darwinism (from Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve) The process by which smaller towns were eaten by larger ones. |
| 2003 | Self-Cleaning Gym Suit (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) Removes the source of odor. |
| 2003 | Email Shirt (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) See your email on your shirt. |
| 2003 | Goat/Spider Silk (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) High tensile strength fibers from - goats. |
| 2003 | Pigoon (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) A transgenic pig, bred to grow replacement organs for humans. |
| 2003 | Causality-violation Device (or Weapon) (from Singularity Sky by Charles Stross) Any of a variety of technologies intended to exploit time travel as a weapon. |
| 2003 | Tuned-Laser Decontamination (from Hybrids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer) Process to destroy foreign biomolecules within the body. |
| 2003 | Mandroid (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) A humanoid robot; a robot in the shape of a person. |
| 2003 | Alibi Archive (from Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer) A recording made of transmissions from a personal implant that perceived everything that happened to that individual. |
| 2003 | Alien Tarantula (from Engine City by Ken MacLeod) Interesting illustration of an animal with gecko-like manipulative capabilities. |
| 2003 | Companion Implant (from Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer) Electronic device placed within the body; it has a wide variety of uses. |
| 2003 | Traction City (from Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve) Cities re-engineered as enormous, lumbering machines. |
| 2003 | ChickieNobs (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) Chicken meat sliced from a transgenic organism. |
| 2003 | Smart Wallpaper (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) Wallpaper that can sense your mood and provide an appropriate color scheme. |
| 2003 | Happicuppa Coffee Bush (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) A species of coffee bush designed for ease of harvesting. |
| 2003 | Traction City Gut (from Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve) The area of a Traction City used for taking apart and consuming captured prey cities. |
| 2003 | Biolution (from The Tels by Paul Black) The revolution in biological manufacturing techniques. |
| 2003 | Handipad (from Wyrmhole by Jay Caselberg) An electronic tablet for information browsing. |
1600-1899 1900-1949 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's
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Russians Create Robot Tank Platoons
re: Philip Nowlan w/D. Calkins
(8/15/2025)
3D-Printed Exoskeleton Learns From Your Hand
re: Fritz Leiber
(8/13/2025)
Smartwatch Powered By Slime Mold
re: Philip K. Dick
(7/11/2025)
Unmanned Boats Attack At Sea
re: Ray Naylor
(7/9/2025)
Carpentopod Walking Table
re: Terry Pratchett
(7/7/2025)
Iron Drone Raider Counter-UAV Operations
re: Robert Sheckley
(7/5/2025)
SpaceX Rocket Shuttle Point-To-Point On Earth
re: Robert Heinlein
(7/3/2025)
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re: Frank Stockton
(7/1/2025)
Robots Repair And Modify Themselves
re: Harry Harrison
(6/29/2025)
Waymo And Tesla 'Autonomous Cabs' Are Piloted By Remote Drivers
re: Philip K Dick
(6/27/2025)
Robot Janitors Get To Work
re: Philip K. Dick
(6/25/2025)
Robots Learn To Install Charged Batteries Into Themselves
re: Not known.
(6/23/2025)
Robot Rabbits Entice Pythons
re: JW Groves
(6/21/2025)
LLM 'Cognitive Core' Now Evolving
re: Philip K. Dick
(6/19/2025)
Has Elon Musk Given Up On Mars?
re: Robert Heinlein
(6/17/2025)
Bacteria Turns Plastic Into Pain Relief? That Gives Me An Idea.
re: Brian W. Aldiss
(6/15/2025)
When Your Child's Best Friend Is An AI
re: Clifford Simak
(6/13/2025)
China's Drone Mothership Can Carry 100 Drones
re: Daniel Suarez
(6/11/2025)
Drones Recharge In Mid-Air Like Jets Refuel!
re: Neal Stephenson
(6/9/2025)
Australian Authors Reject AI Training Of Llama
re: Anthony Boucher
(6/7/2025)
Is China Mining Helium-3 On The Moon's Farside?
re: Ray Cummings
(6/5/2025)
Maybe It's Too Soon To Require Autonomous Mode
re: Arthur C. Clarke
(6/3/2025)
Is Agentic AI The Wrong Kind Of Smartness?
re: Isaac Asimov
(6/1/2025)
Heat Waver - The First Ever Combo Solar Collector And Wind Turbine
re: Simpson Stokes
(5/29/2025)
Tesla 'Fleet Response Agents' Bolster FSD Autonomy
re: Charles Stross
(5/27/2025)
Mori3 Autonomous Shapeshifting Robot
re: Stargate
(5/25/2025)
Tesla Seeks 'Tesla Robotaxi' And 'Robobus' Trademarks Ignoring Prior Art
re: Gordon R. Dickson
(5/23/2025)
Scary Grid Safety Robots
re: Philip K. Dick
(5/21/2025)
Does AI Provide A Way Forward For Talk Therapy
re: Philip K. Dick
(5/19/2025)
Robotic Barber Programmed With a Number of Styles
re: Don Wilcox
(5/17/2025)
Humanoid Boxing Robot KO's Opponent - It's A Knockout!
re: Aldo Giunta
(5/15/2025)
Caterpillar Electric Mining Loader Not Yet Ready For Moon
re: Jack Williamson
(5/13/2025)
(See More Science Fiction in the News)
