Chuck Anumia
SOC-14 1K
Ear mountable computer interfaces so you can talk to your computer and only you will hear it respond to you?
Far Future gadgets (and toys for the rich)
- Thread starter Chuck Anumia
- Start date
It's easy to get caught up in the ultimate PDA.
With ubiquitous connectivity, and "unlimited" miniaturization, "smart goggles" (contact lenses, retinas, whatever) start becoming very practical.
I think it was a Vernor Vinge book (Fire upon the deep? Maybe? I don't recall -- it's not my idea either way) where your vision was essentially augmented, being able to add to your field of view extra information.
Trival things like imagine you're a sales person, a guy walks in and a little tag floats above his head with his name, a small "sticky" that he was here last 2 weeks ago looking at the Grav Bike 2000, etc. All this because the AI augmented vision remembers what the guy looked like, and the little notes you wanted to keep on him (much of which may have simply been gleaned by the AI monitoring the conversation).
Casinos will more than welcome people with such devices, they just may need to change their games. Casinos today rarely have single deck 21 for a reason, and there isn't a game on the floor that pays fair odds to the player (save craps). Assuming the roulette wheel isn't out of balance, it's a fair game for everyone.
Same with slot machines. The Black Hole of casino gambling. People gamble to gamble. Casinos want to patronize their customers, and are attracted to games that are consistent where the player can't gain an advantage.
I think the next Great Invention will be some kind of "auto cooker" that lets you easily make dishes. Think about the "auto popcorn popper" mode on your microwave, or an intelligent meat thermometer that "knows" what kind of meat it is in, knows how you like it (you told it -- "I like my roast beef medium rare"), and then tells the auto cooker the temperature ranges, and times.
The real key will be as things get more and more general pupose. Look today as cellphones and PDA/address books converge with MP3 players, video cameras, web browsers. Generic Infotainment device limited solely by formfactor.
When we can get towards "robots", the push will be for making those more and more general purpose (RoboRex 1000 -- Now with Auto Cooker! Shops, prepares, cooks, carves and serves meals and will walk the dog afterward.)
Then of course there are the ultimate "personal assistants". Just like a personal secretary for a busy executive today, only automated but with the same interface. As easy as the web may be today to book travel, it's not as easy as "Sally, I have a 9am in New York next Wednsday, book me someplace nice and I need dinner reservations for 4."
There is so much "unsaid" in that conversation that befuddles modern systems and is the night and day between a good experience and a lousy one.
Personal Mechanical labor ("Honey, get me a beer!"), and simplification of busy work are what folks want.
With ubiquitous connectivity, and "unlimited" miniaturization, "smart goggles" (contact lenses, retinas, whatever) start becoming very practical.
I think it was a Vernor Vinge book (Fire upon the deep? Maybe? I don't recall -- it's not my idea either way) where your vision was essentially augmented, being able to add to your field of view extra information.
Trival things like imagine you're a sales person, a guy walks in and a little tag floats above his head with his name, a small "sticky" that he was here last 2 weeks ago looking at the Grav Bike 2000, etc. All this because the AI augmented vision remembers what the guy looked like, and the little notes you wanted to keep on him (much of which may have simply been gleaned by the AI monitoring the conversation).
Casinos will more than welcome people with such devices, they just may need to change their games. Casinos today rarely have single deck 21 for a reason, and there isn't a game on the floor that pays fair odds to the player (save craps). Assuming the roulette wheel isn't out of balance, it's a fair game for everyone.
Same with slot machines. The Black Hole of casino gambling. People gamble to gamble. Casinos want to patronize their customers, and are attracted to games that are consistent where the player can't gain an advantage.
I think the next Great Invention will be some kind of "auto cooker" that lets you easily make dishes. Think about the "auto popcorn popper" mode on your microwave, or an intelligent meat thermometer that "knows" what kind of meat it is in, knows how you like it (you told it -- "I like my roast beef medium rare"), and then tells the auto cooker the temperature ranges, and times.
The real key will be as things get more and more general pupose. Look today as cellphones and PDA/address books converge with MP3 players, video cameras, web browsers. Generic Infotainment device limited solely by formfactor.
When we can get towards "robots", the push will be for making those more and more general purpose (RoboRex 1000 -- Now with Auto Cooker! Shops, prepares, cooks, carves and serves meals and will walk the dog afterward.)
