Questions tagged [technological-development]
For questions about the progress of a society's technological state.
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How would a government lay claim over a Space Colony that it never founded? What legal arguments could they make to cite it’s always been theirs? [closed]
I’ve read some books with a premise of leaving an increasingly centralized and decadent Earth for the stars before it heads a turn for the extra worse
Part of their premise is Earth Governments ...
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How would computers develop in a society where a Cherokee-like language is the dominant lingua franca?
I am writing a book set in a parallel universe where English is not the dominant language and the dominant language is a complex polysynthetic language that makes use of a complex system of word ...
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How far can a limited group of people advance in technology?
following scenario: a group of people (like 20-30) is brought to a new planet by a higher power. They are granted immortality, but can't reproduce - so they have a lot of time, but a hard limit in ...
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Can an airforce be developed in secret?
In the course of events in my world (tech = 1920-ish, but no airplanes. Maybe blimps.), a large archipelago nation is invaded by a naval superpower. The archipelago nation, which had been developing ...
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Computing technology in a world with only Gold, Copper, and Silver
As the title suggests, in this world there are only three metals available in any meaningful amount: copper, gold and silver. How advanced could computers get in this world? Could things like the ...
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Possibility of solar powered space stations around a red dwarf
I have an earth-like world orbiting an M7 red dwarf on the outer edge of the habitable zone(0.0443AU). Since red dwarfs emit more infrared light than visible light, solar panels would probably not be ...
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What technologies would be useful to a society trying to attain elevation?
Setting
This question is about a human culture, with conditions essentially the same as Earth's with technology roughly comparable to early middle ages. The climate is roughly Alpine, although the ...
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Radio, but earlier
Let start with a current history tech-levels. Suppose, a relevant scientist in a mid-tier Great Power in 1850s receives a mysterious package.
To be concrete, let's say a mid-tier Great Power is maybe ...
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Could you achieve a crude bessemer converter with late medieval technology
Planning to write a story. I was wondering if it was plausible that (with a decent understanding of how the thing works), if you could build a crude Bessemer converter using only technology available ...
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How bad would it be, if aliens wiped out high-end processor production? [closed]
Let's imagine Contact with some space-faring civilization tomorrow. We will meet them, "shake their many appendages, <...>, and even attempt diplomacy."
The result is that in a few ...
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Potentional ways to exploit track built for very fast & very *very* heavy trains when transitioning to high speed rail?
In this world a nation has built 2 railway networks, a smaller 3'6" gauge network & a heavier 4'8" railway network. The 4'8" network connects most of the major cities & has very ...
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Would fixed-wing aircraft still exist if helicopters had been invented (and flown) before them?
The current setting i'm working on plays in an alternate timeline to our own in the late 1920's, with one of the key differences being that the helicopter had already been invented in the late 1880's ...
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What would naval warfare look like if Dreadnoughts never came to be?
I sadly couldn't find any answers to this question, probably because it's quite niche, so i'm posting this as my first question here!
The https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Dreadnought_(1906) was ...
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How would a 4-armed, blind species,use firearms?
My blind, intelligent species has advanced technologically to the stage of space exploration through the usage of FTL travel. The reason for their blindness is evolving underground, after the surface ...
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Could a race with 20th century computer technology plausibly develop general-purpose AI?
I have a race of aliens whose technology roughly corresponds to humanity’s in the early 1970s. Wireless communications via microwaves have been developed, but are only available to important groups ...
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What could Kaiju do to stop us from travelling into deep space?
The world's overrun with Kaiju but, while they kill many and cause much destruction, our civilization continues, migrating inward, away from the coasts where the Kaiju typically occupy.
Question is ...
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Landmine detonation by air explosions?
In the story I am creating, there's a near-future Earth, where humanity is recovering from global conflict; only parts of the world have retained the science and technologies that have been widespread ...
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How Would a Spacefaring Civilization Using No Electricity Communicate?
I'm working on a civilization who was born out of a century-long interstellar war with an AI. So they had previously developed electrical and digital technology but now they're avoiding using any of ...
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Reasons for low-tech in sci-fi [closed]
My sci-fi world is stuck in a low-tech state. What would be the underlying reasons?
In Dune, it's the recent Jihad against machines.
In the 40k setting, it's religion.
In MechWarrior, it's an ...
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Can it be called an 'illusion' if it can change things? [closed]
In a sci-fi book that I am still to write, can I use the word 'illusion' to denote extreme cases of mind trickery where such an 'illusion' can alter things and space around, example: people are able ...
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Radios and walkie-talkie [closed]
In a solar punk if there are radios and walkie talkies being used regularly by a very poor post-apocalyptic society...does it sound believable that there are no airplanes and flying vehicles nor cars, ...
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Social and Technological Constraints in an Aquatic Society [closed]
If humans had evolved as aquatic mammals, as opposed to terrestrial mammals, what aquatic resources would be available which were not available to terrestrial societies.
Some foundational technologies ...
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Is it possible for rockets to exist in a world that is only in the early stages of developing jet aircraft?
More specifically, is it possible for rocket engines comparable to those of the mid 1960s to exist in a world where in atmosphere jet engines are only in their early stages of development?
This world ...
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How close to modern technology can humans plausibly get without discovering nukes?
This is for humans living on a similar planet as earth and similar tech-development (in my setting, there is magic, but I want the most ideal, non-magic answer to this so I can better tweak the other ...
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How limited would computers be if silicon transistors were never invented?
In a world where silicon transistors were never invented, how many limitations would be incurred if we had to continue to use germanium transistors? In this world, silicon transistors were never ...
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How would a civilization of techno-barbarians maintain their space ships?
