 |
Glossary
of Science Fiction Ideas and Inventions
(
1854 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 |
| Saga - very early virtual reality reference | The City and the Stars | Clarke | 1956 |
| SAL 9000 | 2010 | Clarke | 1982 |
| Salamander - it was a pleasure to burn | Fahrenheit 451 | Bradbury | 1953 |
| Sales Robot (Robot Salesman) - a robot makes the sales pitch | Sales Pitch | Dick | 1954 |
| Sandbenders - a gem of a computer | Idoru | Gibson | 1996 |
| Sandcrawler - Jawa condo | Star Wars | Lucas | 1976 |
| Sandsnork - breathe under sand | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Sand-Yacht (Land Schooner) | Cry Hope, Cry Fury! | Ballard | 1966 |
| Sapho Juice - juice of Mentats | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Sargasso Asteroid - scavenger planetoid | The Stars My Destination | Bester | 1956 |
| Scanner Palm | KOP | Hammond | 2007 |
| Scarab Robot Flying Insect - tiny robotic insect | The Scarab | Gallun | 1936 |
| Scent-Organ | Brave New World | Huxley | 1932 |
| SchoolBook | Little Brother | Doctorow | 2008 |
| Schrieber Analyzer | Diabologic | Russell | 1955 |
| Schrön Loop - ultimate portable data storage | Hyperion | Simmons | 1989 |
| Scientific Reincarnation | Lord of Light | Zelazny | 1967 |
| Scooter - zipping around the moon | Against Infinity | Benford | 1983 |
| Scop - the future of food? | Islands in the Net | Sterling | 1988 |
| Scout-Base | Diabologic | Russell | 1955 |
| Scramble Suit - instant anonymity | A Scanner Darkly | Dick | 1977 |
| Screening Software | The Moat | Egan | 1991 |
| Screensaver (Invention of) - the original idea | Stranger in a Strange Land | Heinlein | 1961 |
| Scrith - tensile strength | Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Sculpted Teeth | Mona Lisa Overdrive | Gibson | 1988 |
| Seashell Radio (Thimble Radios) - original walkman (or ear buds) | Fahrenheit 451 | Bradbury | 1953 |
| Security Guard Robot (Sentry Robot) | Runaway | Crichton | 1985 |
| Security Restraint Field | Between Planets | Heinlein | 1951 |
| Seeder Ramship | Rammer | Niven | 1991 |
| Selectacol - automating interior design | The Godmakers | Herbert | 1972 |
| Selected Melanin Boosting - designer tan | Neuromancer | Gibson | 1984 |
| Selector Card | The Puppet Masters | Heinlein | 1951 |
| Selektrogel | And All The Stars A Stage | Blish | 1971 |
| Self-Assembling Robots - robot, configure thyself | The Witches of Karres | Schmitz | 1966 |
| Self-Charging Robot | Callahan and the Wheelies | Barr | 1960 |
| Self-Healing Building - building materials | The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista | Ballard | 1962 |
| Self-Lighting Cigarette | Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Self-Powered Broom | Ubik | Dick | 1969 |
| Self-Propelled Road Mine | Runaway | Crichton | 1985 |
| Self-Satisfied Door - aaaahh! | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Adams | 1979 |
| Self-Service Cafeteria | The Mechanical Monarch | Tubb | 1958 |
| Self-Sufficient House | Childhood's End | Clarke | 1953 |
| Semisentient Plastic | Ring | Baxter | 1994 |
| Semuta - eerie music | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Senso-Cells - read the quirks | The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista | Ballard | 1962 |
| Sensor Arm | Star Wars | Lucas | 1976 |
| Sentient Room - not the Radisson | Schismatrix | Sterling | 1985 |
| Sentry Trees | The Houses of Iszm | Vance | 1954 |
| Separated At Birth Database | Virtual Light | Gibson | 1993 |
| Servok | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Shadow Square - provider of darkness | Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Shadow Square Wire - hold shadow squares in position | Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Sheem Spider Robot | The Witches of Karres | Schmitz | 1966 |
