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Didn't Larry Niven have something like this on the fly-cycles in Ringworld? They were of course a lot more than just umbrellas... but still a sort of air cushio
by emarcotte 17y ago
Didn't Larry Niven have something like this on the fly-cycles in Ringworld? They were of course a lot more than just umbrellas... but still a sort of air cushion surrounding the user.
- electromagnetic 17y agoI believe that was to keep the atmosphere breathable for the occupant, as IIRC the fly-cycles were capable of going supersonic. The air cushion was to deflect the supersonic airflow around the occupant. I believe it was to act as a sort of light-weight cockpit. However, the pressure exerted to form the air cushion acted like an airbag too, so it should have definitely deflected rain, especially considering that it was likely designed to stop rainfall at supersonic speeds. I can't really remember this with accuracy, it's been a while since I read the series.
- emarcotte 17y agoBreathing... keeping hair dry... same thing :)