Recently I've gotten interested in the planetary romance genre and the idea of a sword, sorcery and spaceships genre.
So here's the dynamic is basically something like this.
There is a star system ...
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Non-electrical technology that pre-modern people would see as magic?
My world was colonized by spacefaring humans who lost the vast majority of their technology in an unknown catastrophe at least 12,000 years before the present. They have now redeveloped roughly up to ...
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Is a "20th century" spacefaring civilization plausible?
This civilization has computational technology roughly equivalent to Earth's in the late 20th century. We're talking post-moon landing, but pre-Internet (roughly 1969-1983). They may or may not have ...
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Types of available ores and metallurgy on a "newly" terraformed planet?
I am developing a story set on an exoplanet that was colonized by spacefaring humans but has long since lost all contact with the homeworld due to some unknown catastrophe at least 12,000 years before ...
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How advanced and/or important would aircraft be for a species capable naturally of decent to good flight? [closed]
I am wondering how a species capable naturally/supernaturally(with limits) of decent to good flight, i.e capable of flying for hours and possibly can hover, would treat aircraft like passenger jets ...
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Inherited memories to rebuild a fallen civilisation
So, humans have achieved interstellar flight and colonised a distant planet. They have terraformed this world, and now they are beginning to build their first cities.
However, a Neo-Luddite faction ...
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Preservation of knowledge in the event of apocalypse [duplicate]
I am trying to think of a good way for an effectively all-powerful organization to preserve humanity's knowledge for when the inevitable apocalypse happens so that, when the time comes for survivors ...
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Medical technology in a post-collapse exoplanet
I am developing a story set on a habitable, Earth-like exoplanet which was colonized by spacefaring humans, but has long since lost all contact with the homeworld due to some catastrophe approximately ...
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Portable Alternatives to Traditional Keyboard/Mouse Input
In a near-future alternate reality where smartphones were never invented, people rely heavily on augmented reality and highly mobile computing. High-tech clothing and accessories are everywhere. Heads-...
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Could a species that doesn't sleep invent technology? [closed]
Could a species that does not naturally sleep invent complex technologies as humans have?
Sleep is important to processing information, and high technology evidently requires much more information ...
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How can I define the technology level?
When describing my alien civilisations, I frequently see the necessity to define a particular civilisation's technology level.
How can I do it?
The alien civilisation I'm currently working on is ...
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Maximum economic growth rate in developed countries in the 21st century [closed]
Given a hypothetical 500M-1Bn population at the social, economic, political, financial, industrial, military, etc. capacities available in the most developed countries currently (2023, e.g. Nordic ...
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What effects would a Jupiter-like gas giant's magnetosphere have on a human civilization on its habitable exo-moon?
Background:
Like many others here, I'm building a world for a story I'm writing. I'd like it to be taken for granted that a moon roughly the size of Earth that is habitable for humans could exist in a ...
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Where can a non-clarkean civilisation find an FTL Space-drive?
So, this is the deal. In this scenario, humans are unable to create an interstellar civilisation. They have tried colonising exoplanets the slow way, at about a quarter of the speed of light, but this ...
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Need counters for a near perfect Anti Thermal and Kinetic armor system in a near future setting
So I have an armor that is virtually impervious to small arms fire, and am looking for inspiration and suggestions on an unconventional way to defeat said armor.
The armor is called Anti Thermal And ...
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Potential, ethically-questionable advancements in science [closed]
I'm creating a futuristic dystopia in which a religious sect decides to shun advancements in technology and science.
The reason for this is that science has evolved in ethically questionable ways. ...
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How could I justify use of swords, bows, and similar in a technological setting? [duplicate]
First, a quick explanation of the world's functioning.
It was home to nature-worshipping tribes, which had such a strong connection to the goddesses that developed to be like super-humans (longevity, ...
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How do we replace printing by automated writing?
It is the year 1800 technology-level. In this world, no one uses any kind of printing technology (moveable type, typewriters, block printing, lithography, etc). People still write, and need to ...
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How to significantly slow/stop computer development from advancing past the early 1990s?
I have a world where both computers and biological technology have matured to serve the needs of my people. Both have numerous people researching and making use of their equipment. For example, ...
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In a post-nuclear apocalypse society, assuming knowledge and skill, what are the key supply chains needed to rebuild modern electronics?
I'm building an RPG game set in a post nuclear apocalypse. The twist is it's been almost a hundred years since the war, and the world has rebuilt but unevenly. The way I imagined it, technology ...
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Why would soldiers continue using helmets after the Renaissance?
In my world, it is a mix of Renaissance and 17th century style. For soldiers, they wear helmets as part of their uniform and armor. However, even into their version of the 1700s and 1800s, they ...
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Why does an interstellar civilisation use outdated weapons? [closed]
Backstory
In a distant galaxy, humanity once had an empire sprawling hundreds of thousands of stars. Then it collapsed. Now humanity is beginning to spread again, absorbing its old colonies into a new ...
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At what point should I halt humanity's development so that they don't start destroying habitats? How can I achieve this? [closed]
I'm creating a world where it's impossible for human civilization do develop to the point that they could start seriously destroying habitats. I'm not even talking about the industrial revolution. ...
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Could a single, hyper-advanced civilization develop among many unadvanced societies?
In my world, there is a confederacy of citystates, ruled by witches and Pagans. They left to escape persecution from Christians (of my world) in the 13th-14th centuries, though they do not know that ...
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Why have non-magic technology when there is already a magic solution?
In my world, magic and technology have a weird relationship. While they do combine and help advance growing civilizations, they can also inhibit each other. For example, if there are healing spells, ...
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