The year 2332 will bring new technologies and new weapon systems. The Maker brings many of those to life. In this section, learn about the vision for technology and weaponry author Wes Moore brings to life in The Maker.

The Maker takes present technologies to the next level. Almost all of the technologies described in the book have some less advanced counterpart in today's world.

Below is a description of some of the major technologies used in the book.

Comm-port and P-HUD Communication Device

The communication port implant, known as a comm-port, is today's smart phone on steroids. Imagine you could take today's most advanced phone, with a computer operating system, video capability, voice capability, and Internet access and shrink it down to the size of a razor thin disc the size of half a postage stamp. That's the comm-port.

The comm-port is surgically implanted under the skin just behind the temple. From there, a microscopic wire is inserted and attached directly to the ear drum. When sound comes into the comm-port, from a phone call, for example, the energy from the call is transported down the wire to vibrate the ear drum.

Not only this, but the comm-port has a built-in micro-speaker to receive sound from your voice to transmit during a call.

For video, the comm-port can project images out in front of the user onto a P-HUD, a personal heads-up display, like those used in modern combat aircraft. The P-HUD uses the humidity in the air as a surface for projecting (water is used as a screen now in places like Las Vegas). The partially transparent image is displayed about a foot out from the users face. The P-HUD screen can also serve as a desktop.

And the whole thing works by voice commands!

PAV Magnetic Repulsion Transport

Vehicles of the 24th century, called Personal Autonomous Vehicles (PAVs for short), can either run on wheels, or when they're on the major highway systems, called Global Superways, they can retract their wheels and use a lightning fast propulsion system called magnetic repulsion.

Magnetic repulsion is used today in what are known as Maglev trains (Magnetically Levitated trains). These trains actually float in the air over their tracks, held aloft by powerful magnets, and have top speeds of 250-300 mph. (Read more about this in this How it Works article and also at the Railway Technical Research Institute.)

If it can be done for trains, why can't highways be equipped in a similar way in the future? In The Maker, that's exactly what happens!

Scramjet Aircraft

A scramjet engine is an engine that allows aircraft to fly very fast for long periods of time. It's not like a typical jet engine with a turbofan and moving parts. The scramjet uses no moving parts as such, but works basically by compressing supersonic air, injecting it with fuel, and then funneling it out the rear of the engine.

The amazing thing about this type of engine is that it could theoretically travel as high as between Mach 12 and 24--that's between 9 and 18,000 mph! That's about the speed of the space shuttle when it takes orbit. (This specific information comes from this article on Wikipedia, though I researched it in several places when I was writing the book.)

The USAF lauched a successful test of the X-51 Wave Rider in May of 2010 off the wing of a B-52 bomber, demonstrating the feasibility of this technology (read the official Air Force article; see images right and below; courtesy USAF).

In The Maker, I assume this technology has been fully developed and replaces the jet engine thereby making trips that take hours or days today, only minutes or hours.

Weapons

Weapons play a key supporting role in The Maker. And, like the technology employed in the story, the weapon systems also have some basis in reality. Here are the two main weapons that impact the story.

Plasma Rifles

We can't use bullets forever! They're boring, and old school. But lasers, despite what you see in Star Wars, are not really a useable technology as a hand-held weapon. But plasma could be.

A plasma rifle is a type of 'Directed Energy Weapon,' a weapon that uses focused energy, not a bullet or shell, to inflict damage. According to Wikipedia (read the article here), there are three types: electromagnetic (lasers), sound (sonic), and particle mass beam (plasma rifle is one type). Interstingly, lasers produce no recoil (they don't push back when you fire them), no sound (sorry Mr. Lucas), and no light!

A plasma weapon would fire a beam, bolt, or stream of plasma at a target. Research has been done on such a weapon. The project was called MARAUDER (Magnetically Accelerated Ring to Achieve Ultra-high Directed Energy and Radiation). This experimental weapon was tested in the early 90's. The goal was to fire one meter diameter toroids (donut-shaped) spinning projectiles. (This link sites similar research, and this link is an official government citation and description of the testing and results.)

In The Maker, I assumed this technology would be fully available in a version that could be carried by a single soldier.

The G-CoN hates America, but they want America. They hate our freedom and power, and they hate the fact that the God of the Bible has played such an important role in our society. But they covet our land, our natural resources and our infrastructure.

So they need a weapon that will eliminate us--that is, the people--but leave the majority of our resources and infrastructure in tact. That's where Heaven's Dagger comes in.

Heaven's Dagger is a modified and improved version of a neutron bomb. A neutron bomb is a type of hydrogen bomb that kills primarily through the release of high amounts of radiation, instead of a massive heat and blast wave like conventional nuclear weapons. (Read the Wikipedia article here.)

It's main advantage as a weapon is that it can leave most infrastructure in place (because it kills through radiation not blast wave), but spread lethal doses of radiation for miles.

It's primary limits are its effective range (how far can it kill) and its low shelf life (the tritium core must be replaced periodically). For this reason, it is no longer in widespread use.

However, in The Maker, the concept is revived and perfected. The effective range is increased to up to 200 miles, and the core must be replaced only once every 50 years. The perfect weapon!