| Sheep Dip Isolator | The Zap Gun | Dick | 1965 |
| Shere - beat the brain scan | Heretics of Dune | Herbert | 1984 |
| Shield | Skylark Three | Smith | 1930 |
| Shigawire - high tensile strength wire | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Shipstone - lots of power | Friday | Heinlein | 1982 |
| Shock Hammock | Habit | del Rey | 1939 |
| Short-Wave Surgical Knife | Boomerang | Russell | 1953 |
| Shuttle | Stars are Styx | Sturgeon | 1950 |
| Shuttle Ship - early Space Shuttle | Between Planets | Heinlein | 1951 |
| Shuttlecraft | Star Trek | Unknown | 1967 |
| Sideglance Robe | The Trouble With Bubbles | Dick | 1953 |
| Sietch | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Sigfrid von Shrink - computer shrink | Gateway | Pohl | 1970 |
| Sights - skull gun crosshairs | The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Signal Skin | The Algebraist | Banks | 2004 |
| SimStim - playback your internal experience | Neuromancer | Gibson | 1984 |
| SIN (Single Identification Number) - national ID | Mona Lisa Overdrive | Gibson | 1988 |
| Sinclair Molecule Chain - one molecule thick | A Gift From Earth | Niven | 1968 |
| Single Seat Scooter | The Star King | Vance | 1964 |
| Sintered Armorgel | Snow Crash | Stephenson | 1992 |
| Skin Suit - a second skin | Dinosaur Beach | Laumer | 1971 |
| Skin Toning | The Star King | Vance | 1964 |
| Skitter - electric carts on Dosadi | The Dosadi Experiment | Herbert | 1977 |
| Skrode | A Fire Upon The Deep | Vinge | 1992 |
| Skull Bug - implanted RFID monitor | The Computer Connection | Bester | 1974 |
| Skullgun - cock cranium and fire | The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Sky Ceiling - long before Hogwarts | Return from the Stars | Lem | 1961 |
| Sky-Bike | The Last Theorem | Clarke (w/Pohl) | 2008 |
| Skycar | Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Skycycle | Handicap | Niven | 1967 |
| Sky-Eye | The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Skyhook - unique lifter | West of Honor | Pournelle | 1976 |
| Sky-Scoot - flying foils | Dying of the Light | Martin | 1977 |
| Slamhound | Count Zero | Gibson | 1986 |
| Slaver Disintegrator - ultimate plasma arc tool | Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Slaver Stasis Field - where time does not pass | Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Sleep Set (Sleep Headset) | Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Sleep Surrogate - substitute for sleep | Methuselah's Children | Heinlein | 1941 |
| Sleep Tube | Solstice | Kelly | 1985 |
| Sleeping Plates - null gravity as a sleep aid | Neutron Star | Niven | 1966 |
| Sleeve Communicator - before ST:TNG | First Contact | Leinster | 1945 |
| Sleeve Watch - multipurpose clothing | Dream Park | Niven (w/S. Barnes) | 1981 |
| Slidewalk - conveyor for people | Sanity | Leiber | 1941 |
| Slideway - moving sidewalk | Beyond This Horizon | Heinlein | 1942 |
| Slow Glass (Scenedow) - a scendow for your apartment | Light of Other Days | Shaw | 1968 |
| Slow Glass Rod - light stopped | The Exhalted | de Camp | 1940 |
| Slow Gun - past defenses | Singularity Sky | Stross | 2003 |
| Slow Pellet Stunner | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Slowboat | Protector | Niven | 1973 |
| Smart Bike | Distraction | Sterling | 1998 |
| Smart Bullet - self-guided microshell | Runaway | Crichton | 1985 |
| Smart Contact Lenses - data from wearables | Fast Times At Fairmont High | Vinge | 2001 |
| Smart Gel - brain in a dish | Starfish | Watts | 1999 |
| Smart Lanes - my way IS the highway | Nanotime | Kosko | 1987 |
| Smart Material - never wash those walls again | All Tomorrow's Parties | Gibson | 1999 |
