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Summary

List

Pics

Sci-Fi Ideas

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Year

Idea

Description

1727

Androide

A device having the form or likeness of a man.

1867

Communicate with Extraterrestrials

Early plan to communicate with life on planets removed from the earth.

1868

Steam Man

A mechanical robot powered by steam.

1875

Leyden Ball

Device for hunting underwater; transfers a powerful electrical charge to the prey.

1896

Monsters Manufactured

Dr. Moreau demonstrates the plasticity of the organic form.

1898

Steel Tentacle

Flexible robotic steel limbs that can both support a vehicle and grasp objects.

1898

Quasi-Muscles (Sham Musculature)

A means of giving motive power to robots or machines that is similar to animal musculature.

1898

Tripod

An enormous metallic robot.

1898

Robot Biomimicry

Endowing robots with an organic-appearing fluidity, rather than mechanical motion.

1898

Robot Spider (Handling Machine)

Multipurpose device used almost as an extension of the Martian's own bodies.

1907

Tik-Tok

A mechanical man.

1920

Robotess

A female robot.

1920

Robot

A (usually human-shaped) artifact with the same kinds of abilities as a human - this is the first use of the word 'robot'.

1923

Clockwork Man

A man from the future with an embedded mechanism to manipulate time.

1926

Robot Wheel

An enormous vehicular robot in the shape of a gigantic wheel.

1926

Flexible Metal Arms (Tentacles)

An interesting description of how mechanical tentacles might function.

1926

Tentacle Machines

Enormous robots, cylindrical of body, tentacular of arms, autonomous of brain, sinister of intent.

1928

Flying Harness

Device allows free movement in the air.

1928

Disintegrator Ray (Dis Ray)

A device that projects a beam reducing matter to nothingness.

1929

Force-Ray

A large, hand-held spear of force.

1929

Invisible Cloak

A cloak that renders the wearer invisible.

1929

Brain Placed In Metal Body

A robotic body with a support system for a connected organic brain.

1929

Robot Control Board

Control panel with small screens showing the point of view of different robots.

1929

Mechanical Men

Remote controlled robots used to perform dangerous work.

1929

Mechanical Hand

A large robotic hand or claw, large enough to grasp a person.

1930

Bird-Like Robots

Robotic birds used in a stage play.

1930

Invisible Cloak

A cloak that renders the wearer invisible.

1931

Robot-Deranger

A device that confuses the cognitive functions of robots.

1931

Metal Monster with Jointed Limbs

A large robotic device with legs.

1931

Microhands

Mechanical replica of hands, that mimic the movements of actual human hands.

1931

Recoil Pistol

A handheld device that permits a spaceman to manuever in zero gravity.

1931

Sensitive Robot Fingers

Special sensory capabilities of robotic appendages.

1931

Annihilator Beam

A deadly ray that literally dissolved matter!

1931

Disruptor Tube (Disruptor Ray)

A device that interrupted the very bonds between atoms.

1931

Robot Revolt

Robots to throw off the yoke of Man?

1931

Ultra-Terrene

Originating from some world other than Earth.

1931

Invasion Gate For Aliens

Using alien instructions to create a gate for alien invasion.

1932

Diskoid

A huge flying saucer.

1933

Iron Man Robot With Human Brain

A huge robot with a tub containing a human brain.

1934

Baby Robot

An infant robot.

1934

Extradimensional

From another dimension.

1934

Invisibility Shield

A means of concealing a physical object to the naked eye.

1934

Out-Worlder

A person from another planet.

1934

Robot-Control Wave Band

Special command circuit for robots.

1934

Robots Refuse To Serve Man

When robots evolve their own perspectives, and ultimately refuse to act as servants to human beings.

1934

General Strike of the Robots

All over the world, robots cease their labors.

1934

Spy Ray Goggles

A form of radiation that can penetrate walls to allow the user to 'see' what is happening on the other side.

1934

Robot Skin Covering

Realistic covering for the bodies of robots.

1934

Aliens Speak English

The skeleton men of Mercury speak English, but have a good reason for it.

1935

First Contact

The initial encounter with a non-human race.

1936

Scarab Robot Flying Insect

A tiny flying robotic machine, used for surveillance.

1936

Automat

Unusual name for an intelligent robot; short for "automaton"?

1936

Paralyzing Ray (Bolar Current)

A beam that forces a person to remain rooted to a particular spot.

1936

Robot With Human's Brain

A very early example of encasing a human brain in a robotic body.

1937

Proton Pistol (Proton Beam)

A device that unleashed a 'protonic storm' of energy.

1937

Alien Life Form

Living organisms of non-Earth origin.

1937

Robot Dog

A mechanical, robotic dog.

1938

Proxy Robot

A remote-controlled floating telepresence robot, for use by aliens who cannot share an atmosphere.

1938

Robot Animals

Artificial animals created using robotic elements.

1938

Basic Robot Personality

Providing simple personalities to robots.

1938

Teleoperated Robot Surrogate

A robot that is entirely controlled remotely by a person who sees with the point of view of the robot.

1938

Robot Emotions

Devices or techniques that give rise to emotions in robots.

1938

Cube Being

A living being comprised of linked cubes.

1938

Buggaroo

Martian creature for transportation.

1938

Reversal Coils

Provide both entry into a negative universe and propulsion.

1939

Space Marines

A space-based military force.

1939

Killer Robot

An autonomous robot made for the express purpose of killing living creatures.

1940

Humanoid

An alien with a human-like shape and appearance.

