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.

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1600-1899  1900-1939  1940's  1950's  1960's  1970's  1980's  1990's  2000's  2010's

Date Device Name (Novel Author)
2000 Beetle - a balloon with a shell (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
2000 Bubble - undersea elevator (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
2000 Napcap Induction Cap - get a good night's sleep (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
2000 Napcap Capsule - snooze at will (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
2000 Blurbflies (Sing. Blurbfly) - corporate gadflies create a buzz (from Nymphomation by Jeff Noon)
2000 Randominoes (from Nymphomation by Jeff Noon)
2000 Floating Island - living space (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
2000 Artificial Intelligence Device (AID) (from A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo)
2000 Provigil-C (from A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo)
2000 Anti-Virus Design Software (from Super-Cannes: A Novel by J.G. Ballard)
2000 Oceanic Thermal Energy Converter - energy from the sea (from Saturn's Race by Larry Niven (w/S. Barnes))
2001 Datapack - portable DRAM (from Dune: House Harkonnen by Brian Herbert)
2001 Wearables - computers to go (from Fast Times At Fairmont High by Vernor Vinge)
2001 Smart Contact Lenses - data from wearables (from Fast Times At Fairmont High by Vernor Vinge)
2001 Weather Pod - self-contained meteorology lab (from Dune: House Harkonnen by Brian Herbert)
2002 Vagus Nerve Bio-Chip (from Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold)
2002 E-paper Newspaper (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
2002 Mobile Persocom - your animated laptop (from Chobits by Manga Clamp)
2002 Poppins - Julie Andrews android (from Kiln People by David Brin)
2002 Ditto Blank - mindless android (from Kiln People by David Brin)
2002 Imprint (A Ditto Blank) - pseudo-you (from Kiln People by David Brin)
2002 Bullet-guard Overalls (from Kiln People by David Brin)
2002 Minority Report Ads (Biometric Personalized Ads) (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
2002 Maelstrom (from Maelstrom by Peter Watts)
2002 Pocket Dome - handy space tent (from Chindi by Jack McDevitt)
2002 Robofish (Mitsubishi Robot Turbot) - robot fish (from Slow Life by Michael Swanwick)
2002 E-Suit (Environmental Suit) (from Chindi by Jack McDevitt)
2002 Hyperpig (from Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds)
2002 Halo - get that man a hat! (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
2002 Wired Glove Interface Display - gesture interface from Minority Report (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
2002 Public Iris Scanner - Mr. Anderton (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
2002 Data Tiles - panes of data (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
2002 Reggie the Bartending Machine - beverage, sir? (from The Outpost by Mike Resnick)
2002 Sick Stick - instant nausea (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
2002 Manna (from Manna by Marshall Brain)
2002 Provigil - sleep surrogate (from When the Devil Dances by John Ringo)
2002 Photo-Voltaic Robes (from Snow in the Desert by Neal Asher)
2002 Gravity Tube - e-z store (from Chindi by Jack McDevitt)
2002 Spider Robot - swarming spider bots (from Minority Report (Movie) by Steven Spielberg)
2003 Alibi Archive - personal recording (from Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer)
2003 Traction City - not cities in flight (from Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve)
2003 Companion Implant - life monitor (from Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer)
2003 Alien Tarantula (from Engine City by Ken MacLeod)
2003 Tuned-Laser Decontamination - zap just the bad (from Hybrids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer)
2003 Whuffie (from Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow)
2003 Interway - computer-controlled highway (from The Tels by Paul Black)
2003 Biolution - biological manufacturing (from The Tels by Paul Black)
2003 Slow Gun - past defenses (from Singularity Sky by Charles Stross)
2003 Causality-violation Device (or Weapon) (from Singularity Sky by Charles Stross)
2003 Traction City Gut (from Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve)
2003 Cortical Stack - USB/WiFi flashdrive for your brain (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
2003 Handipad (from Wyrmhole by Jay Caselberg)
2003 E-Sheet - disposable LCD displays (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
2003 Little Bird - surveillance drone (UAV) (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
2003 Specimen Track (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
2003 Ideator - gene identification (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
2003 Speaker Chips - talking books (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
2003 Automated Sentry - automatic face recognition (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
2003 Touch Tablet (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
2003 E-paper Hologram (from Darwin's Children by Greg Bear)
2003 Needlecast - tightbeam transmission of being (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
2003 Spray-on Surgical Gloves (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
2003 Synthetic Sleeve - artificial body (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
2003 Automatic Hotel (Hotel Hendrix) - the hotel is your host (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
2003 Smart Wallpaper - see who you are (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood)
2003 ChickieNobs (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood)
2003 Philips Squeeze Gun (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
2003 Autosurgeon - doctor's robot helper (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
2003 Municipal Darwinism (from Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve)
2003 Pigoon - transgenic pig (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood)
2003 Happicuppa Coffee Bush - the race to the bottom (from Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood)
2003 Mandroid - a mechanical human (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
2003 External Eyelenses - make a spectacle of yourself (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
2003 Olfactory Wakeup Call - wakey wakey eggs and bakey (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
2003 Illuminum - glows with its own light (from Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan)
2004 Memory Diamond - high density storage (from Iron Sunrise by Charles Stross)
2004 Swiss (from City of Pearl by Karen Traviss)
2004 Bee Cam (from City of Pearl by Karen Traviss)
2004 Muscle Sensor Interface (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
2004 Signal Skin (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
2004 Gillfluid - liquid breathing (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
2004 Loiter-Drone - indefinite watch (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
2004 Emissarial Projection - almost an a.i. (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
2004 Tacspace (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
2004 Quantum Communications Hub - EPR rules (from Defeated by Sean McKee)
2004 Arteria Portal (from The Algebraist by Iain M Banks)
2004 Waveform Hypothesis - (from Backbeat - A Novel of Physics by J. Frederick Arment)
2004 Perpetual Train (from Iron Council by China Mieville)