| Smart Paper - thin-film transistor display | The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Smart Pizza Box - your pizza knows if it's late | Snow Crash | Stephenson | 1992 |
| Smart Rope | Heavy Weather | Sterling | 1994 |
| Smart Tag - sneaky graffiti | All Tomorrow's Parties | Gibson | 1999 |
| Smart Wallpaper - see who you are | Oryx and Crake | Atwood | 2003 |
| Smartcoral Reef - water purifying reef | The Diamond Age | Stephenson | 1995 |
| Smartwheels - variable length spokes | Snow Crash | Stephenson | 1992 |
| Snake Contact Lens - get that reptilian look | All Tomorrow's Parties | Gibson | 1999 |
| Sniffer Robot | Runaway | Crichton | 1985 |
| Sniggertrance - caught between the stars | Whipping Star | Herbert | 1969 |
| Sobriety Ray - instantly sober | The Twonky | Padgett | 1942 |
| Soft Speaker - focus sound like a spotlight | The Exhalted | de Camp | 1940 |
| Softener Key | Protector | Niven | 1973 |
| Softlight | Softlight Sins | Hamilton | 1997 |
| Solar Energy Beam - ultimate in solar power production | Masquerade | Simak | 1941 |
| Solar Reception Screen - photovoltaics in action | The Roads Must Roll | Heinlein | 1940 |
| Solar Station | Reason | Asimov | 1941 |
| Solar-Powered Aircraft | The Black Star Passes | Campbell | 1930 |
| Solido | Chance of a Lifetime | Lesser | 1956 |
| Solido Projector - envy of presenters | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Solidograph - tiny 3D projection | Police Operation | Piper | 1948 |
| Solidograph-Projector - gives you that 3D image | Police Operation | Piper | 1948 |
| Sonabarrier - keep the vultures out | The Dosadi Experiment | Herbert | 1977 |
| Sonar Pistol | Starfish | Watts | 1999 |
| Sonic Curtain (Sound Lock) - undersea door | My Name is Legion | Zelazny | 1976 |
| Sonic Fold | Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Sono-Induction Coils - buried speaker technology | The Shining One | Schachner | 1937 |
| Sonomagnetic Fabric - listen with your shirt | Earth | Brin | 1990 |
| Soot-Extractor Nostril Plugs (Antisoot Plugs) - breathe easier | The Space Merchants | Pohl (w/CM Kornbluth) | 1952 |
| Sound Analysis | Assignment in Eternity | Heinlein | 1953 |
| Sound-Transposing Machine | The Lost Language | Keller | 1934 |
| Sours | Schismatrix | Sterling | 1985 |
| Space Ark - moving to another world | Decision Illogical | Wilkinson | 1948 |
| Space Armor | Cities in Flight | Blish | 1957 |
| Space Beacon - variable star will guide you | Troubled Star | Smith | 1952 |
| Space Elevator (Orbital Tower) - best novel reference | The Fountains of Paradise | Clarke | 1978 |
| Space Flight Simulator | Space Tug | Leinster | 1953 |
| Space Freighter - for hauling big loads | Vault of Beast | van Vogt | 1940 |
| Space Lawyer (Sky-Lawyer) - space laws | Jurisdiction | Schachner | 1941 |
| Space Liner - first use of phrase | Electronic Siege | Campbell | 1932 |
| Space Marines | Misfit | Heinlein | 1939 |
| Space Overalls - easier than space suits | Lost Rocket | Wellman | 1941 |
| Space Platform | The Morning of the Day They Did It | White | 1950 |
| Space Suit - early reference | The Emperor of the Stars | Schachner (w. AL Zagat) | 1931 |
| Space Transfer Station | Between Planets | Heinlein | 1951 |
| Space Tug - tows a space barge | Describe a Circle | Russell | 1942 |
| Space Wagon | Space Tug | Leinster | 1953 |
| Space Weakness | Space Tug | Leinster | 1953 |
| Space-Armor - armored protection like knights | Triplanetary | Smith | 1934 |
| Spacecraft Ejection Seat | Space Tug | Leinster | 1953 |
| Spacegram - solar system telegram | Jurisdiction | Schachner | 1941 |
| Space-Lanes - like the space-ways | Crashing Suns | Hamilton | 1928 |
| Sparkers - tasty watts for aliens | Niven's Laws | Niven | 1984 |
