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) |
| 2010 | Neural Lace (from Surface Detail by Iain M Banks) An interface between the brain and computer facilities. |
| 2010 | Darknet Farm (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez) A farm that uses computer networked information systems to achieve sustainable agriculture in a community. |
| 2010 | Desubstantiation Effect (from Death's End by Cixin Liu) In interstellar space, the ship seems like the only material entity in the universe, leading to loneliness and anxiety. |
| 2010 | Metallic Display Scroll (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez) A rollable video screen. |
| 2010 | Angel Teeth (from Freedom by Daniel Suarez) Essentially a spear dropped from a great height (or from orbit) with a guidance system. |
| 2010 | Alien Trojan (from Out of the Dark by David Webber) Malware from another world! |
| 2010 | Aeromuse Pillow (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A pillow that doubles as a music player. |
| 2010 | Rocket Pine (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) Genetically engineered trees for wood pulp. |
| 2010 | Disabler (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A device that drains power quickly from an electric vehicle. |
| 2010 | Office Hand (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A robotic hand with each finger customized for a different function. |
| 2010 | Ugly T-Shirt (from Zero History by William Gibson) Uses disruptive patterning to make the wearer invisible to computerized surveillance techniques. |
| 2010 | Power Stilts (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) Platforms that push inundated cities ever higher. |
| 2010 | Barker (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A device that scans for nearby medical implants, and allows the operator to take control. |
| 2010 | Humeld (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A human being with augmented body parts. |
| 2010 | Necap (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) A device that burns out neural connections. |
| 2010 | Millenniaire (from The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi) A person with much more Time than an ordinary person. |
| 2010 | Nutrient Extractor and Maximizer (NEM) (from The Human Blend by Alan Dean Foster) Device that replaces and extends the capabilities of the human digestive system. |
| 2011 | Virtual Punishment (from Complete Sentence by Joe Haldeman) It seems like decades in prison. |
| 2011 | DNA Publishing (from Spiral by Paul McEuen) Encode a poem or story in DNA, then multiply. |
| 2011 | Onionskin Transparent Jeans (from Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart) See-through pants. |
| 2012 | Brain-Jacking (from Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez) Using insects for surveillance. |
| 2012 | Autonomous Assassination Drone (from Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez) A flying UAV that is self-guided to a target, destroys the target, and is capable of destroying itself after mission completion. |
| 2012 | Wildcode (from The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi) A vast, actual desert comprised of nanites, nanomachines. |
| 2012 | Robotic Eel (from Re:Set by Susan Beetlestone) A five-foot long artificial eel, controlled by an operator. |
| 2012 | Parent Drone (from Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez) A drone platform that launches smaller drones. |
| 2012 | Eel Operator (from Re:Set by Susan Beetlestone) A surgically modified human being able to operate a robotic eel |
| 2012 | DNA Music Storage (from Year Zero by Rob Reid) Encoding music in junk DNA. |
| 2014 | EYE Program (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) A massive government database on civilians. |
| 2014 | Replaced Worker Benefits (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) Compensation for people whose jobs are taken by robots. |
| 2014 | Nubot (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) An android that directly replaces a human at their job. |
| 2014 | Cosmoline (Warm Sleep) (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) Special gel that offers healing and hibernation for space travelers. |
| 2014 | Freedom ID (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) A chip inserted into the hand for identification (and surveillance) purposes. |
| 2014 | Timeout (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) The part of a Skyrene's life that is spent in Warm Sleep travel between Earth and the destination planet. |
| 2014 | Skintight (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) Specialized space suit for low atmospheric pressure environments like Mars. |
| 2014 | Oxygen Fountain (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) A small factory for making oxygen on the Martian surface. |
| 2014 | Norm-All Program (from Spark by John Twelve Hawks) A set of algorithms that determine a reasonable location for every citizen. |
| 2014 | Puff (Puff Balls) (from War Dogs by Greg Bear) Material that is used to help Skyrines dropped to the surface of Mars get rid of some of that excess velocity. |
| 2015 | Jonnytruck (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) A movable bathroom for hire; cost is offset by reclamation. |
| 2015 | Face Recognition Sunglasses (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) Sunglasses that connect with a remote database to perform face recognition. |
| 2015 | Clearsac (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) A simple device that filters water perfectly for reuse. |
| 2015 | Cranial Amplified Programming CAP (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear) An aid to learning, which you apply directly to your skull. |
| 2015 | Centipede (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear) Perfect craft for crawling through slushy, frozen lakes - on Titan. |
| 2015 | Vehicle Seeds (from Killing Titan by Greg Bear) A matrix of materials and instructions that allow vehicles to grow themselves when placed in an environment of plentiful materials. |
| 2015 | Public Urine Collection (from The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi) Arcologies offer public latrines, then collect for reclamation. |
| 2016 | Logical Pathogen (from The Medusa Chronicles by Alastair Reynolds (w/S. Baxter)) Malware concealed in DNA. |
| 2016 | Crowdcutter (from Infomocracy by Malka Older) A device worn to part crowds. |
| 2017 | Superscraper (from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson) Buildings that are hundreds of stories tall. |
| 2017 | Hotello (from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson) A portable room within a room. |
| 2017 | Wristpad (from New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson) A tablet computer worn on the wrist. |
| 2019 | OLED Body Film (from Waste Tide by Chen Qiufan) Attaching or implanting flexible screen material to the body as decoration. |
| 2019 | VEIL (from Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson) A wearable device used to foil facial recognition systems. |
| 2019 | Forward Warehousing (from Stealing Worlds by Karl Schroeder) Using the trunks of cars as little warehouses. |
| 2019 | Edit Stream (from Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson) Internet content curated by a single person or service, then streamed to those who pay for the service. |
| 2019 | PURDAH (from Fall; or, Dodge in Hell: A Novel by Neal Stephenson) A method of ensuring that a given text was created by its putative author, while masking the identity of the author. |
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.
