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| Practical Gravity | | Date Created: Jan 31, 2005, 11:50 AM |
by Gregory Daigle
Years ago, as a professor of industrial design, I would lead my students through what I termed "imagination-centered" design experiences. It focused upon the possibilities rather than the pragmatism of design thinking. We would start with either a new technology or the promise of one and free-associate applications before conceding to the stricter regimens of product engineering and regulatory mandates.
I still occasionally indulge my imagination in such exercises. So when I read that in 2001 ESA (the European Space Agency) funded a study to evaluate the concept of gravity control, I allowed my imagination a "bit of leash" to consider what applications might result.
ESA made headlines most recently when its Huygens probe made the first successful landing on Saturn's moon Titan. Though also forward-thinking, their gravity study was not unique. It followed NASA's 1996 Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Program that looked for new concepts in propulsion enabling interstellar travel. The ESA study finally published its findings in December 2004 concluding that, "... control of gravity, even if achievable, would not imply a breakthrough for propulsion". But then it continued, "... even though it could be of major importance for e.g. possible microgravity applications on Earth."
Relatively Speaking
Gravity research is hot. Today, a satellite circles far above the earth measuring the affects of Einstein's theory of General Relativity. Using rotating spheres ten thousand times smoother than a billiard ball in a near-perfect vacuum, the Gravity Probe B experiment is gathering data to prove (or disprove) how speeding objects drag space-time with them in gravitational fields. In an adjacent area of research, several labs in Europe and the U.S. are vying to be the first to detect gravity waves. British oddsmakers Ladbrokes gives 6/1 odds that gravity waves will be detected by 2010 and several labs say it's even closer. Other researchers are less interested in detecting gravity than in generating microgravity in the lab.
Microgravity generation (for this article, MGG) has also been called "gravity-shielding effect" and "AC gravity" (since some claim it can be either attractive or repulsive). It has been studied by NASA, BAE Systems (a major British aerospace company), and has been reported on by such pragmatic journals as Business Week and Popular Mechanics. Research papers on the topic have been presented at mainstream conferences such as the American Institute of Physics.
Academicians such as U.S. researcher Dr. Ning Li and European researcher Eugene Podkletnov suggest that gravity can be attenuated by small amounts, on the order of 2 to 5%. Their experiments have been the focus of the NASA and BAE programs. Other non-academicians, notably experimenter Marcus Hollingsworth of England, claim that effects capable of lifting tons of weight have been produced. Whether any of these results will be found to be scientifically valid is anyone's guess. The technology to produce microgravity is as speculative and the theory is as lacking as cold fusion was in the late 1980s ... but the implications may be more far-reaching if found true. By the way, last year the U.S. Department of Energy issued a report concluding that aspects of cold fusion merit consideration for future research ... so who knows?
What would a future with MGG look like? How would our present world be changed? Holding "pathological disbelief" (a term coined by Nobel laureate Brian Josephson) in abeyance, let's look at a few of the potential impacts for everyday living and the barriers that might slow their implementation.
Gravity as optional
Certain assumptions have to be met for the successful introduction of a microgravity generator. First, it must be competitively priced both to purchase and to operate in comparison to alternate conventional technologies. Second, it must operate at an efficiency that allows it to perform work at various scales, ideally from palm-sized generators capable of lifting several kilos to closet-sized generators capable of lifting several tons. Third, its operation must not present unacceptably high risks to operators, citizenry, or the environment. Fourth, any byproducts of its usage must be managed and disposed of safely. With these assumptions in mind, how might MGG affect our everyday lives?
Transportation - In 1979 the "visual futurist" Syd Mead depicted a family transported to a picnic by a hovering station wagon in his book "Concept" for U.S. Steel. That friendly and inviting image of a hovering automobile contrasts greatly with the flying police vehicles Mead later designed for the dystopic film "Blade Runner". In that film the vehicles were a symbol of police power and authority while common citizens were restricted to ground transportation. In several movies such as "Back to the Future II" and "The Fifth Element" the use of flying hoverboards and taxi cabs are commonplace and suggest how mundane even remarkable technology can become. But that's the movies, right?
