History Main / OperatorIncompatibility

** This includes nearly all bullpup firearms (magazine well behind the trigger), as attempting to fire them left-handed will fling red-hot cartridge cases into the user's face or down their collar. Many newer bullpup weapons can be adjusted for left-handed firing in the field, but heaven help you if you then pick up the wrong rifle by mistake, or a right-handed soldier picks up yours.

* In the movie ''Film/JudgeDredd'', the fact that a Judge's weapon can only be used by that particular Judge [[spoiler: or someone sharing that Judge's DNA]] becomes a plot point.

[[folder: Film ]]

* In the movie ''JudgeDredd'', the fact that a Judge's weapon can only be used by that particular Judge [[spoiler: or someone sharing that Judge's DNA]] becomes a plot point.
** Same for the comic, only they exploded [[spoiler: and can tell if a clone sibling is using it since in the comics clone Judges are common]].
* In ''TheAdventuresOfBuckarooBanzaiAcrossTheEighthDimension'', Buckaroo gets confused at the climax when trying to fly the Red Lectroid Thermapod because its controls are, among other things, designed to be operated partially by the pilot's bare (and presumably prehensile) feet. He therefore has to turn control of the ship over to the Black Lectroid John Parker, who unfortunately "failed driving school."
* In MonstersVsAliens, the alien is octopus-like, and as a result his ship is controlled with what is essentially a DDR pad. Dr. Cockroach is still capable of using it though, albeit with some difficulty.
** Difficulty? My dear, [[spoiler: his Ph.D. is in ''dance'']].

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* In the Literature/ChanurNovels, Tully as the lone human in a ship with a race of CatGirl aliens has to use a pick to operate the recessed controls usually used by the Hani retractable claws.

In SpeculativeFiction, as in RealLife, technology is designed with certain [[IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat unquestioned assumptions]]. The user has the normal number of appendages. The user is within a certain generous range of sizes. The user can withstand so many G's of acceleration. The user can shoot lightning from her hands, or commune telepathically with computers...just like everyone else in the builder's species.

* In ''{{Exalted}}'' artifacts, manses, and demenses can, with a few exceptions, only be used by essence wielders. Some have further restrictions on who can use them. For example, ''The Daiklave of Conquest'' can only be wielded by Dawn Caste Solars while ''The Hand of the Great Maker'' requires Chaos-Repelling Pattern (a Solar Charm) to attune and Wyld-Shaping Technique (another Solar Charm) plus either a five-dot Solar Hearthstone or a Protoshinmaic Vortex to be useful.

* In ''{{Exalted}}'' artifacts, manses, and demenses can, with a few exceptions, only be used by essence wielders. Some have further restrictions on who can use them. For example, ''The Daiklave of Conquest'' can only be wielded by Dawn Caste Solars while ''The Hand of Autochthon'' requires Chaos-Repelling Pattern (a Solar Charm) to attune and Wyld-Shaping Technique (another Solar Charm) plus either a five-dot Solar Hearthstone or a Protoshinmaic Vortex to be useful.

** She can, as there are some tools that are used by people with little or no use of their fingers to pick up objects like CDs and DVDs, and with keyboards, she can hold a chopstick in her paws. There are some quadriplegics who type that way.

* [=CAPTCHAs=], those things where you have to prove that you're a human and not a bot by entering the text from an image, have quite a difficult time distinguishing between bots and blind humans-- because speech synthesizers and Braille displays can't render images. For this reason, most CAPTCHA-protected sites include an option to have the characters spoken at you (which would benefit the hearing blind but not bots or the deaf-blind, though it's somewhat unlikely a person who is both deaf and blind would be operating a standard computer).

* A lot of tech in ''{{Stargate}}'' can only be operated by someone with the ATA (Ancient Technology Activation) gene. Luckily a procedure is developed that can give most people this trait, though those blessed by the plot are still inexplicably better at it.

* [=CAPTCHAs=], those things where you have to prove that you're a human and not a bot by entering the text from an image, have quite a difficult time distinguishing between bots and blind humans-- because speech synthesizers and Braille displays can't render images. For this reason, most CAPTCHA-protected sites include an option to have the characters spoken at you (which would benefit the hearing blind but not bots or the deafblind).

** In Bradley's ''The Heritage of Hastur'', the Sword of Hastur is protected by two force fields. Only a telepath (there are many on {{Darkover}}, where the story takes place) can pass through the first one, but only a ''non''telepath can pass through the second one.

* The ''VideoGame/XBeyondTheFrontier'' {{novelization}} ''Farnham's Legend'' has a Teladi, a [[LizardFolk reptilian species]], have trouble with the computers on a wrecked Boron space station because they were designed for a species [[FishPeople with tentacles]]. c

* The ''VideoGame/XBeyondTheFrontier'' {{novelization}} ''Farnham's Legend'' has a Teladi, a [[LizardFolk reptilian species]], have trouble with the computers on a wrecked Boron space station because they were designed for a species [[FishPeople with tentacles]].

If a piece of technology only works for one ''specific'' user, that's LoyalPhlebotinum.

** In the ''XWingSeries'', Rogue Squadron's chief mechanic is a Verpine, an {{insectoid|Aliens}} race whose hat is engineering ability. Wedge has heard rumors of Verpine making modifications to the controls of starships that they see as improvements, without taking into consideration that most species don't think in base 8 or have microscopic vision. (Zraii is more careful than that.)

* The {{Halo}}s can only be activated by [[spoiler:humans]] because they are descended from the [[{{Precursors}} Forerunners]] who built them.

* In the LiadenUniverse, Val Con, a guy who's around 5'5, tries to operate a spaceship designed for a larger species of human. He gets seriously injured from this.

In SpeculativeFiction, as in RealLife, technology is designed with certain [[IThoughtEveryoneCouldDoThat unquestioned assumptions]]. The user has the normal number of appendages. The user is within a certain generous range of sizes. The user can withstand so many G's of acceleration. The user can shoot lightning from her hands, or commune telepathically with computers...just like everyone else in the builder's species.

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* Since he's a robot with non-human fingers, AtomicRobo can't operate a touch screen at all. In one scene, he's actually seen complaining to Steve Jobs about how useless the [=iPad=] is to him. Later, when Robo has to answer a call on a smartphone, he literally can't, for the same reason.

* [=CAPTCHAs=], those things where you have to prove that you're a human and not a bot by entering the text from an image, have quite a difficult time distinguishing between bots and blind humans-- because speech synthesizers and Braille displays can't render images. For this reason, most CAPTCHA-protected sites include an option to have the characters spoken at you (which would benefit the blind but not bots).

* ''CallOfCthulhu'' supplement ''Terror from the Stars''. The Mi-Go have a LightningGun which they fire by grasping it and altering its electrical resistance. Humans who want to fire it have to clip one of its wires.

* The [[FalloutNewVegas Pimp Boy 3 Billion]] isn't designed to be used by [[DoubleStandard female Couriers]], and will always be held at an awkward angle. [[SarcasmMode Way to go, Bethesda]].