2005 Dumb Matter (from Accelerando by Charles Stross)
2005 Orbital Mirror - sunlight when you want it (from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith by Mathew Stover)
2005 Sprayrock - tough when it hardens (from Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds)
2005 Computational Textile (from Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds)
2005 KloraDerm (from Old Man's War by John Scalzi)
2005 BrainPal (from Old Man's War by John Scalzi)
2005 Flexy (or Flexies) (from Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds)
2005 Kink-Spring - reusable energy source (from The Calorie Man by Paolo Bacigalupi)
2005 Starwisp - tiny interstellar probe (from Accelerando by Charles Stross)
2005 Megadont (from The Calorie Man by Paolo Bacigalupi)
2005 Computronium - nanocomputers by the handful (from Accelerando by Charles Stross)
2005 Motorized Combat Boots - quick in a crowd (from Accelerando by Charles Stross)
2005 Lobster AI - brain scanned expert system (from Accelerando by Charles Stross)
2005 Virtual Panopticon (from The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks)
2006 Navicloud Custom Debinder (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
2006 Answerboard - good name for it (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
2006 Stopper Bubble - twisted superstrings (from Red Lightning by John Varley)
2006 Aether Cannon (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
2006 Skimmer (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
2006 Magnetic Ram (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
2006 Voxcoder - secret comm (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
2006 Browser Paper - one page IE (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
2006 Coder (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
2006 Persuader (from Storm Thief by Chris Wooding)
2006 House-of-Cards Construction (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
2006 Librareome Project (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
2006 Camera Tunnel (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
2006 Wearables (Wearable Computers) - embroidered circuits (from Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge)
2006 Disperser - back off (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
2006 Mobile Advertisements - airborne adverts (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
2006 Clothing Size Scanner (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
2006 Automated Taxi (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
2006 Traffic Lane Discharger (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
2006 Pocket-Sized Ad-Blocker (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
2006 A-Som (Antisomnolence Drugs) (from Shuteye for the Timebroker by Paul Di Filippo)
2006 Microwave Pistol (from Blindsight by Peter Watts)
2006 Timebroker - trading fungible time (from Shuteye for the Timebroker by Paul Di Filippo)
2006 Municipal Cattle Remover (from Sagramanda by Alan Dean Foster)
2007 Max Detention (Virtual Counsel) - I ob-b-b-b-ject! (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
2007 Driverless Drones - AIs assist (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
2007 Cop Block - patrol officer's friend (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
2007 Remotely Operated Auto-targeting Gun (ROAG) - I see you (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
2007 Magnetic Levitating Bed (from Spook Country by William Gibson)
2007 Orphids (from Postsingular by Rudy Rucker)
2007 Overlay Specs (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
2007 SPOOKS - go on a LARP for a lark (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
2007 Blacknet - antisocial networking (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
2007 CopSpace - MySpace for police, and then some (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
2007 Lifelog - life record (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
2007 Bubble-Gum Pylon (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
2007 WAGD Germ Detector - handy hand-held (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
2007 Weapon Sound Tracker - I hear you (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
2007 Airboarding (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
2007 Orbital Weapon Lancet (OWL) - watch the skies (from Quantico by Greg Bear)
2007 Virtual World Theft - faux thievery (from Halting State by Charles Stross)
2007 Scanner Palm (from KOP by Warren Hammond)
2007 Digital Paper Pad (from KOP by Warren Hammond)
2007 DC Mini - psychotherapist dream tool (from Paprika by Satoshi Kon)
2007 Tongueprint Verification - touching, not licking (from Fleet of Worlds by Larry Niven (w/E.M. Lerner))
2008 Kinagram - moving letters (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
2008 Angel Music Player (from Flood by Stephen Baxter)
2008 Allswell (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
2008 Blithe (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
2008 Fuel Tree (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
2008 Headspace (from Flood by Stephen Baxter)
2008 Spine-Clamp - restraint bolt for humans (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
2008 Defuser (from Moxyland by Lauren Beukes)
2008 Homing Butterflies (from Moxyland by Lauren Beukes)
2008 Sky-Bike (from The Last Theorem by Arthur C. Clarke (w/Pohl))
2008 ParanoidLinux (from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow)
2008 Ultimate Football League (UFL) (from The Sun Also Explodes by Chris Nakashima-Brown)
2008 Photonomous - stay anon on Flickr (from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow)
2008 SchoolBook (from Little Brother by Cory Doctorow)
2008 Photomnemonic Tablet - blank recording slate (from Anathem by Neal Stephenson)
2009 Robot Snake Spy (from Mariposa by Greg Bear)
2009 EPR Phone (from Mariposa by Greg Bear)
2009 Zip Paper (from Mariposa by Greg Bear)
2009 Dattoo (from Mariposa by Greg Bear)
2009 Digital Ink License Plate (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
2009 AutoM8 (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
2009 Razorback (from Daemon by Daniel Suarez)
2009 Websight - visualize the Net (from WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer)
2009 EyePod - you'll need one for your implant (from WWW: Wake by Robert J. Sawyer)
2010 Disabler (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
2010 Alien Trojan (from Out of the Dark by David Webber)
2010 Aeromuse Pillow (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
2010 Barker - hacking medical implants (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
2010 Necap (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
2010 Darknet Farm - augmented farm reality (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez)
2010 Office Hand (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
2010 Nutrient Extractor and Maximizer (NEM) - get more out of food (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
2010 Power Stilts - lift your house (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
2010 Humeld - more than human (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
2010 Rocket Pine (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster)
2011 Onionskin Transparent Jeans (from Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart)
2011 DNA Publishing (from Spiral by Paul McEuen)
2011 Virtual Punishment (from Complete Sentence by Joe Haldeman)
2012 DNA Music Storage (from Year Zero by Rob Reid)

