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The general rule of thumb in Furscape is that if something exists somewhere in a laboratory today, in real life, then it's probably widely available in Furscape's setting. However, some technologies are highly restricted for political reasons. Many of our colony worlds are basically frontier settings where recoms are trying to carve a civilization out of the wilderness, and advanced technology is not always readily available.
The other thing to recognize is that we strive towards a hard science fiction theme. This means that we avoid technology which defies the known laws of science, or for which a plausible explanation is not available. (There are a few exceptions, but those are mostly related to space flight.) We don't want Furscape to turn into Star Wars or Star Trek. So, here's a list of technology that will never work. . .
- teleportation (transporters, transmats)
- matter replicators, holodecks
- antigravity or artificial gravity fields
- handheld energy weapons (blasters, phasers)
- psionics (telepathy, telekinesis, “The Force”, etc.)
- rapid shape-shifting
There are also technologies that can work in our setting but are not generally available for various reasons. These include:
Advanced Nanotechnology. Since the Earth was made uninhabitable and most of humanity wiped out with nanotech-based weapons in the Apocalypse War, research and deployment of nanotech has been highly restricted. Some exceptions have been made for medical research, but much of what was available on Earth is no longer allowed.
Nuclear Fission. Atomic weapons were also used heavily in the Apocalypse War. Recom society is now powered mostly from polywell fusion reactors which neither use nor produce fissile material. Development and deployment of nuclear weapons has been banned.
Earth Technology. Before the Apocalypse War, advanced nanotechnology produced a lot of amazing things. A lot of that knowledge was lost and has never been fully recreated. Some artifacts have occasionally been scavenged from Earth or from other parts of Sol System.
Compact AI. We have artificial intelligence, but the computers required are the size of a deep freeze and larger. Robotic motiles are controlled remotely. In theory it could be possible to create a fully self-contained robot, but making the computer “brain” small and efficient enough would require the use of advanced nanotechnology – which itself is highly restricted.
Jump Drive. All interstellar travel is done through fixed jumpgates. Scientists have long speculated about the possibility of putting a generator on a ship so that it could produce its own jump point to hyperspace, but they just haven't figured out how to do it – yet.
Alien Technology. We know there are alien civilizations out there, and we've had limited contact with them. Also, some of them may have left artifacts on our colony worlds. They may have technologies that recoms are unfamiliar with.