Science Fiction Research Articles

The development history and future prospects of artificial intelligence in facial recognition technology

In recent decades, with the fast development of various algorithms and the rapid improvement of computer hardware performance, the development of facial recognition technology has been very rapid. This technology used to only appear in science fiction movies, but now it has been widely used in mobile payments, identity recognition, and other fields, and it also has very reliable performance. This article introduces the different facial recognition methods used in different periods of facial recognition technology from the 1960s and 1970s to the present day, to help people understand the development process of facial recognition technology. Among them, the focus is on early methods based on geometric features, grayscale information, and feature extraction, as well as recent applications based on deep learning and convolutional neural networks. In response to some challenges faced by current technology, some speculations on possible future development directions are proposed.

Mapping and animating Star Wars Millennium Falcon hyperspace jumping base on Blender

Science fiction movies are fictional, which means that most of the elements portrayed are not real but rather imaginative. For most space operas, writers often devise creative solutions to overcome the limitations imposed by the speed of light, such as the concept of hyperspace in "Star Wars" to bypass speed restrictions. This study aimed to celebrate the 47th Force Day in 2024 by using the non-commercial software Blender to recreate the iconic Disney version of hyperspace jumping visual effects. The research effort included reproducing both the hyperspace flyby scene and the scene of a spaceship jumping out of hyperspace, showcasing stunning visual effects achieved through Blender's rendering and special effects capabilities. In the context of the Disney version of hyperspace jumping featuring a swirling blue tunnel, the research team meticulously modeled and rendered the spaceship's traversal through hyperspace within Blender. Additionally, the paper employed special effects techniques to recreate the spectacular moment of the spaceship emerging from hyperspace, capturing the visual allure of Disney's interpretation of hyperspace jumping. The results demonstrate the feasibility of this endeavor, albeit with potential technical flaws.

Neformalių XX a. pabaigos – XXI a. pradžios Lietuvos jaunimo leidinių – fanzinų – leidybos tendencijos

This article analyzes Lithuanian youth subcultural group publications – fanzines (zines) – which have not yet received broader attention from researchers. Paper fanzines started to be created at the end of the 20th century and became popular in the 1990s, spreading Western culture ideas and changing the political, and socio-cultural environment in Lithuania along with technological copying and reproduction possibilities. Using resources from Lithuania’s Youth Culture Digital Archive “Lithuanian Zine Collection” and additionally collected sources, the article analyzes the trends in the creation and publishing of fanzines. By comparing the publishing similarities and differences of fanzines attributed to different subcultural groups, the aim is to understand the cultural context of these publications, their relationship with readers, and the publishing possibilities of fanzine creators. The study applies descriptive metadata analysis and systematization of fanzines, as well as ethnographic research methods (targeted interview, questionnaire, and qualitative interviews with fanzine authors, publishers, and collectors). The research results showed that in Lithuania, mainly in the 1990s, metal music fanzine authors, unlike punks and science fiction fans, created more publications written in English. Metal music fanzines were characterized by greater volume. Science fiction fans’ publications differed from those of metalheads and punks by a greater number of continuous issues and fewer one-time publications. Authors of fanzines associated with punk ideology mostly chose to independently reproduce publications using a copying machine, while creators of metal music and science fiction fanzines more often used professional printing services. The language used in fanzines and its style helped to form a close relationship with readers, revealed the identity traits of subcultural groups, and helped metal music fanzine authors to integrate into the international fanzine culture context. Seeking independence and individuality, fanzine creators disregarded professional publishing standards. Fanzine publishing depended on individual choice, motivation, creativity, reader interest, and technological possibilities (publication reproduction, layout). Fanzines created in Lithuania became one of the main forms of idea dissemination, creative freedom, and self-expression for alternative youth communication.

Exploring Gender Roles and Stereotypes in Literature: An Analysis of Contemporary Works

