The halls of science fiction are well-decorated with dreams of holograms—Jules Verne introduced holography to literature in 1893 with The Castle of the Carpathians, and how else would we know that Obi-Wan was Leia's only hope?
Hoverbikes are the stuff of literal science fiction. Perhaps best known for their role in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, hoverbikes are as imagined one-person transports that fly above the ground, great for carrying scouts but also terrible at avoiding trees. British firm Malloy Aeronautics built a quadcopter hoverbike that can carry a robot. Now, Malloy has joined with an American firm to develop the hoverbike for the Department of Defense.
Science fiction encourages people to dream big, envisioning what the future could be like and all of the possible paths that we could take. But not everyone gets a chance to really delve into science and the fiction surrounding it. Low-income and minority students are consistently underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.
In the ocean depths, off the western coast of Australia, a robot captain was listening to its subordinates. This isn't the plot of a science fiction. Instead it's part of a research project that will explore our seas better. For three weeks, MIT engineers tested several underwater autonomous robots with decision-making programming inspired by starship crew functions.
The Hugo Awards are one of the most prestigious prizes in science fiction and fantasy literature. They are career-defining honors for those authors skilled and lucky enough to win one, and a lifetime goal for the rest. But this week, for the first time in the 62-year history of the awards, two nominees have withdrawn their work from consideration in response to a controversy that has embroiled the entire industry. Fans are calling the controversy “Puppygate,” and despite the silly name, it has the potential to tear the foundations of science fiction fandom apart.
Previous