Looking back, many of Mead's drawings seemed utterly fantastic when I first saw them while a grad student in design. I remember one such sketch of a group of powered self-balancing unicycles cruising down the road and thought "they'll just fall over forward when they brake." But since the introduction of the self-balancing Segway scooter and the subsequent concept design of EMBRIO (a self-balancing one-wheel sport bike by Canadian transportation manufacturer Bombardier) I've reigned-in my skepticism of what may be possible.
Until Mead's transportation visions do come true we can look at the potential of MGG for more modest impacts in transportation. MGG could be a supplement for increasing lift in dirigibles and maglev trains. It could also serve in reducing the friction on wheel bearings for any vehicles with axles, thus reducing wear, lowering operating temperatures and improving fuel efficiency and mileage. But once the wheels leave the ground it's a different game altogether.
If MGG is accomplished to the degree envisioned by Mead and others, an immediate implication is whether the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) would rule that such vehicles are subject to law under the FAA, or, the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). And it follows to ask whether accidents would be investigated by the National Transportation and Safety Board as ground or air based crashes? Presumably MGG vehicles would be licensed under the auspices of the FAA since all but hovercrafts, WIG (Wing In Ground-effect) vehicles and others that rely upon ground effect are classified as aircraft under the UN's ICAO (International Civl Aviation Organization). So the distinction might be decided at the UN.
Initially, getting MGG vehicles allowed in the U.S. might be very difficult. Again, take the case of the Segway. The Segway™ Human Transporter (www.segway.com) is a unique self-balancing electric vehicle designed for sidewalks. Its manufacturer spent years lobbying state legislators for its use. Six state currently have yet to pass legislation affirmatively permitting Segway use on public ways and only four states have no prohibitions against the use of powered conveyances on sidewalks and in pedestrian areas. Add to this local municipal codes that may further restrict what statewide legislation approves and you can imagine the complexity of legislating for a hovering or flying vehicle.
There is also a long history of experimentation with personal flight systems, which fall short of being full vehicles. Popularized in the late 1940s by movie serials Buck Rogers and Commander Cody, the "jet pack" became a familiar site to matinee-watching kids. These products of Hollywood preceded actual engineered prototypes. In the early 50s a working version of the jet pack called the "JetVest" preceded the Bell Rocket Belt (www.rocketbelt.nl) which was made familiar in the James Bond movie "Thunderball". New devices under study include verticle takeoff (VTOL) vehicles such as the Trek Aerospace Springtail (http://www.trekaero.com). Personal MGG flight systems would have limited appeal compared to fully realized vehicles but there will always be an appeal to early risk-taking adopters just as there was with the introduction of motorcycles a century ago.
Architecture - Since late in the 19th century architects have worked and reworked images of what Manhattan and other metropolises might look like in the coming century. In visions typified by the work of architect Hugh Ferriss in his 1929 "Metropolis of Tomorrow" all the way up to the animated series "The Jetsons" and "Futurama", urban architecture accommodates the lifestyle of the flying commuter. Ferriss depicted airplanes flying through large passageways in his urban skyscrapers while in the Jetsons cartoons both workplaces and vehicles floated above.
Floating cities have been portrayed in art by "magic realists" such as René Magritte, in films such as Star Wars Episode 5's "Cloud City", and in science fiction literature such as James Blish's "Cities in Flight". The "Freedom Ship" (http://www.freedomship.com/) is a plan for a more conventional ocean liner city that floats on the world's oceans, circumnavigating every three years. Taken as a template for cities-in-the-sky, the Freedom Ship offers year-round residency, schools, medical facilities, trade centers, an airport and operates subject to international maritime law.
Why build an architectural scale structure that floats in the air? Well, there are several potential reasons. First, there are no costs associated with the purchase of land or land rights since it does not sit on land. A subsequent drawback for land owners might be that the cost of prime real estate could plummet since it would no longer be a limiting resource constraining development. This would particularly reverberate in dense urban areas such as New York, Tokyo and Paris. Another reason would be the enhanced view and relative privacy would be greatly enhanced. But for every benefit there would be many negative impacts. Just as with the regulatory issues mentioned for transportation, floating a home, factory or even a city would be replete with legal consequences. Therefore the benefits must greatly outweigh not only the added costs but also the legal drawbacks.
