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After watching the Japanese Tsunami, it got me wondering about a weather-balloon-like device. You strap it on like a life jacket, and you wait for the wave to

After watching the Japanese Tsunami, it got me wondering about a weather-balloon-like device. You strap it on like a life jacket, and you wait for the wave to come your way. As it approaches, you pull the cord. Something that looks like a weather balloon inflates, extends the length of a tether, and then you float a few hundred feet in the air, and then float back down a while later. Why is this a dumb idea?

freehunter 11y ago
Where do you get the helium needed to make it fly through the air? If you're just pumping air, at best you would float on water, which still leaves you vulnerable to being killed by something else that is floating (possibly a pickup truck, a growler of Rogue Dead Guy Ale or maybe the Space Needle).
- mirimir 11y ago
  You'd get helium from a tank. But you'd need a regulator with a huge heat exchanger to get fast inflation. Maybe use a high-volume whitewater kayak as the "basket".
  - VikingCoder 11y ago
    Hmmm - how fast is fast? Do you know how to actually do this math? Like, to lift a 200 lb person, without a heat exchanger (or a more reasonably sized one)? How long would it take?
azoth_ 11y ago
There is a company that already makes a Tsunami survival capsule, though it is only designed to float on water: http://survival-capsule.com/ http://survival-capsule.com/
nickthemagicman 11y ago
I love this idea. Like a reverse parachute. It would be great for both the earth quake AND the tsunami assuming you could get high enough fast enough and stay up long enough. If I was rich I would just buy a cheap helicopter but your idea is more affordable and would be accessible to more people.
gooseus 11y ago
Hey! I just posted a similar idea to this as a reply to another comment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9886142 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9886142 Basically put a high-powered airpump and heating element in the center of a life raft with a balloon designed to lift a bunch of people above the tsunami wall Helium is too expensive and rare to be deployed for this purpose (imo) and hydrogen is too reactive to be stored where these life rafts would need to go As for the dangers associated with anything that could go wrong in flight or putting down somewhere dangerous... I think most people would rather take those chances than just be instantly crushed to death.

freehunter 11y ago

Where do you get the helium needed to make it fly through the air? If you're just pumping air, at best you would float on water, which still leaves you vulnerable to being killed by something else that is floating (possibly a pickup truck, a growler of Rogue Dead Guy Ale or maybe the Space Needle).

mirimir 11y ago
You'd get helium from a tank. But you'd need a regulator with a huge heat exchanger to get fast inflation. Maybe use a high-volume whitewater kayak as the "basket".
- VikingCoder 11y ago
  Hmmm - how fast is fast? Do you know how to actually do this math? Like, to lift a 200 lb person, without a heat exchanger (or a more reasonably sized one)? How long would it take?

azoth_ 11y ago

There is a company that already makes a Tsunami survival capsule, though it is only designed to float on water: http://survival-capsule.com/ http://survival-capsule.com/

nickthemagicman 11y ago

I love this idea. Like a reverse parachute. It would be great for both the earth quake AND the tsunami assuming you could get high enough fast enough and stay up long enough. If I was rich I would just buy a cheap helicopter but your idea is more affordable and would be accessible to more people.

gooseus 11y ago

Hey! I just posted a similar idea to this as a reply to another comment https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9886142 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9886142 Basically put a high-powered airpump and heating element in the center of a life raft with a balloon designed to lift a bunch of people above the tsunami wall Helium is too expensive and rare to be deployed for this purpose (imo) and hydrogen is too reactive to be stored where these life rafts would need to go As for the dangers associated with anything that could go wrong in flight or putting down somewhere dangerous... I think most people would rather take those chances than just be instantly crushed to death.