• Question: Will it be possible to have hover cars in the future

    Asked by edrienepadua to Christina, Colin, Jess, Samaneh, Steve on 14 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Steven Gardner

      Steven Gardner answered on 14 Jun 2013:

      Yeah maybe!

      It might surprise you to learn that we already have hover trains. Magnetic levitation trains (MagLev for short) exist in Japan and work by using powerful magnets to keep the train floating. MagLev trains have reached speeds of over 300mph! Trains are a bit easier than cars because they have a track, but the principle exists. You can’t levitate very high, because the power of the magnet drops quickly as you move away from it, but it saves energy that would otherwise be lost as friction from contact between the wheels and the road. If the magnets are strong enough you can levitate anything, here is a video of a levitating frog

    • Photo: Christina Pagel

      Christina Pagel answered on 14 Jun 2013:

      Steve – that levitating frog is awesome 🙂

      They could probably make hover cars now – but they’d be big and heavy, super expensive, not fuel efficient (at all) and where would you drive them?

      I think to have hover cars like you see in sci fi films with layers and layers of traffic in cities, you’d need a new fuel or propulsion system! This is probably something for Colin to answer…

      But, what I’m secretly hoping for is that they invent a transporter like you get in Star Trek – they can already transport information stored as photons (particles of light) so people can’t be too far behind… right? 🙂

      http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/breakthrough-brings-star-trek-teleport-a-step-closer-451673.html

    • Photo: Colin Dick

      Colin Dick answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      I think Christina’s put me on the spot with this one =P

      I think you’re right to point out that making things hover can be very inefficient. The best example I can think of is the Harrier jump-jet. This is one of the few aircraft designed to take-off vertically (often from aircraft carriers) yet is uses heaps of fuel in doing so. Check out this amazing video:

      Put it this way, it’s easier to roll a big stone things than to lift it, so we’re pretty smart putting our vehicles on wheels =)

      Steven’s example is pretty cool though, it reminds me that I shouldn’t be too sceptical of these ideas!

      Cheers,

      Colin.

Comments