im making a scifi story what should i use instead of binoculars?

6 Responses to im making a scifi story what should i use instead of binoculars?

1. Rictor says:

   May 16, 2011 at 7:03 am

   Maybe some kind of 3D projection of the area that can update where they are looking at.
2. Yankee in Montana says:

   May 16, 2011 at 7:27 am

   You have the great opportunity to make up anything you want. It’s fiction, Dude! A fellow writer is writing a fantasy book and she made up a great name for a compass-like instrument. It has special proerties that make it even better than a compass. Totally fictional, but a cool instrument. I can’t share the name of it with you because she hasn’t published the book yet, but the point is, let your imagination come up with whatever you want.You can name it what you want, give it the features that you want and describe it like you want.

   Of course, there’s no reason you CAN’T use “binoculars.”

   What about telescopes, monoculars, far-seers, distance glasses…..?
3. Lana T. says:

   May 16, 2011 at 7:56 am

   i agree with YANKEE! it’s not real so you can make up new equipment and give the equipment interesting new names! what fun!
4. Steve says:

   May 16, 2011 at 8:09 am

   It very much depends how advanced the technology is supposed to be, and how often your character is going to need to use this gadget. A lot of sci-fi writers don’t think about what else their inventions might be used for, or what other technologies would have to be invented to make the gadgets in the story possible.

   Perhaps you could have some sort of headband or helmet with little folding telescopes that slide down in front of the wearer’s eyes when he needs them.

   Or VR goggles with a camera on either side of the head. The cameras have zoom lenses and the goggles can show the pictures from them. Or there might be a little pilotless aircraft that can transmit a picture to the goggles. You could even build up a 3D model of what you’re looking at, as the drone flies around.

   Or, somewhat more drastic, the magnifying lenses could be grafted on to the person’s head, sliding in front of his eyes as needed. It might even be possible to alter the lens of the eye itself so that it can magnify when the person thinks about it.
5. Spacedogg says:

   May 16, 2011 at 8:31 am

   You can wear glasses if you get closer to the paper/computer.
6. muncie birder says:

   May 16, 2011 at 8:48 am

   a spotting scope. much more powerful than binoculars, but you need to include a tripod to hold it. A camera either still or motion. The current models have fantastic zoom capability and there is a permanent record of what was seen.