4 ms·

This is pretty silly, they didn’t even show a picture of the prototypes (which don’t work) in the news article.

by Robotbeat 4y ago

ajuc 4y ago
They would just look like spheres?
- Robotbeat 4y ago
  Not likely if they’re vacuum.
  - dreamcompiler 4y ago
    Yes likely if they're rigid, which is the whole point of vacuum balloons. The trick is coming up with a material that is strong enough to withstand the atmospheric overpressure trying to crush it, while also being sufficiently lightweight.
    - rnitchy 4y ago
      carbon nanotubes, the answer is always carbon nanotubes ;)
- marcosdumay 4y ago
  Like some foamy spheres. I couldn't understand if foamy spheres with a plastic film around them or just foamy spheres with self-contained holes. Oh, and on the color of aerogels.
rnitchy 4y ago
how about this. lets assume a sphere or egg shape is strongest and hardest to crush. create a bunch of ultralight tubes that are 12-18 inched long and crescent shaped. they are grouped in sets of 6 or more and are all connected at top and bottom by a small plastic ring. you slide them into a party balloon. and then give it air pressure, allowing you to spread them out with 60 degrees in between each crescent like an orange with all the slices. then you slowly let out the pressure so the rubber conforms against the 6 curves an makes a sphere at atmospheric pressure. then you pull vacuum, or simply place a bunch in a vacuum chamber and tie them off or glue the opening using something that wont react with latex
- lurquer 4y ago
  Don’t know why you were downvotes. This technique has promise. In short, you construct a shape made of inflatable cells which, when pressurized, contort in such a way that a vacuum is formed in the space within the collection of cells. The problem, though, is that the additional air needed to make the cells stretch away from the center (and thus make a vacuum) is greater than than the air ‘missing’ from the vacuum part. In any case, it’s been tried before: “Vacuum/heat formed cushion with pyramidal, inflatable cells”: https://www.freepatentsonline.com/5596781.html https://www.freepatentsonline.com/5596781.html
- somat 4y ago
  The rubber membrane between the spars will not withstand the atmospheric forces. 14 pounds per square inch is a lot of force. A reference example, when planing a nuclear detonation(a grim task to be sure) the 5 pounds per square inch isoline covers the area where all non hardened structures(houses) are assumed destroyed. https://nukemap.org/nukemap/ https://nukemap.org/nukemap/

This is pretty silly, they didn’t even show a picture of the prototypes (which don’t work) in the news article.

ajuc 4y ago

They would just look like spheres?

Robotbeat 4y ago
Not likely if they’re vacuum.
- dreamcompiler 4y ago
  Yes likely if they're rigid, which is the whole point of vacuum balloons. The trick is coming up with a material that is strong enough to withstand the atmospheric overpressure trying to crush it, while also being sufficiently lightweight.
  - rnitchy 4y ago
    carbon nanotubes, the answer is always carbon nanotubes ;)
marcosdumay 4y ago
Like some foamy spheres. I couldn't understand if foamy spheres with a plastic film around them or just foamy spheres with self-contained holes. Oh, and on the color of aerogels.

rnitchy 4y ago

how about this. lets assume a sphere or egg shape is strongest and hardest to crush. create a bunch of ultralight tubes that are 12-18 inched long and crescent shaped. they are grouped in sets of 6 or more and are all connected at top and bottom by a small plastic ring. you slide them into a party balloon. and then give it air pressure, allowing you to spread them out with 60 degrees in between each crescent like an orange with all the slices. then you slowly let out the pressure so the rubber conforms against the 6 curves an makes a sphere at atmospheric pressure. then you pull vacuum, or simply place a bunch in a vacuum chamber and tie them off or glue the opening using something that wont react with latex

lurquer 4y ago
Don’t know why you were downvotes. This technique has promise. In short, you construct a shape made of inflatable cells which, when pressurized, contort in such a way that a vacuum is formed in the space within the collection of cells. The problem, though, is that the additional air needed to make the cells stretch away from the center (and thus make a vacuum) is greater than than the air ‘missing’ from the vacuum part. In any case, it’s been tried before: “Vacuum/heat formed cushion with pyramidal, inflatable cells”: https://www.freepatentsonline.com/5596781.html https://www.freepatentsonline.com/5596781.html
somat 4y ago
The rubber membrane between the spars will not withstand the atmospheric forces. 14 pounds per square inch is a lot of force. A reference example, when planing a nuclear detonation(a grim task to be sure) the 5 pounds per square inch isoline covers the area where all non hardened structures(houses) are assumed destroyed. https://nukemap.org/nukemap/ https://nukemap.org/nukemap/