Suspensor
the antigravity device of the Holtzman field
Suspensors were hovering devices that used the secondary phase of a Holtzman field generator to nullify gravity within limits set by mass and energy use. They buoyed everything from glowglobes and furniture to the bulk of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.
The Holtzman suspensor was a hovering device that used the secondary low drain phase of a Holtzman field generator to nullify gravity within limits prescribed by relative mass and energy consumption. It was one of the most pervasive technologies of the Imperium, employed wherever weight had to be removed or controlled. (Dune)
Principle and origin#
The suspensor exploited the secondary, low drain phase of a Holtzman field generator to nullify gravity within certain limits set by the relative mass to be lifted and the energy available to consume. The original concept came from Norma Cenva while she worked for Tio Holtzman on the world of Poritrin. She based the device on Holtzman's original shield design, then heavily modified it herself. The first invention to employ the principle was the glowglobe, a hovering light source that came to illuminate the halls and chambers of the Imperium. (Dune; Dune: The Butlerian Jihad)
Uses#
Suspensors were used in chairs, tables, and structures that were too massive to be physically sound, among many other applications. Their most notorious use belonged to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, whose grotesque obesity left him unable to support his own weight. The Baron relied on suspensor belts and harnesses to buoy his flesh and allow him to move and walk. (Dune)
Frequently asked questions
- What is a suspensor in Dune?
- A suspensor was a hovering device that used the secondary, low drain phase of a Holtzman field generator to nullify gravity within limits set by the relative mass to be lifted and the energy available. It was one of the most pervasive technologies of the Imperium, used wherever weight had to be removed or controlled.
- Who invented the suspensor?
- The original concept came from Norma Cenva while she worked for Tio Holtzman on the world of Poritrin. She based the device on Holtzman's original shield design and then heavily modified it herself.
- What was the first invention to use the suspensor principle?
- The first invention to employ the principle was the glowglobe, a hovering light source that came to illuminate the halls and chambers of the Imperium.
- What were suspensors used for?
- Suspensors were used in chairs, tables, and structures that were too massive to be physically sound, among many other applications.
- Why did Baron Vladimir Harkonnen use suspensors?
- The Baron's grotesque obesity left him unable to support his own weight, so he relied on suspensor belts and harnesses to buoy his flesh and allow him to move and walk.
Gallery
Images via Dune Wiki
Sources
- BookDune, Frank Herbert, Chilton Books, 1965; including the Terminology of the Imperium
- BookDune: The Butlerian Jihad, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, 2002 (expanded books)
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Followed from this entry
Holtzman effect
The Holtzman effect was a scientific theory concerning the repellent force of subatomic particles. From it sprang the defensive shield, the suspensor, the glowglobe, and above all the folding of space that made instantaneous travel across the universe possible.
Baron Vladimir Harkonnen: the architect of the Atreides fall
Siridar-Baron Vladimir Harkonnen was the penultimate ruler of House Harkonnen and the chief architect of the downfall of Duke Leto Atreides. A gluttonous and cruel schemer, he conspired to seize Arrakis and the Golden Lion Throne before his House was destroyed in the war for Arrakis.
Norma Cenva
Norma Cenva was a mathematical genius of the Butlerian Jihad who designed the first foldspace ship, became the first Guild Navigator, and co-founded the Spacing Guild. She ultimately evolved into the disembodied Oracle of Time.
Poritrin
Poritrin was the third planet of Epsilon Alangue, held by many Zensunni Wanderers to be their planet of origin, and in the expanded universe a slave world where Zensunni captives laboured for the League of Nobles.
Tio Holtzman
Tio Holtzman was the celebrated savant of Poritrin credited with the Holtzman Effect and its shield technology, who took credit for the genius of Norma Cenva and died in a lasgun-shield explosion during a slave rebellion.
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Holtzman effect
The Holtzman effect was a scientific theory concerning the repellent force of subatomic particles. From it sprang the defensive shield, the suspensor, the glowglobe, and above all the folding of space that made instantaneous travel across the universe possible.
Norma Cenva
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