Purpose: This study aims to explore the representation of gender roles and stereotypes in contemporary literature. The analysis was conducted using secondary data from a variety of literary works published in the past decade. The study aimed to investigate how gender dynamics are portrayed and whether traditional gender roles and stereotypes are reinforced or challenged. Methodology: A comprehensive literature review was conducted to select appropriate works for analysis. A total of 30 novels and short stories were selected across different genres, including fiction, drama, and science fiction. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify common themes and patterns related to gender roles and stereotypes. Findings: The findings of the study revealed a complex depiction of gender roles in contemporary literature. While some works challenged traditional gender norms and portrayed more fluid, non-stereotypical characters, others reinforced traditional gender roles and stereotypes. Additionally, the study found that the portrayal of gender roles varied across genres, with science fiction and fantasy literature often presenting more progressive and diverse gender representations. The study also identified several common stereotypes associated with gender, such as the nurturing and caring nature of women and the dominance and aggressiveness of men. However, it is important to note that these stereotypes were not universally present, and many works depicted characters who deviated from these norms. Overall, this study contributes to our understanding of how gender roles and stereotypes are represented in contemporary literature. It reveals the complexity and diversity of gender dynamics portrayed in literary works, highlighting both the presence of traditional gender roles and stereotypes and the emergence of more fluid and non-stereotypical characters. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The findings suggest that literature has the potential to challenge and redefine gender norms and that the portrayal of gender roles varies across genres. This study provides insights for scholars, educators, and readers interested in understanding and discussing gender representation in literature and encourages further exploration of gender dynamics in contemporary literary works.

Taking Science Fiction seriously: Unveiling its relationship with employee’s Innovative Work Behavior

While existing literature acknowledges the role of science fiction in foreseeing technological advancements, a notable gap persists in understanding the underlying factors that drive or hinder individuals from the intention to generate and promote ideas gathered through science fiction. Our research model aims to shed novel light on what factors influence employees’ propensity to generate and promote ideas inspired by science fiction, through the lenses of institutional theory. Purposefully, we frame science fiction methodologies inside the Innovative Work Behavior discourse, as science fiction could be a fruitful tool to generate and promote ideas, and we investigate the interplay of rational and institutional influences on such behaviors. The findings provide valuable insights that can be leveraged to design and implement effective methodologies within organizational settings. Our study, based on data from 480 employees, employs Structural Equation Modeling to reveal the pivotal role of normative influence in idea generation, while idea promotion exhibits a robust association with cultural-cognitive influence, pinpointing the dual phase of science fiction methodologies.

The Concept of ‘Inventiveness of Machines’: How Ready is Patent Law to Afford the Creative Inventiveness of Artificial Intelligence?

Making science fiction a reality, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a transformative drive in almost every aspect of human life today. With the advancements of modern technology, AI has acquired the ability to think like humans and create inventions that are economically worthwhile. The concept of ‘inventiveness of machines’ has become a focal point in the field of intellectual property law at present. It has compelled the world to reconsider the parameters of patent law in terms of protecting AI inventors and inventions of AI. Simultaneously, the procurement of patents for inventions of AI has posed challenges not only in the legal field but also in ethical and moral aspects. As AI is gradually becoming an undeniable part of human life, every nation will have to adopt the developments of AI technology into their legal systems sooner or later. Taking the prevailing definitions of ‘inventor’ into account, this research mainly discusses whether machine inventors and human inventors be given equal protection of law or whether there should be different dimensions of protection. This paper also discusses the moral and ethical dilemma of granting legal recognition for AI inventors while examining the capability of existing legal framework including Sri Lanka in accommodating the inventiveness of machines. This research was carried out using mixed method approach. Literature review, qualitative and empirical research methodologies and comparative analysis were incorporated to strengthen the study. The paper concludes by highlighting the need of legislative intervention of competent authorities to reconsider the legal parameters to accommodate the possible challenges waiting to be imposed by inventiveness of machine in future. This paper also introduces the concept of ‘collaborative inventiveness of humans and AI’ and suggests recommendations to amend existing laws in a manner that they afford the technological advancements of modern times.

Artificial Intelligence in Early Science Fiction and Films: A Literary Exploration

Artificial Intelligence in Early Science Fiction and Films: A Literary Exploration

TRANSLATION FEATURES OF ENGLISH SCIENCE FICTION OF THE 20th CENTURY

This article explores the translation features of English science fiction literature from the 20th century. The genre of science fiction has gained immense popularity and significance over the years, with numerous works being translated into different languages to reach a global audience. The translation of science fiction presents unique challenges due to the complex scientific concepts, futuristic technologies, and imaginative worlds depicted in the original texts. This study examines the strategies and techniques used by translators to convey the essence and nuances of English science fiction works while maintaining the integrity of the original text. By analyzing specific examples and case studies, this article sheds light on the creative approaches employed by translators to bridge the cultural and linguistic gaps in science fiction literature, ultimately enhancing cross-cultural communication.