| Spashdown - the original idea | From the Earth to the Moon | Verne | 1867 |
| Speaker Chips - talking books | Darwin's Children | Bear | 2003 |
| Speakwrite - transcription of tyranny | 1984 | Orwell | 1948 |
| Specialized Prosthetic Arm | The Moon is a Harsh Mistress | Heinlein | 1966 |
| Specimen Track | Darwin's Children | Bear | 2003 |
| Spectroscopic Robot Converter - see the composition of planetoids | Diamond Planetoid | Giles | 1937 |
| Speedcap - late? Go ballistic! | Millenium | Varley | 1983 |
| Speedtalk | Assignment in Eternity | Heinlein | 1953 |
| Spider | The Web Between the Worlds | Sheffield | 1979 |
| Spider Robot - swarming spider bots | Minority Report (Movie) | Spielberg | 2002 |
| Spider Space Elevator Test Vehicle - test the cables | The Fountains of Paradise | Clarke | 1978 |
| Spider Tripod Robot - three-legged cleaning bot | Rendezvous With Rama | Clarke | 1972 |
| Spindizzy - pick up your town and go | Cities in Flight | Blish | 1957 |
| Spine-Clamp - restraint bolt for humans | Anathem | Stephenson | 2008 |
| Spinnerettes - handling nanofibers | The Fountains of Paradise | Clarke | 1978 |
| Spinning Pressurized Drum | Between Planets | Heinlein | 1951 |
| Spook - programmable soda | SOLACE | Noon | 1998 |
| SPOOKS - go on a LARP for a lark | Halting State | Stross | 2007 |
| Spotlight of Heat (Orbital Microwaves) - magical heat from above | Fallen Angels | Niven w/Pournelle, Flynn | 1991 |
| Spot-Wavex Scrambler - personalized mass media | Fahrenheit 451 | Bradbury | 1953 |
| Spray-Foam Blouse - spray and wear | Galactic Pot-Healer | Dick | 1969 |
| Spray-On Clothing - dresses in a can | Return from the Stars | Lem | 1961 |
| Spray-on Surgical Gloves | Altered Carbon | Morgan | 2003 |
| Sprung-Samser Treatment | This Immortal | Zelazny | 1966 |
| Spy Ray - see through walls | Triplanetary | Smith | 1934 |
| SSA Machine | Galactic Pot-Healer | Dick | 1969 |
| Stage Balloon | The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century | Loudon | 1828 |
| Standish - a mean beam of energy | Triplanetary | Smith | 1934 |
| Star Base | Star Base X | Williams | 1944 |
| Star Machine - explore the stars | Time is the Simplest Thing | Simak | 1961 |
| Star Stone (Speicus) - this is a recording | Doorways in the Sand | Zelazny | 1976 |
| Stardrive - not faster than light | Childhood's End | Clarke | 1953 |
| Starlight Sail (Light Sail) - very early reference | The Lady Who Sailed The Soul | Smith | 1960 |
| Starwisp - tiny interstellar probe | Accelerando | Stross | 2005 |
| Stasis (Cold Sleep, Hibernation) | The Door Into Summer | Heinlein | 1956 |
| Stasis Box - infinite storage | There is a Tide | Niven | 1968 |
| Stasis Field | There is a Tide | Niven | 1968 |
| Static House - frozen personality | The Thousand Dreams of Stellavista | Ballard | 1962 |
| Stealth House - toxic dwellings | Virtual Light | Gibson | 1993 |
| Steam Rifle - a cup of water | Omnivore | Anthony | 1968 |
| Steam-Propelled Moving Houses | The Mummy! A Tale of the Twenty-Second Century | Loudon | 1828 |
| Steel Drugs - in a tank | Islands in the Net | Sterling | 1988 |
| Steel Teeth - all stainless | The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch | Dick | 1965 |
| Steel Tentacle | The War of the Worlds | Wells | 1898 |
| Steel Tortoise - the original ATV | Coventry | Heinlein | 1940 |
| Steelonium - very early reference | Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Steering a Star - driving a sun | Crashing Suns | Hamilton | 1928 |
| Stepping Discs - open teleportation pads | Ringworld | Niven | 1970 |
| Stereo Tank - 3D TV receiver | Stranger in a Strange Land | Heinlein | 1961 |
| Stereovision - 3D TV tank (and first screen saver) | Stranger in a Strange Land | Heinlein | 1961 |
