 |
Glossary
of Science Fiction Ideas, Technology and Inventions
(
3127 Inventions Available)
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
| Device Name | Book/Story | Author | Date |
| Ablative Heat (Reentry) Shield - very early reference | Triplanetary | Smith | 1934 |
| A-Bomb | Sixth Column | MacDonald | 1941 |
| Absolute Black - so dark, you can't see it | Restaurant at the End of the Universe | Adams | 1980 |
| Accelerated Schooling | Cities in Flight | Blish | 1957 |
| Accelerated Schooling Helmet | Cities in Flight | Blish | 1957 |
| Acceleration Chair | The Mote in God's Eye | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1974 |
| Acceleration Couch | The Mote in God's Eye | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1974 |
| Acceleration Hammock | Pioneer - 1957 | Gade | 1939 |
| Acceleration Shell | The Forever War | Haldeman | 1974 |
| Acceleration-tank - very early reference | Triplanetary | Smith | 1934 |
| Accu-Terrain Floor | Natulife | Brin | 1994 |
| Acoustic Apparatus (Osophone) - original patent filing | Acoustic Apparatus | Gernsback | 1923 |
| Actinoscope | Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Adam Selene | The Moon is a Harsh Mistress | Heinlein | 1966 |
| Adiabatic Pods - personal cold sleep | The Lady Who Sailed The Soul | Smith | 1960 |
| Adjustable Television | The Simulacra | Dick | Ace |
| Adnix | Contact | Sagan | 1985 |
| Advertising Airship | Blade Runner | Scott | 1982 |
| Aerial Telegraph | Edison's Conquest of Mars | Serviss | 1898 |
| Aeriduct (Rain Maker) - watch for showers | A Journey In Other Worlds | Astor IV | 1894 |
| Aerocar - first use of idea? | The Abduction of Alexandra Seine | Smale | 1900 |
| Aeroflyer | Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Aeromuse Pillow | The Human Blend | Foster | 2010 |
| Aerostat Monitor - a small flying platform | The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Aether Cannon | Storm Thief | Wooding | 2006 |
| Agfom Potent-Shot - picture the future | Clans of the Alphane Moon | Dick | 1964 |
| Aggressive-Response Service | The Golden Globe | Varley | 1998 |
| Agile Recording Robot | Solar Lottery | Dick | 1955 |
| Agony Box - testing for humans | Heretics of Dune | Herbert | 1984 |
| Agricultural Robot Pest Controller - picking off the pests | Runaway | Crichton | 1985 |
| Agricultural World | Foundation | Asimov | 1951 |
| Air Blast - the first air dryer | Coventry | Heinlein | 1940 |
| Air Renewal | From the Earth to the Moon | Verne | 1867 |
| Air Speedster | Foundation | Asimov | 1951 |
| Air Tunnel | Through the Air Tunnel | Vincent | 1929 |
| Airbag Jacket - instant Michelin Man | Snow Crash | Stephenson | 1992 |
| Air-Blanket | Hollywood on the Moon | Kuttner | 1938 |
| Airboarding | Halting State | Stross | 2007 |
| Aircab | Time Crime | Piper | 1955 |
| Air-Car - a flying taxi | A Matter of Size | Bates | 1934 |
| AIRE - reverse engineering software | Mother of Storms | Barnes | 1994 |
| Airjeep | Uller Uprising | Piper | 1952 |
| Airlock | Skylark of Space | Smith | 1928 |
| Airmaker - breathe it | Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Airmakers | The Big Rain | Anderson | 1954 |
| Air-o-Stat | Satellite Five | Barnes | 1938 |
| Airplane Window Ads - ads on clouds | The Space Merchants | Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) | 1952 |
| Air-Propelled Train - silent mass transit | Fahrenheit 451 | Bradbury | 1953 |
| Air-Restorer Capsule | The Planet Strappers | Gallun | 1961 |
| Air-Ship (VTOL Airship) | The Angel of the Revolution | Griffith | 1893 |
| Air-Taxi - hail the skies | Prelude to Foundation | Asimov | 1988 |
| Air-Tight Suit - air-tight dress | Edison's Conquest of Mars | Serviss | 1898 |
| Airtight Tent | Asteroid of Fear | Gallun | 1951 |
| Air-to-Surface Missile - first use of concept | The Angel of the Revolution | Griffith | 1893 |
| Alcodote | Space Viking | Piper | 1962 |