Tiny Flying Robot Weighs Just One Gram
re: Neal Stephenson
(3/7/2025)
Some Ringworld Configurations Are Stable
re: Larry Niven
(3/5/2025)
TRANSFORM Dynamic Furniture Concept Becomes What You Need
re: Larry Niven
(3/3/2025)
Harvard Metamaterials Change Structure Instantly
re: Samuel R. Delany
(3/1/2025)
SnapBot Robots - You Choose Their Legs And They Choose Their Gaits
re: Milton K Smith
(2/27/2025)
Dino From Magical Toys An AI Companion To Children
re: Anne McCaffrey
(2/25/2025)
Humanoid Robots Building Humanoid Robots
re: Isaac Asimov
(2/23/2025)
Darpa 'Defiant' Unmanned Autonomous Ship
re: Miles J. Breuer
(2/21/2025)
What's The Best Way To Ship And Unpack Humanoid Robots?
re: Elizabeth Bellamy
(2/19/2025)
DNA Printed Book By Isaac Asimov Now Available
re: Barbara Hambly
(2/17/2025)
AI Computer Chip Designs Passeth Human Understanding
re: Isaac Asimov
(2/15/2025)
Space Traffic Management (STM) Needed Now
re: Arthur William Bernal
(2/13/2025)
Fine-Tune Your Infinite Book The Way You Want It
re: Clifford Simak
(2/11/2025)
SpiRobs Soft Spiral Robotic Arm
re: HG Wells
(2/9/2025)
Holland Factory 3D Printing 500 Tons Of Steak Per Month
re: Margaret St. Clair
(2/7/2025)
Stratospheric Solar Geoengineering From Harvard
re: Neal Stephenson
(2/5/2025)
ErythroMer Artificial Blood
re: David H. Keller
(2/3/2025)
Vesuvius Challenge Accepted - Ancient Burnt Scroll Read!
re: James P. Hogan
(2/1/2025)
Create An Accurate Tiny Model Of Yourself
re: Jack Vance
(1/29/2025)
Futuristic Transit Elevated Bus Never Really Worked
re: Various
(1/27/2025)
Robochef Robotic Food Prep
re: Edgar Rice Burroughs
(1/25/2025)
Rear View Heads Up Display For Motorcycle Helmets
re: Robert Heinlein
(1/23/2025)
Stargate $500 Billion Investment in Artificial Intelligence
re: Edmond Hamilton
(1/21/2025)
Jetson Orin Nano Super 70 Just $249
re: Bruce Bethke
(1/19/2025)
Nano-Chainmail 2D Mechanically Interlocked Polymer
re: Jerry Pournelle
(1/17/2025)
Anker's SOLIX Solar Umbrella Portable Power
re: David Brin
(1/15/2025)
Positioned Cybertrucks With Free Starlinks WiFi In LA
re: Vernor Vinge
(1/13/2025)
AI-THu Shapeshifting Transformer Home
re: Fritz Leiber
(1/11/2025)
Xiaomi Self-Driving Self-Balancing Scooter
re: Bruce Sterling
(1/9/2025)
Transparent 4K OLED Wireless TV From LG
re: HG Wells
(1/7/2025)
TSA 2 - Advanced Thermosensory Stimulator Is A Dune Pain Box
re: Frank Herbert
(1/5/2025)
Humans Love Helping Other Species
re: Robert Heinlein
(1/3/2025)
(See More Science Fiction in the News)
