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"but as the experiment continued, the front dune began to slow down, until the two dunes were moving at almost the same speed" One of my armchair imaginary pro
by jacobush 7y ago
"but as the experiment continued, the front dune began to slow down, until the two dunes were moving at almost the same speed"
One of my armchair imaginary projects is creating a fleet of solar powered robotic vehicles, which use solar sintering to fuse a grid over sand dunes, by slowly tracing a grid pattern over an area.
The assumption being, that this will over time bind the dunes. The article above gives me hope that not only might the dune be arrested in such a fashion stop moving itself, but it might also deflect neighbouring dunes through the "communication" mentioned in the article!
Perhaps the sintering can also be adapted to install tiny dew catching features which might trap enough moisture for vegetation to take hold in the dunes. (In an almost "3D-print" fashion.)
(I got the idea watching this: https://vimeo.com/25401444 https://vimeo.com/25401444 "Markus Kayser - Solar Sinter Project")
- dwiel 7y agoI like your idea. Others have also successfully experimented with a more manual version of planting trees, bushes, etc. Many die early on, but the ones that survive help bind the sand, collect dew and create shade for the next generation. Would be cool to include tree planting as one of the skills this fantasy robot takes advantage of.
- nwsm 7y agoThat was one of the coolest videos I've ever watched.
- bigiain 7y agoNice. Now I'm imagining a giant (orbital?) laser-sintering 3D printer, beaming down onto deserts and leaving behind glass houses as moving sand dunes encroach and recede... (VC's, please form an orderly queue in my inbox...)
- toast0 7y agoRobotic solar death rays sounds like a bunch of fun, but stopping the movement of sand destroys the dune ecosystem. You can look into the history of the Oregon Sand Dunes and how invasive European beach grass stabilized the dunes and changed the ecology. We don't live on Arrakis; as of now, there's no need to fight against natural sandy habitat.