| Alcoholic Reliever | Bad Medicine | Sheckley | 1956 |
| Alcohol-Sensing System | The Game Players of Titan | Dick | 1963 |
| Alderson Point - a wormhole to the stars | The Mote in God's Eye | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1974 |
| Alibi Archive - personal recording | Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax) | Sawyer | 2003 |
| Alien Life Form | The Hothouse Planet | Barnes | 1937 |
| Alien Self-Government | Co-Operate or Else | van Vogt | 1942 |
| Alien Tarantula | Engine City | MacLeod | 2003 |
| Alien Trojan | Out of the Dark | Webber | 2010 |
| Alien Zoo | The Dosadi Experiment | Herbert | 1977 |
| Allswell | Anathem | Stephenson | 2008 |
| Alohydrolium | Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Alpha Insert | Exiles of the Moon | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Alpha Plus | Brave New World | Huxley | 1932 |
| Alterable License Number | Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Alternate Computer Personality | The Moon is a Harsh Mistress | Heinlein | 1966 |
| AM - an Agressive Menace | I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream | Ellison | 1967 |
| AM-280 Needle Rifle | A Matter For Men | Gerrold | 1983 |
| Ampek F-a2 Recording System | The Simulacra | Dick | Ace |
| Amphibious Skimmer | Storm Thief | Wooding | 2006 |
| Anabolic Protoplaser | Spock, Messiah! | Cogswell (w/C. Spano) | 1976 |
| Anacronopete (Time Machine) | El Anacronopete | Gaspar | 1887 |
| Anadrenalin | A Race Through Time | Wandrei | 1933 |
| Analogue - devolution through chemistry | The Stars My Destination | Bester | 1956 |
| Android | The Cometeers | Williamson | 1936 |
| Android Safety Mechanism | Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | Dick | 1968 |
| Androide - the original | Cyclopaedia | Chambers | 1727 |
| Andy - an artificial human | Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | Dick | 1968 |
| Angel Music Player | Flood | Baxter | 2008 |
| Angel Teeth | Freedom | Suarez | 2010 |
| Animal-tissue Culture Vat | Uller Uprising | Piper | 1952 |
| Annihilator Beam | The Conquest of Gola | Stone | 1931 |
| Ansible - the ultimate long distance phone | Rocannon's World | LeGuin | 1966 |
| Answerboard - good name for it | Rainbows End | Vinge | 2006 |
| Anti-agathic drugs | Cities in Flight | Blish | 1957 |
| Anti-Gerasone - drink and look younger | Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow | Vonnegut, Jr. | 1954 |
| Antigrav Boots | The Day We Celebrate | Bond | 1941 |
| Antigravity - first use | The Vanguard of Neptune | Walsh | 1932 |
| Anti-Gravity Belt | Armageddon: 2419 A.D. | Nowlan | 1928 |
| Antigravity Globe Arena | Babel-17 | Delany | 1966 |
| Anti-Heptant | To Live Forever | Vance | 1956 |
| Antiholo Generator | The Ophiuchi Hotline | Varley | 1977 |
| Antimatter | Collision Orbit | Williamson | 1941 |
| Anti-Onc Cream - cancer remedy | Earth | Brin | 1990 |
| Anti-Spying Device | Foundation | Asimov | 1951 |
| Antithermal Shield | The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch | Dick | 1965 |
| Anti-Tri-D Shot | The Morning of the Day They Did It | White | 1950 |
| Anti-Virus Design Software | Super-Cannes: A Novel | Ballard | 2000 |
| Apergy (Apergion) - antigravity substance | Across the Zodiac | Greg | 1880 |
| Arachnofiber Uniforms - Spidey delivers pizza | Snow Crash | Stephenson | 1992 |
| Architectural Coral - build to any shape | A Gift From Earth | Niven | 1968 |
| Arctic Signal Light | A Journey In Other Worlds | Astor IV | 1894 |
| Argento-Platinoid Dispatch Box | Venus Mines, Incorporated | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Armor Cloth | The Mote in God's Eye | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1974 |
| Armored Clothing - modern armor | The Dosadi Experiment | Herbert | 1977 |
| Art-Derm - spray-on skin | Dr. Futurity | Dick | 1960 |
| Arteria Portal | The Algebraist | Banks | 2004 |