Then of course there are the ultimate "personal assistants". Just like a personal secretary for a busy executive today, only automated but with the same interface. As easy as the web may be today to book travel, it's not as easy as "Sally, I have a 9am in New York next Wednsday, book me someplace nice and I need dinner reservations for 4."
There is so much "unsaid" in that conversation that befuddles modern systems and is the night and day between a good experience and a lousy one.
Personal Mechanical labor ("Honey, get me a beer!"), and simplification of busy work are what folks want.
Chuck Anumia
SOC-14 1K
Cool!
How about Virtual Reality entertainment devices? (not like the Orgasmitron, well maybe even that).
How about Virtual Reality entertainment devices? (not like the Orgasmitron, well maybe even that).
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
whartung,
Just what do you mean by "with the same interface"?
Just what do you mean by "with the same interface"?
Chuck Anumia
SOC-14 1K
What gadgets could the "Iridium Throne" have in it?
Chuck Anumia
SOC-14 1K
Virtual girlfriend on a holo crystal?
RainOfSteel
SOC-14 1K
TL-16 Psi-Shield, a massive one.
TL-15 Medical Sensors: To monitor the Emperor's health down to the microsecond.
TL-15 Advanced AutoDoc.
TL-15 Advanced Life Support: Capable if providing up to 20 dTons volume of life support for two weeks, including high-quality expensive emergency rations.
Defense System: Entire throne and circular platform around it can go straight up ten meters through a heavily armored cylinder into an ISS (Imperial Secret Service) protected armored room. As the throne is accelerating up (on actual thrusters), two circular armor barriers, one from above, and one from below, snap into place in less than 1/10,000th of a second via explosive acceleration. Activates automatically upon the detection of a visible (multi-spectrum) threat to the Emperor.
TL-15 Nuclear Damper (whole Throne Room always protected).
TL-15 Meson Screen (whole Throne Room always protected).
Chuck Anumia
SOC-14 1K
Computerised Sniper scopes?
Dental whitening that is painless and does not require implants?
Dental whitening that is painless and does not require implants?
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Better yet, Preacher, how about a biomod that continuously recycles your teeth? Instead of having 1 set of adult teeth, you would keep getting them every decade or two - they would just push the old ones out like they do with baby teeth. And, you could keep getting quarters under your pillow for your entire life!
Chuck Anumia
SOC-14 1K
Ehwww!
Kind of like Sharks teeth?
Kind of like Sharks teeth?
RainOfSteel
SOC-14 1K
Ugh! New teeth every few years?
<wanders off, shuddering at the nightmares he's had over losing teeth />
P
Pickles
Guest
I don't know if the movers and shakers of the Traveller Universe would be happy with gap-toothed smiles ... 
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
Hey, it might become a fashion trend! All the entertainment shows could do a bit on the dresses, the hair, and which teeth are missing....
Chuck Anumia
SOC-14 1K
How about a portable device that takes any biodegradable mass and produces a paste for survival purposes?
An upgraded model could produce different flavors like chockolate, turkey gravy, orange, peanut butter, etc.
What tech Level would this be?
An upgraded model could produce different flavors like chockolate, turkey gravy, orange, peanut butter, etc.
What tech Level would this be?
Fritz_Brown
Super Moderator
And, the military version would give flavors like Pork Chow Mein, where it would be the taste equivalent of evrything in a Chow Mein meal (including egg rolls, sauces, and the fortune cookie) put in a blender and pureed. All that, and 5000 calories, too!
Chuck Anumia
SOC-14 1K
Right! This one is for the ISS and Navy.
Coffeejuice Flavor!
Here's some stuff that exists now (early TL8), either as a product or in experimental/prototype form.
Out of a commission Philips have given my group this little piece of tech that's the size of a cig lighter and is a video camera (25 mins), stills camera (2MP), and mp3 player (125mb). A bit of a gimmick, but it works. In fact, it's too small - so easy to forget or lose in oyur pocket. In a few years there'll be little boxes that are pc, camera, mike, media player, communicator ad infinitum, probably about the size of a coin. This'll need some kind of control system as it will be too small for buttons.
Mind control: this ain't far fetched, it already exists, and would be necessary for alot of Traveller tech. For instance, you're in heavy combat holding your ACR in both hands, scanning your HuD in your Tac-helmet, how do you switch targets? Fiddle with a touch pad on your wrist? Use your tongue to manipulate a little stud in your helmet? Or use a brainwave interface to quickly, cleanly, and automatically switch targets from the guy with his hands up to the guy holding the rpg. They've already had paraplegics control a cursor using their mind using implants, but once refined (say TL10) you could probably do it with a simple skullcap. After all, it's still quite a simple operation, just like using a mouse. We're not talking instant search and recall built into the human mind.
