The dream machine

MichaelLabib

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The best way to make the perfect machine is to face a list of things that seem impossible and try to solve them I know this sounds naive or maybe stupid to some but on the other hand we might learn something new here is a list of problems that needs to be overcome in order to have the dream VTOL :

1-Noiseless :

This device should cause no disturbance for others when used so it is suitable for urban use.

2-Electric:

In order to use this device anywhere for example inside buildings it should be pollution free.

3-Compact:

By compact I mean mobile as a matter of fact as mobile as your backpack so it should fit in there or something that could be folded and put under your desk comfortably while being charged until you get off work and absolutely no need for a parking space.

4-Long range:

Every body’s definition of long is different but let’s say 200 miles.

5-Safe:

A backup system is a must and it should be stable and easy to get rid off on high altitude in case of a total failure

6-Easy to fly:

Easy enough for a person without a driving license to maneuver and doesn’t require a lot of physical effort and suitable for ladies.

7-Entertaining:

The feel of rush should never die out unlike enjoying a new car for a while then becoming boring and finally fulfill our very old desire of flying and stop thinking too much about engineering problems and math and start exploring earth from up there.

8-Practical:
To be used on daily basis for commuting.

9-High performance:

Now this is important it has to move fast, stop fast and take off instantly and make sharp turns all of that without compromising safety. It has to convince any supercar owner to give up his ride and replace it with a device as small as his rare windshield.

10-Low maintenance:

Most aircrafts require so much work on the ground before take off some of them spend hours and hours more in maintenance than flying.

11-Built in small units that could be coupled together for more payload:

Just like a Lego attach more to each other and you have a heavy lifter to transport larger payloads.

12-Affordable :

Ok here is where it gets tricky. However if you can afford a low performance motorcycle you should be able to get this. NOT more than $1500.

13-Suitable for the physically challenged:

Flying will make more sense if it could solve more problems so it should be suitable for the physically challenged no matter what is their injury / condition and give them more mobility and independency and replace the bulky wheelchair.

14-Multipurpose:

By this I mean that it could be used just for quietly hovering as low as few inches to move in parks next to your buddy that is cycling or take off vertically fast and perform tricks only advanced helicopters do.

15-No or a little downwash:

No need to stay away from the person who is using this device while landing and no clearance distance needed.

16-Attractive and sleek:

It has to look cool a sort of eye music.
 
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The product you seek was invented...

The product you seek was invented...

a LONG time ago, the "Buck Rogers Anti-Gravity pack"
Solves every one of your requirements. I feel that with the continued scientific breakthroughs occurring each year we come just a little closer to achieving this goal. I don't "believe" (non scientific) that the concept is impossible as the forces of nature that we take for granted are bent everyday, whether it is a gravitational field that light can't escape to a tachyon that appears to move backwards in time.
BUT.......I think the usefulness of said product will be obsolete as a means of transportation before it becomes developed due to major strides in teleportation technology advancing.
Look up "lifters" on youtube, I'm not saying you could lift a body that way, but the ideas are promising.
Ben S
 
:wacko:Keep it simple,keep it affordable.:blabla: or Give the people what thay want,Keep it cheep and give them a lot of it.:argue: All this talk is what a flying machine is not:noidea:,simple,:eek:hwell:cheep,quiet.:rip:
 
I know that the list I thought of makes the first things we think about are electromagnetism and gravitational fields but these topics have been very controversial and often related to free energy and perpetual motion, personally I can wait until this happen but until then what is the alternative. We need something solid I believe we have the technology needed for this.
 
:flame:1. Define the mission or use of a machine.:wacko: 2. What materials are cost effencent and have ease of assembly.:boink: 3 .Power plant/fuel low cost,range,ease of maintenance.:sad: 4 safety, Reliable product. :rip:4.Will the public want it? :violin:All the rest is warm fuzzy on a Bunny.:smokin:
 
Michael,

As a real design engineer, let me tell you that everything you listed IS what you start with. That's not new.

What's needed is new technology to make these "requirements" a reality.

Anyone designing a flying machine tackles all of those issues..and more.
Economic viability
production problems
materials
market
investors

ANYWAY,

What you have listed is described in the field as a "PIPE DREAM"...and for good reason.....a $1500 anti-gravity machine? good luck...you'll need it.
 