| Stick-Tight | The Star King | Vance | 1964 |
| Stiletto Beam - mysterious beam in vacuum | Earthlight | Clarke | 1955 |
| Stillsuit - when you want water retention | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Stillsuit Desert Boots | Dune Messiah | Herbert | 1969 |
| Stilltent - a tent that distills water | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Stim-Crib | Natulife | Brin | 1994 |
| Stimic - instrument for cool disapproval | The Moon Moth | Vance | 1976 |
| Stimtab - stay alert | The Forever War | Haldeman | 1974 |
| Storer-Gulls Wings - recreation for lunar colonists | The Menace From Earth | Heinlein | 1957 |
| Strakh - prestige in payment | The Moon Moth | Vance | 1976 |
| Stratovideo (Television Plane) - line-of-sight communication | The Morning of the Day They Did It | White | 1950 |
| Stunner - freeze! | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Stunwand | Hellstrom's Hive | Herbert | 1972 |
| Sub-Atlantic Tube - undersea tunnel | Ralph 124c 41 + | Gernsback | 1911 |
| Subdermal Microchannels - dayglo body mod | Stone Lives | Di Filippo | 1985 |
| Sub-Etha Sens-O-Matic - better range than your thumb | The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | Adams | 1979 |
| Subliminal Billboards | The Subliminal Man | Ballard | 1963 |
| Subphoton Search Ray - see through walls | The Shining One | Schachner | 1937 |
| Subtle Knife - cut a hole to different worlds | The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2 | Pullman | 1997 |
| Subvocal Input Device - under your breath | Earth | Brin | 1990 |
| Suit Designer | Mona Lisa Overdrive | Gibson | 1988 |
| Suit-Radio - space suit comm | Long Way | Smith | 1944 |
| Suit-Shield Fabric - protective mesh | The Golden Man | Dick | 1954 |
| Sunlight Blocker | Childhood's End | Clarke | 1953 |
| Sunpower Screen - photovoltaic cells power vehicle | Coventry | Heinlein | 1940 |
| Sunray Tank | Warlord of Mars | Burroughs | 1914 |
| Superacid - smart acid | Nanotime | Kosko | 1987 |
| Superconductor of Heat | The Mote in God's Eye | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1974 |
| Super-Photon | Invaders From The Infinite | Campbell | 1932 |
| Supralight Drive | Star Wars | Lucas | 1976 |
| Surface Car | Satellite Five | Barnes | 1938 |
| Surgical Hand | Clans of the Alphane Moon | Dick | 1964 |
| Surgical Homeostatic Unit | Now Wait For Last Year | Dick | 1966 |
| Survival Bubble (Beach Ball) - personal rescue enclosure | Footfall | Niven (w/J. Pournelle) | 1985 |
| Suspensor - suspend gravity | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Suspensor Chair - ultimate office chair | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Suspensor Lamp - descendant of the lava lamp | Dune | Herbert | 1965 |
| Sven - AI investigator | The Turing Option | Harrison | 1992 |
| Swibble - mind control machine | Service Call | Dick | 1955 |
| Swimming Tubes - water-filled for frog people | The Dosadi Experiment | Herbert | 1977 |
| Swiss | City of Pearl | Traviss | 2004 |
| Sympathetic Block - psychological privacy | The Stars My Destination | Bester | 1956 |
| Synchrophased Power Beams | Propagandist | Leinster | 1947 |
| Syn-Cof | Cantata 140 | Dick | 1964 |
| Synthespian - a computer-generated actor | Idoru | Gibson | 1996 |
| Synthetic Flesh | Super-Toys Last All Summer Long | Aldiss | 1969 |
| Synthetic Food Dispenser - before the Jetsons | Twilight | Campbell | 1934 |
| Synthetic Sleeve - artificial body | Altered Carbon | Morgan | 2003 |
| Synthetigrav | Agent of Vega | Schmitz | 1949 |
| Syrup Sac - kind of like those gravity flow beer hats | The Last Castle | Vance | 1967 |
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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