Which mildly futuristic devices got omitted in SF settings?

[Czcibor]

I'm curious which simple devices in your opinion:
- do not violate any law of physics; ;)
- seem easy and inexpensive to fabricate;
- would be quite practical;
- would not shock you if were being produced in next few decades;
- but unfortunately are neglected in SF movies/stories/films/games.

By "devices" I mean here also software, vehicles or whole systems (like self driving cars brininging pizza. ;) A medical app that would give a questionnaire for symptoms, ask you to use cell phone microphone as stethoscope, make a photo of your throat and at the and in most cases give a correct answer concerning treatment of common cold or in case of any serious problem or unclear diagnosis contact a doctor. Moreover it would notify your boss how long you are unable to work)

 

[vemvare]

Drones, they are used already and yet they occur quite rarely in military SF. Some military SF also show soldiers with equipment very similar to what they'd have today, though it takes place in a world with spaceships, counter-gravity and what not. Mass deployment exoskeletons/power armor are at most 15 years away, prototypes are already being tested. Not so for spaceships...

 

[Czcibor]

(this time it seems I got the picture)

Very good point. By occasion - which size of drones would you expect (like small flying drone or maybe a tankette?)

 

[arildno]

Hmm..gravity field generating swords such as the one dragging Gandalf to it in his fall from the bridge in Moria?

Or is that a fail?

Or, are wizards characterized by the ability to make their inertial mass less than their gravitational mass??

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Most contemporary fiction is missing known technology, let alone science fiction. How many plots in films/TV/literature rely on the character not having a phone? Or internet access? Or a social media account? More often than not a protagonist is always seen physically going to see people or calling on landlines. Sherlock is the only modern TV show I know of that properly integrated modern life into a plot. Most other fiction seems to ignore what's going on now.

That might seem like an off topic comment but I mention it to highlight that if contemporary fiction doesn't exist to reflect the present why do you think speculative fiction should reflect the future? And of course we don't know what the future is really going to be like.

But in the spirit of things I will say one thing: widespread smartphone adoption. Already it seems to be the majority in the UK but the ramifications of having characters that carry devices that do more than call is often lost on near-future sci-fi.

 

[Enigman]

Hmm..gravity field generating swords such as the one dragging Gandalf to it in his fall from the bridge in Moria?

Or is that a fail?

Pretty sure it was a flail...

 

[arildno]

Pretty sure it was a flail...

Presumably, it fails on this criterion: "would be quite practical"

Who would ever want to fall into an abyss anyways, sword or not?

 

[Enigman]

Who would ever want to fall into an abyss anyways, sword or not?

Him?

 

[Czcibor]

That might seem like an off topic comment but I mention it to highlight that if contemporary fiction doesn't exist to reflect the present why do you think speculative fiction should reflect the future? And of course we don't know what the future is really going to be like.

Depends on exact gender - space opera or hard SF? Or SF that tries to be hard, except that it allows a few miraculous technologies like FTL space ships.

But in the spirit of things I will say one thing: widespread smartphone adoption. Already it seems to be the majority in the UK but the ramifications of having characters that carry devices that do more than call is often lost on near-future sci-fi.

Such consequences? ;)

 

[vemvare]

Electronic surveillance would screw up many a setting where the hero moves stealthily to accomplish his/her objective. A life-signs monitor in one of those guards, or a motion detector in that corridor and it is all over!

 

[Enigman]

A medical app that would give a questionnaire for symptoms, ask you to use cell phone microphone as stethoscope, make a photo of your throat and at the and in most cases give a correct answer concerning treatment of common cold or in case of any serious problem or unclear diagnosis contact a doctor. Moreover it would notify your boss how long you are unable to work)

Ask and ye shall receive*.
http://phys.org/news/2014-03-pocket-diagnosis.html
http://phys.org/news/2014-02-google-glass-emerging-health-threats.html#nRlv

*Or be deceived (much more probable).

 

[HallsofIvy]

How about simply- calculators? I remember several Asimov (and perhaps Heinlein) stories in which the hero (in say AD 4000) whipped out his slide rule to do a calculation! (In fairness to Heinlein, I'm pretty sure the one time he mentions a "slide rule", it is an "electronic slide rule".)

And, of course, we've all heard about computers that cover entire continents, if not planets.

 

[vemvare]

To be fair, if calculating/simulating something requires a ridiculous amount of iterations, then a very, very large computer could make sense.

If anything else in contemporary fiction will be considered zeerust in the future, it is the common lack of advanced medical technology as well as a lack of genetic enhancement and bionic implants.

Oh, I almost forgot - people being enslaved or being the toiling underclass in a futuristic setting. What is the point of that when there's automation?

Also mildly futuristic (in technological capability, though not in real world engineering) is space stations big enough to host a permanent human population. Forget looking for oxygen-atmospheres across the light years and futilely hoping Einstein to be wrong, also forget running out of food.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Oh, I almost forgot - people being enslaved or being the toiling underclass in a futuristic setting. What is the point of that when there's automation?

In some stories the existence of an underclass is maintained by automation. The poor being unable to work are kept alive, docile and downtrodden by automated industry owned by the higher classes. A good example is Manna by Marshall Brain (available free here http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm)

 

[GTOM]

"Electronic surveillance would screw up many a setting where the hero moves stealthily to accomplish his/her objective. A life-signs monitor in one of those guards, or a motion detector in that corridor and it is all over! "

Such things arent impossible today, but commandos can get around. Getting in a really high security building requires hacking, inner help anyway.

