23 Nov 18
@wolfgang59 saidYou maybe missed my post of the same subject, down a few lines.
Never heard of this before ... pretty amazing.
https://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/46310975/sci-fi-plane-with-no-moving-parts-flies-successfully
The future for drones maybe?
23 Nov 18
@sonhouse
I did indeed.
Amazing isn't it?
And something like 2.5 kg ... not a feather-weight.
Will your grandchildren get their Amazon deliveries from one of these?
25 Nov 18
1 edit
@wolfgang59 saidDon't think so, it doesn't land like a drone, vertically, it has to have SOME runway. But it will be a while before the power of the thrusters get powerful enough to move something heavy, like THREE kg😉 I think they will have to use much higher voltages to make stronger ion currents. I wonder how well something like this would work on Mars? 1% of our atmosphere and that mostly CO2, helped out by 1/3 the gravity so the same machine on mars at its present level of development could be at least twice the mass of Earth versions.
@sonhouse
I did indeed.
Amazing isn't it?
And something like 2.5 kg ... not a feather-weight.
Will your grandchildren get their Amazon deliveries from one of these?
I wonder if some variation of that could work on the moon? Like a supply of some gas to be accelerated and there gravity is 1/6th Earth so that would help but with no atmosphere, you would have to include your own thrusting gas. Could be Argon, CO2, N2, I assume bigger AMU would be better and Argon comes in at around 39 so it should provide more thrust than say, N2 which is about half the AMU of Argon. Unless I am totally out in left field, maybe H2 is best, lighter AMU the better. Not sure.
25 Nov 18
@sonhouse saidA delivery drone could use this system then employ rotors to
Don't think so, it doesn't land like a drone, vertically, it has to have SOME runway. But it will be a while before the power of the thrusters get powerful enough to move something heavy, like THREE kg😉 I think they will have to use much higher voltages to make stronger ion currents. I wonder how well something like this would work on Mars? 1% of our atmosphere and that mo ...[text shortened]... of Argon. Unless I am totally out in left field, maybe H2 is best, lighter AMU the better. Not sure.
land. Potentially very efficient since it would not have to carry fuel.
On the moon? Nothing flies without an atmosphere does it!
Mars maybe ... although gravity is less so would be the lift from
the wings and presumably less thrust too.