| Artificial Atmosphere Machine | Venus Mines, Incorporated | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Artificial Brain | The Metal Giants | Hamilton | 1926 |
| Artificial Butterfly | Changeling | Zelazny | 1980 |
| Artificial eye - first use of this idea? | Galactic Patrol | Smith | 1937 |
| Artificial Eye Drone | Glimpse | Wellman | 1938 |
| Artificial Food | The World Set Free | Wells | 1914 |
| Artificial Gill Outfit | We Can Remember It For You Wholesale | Dick | 1966 |
| Artificial Gravity - first mention | Brigands of the Moon | Cummings | 1930 |
| Artificial Gravity System | Last and First Men | Stapledon | 1930 |
| Artificial Gravity-Assisted Childbirth | Time Enough For Love | Heinlein | 1973 |
| Artificial Intelligence Device (AID) | A Hymn Before Battle | Ringo | 2000 |
| Artificial Island | Between Earth and Moon | von Hanstein | 1930 |
| Artificial Life | Across Space | Hamilton | 1926 |
| Artificial Muscles - for cyborgs | Cyborg | Caidin | 1972 |
| Artificial Planet - before the Death Star | Triplanetary | Smith | 1934 |
| Artificial Planet | Star Maker | Stapledon | 1937 |
| Artificial Telepathy | We All Died At Breakaway Station | Meredith | 1969 |
| Artificial Transparent Element - see through it | Last and First Men | Stapledon | 1930 |
| Artificial Womb - very early use of concept | Brave New World | Huxley | 1932 |
| Artificially Grown Organs | A Gift From Earth | Niven | 1968 |
| Artificially Pulsating Star | The Cosmic Blinker | Binder | 1953 |
| Artiforg | Ubik | Dick | 1969 |
| Artif-Org - mechanical replacement organ | Cantata 140 | Dick | 1964 |
| Artigraft | Solar Lottery | Dick | 1955 |
| Asbestos Sunshade | The Achilles Heel | Gallun | 1940 |
| A-Som (Antisomnolence Drugs) | Shuteye for the Timebroker | Di Filippo | 2006 |
| Assassin Bird - genetically engineered | Sparrowhawk | Easton | 1990 |
| Assault Ship | The Forever War | Haldeman | 1974 |
| Asterite | Collision Orbit | Williamson | 1941 |
| Asteroid Claim Law | Jurisdiction | Schachner | 1941 |
| Asteroid From Outside Solar System | Brigands of the Moon | Cummings | 1930 |
| Asteroid Garden | Asteroid of Fear | Gallun | 1951 |
| Asteroid Homesteaders' School | Asteroid of Fear | Gallun | 1951 |
| Asteroid Lanes | Jurisdiction | Schachner | 1941 |
| Asteroid Mine - ore from space | Love Among The Robots | McDowell | 1946 |
| Asteroid Mining | Edison's Conquest of Mars | Serviss | 1898 |
| Asteroid Mining (Blasting) | Asteroid of Gold | Simak | 1932 |
| Asteroid Mining Robot | Catch That Rabbit | Asimov | 1944 |
| Asteroid Prison | One Against The Legion | Williamson | 1939 |
| Asteroid Rocket | Salvage in Space | Williamson | 1933 |
| Asteroid-Metal - raw materials from space | The Mechanical Monarch | Tubb | 1958 |
| Astrogation (to Astrogate) - steer to the stars | Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Astrogator | The Conquest of Space | Lasser | 1931 |
| Astronaut | Across the Zodiac | Greg | 1880 |
| Astroposit | The Hunch | Anvil | 1961 |
| Asymptotic Drive | Imperial Earth | Clarke | 1976 |
| Atlotl/Gibiril Regimen - regrow and rejuvenate | The Godmakers | Herbert | 1972 |
| Atmosphere Control | The Mote in God's Eye | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1974 |
| Atmosphere Tester | The Emperor of the Stars | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Atmospheric Advertising - write it on the clouds | In the Year 2889 | Verne | 1889 |
| Atmospheric Braking | Space Cadet | Heinlein | 1948 |
| Atom Compactor (Metal Earthworm) | Death Dives Deep | Ernst | 1936 |
| Atom-Driven Drill | Asteroid of Fear | Gallun | 1951 |
| Atom-Gun | Revolt on the Tenth World | Hamilton | 1940 |
| Atomic Automatic | Revolt on Io | West | 1940 |
| Atomic Blast Weapon | The Achilles Heel | Gallun | 1940 |
| Atomic Bomb - very early reference | The World Set Free | Wells | 1914 |
| Atomic Energy - very early reference. | The Crack of Doom | Cromie | 1895 |