"Also mildly futuristic (in technological capability, though not in real world engineering) is space stations big enough to host a permanent human population. Forget looking for oxygen-atmospheres across the light years and futilely hoping Einstein to be wrong, also forget running out of food. "

One guy i know was rather optimistic about orbitallers, that maybe the majority of mankind will live on such things. I'm rather skeptical about that. IMHO just because something don't have ftl, it isn't necessary scales more plausible. (Mohs scale 4 vs 5 according to TV troupe)

But ontopic, i could come up with one thing, recently our dog ate something that she really shouldn't have.
Maybe they could develop smart pet collars that warn them by a little shock or some flash, that they shouldn't run across the street in the traffic, and do other kinds of stupid things.

 

[Czcibor]

If anything else in contemporary fiction will be considered zeerust in the future, it is the common lack of advanced medical technology as well as a lack of genetic enhancement and bionic implants.

Piccard should at least have his hair intact? ;)

Oh, I almost forgot - people being enslaved or being the toiling underclass in a futuristic setting. What is the point of that when there's automation?

Makes good story. Higher classes providing bottom of the society with highest quality bread, circuses and safety net generous by standards of first world society from early XXIst century does not provide expected good vs. evil conflict.

Sending underclasses to mines looks villainous enough, while sending them to do mcjobs does not sound so malicious.

 

[Enigman]

http://science.howstuffworks.com/transparent-aluminum-armor3.htm

 

[vemvare]

Whats that, "how not to title a popular-science article"?

 

[GTOM]

I can't remember any SF with electric cigars.
I wonder about new "smart" things, but i fail to see the meaning of smart clothes, smart tables.
I read a book where the gang leader had the idea of making cups that keep coffee on pleasant temp level. Suitcases follow their owner would be also good.

 

[Czcibor]

One more idea - self driving car to sleep. With not so bad beds, flat thus aerodynamic. So one go to sleep in one place and the car drives him to another. No money spent on hotel, no time wasted on travel and the car could even usually drive quite slow.

 

[GTOM]

One more idea - self driving car to sleep. With not so bad beds, flat thus aerodynamic. So one go to sleep in one place and the car drives him to another. No money spent on hotel, no time wasted on travel and the car could even usually drive quite slow.

(In one of my setting, i'll write, that a big taxi with untransparent windows isn't that special. They tend to use such things for sex.)

 

[Czcibor]

(In one of my setting, i'll write, that a big taxi with untransparent windows isn't that special. They tend to use such things for sex.)

Seat belts? ;)

 

[GTOM]

Seat belts? ;)

I think robo traffic is safe enough, that seat belts arent obligatory.

 

[Czcibor]

I think robo traffic is safe enough, that seat belts arent obligatory.

Just in case for this purpose seat belts can be in BDSM style :D

Hmm... in my setting it wouldn't work to well... Social norms would be tolerant enough for that purpose... just this air friction would make most of cars flat at elongated, thus not allowing two people next to each other...

 

[GTOM]

While i like my smartphone for reading, but typing on it is rather unpleasant. Maybe that could be helped with expendable, paper like keypad, or holo-keypad?

 

[Czcibor]

Something like that?

 

[GTOM]

Yes, something like that, just without a solid table, so i could type this message conveniently during travel.

 

[newjerseyrunner]

Sometimes technology ends up in places we don't expect it. For example in the Star Trek cartoon, the communicator was just for communication, but on every mission they had something called a tricorder which could record and play things back in 3D.

 

[Hornbein]

Maybe they could develop smart pet collars that warn them by a little shock or some flash, that they shouldn't run across the street in the traffic, and do other kinds of stupid things.

Oh, that's good...

 

[Czcibor]

After wasting / spending half day for planning 2 day trip:

A website that finds you:
-main tourist attraction
-transport routes
-sleeping accommodation

Is really up to date and takes into account open hours and prices, and based on preselected choices knows your rough preferences.

And at the end you just choose between advised ideas, click OK and pay for all.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

This thread seems to have become "things I would like" rather than "technologies not foreseen in science fiction". As this is the science fiction forum it would be best it the conversation steered back towards the latter.

 

[GTOM]

Should someone open another thread for exchanging ideas what would be good, realistic in our future?

 

[Czcibor]

This thread seems to have become "things I would like" rather than "technologies not foreseen in science fiction". As this is the science fiction forum it would be best it the conversation steered back towards the latter.

The problem is that SF tend to be preoccupied with big stuff, like for example nuclear powdered space ships. Just such crucial changes for life happen from actually small devices. I've seen a jokes that introduction of washing machines did more to equal rights of women than all political movements. So I would consider such wish as quite helpful, after all if a gizmo is desired around AD 2015, then in farer future could be expected to be mature technology bought in discount bin equivalent or in best case even an outdated tech.

Think about story potential for a derelict building with dirty walls, where a mysterious noise in middle of the night turns out to be an old roomba, while at that time all people use much silent devices that connects to net and thanks to gecko like climb ability also clean windows? ;)

Should someone open another thread for exchanging ideas what would be good, realistic in our future?

And then the discussion would drift to more speculative devices, which would bring us here back? ;)

 

[JBA]

Because of my advanced age, to the best of my memory, one of the earliest misses was the transmission of pictures from a landing on another Planet/Moon. The communications in all early SF stories and movies leading up to the Apollo Moon landing were, generally static laden, radio communications. Not even the best Asimov, Clark, etc. missed that one.

 

[EtherialMind]

For one, reusable spaceship configurations. A modular approach with established designs and known capabilities selected for optimum outcomes.