[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]
Status: Not Logged In; Sign In
Science-Technology Title: MagLev Houses Could Rise Above Floods What if houses in flood-prone areas could magnetically levitate to save themselves? That’s the wild idea that Filipino architect Lira Luis is pursuing in her quest to find a building solution for low-lying cities. Sure, we’ve seen houses perched on stilts and even floating homes, but deploying magnets this way would be novel. Top 10 Uses for the World’s Strongest Material Lira Luis, whose architecture firm is based in Chicago, was working on an installation involving magnetics when she noticed that they repelled each other, even through water, she explained to Co.Exist’s Adele Peters. Fully aware that it could end up being impractical, Luis started experimenting with magnetic levitation for architecture. She thinks buildings that could levitate above the water would provide more stability than ones that float on the surface. As for access, in the future residents could fly to upper levels using jetpacks, she told Fast Companyt. Currently Luis has a tiny 13-ounce prototype built that levitates 1.5 inches. She plans to display a slightly larger prototype next month at the Coverings international trade fair and expo for tile and stone in Chicago, according to Co.Exist. Underwater Houses for a Flooded Future Ultimately she wants to construct a model building on an island in the Philippines where frequent flooding is a constant problem. Her approach recalls Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion House, a futuristic hexagonal structure designed to resist earthquakes and storms. Cables suspended from a central pole meant the outer walls would be non-bearing, ArchDaily noted. We can’t know if it would have worked as planned, though, because it never went into production. Retro Inventor's Utopic Vision Sparks Future Tech As much as I think Luis’ idea is incredibly cool, the huge holes can’t be ignored. A physics researcher from UCLA told CoExist that magnetic levitation above one inch would be inefficient given the expense. He was also ready to cite “a million” other problems with the plan. However, I hope Luis and architects like her continue to dream big. If we stop floating wild new ideas for future survival, we really will get stuck in the mud. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest "was working on an installation involving magnetics when she noticed that they repelled each other" Look! Look what I discovered!
#2. To: misterwhite (#1) (Edited) Look! Look what I discovered! We discovered the same thing in second-grade science class. Afterwards, we "invented" electric batteries, knife switches and light bulbs. We were very advanced for our ages.
#3. To: TooConservative, misterwhite (#2) There you go hating on Filipinas again. A government strong enough to impose your standards is strong enough to ban them. #4. To: Willie Green (#0) "Currently Luis has a tiny 13-ounce prototype built that levitates 1.5 inches." Prototype? Two magnets on top of each other is a prototype?
#5. To: Willie Green (#0) " What if houses in flood-prone areas could magnetically levitate " Why not just have everyone live in a pontoon houseboat. Water level rises, you float. Much simpler idea. Si vis pacem, para bellum Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who don't Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God. There are no Carthaginian terrorists. President Obama is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people. --Clint Eastwood "I am concerned for the security of our great nation; not so much because of any threat from without, but because of the insidious forces working from within." -- General Douglas MacArthur Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest |
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]
|