How Science Fiction hasInfluenced Technology

Introduction

• The Science Fiction genre is responsible for some of today’s most sophisticated technologies, such as:– Artificial Skin– Telemedicine Consultations– Pressure Sensing Contact Lenses– gCubik– Wasp Knife

Artificial Skin

• What it is:– A process that involves artificially growing skin

directly on the body.

• Where it came from:– It is similar to the “uniflesh” in Frank Herbert’s The

Dosadi Experiments• Uniflesh – a type of artificial skin and underlying flesh

Harvey Dent…

…could use some artificial skin

Telemedicine Consultation

• What it is:– A way for doctors to consult with their patients

from a remote location.

• Where it came from:– A telemedicine apparatus was first used in E.M.

Forster’s The Machine Stops in 1909• Telemedicine Apparatus – A device that allows

physicians to aid or examine patients from a distance.

• What it is:– A contact lens made out of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) that can sense pressure.

• Where it came from:– Scleral contact lenses with embedded circuitry were used in Larry Nivens and Steven Barns story The California Voodoo

Game in 1992.– Smart contact lenses with embedded circuitry were used in

Verner Vinges story Fast Times at Fairmont High in 2001.

Pressure Sensing Contact Lens

gCubik• What it is:

– A cube that is capable of displaying three-dimensional images.

• Where it came from:– A “stereo tank” was used in Robert Heinlein’s story Stranger in a Strange Land in 1961

• Stereo Tank – A receiver for three- dimensional televised images.

– A handheld projector was used for the plans of the Death Star in The Empire Strikes Back

• What it is:– A knife that contains a small canister of deadly gas in its handle.

• Where it came from:– A “Short-Wave Surgical Knife” was used in Eric

Frank Russell’s 1953 novel Boomerang• Short-Wave Surgical Knife – A knife capable of creating

an internal cut without breaking the skin.

Wasp Knife

Source

• Technovelgy – http://www.technovelgy.com