| Atomic Microscopy | The Crack of Doom | Cromie | 1895 |
| Atomic Pistol | Mutiny on Mercury | Simak | 1932 |
| Atomic Torch | One Against The Legion | Williamson | 1939 |
| Atomic-Powered Lifting Suits | The Brain Pirates | Campbell | 1938 |
| Atomics | Nerves | del Rey | 1942 |
| Atom-Shifter | The Worlds of Tomorrow | Wellman | 1940 |
| Attraction Ray | Pirates of the Gorm | Schachner | 1932 |
| Attractive Ray - first use of idea? | Crashing Suns | Hamilton | 1928 |
| Attractor - come hither and stay still | The Conquest of Gola | Stone | 1931 |
| Audio Relay - personal RFID transceiver | The Puppet Masters | Heinlein | 1951 |
| Audiphone | Blood of the Moon | Cummings | 1936 |
| Auto Course-Finding Pilot | Clans of the Alphane Moon | Dick | 1964 |
| Auto Shovel | The Simulacra | Dick | Ace |
| Autocab | Between Planets | Heinlein | 1951 |
| Auto-Car | The Revolt of the Pedestrians | Keller | 1928 |
| Auto-Clerk | Beyond This Horizon | Heinlein | 1942 |
| Autodoc - automated medical device | Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Auto-Driven Auto (Spinner) - it drives itself | The Dream Master | Zelazny | 1966 |
| Autofac (Nanorobots) - a factory that can replicate itself | Autofac | Dick | 1955 |
| AutoM8 | Daemon | Suarez | 2009 |
| Automated Apartment Maintenance | Ubik | Dick | 1969 |
| Automated DNA Typing - from one drop | Gattaca | Niccol | 1997 |
| Automated Drone Probes | The Man in the Maze | Silverberg | 1969 |
| Automated Factory | The Hidden Colony | von Hanstein | 1935 |
| Automated Hotel Reservation | Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Automated Restaurant - food from robots | A Princess of Mars | Burroughs | 1912 |
| Automated Search For Habitable Planets | Cosmic Quest | Hamilton | 1936 |
| Automated Sentry - automatic face recognition | Darwin's Children | Bear | 2003 |
| Automated Space Factories | Mona Lisa Overdrive | Gibson | 1988 |
| Automated Surface Measurement - 100 years before cgi needed it | When the Sleeper Wakes | Wells | 1899 |
| Automated Taxi | Sagramanda | Foster | 2006 |
| Automated Travel Bureau | Friday | Heinlein | 1982 |
| Automated Wake-Up Call - the hotel wakes you up | The Kokod Warriors | Vance | 1952 |
| Automatic Air Mail Plane | The Living Machine | Keller | 1935 |
| Automatic City | The Man in the Maze | Silverberg | 1969 |
| Automatic Commercial Deletion - no more commercials | Satellite Five | Barnes | 1938 |
| Automatic Companion Robot - better than a puppy | The Midas Plague | Pohl | 1954 |
| Automatic Control Car | Imperial Earth | Clarke | 1976 |
| Automatic Cultivators | Piracy Preferred | Campbell | 1930 |
| Automatic Door - like a roll top desk | When the Sleeper Wakes | Wells | 1899 |
| Automatic Factory | Autofac | Dick | 1955 |
| Automatic Gun - targets without human intervention | The Andromeda Strain | Crichton | 1969 |
| Automatic Hotel (Hotel Hendrix) - the hotel is your host | Altered Carbon | Morgan | 2003 |
| Automatic Light Switch | The Man Who Sold The Moon | Heinlein | 1950 |
| Automatic Massager - robot masseuse | Far Centaurus | van Vogt | 1944 |
| Automatic Navigator | A Matter of Size | Bates | 1934 |
| Automatic Ore Cart | Autofac | Dick | 1955 |
| Automatic Pilot - a brief history | The Space Merchants | Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) | 1952 |
| Automatic Refueling Screen | Biddiver | Sturgeon | 1941 |
| Automatic Reversed Memory - EEG in reverse | Brain Control | Cummins | 1937 |
| Automatic Shell | The Great Stone of Sardis | Stockton | 1897 |
| Automatic Speeding Fine | Old Fireball | Schachner | 1941 |
| Automatic Ticket Machine - your ticket to the stars | Second Foundation | Asimov | 1953 |
| Automatic Toll Payment | The Living Machine | Keller | 1935 |
| Automatic Truck | Mechanocracy | Breuer | 1932 |
| Automatic Vein Finder | The Andromeda Strain | Crichton | 1969 |