Insurance would be sky-high (sorry) and recent issues of environmental rights in downtown spaces would be prevalent. For example, right to sunlight has been a common topic in urban development. No matter what you do, a floating structure is going to cast a shadow on someone. In some Japanese municipalities blocking sunlight is only allowable if the builder gains unanimous consent from neighbors. However, such violations of "Rights of Light" might be attenuated if the structure is nomadic and allowed to shift its "mooring".
In some U.S. urban cores a building can not be built taller than code allows unless a transfer of an adjacent building's "air rights" (Transferable Development Rights - TDRs) can be arranged. Presumably a similar transfer of credits could be afforded to floating structures. Additionally, landlords willing to shift "moorings" to achieve desirable outcomes might be given dispensations. For example, scheduling large structures to provide shade above major highways might reduce traffic accidents by reducing the sun's glare during commutes. Areas desiring additional sunlight might schedule the presence of structures with reflective exteriors to follow the path of the sun, providing reflected sunlight where needed.
The non-gravitational technical hurdles to developing floating structures provide added difficulties as well. Services and amenities such as electricity, water, sewage, garbage pickup, etc. would have to be self-contained. Resources and waste would either have to be conveyed up to the site or the structure would have to occasionally land to be provisioned. In the days of the zeppelins tall buildings were designed as moorings and transfer points for passengers and supplies. But even assuming these service issues could be overcome there are still social issues to consider.
Geographers and demographers would have to develop new methods for mapping and measuring population densities reflecting the multiple tiers of populations possible. Measures of urban density would become almost meaningless since that term is an artifact of a two-dimensional model of urban development. When populations become continually transient new models of population density will necessarily need to be more dynamic. Census data and voting registration laws might also have to be revised to reflect mobile tracts.
Since floating a structure would be at a premium cost, there is the potential for cultural schisms such as those popularized in the Star Trek episode "The Cloud Minders." In that dystopia the rich and privileged lived above the clouds with the less well off living below. When you think about it there is nothing new about relating income level and class to topography. Building castles on hills overlooking the countryside are a familiar part of Western culture as is building more contemporary estates on hillside summits. But floating a structure would provide a degree of separateness not currently displayed by even the highest of the penthouse dwellers.
Manufacturing - I've already mentioned MGG's potential use in the reduction of friction in transportation applications. This same technique could apply to manufacturing, construction and mining technologies.
If MGG could produce repulsive force at a distance (as has been suggested by some researchers) then such a force could be used in process manufacturing. One example would be redirecting and controlling the flow of bulk materials such as steel billets and molten steel. It could also be used to replace some common manufacturing techniques such as the explosive forming of blanked metal sheet between dies to obtain deeply drawn forms.
If the generation of a repulsive force from a central source can be accomplished then it should work equally on gases ... including air molecules. This suggests the ability to generate a spherical vacuum around the generator as air molecules are pushed away from the field source. Such an effect was noted in postings by Marcus Hollingshead. This would be useful in any industrial process requiring partial vacuums, such as metal deposition and coating, vacuum and homogenization for food processing, clean room environments, fire suppression and others.
In physics, a uniformly accelerating system may be considered equivalent to a local gravitational field. The difference can not be distinguished by an observer within the system (Einstein's Principal of Equivalence). Therefore any industrial process requiring centrifugal forces to separate or filter materials by their specific gravity could be reproduced by intensifying the gravity field. Such MGG separation could be applied to the bulk separation of molten materials, liquids and gases, particularly where high acceleration forces are required.
Construction could benefit from the ability to hoist materials without use of the cables and rigging that occasionally mar the surface of softer materials such as limestone slabs. Mining operations might not only benefit from the hoisting of bulk materials but also from the ability of generators to act as "virtual timbers" providing temporary bracing and stanchions in emergencies.