The author's neologisms of W. Gibson's science fiction novel "Mona Lisa Overdrive": Features of word formation and translation from English into Russian

The author's neologisms of W. Gibson's science fiction novel "Mona Lisa Overdrive": Features of word formation and translation from English into Russian

From Jefferson Airplane to Starship: Science Fiction, Utopia, and Evolution

From Jefferson Airplane to Starship: Science Fiction, Utopia, and Evolution

Halil Altındere’s Space Refugee: Martian Modernism, Syrian Resettlement, and Life After Climate Change

Halil Altındere proposes in his video Space Refugee (2016) that Syrian refugees resettle on Mars to escape the dire environmental and political circumstances of Earth. Through a visual analysis of the Martian landscapes and built environments featured in Altındere’s video, I examine how the artist evokes the overlapping visual languages and rhetorical devices used to frame the construction of real and imagined cities in the UAE and on Mars. I argue that Altındere’s Martian landscape brings together features of Gulf modernism in Dubai and Abu Dhabi with elements of historical Islamicate architectures to imagine a Martian modernism that subverts repressive conditions on earth and offers social transformation. I theorize and contextualize Altındere’s vision of a utopian Martian life for Syrian refugees through the framework of Martian modernism. This critical lens elucidates how the visual features, living conditions, and ideological motivations of the future imagined in Space Refugee are shaped by and respond to intersecting histories of modernity, coloniality, architectural development, extraterrestrial exploration, science fiction, and climate change.

Ursula’s cat

Robert P Crease pays tribute to the science-fiction writer Ursula K Le Guin, who 50 years ago introduced Schrödinger’s famous image into popular culture.

Ursula’s cat

Robert P Crease pays tribute to the science-fiction writer Ursula K Le Guin, who 50 years ago introduced Schrödinger’s famous image into popular culture.

Reimagining the Human in Contemporary French Science Fiction by Christina Lord (review)

Reimagining the Human in Contemporary French Science Fiction by Christina Lord (review)

The Routledge Companion to Gender and Science Fiction ed. by Lisa Yaszek et al. (review)

The Routledge Companion to Gender and Science Fiction ed. by Lisa Yaszek et al. (review)

Interstellar exploration: From science fiction to actual technology

The technology for even the most advanced missions in the solar system doesn't need advances in basic science. Traveling through the solar system can be described through what is called ‵hard science fiction’, i.e. science fiction strictly based on scientific knowledge. Interstellar exploration is a completely different matter. Robotic flyby missions to the nearest stars using nanoprobes can be performed using technologies based on known science, while anything beyond this requires advances which we don't know how to implement, or even we are not sure whether they are possible at all. The point applies not only to the technological aspects but even the scientific bases on which the relevant technologies may rest. The missions requiring less scientific-technological advances, are slow missions, like space arks (generation ships) or missions based on hibernation with travel times up to hundred years. To implement both, the uncertainties are more related to the advances in space medicine and biology than in propulsion and physics. The fastest travels allowed by the current interpretations of the relativity theory are relativistic missions in which the time contraction at speeds closing the speed of light is exploited to decrease the travel time for the astronauts, although the travel time seen by those who remain on Earth is close, in years, to the distance traveled expressed in light years. However, the energy required for this type of missions is large and grows drastically with the increase of time contraction.Faster than light travel, which seems to be possible following some interpretations of relativity involving either wormholes or some sort of warp drive, requires substantial advances in fundamental physics. A symptom of this is that the novels dealing with interstellar travels belong more to the space opera – which doesn't follow strict scientific credibility – than to the hard science fiction subgenre. No novel of this kind explains details about how the relevant machinery works, and even less scientifically realistic are the movies, TV series, and videogames of this kind. Moreover, to achieve a travel time allowing to reach distant star systems in reasonable times using warp drives, the authors of Star Trek had to resort to the Warp Factor which is essentially a nonlinear scale. This makes the requirements for FTL travel even more difficult to achieve.

Beyond the Organic: Rupturing Maternal Constructs and Female Cyborg Identity in S.B. Divya’s <i>Machinehood</i>

This research paper delves into the nuanced portrayal of female cyborg identity and its intersection with motherhood in S.B. Divya’s novel Machinehood. Drawing inspiration from Donna Haraway’s foundational work “A Cyborg Manifesto,” we examine how Divya’s narrative navigates the complex interplay between technology and gender within the context of a futuristic society. Haraway’s concept of cyborgism serves as a theoretical framework to analyse the multifaceted nature of female cyborg characters in Machinehood. The paper explores how these characters negotiate the boundaries between the organic and the artificial, challenging traditional notions of femininity and motherhood. Haraway envisions the cyborg as a hybrid entity with the potential to subvert normative categories that becomes a lens through which we scrutinise the female cyborgs’ agency in shaping their identities and relationships. Central to our analysis is the examination of motherhood in the context of technological augmentation. In conclusion, the present paper aims to contribute to the evolving area of scholarship on science fiction literature, feminist theory, and cyborg studies. By leveraging Haraway’s ground breaking ideas, we illuminate the significance of female cyborg identity and its portrayal in Machinehood, shedding light on the transformative potential of technology in reshaping traditional gender norms and familial structures.