On another note, this tech can work in reverse. Researchers working on epilepsy have found a way to stimulate a pre-fit mental state using a helmet. Subjects report a profound feeling of another presence, like the presence of god (the thesis is that religious prophets were epileptic), and it was highly amusing watching Richard Dawkins try and deny he was affected when he was tested. Extrapolate a bit and al sorts of tech comes to mind, such as the mind control device in The Gap stories, or say a cap that religious dictatorships inflict on their pops to instill devotion to the faith. And then there's the old fave's of VR style stuff.
And finally, the domestic auto-doc. Not quite there yet, but in Japan they've come up with a toilet that analyses your poo and tells you if you need to see the doctor (I remember reading this in a Greg Bear novel too).
I think T20 could do with an extensive futuretech sourcebook. After all, you can buy all manner of firearms (a single class of tool), but only a handful of generic 'other' tools.
Out of a commission Philips have given my group this little piece of tech that's the size of a cig lighter and is a video camera (25 mins), stills camera (2MP), and mp3 player (125mb). A bit of a gimmick, but it works. In fact, it's too small - so easy to forget or lose in oyur pocket. In a few years there'll be little boxes that are pc, camera, mike, media player, communicator ad infinitum, probably about the size of a coin. This'll need some kind of control system as it will be too small for buttons.
Mind control: this ain't far fetched, it already exists, and would be necessary for alot of Traveller tech. For instance, you're in heavy combat holding your ACR in both hands, scanning your HuD in your Tac-helmet, how do you switch targets? Fiddle with a touch pad on your wrist? Use your tongue to manipulate a little stud in your helmet? Or use a brainwave interface to quickly, cleanly, and automatically switch targets from the guy with his hands up to the guy holding the rpg. They've already had paraplegics control a cursor using their mind using implants, but once refined (say TL10) you could probably do it with a simple skullcap. After all, it's still quite a simple operation, just like using a mouse. We're not talking instant search and recall built into the human mind.
On another note, this tech can work in reverse. Researchers working on epilepsy have found a way to stimulate a pre-fit mental state using a helmet. Subjects report a profound feeling of another presence, like the presence of god (the thesis is that religious prophets were epileptic), and it was highly amusing watching Richard Dawkins try and deny he was affected when he was tested. Extrapolate a bit and al sorts of tech comes to mind, such as the mind control device in The Gap stories, or say a cap that religious dictatorships inflict on their pops to instill devotion to the faith. And then there's the old fave's of VR style stuff.
And finally, the domestic auto-doc. Not quite there yet, but in Japan they've come up with a toilet that analyses your poo and tells you if you need to see the doctor (I remember reading this in a Greg Bear novel too).
I think T20 could do with an extensive futuretech sourcebook. After all, you can buy all manner of firearms (a single class of tool), but only a handful of generic 'other' tools.
Extended Bladder (TL9). A vat-grown, larger version of a urinal bladder surgically implanted in the recipient, increasing his or her ability to hold urine. The installation of additional micro-filtration systems allows urine to be processed and some of the water in it recalimed, reducing both water loss and urine volume.
Glow Flower (TL8). A small plant (which you could grow in a small-to-medium pot) in which the genes for Luciferine and Luciferaze (which are involved in light production in bacteria and fireflies and have been isolated IRL) have been inserted into the DNA sequence governing flower pigmentation. The result is that the plant's flowers glow dimly, especially in the dark, and no battery is required - the plant uses the glocuse created by photosynthesis to provide the required energy (in form of ATP) for the production of light (so you "charge" it during daylight and then let it glow at night). Since the amount of light created by this gengineered plant isn't considerable, it has little practical value, and is mostly used for decoration.
Glow Flower (TL8). A small plant (which you could grow in a small-to-medium pot) in which the genes for Luciferine and Luciferaze (which are involved in light production in bacteria and fireflies and have been isolated IRL) have been inserted into the DNA sequence governing flower pigmentation. The result is that the plant's flowers glow dimly, especially in the dark, and no battery is required - the plant uses the glocuse created by photosynthesis to provide the required energy (in form of ATP) for the production of light (so you "charge" it during daylight and then let it glow at night). Since the amount of light created by this gengineered plant isn't considerable, it has little practical value, and is mostly used for decoration.