Medical - MGG could be used to lessen the weight of patients to prevent the formation of bed sores and to take the weight off of severe burn victims. Bed sores can lead to life-threatening conditions for quadriplegics, such as the condition that recently led to the death of actor Christopher Reeves. Placing weight on second and third degree burns is not only painful but also retards healing and contributes to breaks in the skin that become potential sites of infection.
NASA scientists have established that long periods of weightlessness have medical drawbacks. Astronauts are known to lose bone and muscle mass while in weightless conditions and suffer from weakened immune systems. Though muscle atrophy can be blocked by disrupting gene activity associated with it, the weakening of the body's immune system and its resultant lower ability to fight off infection provides a challenge for enduring space flights. The use of MGG to produce gravity for long space flights would help astronauts maintain their health during transits.
Increasing an existing gravitational field can also have benefits. In a variation on weight-bearing exercise, MGG could be utilized to increase bone and muscle mass through exercising in an enhanced gravitational field. This could be an excellent tool for athletic conditioning as well as physical rehabilitation. It might also be beneficial in reversing osteoporosis and in decreasing the healing time for broken bones.
Retail - If compact self-contained generators capable of lifting their own weight plus a few pounds ever emerge as a viable technology then expect to see floating platforms for a wide range of purposes. These might take the form of camera platforms for police and traffic surveillance or personal platforms conveying anything from schoolbooks to groceries.
The security of children is ever a concern to parents. Technologies that can track and locate children today through GPS are passive systems. A system that could accompany the child and act as an autonomous companion would provide an added level of security. Think of such a floating platform as each child's personal "tinkerbell" for providing overhead light when it gets dark, surveilling the path ahead, even a protective umbrella when it rains.
Any floating platform technology available at retail would immediately have an impact upon individual privacy and security. Residents of high rises typically see their residences as being safer and more private than residents of ground-level homes. This would no longer be true. Privacy would be diminished until other safeguards could be developed against camera platforms and the like.
Sporting Goods - In addition to flying broomsticks and jalopies, the Harry Potter™ book and movie series introduced us to Quidditch™, the game with Chasers, Beaters, Bludgers, a Quaffle, a Seeker and a Golden Snitch™. No doubt this game would be one of the first to be emulated with the introduction of MGG.
But flying sports are not new, even without use of an airplane. There are several sites across the country providing indoor skydiving sports using vertical wind tunnels. It is more truly flying than traditional skydiving (which is more like sky falling) since you stay in one place while a vertical stream of wind gives you lift.
Semantics - Impacts of new technologies aren't always physical. Often the most significant changes are expressed in new ways of thinking. In the English language "gravity" is a synonym for weightyness, sobriety, soberness, solemnity, somberness and graveness. Its antonyms include levity, bouyancy, flightiness and light-heartedness. Gravity is directional, always downward. Gravity fights us in old age, eventually and irreversibly leading us to our grave (same root). To suggest that gravity might not be constant and immutable but rather variable, pliable, even reversible on a continuum with lightness would be a small semantic revolution.
During the Renaissance the rediscovery of the technique of perspective drawing changed more than just how art was made. The discovery that every person's "point of view" is different yet just as valid as another's viewpoint changed social discourse. The use of perspective in art also opened the Medieval mind to natural laws of geometry and science. The resultant enlightenment expanded to other vistas of politics, religion and the written word. In narrative writing, establishing a character's viewpoint and relating that point-of-view in time are interconnected and interdependent. As a result of visual artists exploring perspective, writers increasingly explored attitude, contexts, relations and relativity (the phrase "it's all relative" garnering its own small semantic revolution this past century after Einstein's theories become part of the public mindset).
Social climbers with "lofty aspirations", pragmatists with their "feet on the ground", and elitists who think themselves so "high and mighty" are just some of the ways that our culture expresses itself in the third dimension. So in addition to changing the physical world, a greater impact of the practical control of gravity might be in how it prompts us to think about ourselves.
© 2005 Greg Daigle |
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