1600-1899  1900-1949  1950's  1960's  1970's  1980's  1990's  2000's

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SF in the News

German Firm Seeks To Recruit Autistics
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(5/22/2013)

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re: Various
(5/16/2013)

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(5/15/2013)

CARMAT Bioprosthetic Total Human Heart Replacement
re: Philip K. Dick
(5/14/2013)

Personal Sniffer Robots
re: Ray Bradbury
(5/13/2013)

Physical Exam? We've Got Apps
re: Robert Silverberg
(5/11/2013)

The Interplanetary Internet, Vint Cerf Speaking
re: George O. Smith
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Drosophila Robotica, The Mechanical Fly
re: Raymond Z. Gallun
(5/7/2013)

Robo-Raven Flapping Wing Robot Bird
re: Philip E. High
(5/6/2013)

Japan's Nursing Home Robot Plan
re: Katsuhiro Otomo
(5/5/2013)

Samsung Smart TVs With Gesture Control
re: Philip K. Dick
(5/3/2013)

Swiss HCPVT Giant Photovoltaic 'Flower'
re: David Brin
(5/1/2013)

Mini-Livers Made By 3D Printer
re: Larry Niven
(4/29/2013)

Smartphone Sensor System Tracks Gunfire
re: Greg Bear
(4/27/2013)

Bacteria Now Make Biofuel Like Oil
re: Hal Clement
(4/25/2013)

Peel And Stick Thin Film Solar Cells
re: Larry Niven
(4/24/2013)

A Big Collection Of Small Books
re: Frank Herbert
(4/23/2013)

Mu-Gripper Microsurgical 'Robots'
re: Neal Stephenson
(4/21/2013)

Bartendro Robot Bartender
re: Harry Harrison
(4/19/2013)

Implantable Bioengineered Rat Kidney Tested
re: Philip K. Dick
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Microbattery Extreme High Performance
re: Alfred Bester
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Fujitsu Touchscreen Mixes Real And Virtual Worlds
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Take An Infinite Walk In Flexible Spaces
re: Ray Bradbury
(4/15/2013)

The i-limb Ultra Revolution Prosthetic Hand
re: Philip K. Dick
(4/14/2013)

SHEPHERD-MIL, A Birdlike Soaring UAV
re: Philip E. High
(4/13/2013)

Nanowire Memristor Networks Form 'Brains'
re: Edmond Hamilton
(4/12/2013)

Projo Robot Teaching Assistant
re: Isaac Asimov
(4/12/2013)

Navy Shoots Down Drone, With Help From Dr. Benton Quest
re: Various
(4/11/2013)

(See More Science Fiction in the News)

 

 

 
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