Michael,

You do have a good imagination. In my dreams I am able to fly similar to how you describe (without any mechanism) but then I wake up and the reality I face stops me from thinking that way. The truth is flying is made up of compromises. In order to accomplish one thing you have to give up something in another area. Your dream list makes no accommodation for any compromises but instead simply says you want to have it all. The ultimate, in every category and then you don't even want to have to pay much for it. While I would love to have that machine also, so I hope someday it happens, I would not be willing to invest my time or effort into developing it because it just exceeds the realm of reality to my way of thinking. But good luck with it!
 
Really guys?!?!?

Really guys?!?!?

"Whats with all the negative waves Moriarity?"
I know that these are not the most realistic expectations, But if you don't have the ability to dream, how can you ever advance beyond what you can already see? it seems to me that for whatever reason lately the usual guys on this site have been less than supportive of people trying to dream, like the french dude and his model thread or the guy who is looking for a cheap gyro to rebuild. These guys AREN'T soliciting money from you guys so what harm does it do to be positive and upbeat, or better yet not respond if you don't have something productive to say.
Think of a product that has changed our way of life and there was someone who was dreaming on a cocktail napkin who came up with it. Look at the Fax machine, we never had anything like that but once we did, how did we accomplish anything without it? (maybe not the best analogy, I hate paperwork)
But shouldn't we be as supportive as possible to the dreamers? you never know when one of them will have "the" next mousetrap.
Just a thought
Ben S
 
You have it right Ben.

We should start with a most fantastic dream then when it is proved beyond doubt that we do not have the materials or technology yet, we can compromise by the smallest amount possible. Sure we compromise on the dream but we end up with the closest to the dream that we can.

A lot of others start with a compromised idea based upon the past and end up with a copy of what has already been done.
 
Sikorsky had a dream and had patience for a suitable power plant to come along:cool:. Dreams are nice but temper them with truth,;)and what tools and materals that are in your reach.:bored:
 

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Naturally I agree with all the realistic ones here I just wanted to imagine everything I wish in a VTOL and put it there and the reason for that is to stir up your imaginations and opinions and those who surf the net and have a wealth of information and pictures of new technologies to show us.
 
Doug

That's twice this weekend, ease up, it's ok to be a dreamer, or want something for a song and a dance. Sometimes luck just runs your way.
 
I have come across a very interesting concept called propulsive wing and I contacted the inventor his name is Dave a very informative man, I asked him if we take two sections of his wing design and made them face each other at the leading edge would that make a VTOL ? and he said it is possible but it needs further verification.
YouTube - Propulsive Wing Takeoff and Landing Video
 
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Michael...

Michael...

What about taking the wing thing and attaching them in a line with one facing one way and the other the opposite way, that way they would make a set of rotors?
Ben S
 
Ben

Ben

I guess it is possible but in my humble opinion the idea is to have less moving parts so you can fly as close as you want next to power lines for example. The cool thing about this wing design is that it has a cross flow fan so it generates lift even while it is stationary.
 
The fans full span over a long flap a little differant:p ,A Ryan aircraft and Culver aircraft Idea from long ago;).It wont scale up ,Its been tried,fan failure, Hate to see a bird strike!:painkiller:
 
Hi Michael,


I have been thinking about using cross fans along the rotorblades of a helicopter to get rid of tail rotor, transmission and gears.

The thing is that one needs a very small and powerfull cross fan or otherwise the gyroscopic effects of the fan along with the rotational stresses and danger of failure are too high to be practical in any homebuilt craft
 
The fans full span over a long flap a little differant:p ,A Ryan aircraft and Culver aircraft Idea from long ago;).It wont scale up ,Its been tried,fan failure, Hate to see a bird strike!:painkiller:

I am not defending the idea I just find it interesting. I posted another video and in the other model the fans are completely integrated into the wing plus a bird strike could happen to any aircraft with rotating parts it is a matter of how the aircraft deals with it. As for an engine failure it has been proven that these aircrafts can safely glide and descend safely. I personally find it far more practical and safer than a gyrocopter because you are using one fan for lift and propulsion unlike the gyros where you have to have rotor blades for lift and a propeller for forward motion that is so much rotating parts all around you.
 
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