1940

Robbie

A childcare robot.

1940

Talking Robot

An impractical robot, for display only.

1940

Gesturing Robot

A robot that uses gestures to communicate.

1940

Robot Suicide

A robot decides to commit suicide, and sets up a mechanism to put his decision into effect.

1941

Charging Arm

A specialized device allowing a robot to charge itself.

1941

Golden Shuttles (Mechanical Mice)

Very small robots with an appetite for watch parts.

1941

Floating Robot

A robot that floats in mid-air.

1941

Roboticist

A person who creates or works with robots.

1941

Robotics

The engineering field encompassing the creation and maintenance of robots.

1941

Robot Mother

A self-replicating robot, which creates a series of helper bots that adapt to conditions as needed.

1941

Paralyzing Eye

False eye contains mechanism for causing brief paralysis.

1941

Spacehound

Oddly canine, telepathic beast digs in asteroids for metal.

1942

Alien Self-Government

Rules to assure intelligent aliens the right to govern themselves in freedom.

1942

Asterite

A person who was born and lived amongst the asteroids.

1942

Pilot-Robot

The piloting gear of a space tug.

1942

Vestan Parasite

Semi-intelligent creatures that take control of the nervous system of other animals.

1942

Wabbler

An autonomous underwater robot.

1943

Usuform Robot

A robot designed strictly along functional lines.

1943

Mixed Men

A mostly human being, but with an additional robot brain.

1943

Off-World

Not of Earth.

1943

Rocketeer

A person who pilots rockets.

1943

Treatment of Extramundane Aborigines

Laws for aliens on their own planet.

1943

Vastening

It's hard to describe, but it's a robotic sense perception.

1944

Relations with Extraterrestrial Life

Instructions to earth citizens on how to behave when encountering alien civilizations.

1944

Multiple Robot Team

A set of robots, with the leader able to coordinate the activities of less intelligent subsidiary robots.

1946

Roboticist

A person who works on robots.

1946

Robot Cat

A biological feline with mechanical parts.

1949

Mind-Parasite

Takes over the cognition of a host organism.

1949

Robot Introspection

A robotic brain grows and learns about itself.

1950

Fontema

A strange two 'wheeled' animal.

1951

Powered artificial exoskeleton

A robotic device designed to support someone too weak to comfortably move in high gravity.

1951

Martian Perambulator

A mechanized transport for heavy gravity environments for beings born in lower gravity environments.

1951

Flying Saucer

Spacecraft flown by the androgynes of Titan - under control of the Puppetmasters.

1951

Robass

A robotic beast of burden.

1951

Personal Force-Shield

A portable force-shield small enough to be carried by a single man.

1952

Free Robot

A robot without a master.

1952

Spy-Eyes

Tiny robotic surveillance devices fly using propellers.

1952

Droid (First Use)

Contraction of "android".

1952

Esper

A person to perceive the contents of another person's mind.

1952

Self-Repairing Robot

A mechanism that can detect faults in itself and repair them.

1952

Supervisor Robot

A robot that watches over and gives orders to other robots.

1952

Robot Tennis Player

A purely mechanical, autonomous foe on the court.

1952

Robot Strike

When robots refuse to work.

1953

Leady

A radiation-resistant robot.

1953

Claws (Attack Robot)

Autonomous guard robots that attack living tissue.

1953

Mechanical Hound

An eight-legged robotic "hound" with hypodermic poison fangs.

1953

R. Daneel Olivaw

A human-like robot, skilled in police work.

1954

Metal Insects

Small autonomous flying winged robots.

1954

Inorganic Evolution

A process by which robots could alter their own structure, or the ways that they interact with other robots, to adapt to a changing world.

1954

Tanglefoot Field

A force field that would not harm but merely entangle and stop anyone (or anything) caught in it.

1954

Mechanical Bride

A perfect robotic replica of a woman.

1954

Robot Guard

Very early reference to a guard robot.

1954

Micro-Android (Micro-Robot)

An extremely tiny robot or nanobot.

1954

Automatic Companion Robot

A robotic replacement for a pet or friend.

1955

Agile Recording Robot

A recording machine that moves toward its subject.

1955

Robot Factory Representative

An ambulatory agent of an automatic factory.

1955

Search-Bug

An exploratory robot.

1955

Nanny Robot

A child-care robot with a surprisingly competitive side.

1955

Guard Robot

Early reference to a robot performing the functions of a security guard.

1956

Biltong Life Form

Remarkable organic manufacturing aliens, probably indigenous to the Centaurus system.

1956

PyrE

A thermonuclear explosive that is detonated by thought alone.

1956

Blue Collar Robot (Self-Repairing)

An autonomous robot required to find its own work.

1956

Eetee (E.T - extraterrestrial)

A sentient being not of this Earth.

1956

Undercover Detective Robot

Specialized robot masquerades as different robot types to spy on criminals.

1956

Juvenile

A robot designed to sneak around and spy on people.

1956

Precog

A person with precognitive ability (can predict the future).

1956

Robotic Hand

A dexterous manipulator for robots.

1957

Robocop

A robotic police officer.

1957

Manshonyagger

An autonomous fighting robot.

1957

Inter-Universal Messenger

A device intended to travel to another dimension.

1957

Proselytizing Robot

A robotic preacher; designed for use where believers are unwelcome.

1957

The Machine (M)

An autonomous robot able to alter its appearance and functionality at will.

1958

Police Robot

A fully autonomous, man-shaped robotic police officer.

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