[extropy-chat] Emlyn mentioned flying cars....

[giorgio gaviraghi]

A possible solution is a system called TransNet, where
all systems, personal vehicles, collective, cargo ,
pipelines , power and utilities are integrated in a
single raised structure from the land.
To optimize power needs the system should be capable
of generating power locally with solar, wind or other
potential sources (temperature difference?) and supply
such power to the vehicles electrically.
In this case the "road" will supply clean power on the
spot, avoiding traditional fuel, pollution, power
lines and all other systems that are damaging to the
envioronment.
As an added bonus such system would occupy only 0,3%
of land area, compared to the cumularive land
occupation of railroad, highway, power liners,
pipelines.
Rhe stystem, including a maglev parcel transportation
system connected to domestic and distribution center
terminals,will also eliminate most trips for shopping
and other requirements.

--- Robert Bradbury <robert.bradbury at gmail.com> ha
scritto: 

> On 3/14/06, Emlyn <emlynoregan at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > You know, the long haul travel problem doesn't
> just have to be solved
> > by airflight. The problem is to travel from city
> to city quickly, with
> > minimum fuss at either end, and hopefully with
> your car with you when
> > you get to the destination.
> 
> 
> Emlyn, there are already long haul transport systems
> implemented.  The TGV
> in France cruises at 300+ km/h and can reach 500+
> km/h.  The Shanghai Maglev
> train (from the Pudong airport to Shanghai proper
> cruises at 354 km/h (max:
> 434 km/h)) but web articles argue that it is losing
> a lot of money doing so
> given its construction cost.  I don't think you are
> going to get much above
> those speeds, particularly for longer distances
> without an evacuated
> tunnel.  These have been discussed for a long time. 
> I think I've seen a TV
> show (Discovery Channel, National Geographic
> Channel?, etc.) regarding one
> that people have thought about across/under the
> Atlantic Ocean (presumably
> something like NY to London). Nanomaterials would be
> nice but it could
> probably be done using current materials.  The basic
> problem is construction
> cost.  *That* in turn relates significantly to labor
> cost.  I've never seen
> any cost estimates for a transatlantic evacuated
> Maglev train tunnel built
> using nanotechnology (carbon nanotubes, nanorobotic
> assemblers, etc.).  It
> wouldn't be "free" but it would be very interesting
> to see the capital costs
> based on Drexler's $0.5/kg for the tunnel & the
> trains and the operating
> costs on a per trip basis (how efficient can
> nanotechnology really get for
> accelerating and decelerating large objects?).
> 
> Of couse you *could* go faster in planes.  I recall
> with some fondness in my
> younger days (:-)) watching the big LED display at
> the front of the
> passenger section of the Concorde (now no longer
> flying :-() hit Mach 1.0,
> then slowly climbed up to 1.7, maybe even 2.0 (this
> was 20 or so years ago I
> think) -- so we have had the technology to make this
> happen for a very long
> time (construction of the first Concordes began over
> 40 years ago).  Leaving
> aside the sonic boom question however, I think you
> would need to have very
> refined GPS positioning, good weather, esp. wind
> velocity, prediction,
> regional total aircraft route planning and collision
> avoidance systems in
> all aircraft before you started flitting around the
> country at Mach
> 1.0-2.0...
> 
> How about some kind of automated mega-highway, where
> your car goes
> > onto remote pilot and proceeds at 300mph or so,
> fully automated, to
> > the other end? If it were enclosed (like a tunnel)
> obstacles like
> > wildlife wouldn't matter so much.
> >
> 
> You could easily drive a your low-velocity air-car
> onto a container-train
> (ferry?) in NY and off the train once it arrives in
> London.  The only
> problem I foresee is having to rewire your brain to
> drive on the other side
> of the road twice a day for the NY<->London
> commuters.
> 
> Robert
> > _______________________________________________
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> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
>
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> 



	

	
		
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