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
 |
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 | Provigil-C (from A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo) A special drug that promotes wakefulness in troops. |
| 2000 | Randominoes (from Nymphomation by Jeff Noon) Dominoes that randomly generate new numbers. |
| 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 | Floating Island (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes)) Large artificial islands floating on Earth's seas. |
| 2000 | Artificial Intelligence Device (AID) (from A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo) Hand-held device responds intelligently to military intelligence requests. |
| 2000 | Blurbflies (Sing. Blurbfly) (from Nymphomation by Jeff Noon) Small robotic/organic advertisers. |
| 2000 | Bubble (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes)) An undersea elevator. |
| 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 | 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. |
| 2001 | Smart Contact Lenses (from Fast Times At Fairmont High by Vernor Vinge) Contact lenses that have a built-in computer display. |
| 2001 | Datapack (from Dune: House Harkonnen by Brian Herbert) A compact device for carrying data. |
| 2001 | Inertial Bracelet (from Psychohistorical Crisis by Donald Kingsbury) Device to still hand tremors. |
| 2001 | Weather Pod (from Dune: House Harkonnen by Brian Herbert) Imperial technology available to planetologists only. |
| 2001 | Wearables (from Fast Times At Fairmont High by Vernor Vinge) Slang for 'wearable computer.' |
| 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 | Manna (from Manna by Marshall Brain) A software program that autonomously manages restaurants or other service industry businesses. |
| 2002 | Immersive Home Video (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) Technology lets users interact with home videos. |
| 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 | Ditto Blank (from Kiln People by David Brin) A mentally unformed android, upon which a personality could be impressed. |
| 2002 | Provigil (from When the Devil Dances by John Ringo) A medication that makes the user 'untired' - not just more awake. |
| 2002 | Gravity Tube (from Chindi by Jack McDevitt) A special passage way that eases the movement of material within a ship. |
| 2002 | Pocket Dome (from Chindi by Jack McDevitt) Handy easy-to-set-up shelter. |
| 2002 | Vagus Nerve Bio-Chip (from Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold) Relief from nausea without drugs. |
| 2002 | Wired Glove Interface Display (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) A large screen display that uses a wired glove interface. |
| 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 | Bullet-guard Overalls (from Kiln People by David Brin) Very tough fabric. |
| 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 | Photo-Voltaic Robes (from Snow in the Desert by Neal Asher) Outerwear made from material that absorbs sunlight and outputs electricity. |
| 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. |
| 2002 | Hyperpig (from Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds) A genetic chimera of pig and human. |
| 2002 | Mobile Persocom (from Chobits by Manga Clamp) A personal computer in human form. |
| 2002 | Precrime Sleeve Communicator (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) A device for communication worn as part of the uniform jacket. |
| 2002 | Sick Stick (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) Baton that induces vomiting upon contact. |
| 2002 | Reggie the Bartending Machine (from The Outpost by Mike Resnick) A mechanism able to mix drinks; a robot bartender. |
| 2002 | Halo (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) Device that incapacitates a person by inducing unconsciousness. |
| 2002 | Recon Spiders (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) Tiny spider-sized robots that are able to search buildings and identify occupants. |
| 2002 | Maelstrom (from Maelstrom by Peter Watts) A description of the next generation Internet |
| 2002 | Durachrome (from Honor of the Regiment by Keith Laumer) Very hard alloy for tanks. |
| 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 | Data Tiles (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg) Transparent panes that contain data and programs. |
| 2003 | External Eyelenses (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) Way retro means of correcting vision problems in human beings. |
| 2003 | Synthetic Sleeve (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) An artificial body, into which a person can be downloaded. |
| 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 | Olfactory Wakeup Call (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) An alarm clock that works by wafting scents your way. |
| 2003 | Needlecast (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) A tightbeam transmission of your very being. |
| 2003 | Touch Tablet (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear) Another name for a wireless Tablet PC. |
| 2003 | Mandroid (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) A humanoid robot; a robot in the shape of a person. |
| 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 | Ideator (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear) A computer device specifically made to help model genes and proteins for identification. |
| 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 | 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 | 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 | Automated Sentry (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear) A biometric device that scans facial features for identification. |
| 2003 | Smart Wallpaper (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) Wallpaper that can sense your mood and provide an appropriate color scheme. |
| 2003 | Pigoon (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) A transgenic pig, bred to grow replacement organs for humans. |
| 2003 | Municipal Darwinism (from Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve) The process by which smaller towns were eaten by larger ones. |
| 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 | 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 | Tuned-Laser Decontamination (from Hybrids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer) Process to destroy foreign biomolecules within the body. |
| 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 | 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 | Interway (from The Tels by Paul Black) Computer-controlled highway. |
| 2003 | ChickieNobs (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) Chicken meat sliced from a transgenic organism. |
| 2003 | Self-Cleaning Gym Suit (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) Removes the source of odor. |
| 2003 | Happicuppa Coffee Bush (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood) A species of coffee bush designed for ease of harvesting. |
| 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 | Alien Tarantula (from Engine City by Ken MacLeod) Interesting illustration of an animal with gecko-like manipulative capabilities. |
| 2003 | Philips Squeeze Gun (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan) A handheld railgun |
| 2003 | Traction City (from Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve) Cities re-engineered as enormous, lumbering machines. |
| 2003 | Handipad (from Wyrmhole by Jay Caselberg) An electronic tablet for information browsing. |
| 2003 | Biolution (from The Tels by Paul Black) The revolution in biological manufacturing techniques. |
| 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 | Companion Implant (from Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer) Electronic device placed within the body; it has a wide variety of uses. |
1600-1899 1900-1949 1950's 1960's 1970's 1980's 1990's 2000's
Technovelgy.com
is devoted to the creative inventions of science fiction authors and movie
makers. Look for the Science Fiction Invention
Category that interests you, the Dictionary
of Science Fiction Inventions, the Timeline
of Science Fiction Inventions, or see what's New.
Find new authors and technologies - Shop for yourself,
your library and your lab.
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)
Centipede Robots Down On The Farm
re: Fritz Leiber
(5/11/2025)
Anthropic's Claude AI Creates Legal Citation From Whole Cloth
re: Punch
(5/11/2025)
Students Vie For Lunar Regolith Mining Robot Prize
re: Pournelle and Niven
(5/9/2025)
'They Erased My Memory' Says Ariana Grande
re: Edmond Hamilton
(5/7/2025)
Solitary Black Hole Wanders In Space
re: Frank K. Kelly
(5/5/2025)
Spaceplane From Virgin Atlantic
re: Max Plaisted
(5/3/2025)
DARPA Wants 'Large Bio-Mechanical Space Structures'
re: Greg Bear
(5/1/2025)
Robot Hand Creeps Along, Separate From It's Owner
re: Philip K. Dick
(4/30/2025)
Taikonauts Exercise In China's Tiangong Space Station
re: Murray Leinster
(4/28/2025)
Korean Exoskeleton Suit F1 Helps You Put It On
re: Marvel
(4/26/2025)
Have AI Researchers Given Up On 'Bio-Babies'?
re: David Brin
(4/24/2025)
Bunker Busters and Bore-Pellets
re: Philip K. Dick
(4/22/2025)
'Spikeless' Brand Swizzle Stick Detects Spiked Drinks
re: Frank Herbert
(4/20/2025)
(See More Science Fiction in the News)