Exploring the Evolution and Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Science Fiction Cinema: An Overview with Financial and Economic Context

"The research Paper examines the complicated interplay of AI and science fiction films, which charts its evolution in terms of depiction while examining how it impacts society’s perceptions. Traversing historical epochs, from early portrayals in classics like “Metropolis” to contemporary narratives in films like “Her” and “Ex Machina,” the study employs a qualitative analysis of key cinematic works. In methodological terms, this research is based on a sequential framework that examines the evolving themes, ethical issues, and transformation of artificial intelligence characters. To understand recurring themes and their implications, a qualitative content analysis has also been applied. The paper reveals the symbiotic relationship between movie stories and society’s perceptions, shedding light on how science fiction cinema has a role to play in shaping national opinion about artificial intelligence, influencing ethical concerns, technological progress, and social attitudes. This paper seeks to provide insight into the cultural, technological and commercial aspects of this widespread theme through an examination of the intersection between artificial intelligence and science fiction in films."

THE TRANSLATION OF S. KING’S “DARK TOWER” NOVEL SERIES AND R. BROWNING’S POEM “CHILDE ROLAND TO THE DARK TOWER CAME”: A COMPARATIVE ASPECT

This article analyzes the formation of the diversity of the genre of the series of novels “The Dark Tower” by Stephen King, as well as the clips of Robert Browning’s poem in the predominant image of the Tower of Roland and the connection with these genre transformations. In the course of the study, the authors analyze the series of novels “The Dark Tower” and the poem “Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”, in particular, the features of the genres, the compositional and stylistic features inherent in these works. When demonstrating the characteristic features of R. Browning’s and S. King’s creative work, it was found that romanticized fantasy per se includes many genre features that differ from the manifestations of horror and classic fiction: fantasy is a genre in the style of high fantasy and concealment, a fairy tale. At the same time, dark fantasy, although it includes most of the traditional fantasy surroundings, is characterized not so much by the interrelationship between its fantasy elements and the narrative, but rather by the connection between the gothic and the horror types of fiction; there is much less science fiction in dark fantasy than in high fantasy. At the discussion stage, it was determined that the best method for translating the lead when working with two multi-genre works is the comparative method, which is based on a simple principle: “What is it like?” As a result, we came to the conclusion that, on the one hand, the use of a methodological method leads to the fact that in the process of text analysis it is necessary to limit the framework to the conventions of the functional style, the genre uniqueness of the analyzed ones, preserving their artistic orientation and the idiostyle of the author. On the other hand, in this way we get the opportunity to carry out parallel search and optimization of data for its synthesis and translation into the exchange part.

Nano-punk and Nanotechnology Genre in Literature: A Scientific and Cultural Analysis of Neal Stephenson’s The Diamond Age

Technology and society have been interconnected since the dawn of civilization. Literature has always served as an active medium to represent the interaction between these two fields. Fiction often utilizes technology as a backdrop for exploring societal conflicts. Science fiction, in particular, frequently depicts the complex interactions between technology and civilization. Nanopunk emerges as a significant genre within the realm of fiction, wherein the potential advantages and drawbacks of nanotechnology are explored within the imaginative landscapes of nanopunk narratives. This subgenre, a derivative of cyberpunk or biopunk, highlights forms of nanotechnology referred to as nano or nanites. Literature assumes a crucial role in depicting the nuances of nanopunk reality. In 1995, Neal Stephenson published his seminal science fiction novel, "The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer." This novel delves into the intricate relationship between literature and technology within a dystopian future heavily influenced by molecular nanotechnology. Through its narrative, the novel raises pertinent questions regarding power dynamics and the sociological impacts of technological integration in a futuristic setting. This paper seeks to analyze the implications of these emerging technologies as portrayed through fiction and their potential effects on contemporary society and future generations. It concludes that literature, culture, and fiction will continue to wield significant influence in shaping societal perceptions and attitudes towards the future of nanotechnology.