| Automatic-Electric Packing Machine | Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Automatized Factory | The Tunnel Under The World | Pohl | 1955 |
| Automatobile | Sally | Asimov | 1953 |
| Automatobus | Sally | Asimov | 1953 |
| Automaton Chessplayer - the first chess-playing computer | Moxon's Master | Bierce | 1910 |
| Auto-Navigation | The Dream Master | Zelazny | 1966 |
| Autonomic Cab - all on its own | The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch | Dick | 1965 |
| Autonomic Food-Processing System - untouched by humans | Cantata 140 | Dick | 1964 |
| Autonomic Interviewer - pape's proxy | The Zap Gun | Dick | 1965 |
| Autonomic Plow | Clans of the Alphane Moon | Dick | 1964 |
| Autonomous Car Intercommunication | Sally | Asimov | 1953 |
| Autonomous Truck | Autofac | Dick | 1955 |
| Autonomously Recharging UAV | Changeling | Zelazny | 1980 |
| Autoporter - personal baggage handler | The Shockwave Rider | Brunner | 1975 |
| Auto-Scan | This Moment of the Storm | Zelazny | 1966 |
| Auto-Seal | Stand on Zanzibar | Brunner | 1968 |
| Autosecretary (Autosec) - clipping service for the net | Earth | Brin | 1990 |
| Autosurgeon - doctor's robot helper | Altered Carbon | Morgan | 2003 |
| Auto-Treadmills (Needle-Gym) | Natulife | Brin | 1994 |
| Ava - she wants to be taught | The Calcutta Chromosome | Ghosh | 1995 |
| Avatar - godlike poseurs | Snow Crash | Stephenson | 1992 |
| Avatar Construction Set - build your virtual self | Snow Crash | Stephenson | 1992 |
| Axolotl Tank - device for regeneration | Dune Messiah | Herbert | 1969 |
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
Didn't find
what you were looking for?
Want to Submit
an Item? Comments? Corrections? Contact
us!
Technovelgy.com is devoted to the creative inventions, devices and technology of science fiction authors and movie makers. Look for the Science Fiction Invention Category that interests you, the 2,300+ item Glossary of Science Fiction Inventions, the Timeline of Science Fiction Inventions, or see what's New. Read more than 4,100 science fiction made real stories - Science Fiction in the News.
Science Fiction
in
the News
Cruise Autonomous Car Drives Aimlessly For An Hour
re: David Keller
(1/20/2020)
Fast Charging A Bus In 20 Seconds
re: John Jacob Astor IV
(1/19/2020)
Realistic Translation With The Waverly Labs Ambassador
re: Douglas Adams
(1/17/2020)
Biotech Firms Raised $Millions For Anti-Agathics (Longevity Drugs)
re: James Blish
(1/15/2020)
Out-Of-Work Blue Collar Robots Need Your Help
re: Harry Harrison
(1/13/2020)
The Dawn Of Orbiting Manufacturing In 2020?
re: Arthur C. Clarke
(1/11/2020)
Smart Contact Lenses Charges With 3D Printed Antenna
re: Vernor Vinge
(1/9/2020)
Segway S-Pod Fulfills Dire 1928 SciFi Prophecy
re: David H. Keller
(1/7/2020)
Physicist Inspired By SciFi And Seeing Back In Time
re: Jack Williamson
(1/5/2020)
Airbnb Has AI Psychiatrist Looking At Your Facebook
re: Philip K. Dick
(1/3/2020)
NASA's Electric Motor Scooter
re: Robert Heinlein
(1/1/2020)
Moving Suns To Different Galactic Neighborhoods
re: Edmond Hamilton
(12/29/2019)
Students Surveilled By School Phone Apps
re: Cory Doctorow
(12/27/2019)
Massage Robot Has Soft Hands, Er, Pads
re: AE van Vogt
(12/25/2019)
Medical Tattoos Are STILL Being Researched
re: Paul Di Filippo
(12/23/2019)
Elon Musk's Traffic Tunnel Challenge Is Boring
re: Jack Vance
(12/21/2019)
DoD Requests AI Drone Swarm
re: Philip K. DIck
(12/19/2019)
BlueNalu Yellowtail Might Be Your First Lab-Grown Meat
re: H. Beam Piper
(12/17/2019)
Soft Filaments Form Artificial Muscles
re: Martin Caidin
(12/15/2019)
Drone-Based Aerial Hammock
re: Jack Vance
(12/13/2019)
How To Encode The 'Memory' Of Materials
re: Samuel R. Delany
(12/11/2019)
Adafruit's New Clue All-In-One Sensor Tricorder
re: Gene Roddenberry
(12/9/2019)
Surface Film Repels All Bacteria
re: Neal Stephenson
(12/7/2019)
Chinese Steal American Seeds From Our Fields
re: Jack Vance
(12/5/2019)
