Stewart
6th January 2012, 03:24 AM
http://youtu.be/Zqmdv5iyIOY
If you were part of what is affectionately known as 'The Playstation Generation' you'll have heard of a game called Wipeout: a racing game that pits hoverships (occasionally with meaty weapons) against one another in fast paced, high speed competitions. It was fast, frantic and rather good fun (also incredibly designed).
Now, having levitation technology to propel our personal transport would be rather wonderful – especially as it would chance the aural roadscape somewhat - but that's not on the cards for now. Unless you want your Scalextric set to be a little more... floaty.
Scientists at the Japan Institute of Science and Technology (JIST) have devised a way to use quantum levitation to create a Scalextric-size Wiepout track with levitating ships.
Quantum levitation occurs when a superconductor, cooled with liquid nitrogen, is popped above a row of magnets. When the superconductor is warm, the magnetic field has no effect on it, but cool it and it enters a state of quantum trapping (thanks to quantum flux tubes – this is all sounding a bit Doctor Who) and is essentially pinned in place. Unless, of course, there's more than one magnet; like, say, on a course designed for two hover ships to be raced around. In which case the superconductor can, with a bit of Newton attached ('a push'), travel around said course friction free at any angle you so choose. It even works upside down.
In the description for the Wipeout video JIST shows big ambitions: "With this new technology, we hope to revolutionize the world of motor transport; maybe in a near future we could assist to a real Wipe'out race."
The idea of a is pretty awesome (though not so having to deal with liquid nitrogen) but imagine if this is used to develop a new way of getting around. Yes, it would require the entire road network to be dug up and replaced with magnets, but how cool would levitating to work be? The Wipeout video is below and another explaining quantum levitation (by scientists) is beneath that. Enjoy.
:smilewinkgrin:
If you were part of what is affectionately known as 'The Playstation Generation' you'll have heard of a game called Wipeout: a racing game that pits hoverships (occasionally with meaty weapons) against one another in fast paced, high speed competitions. It was fast, frantic and rather good fun (also incredibly designed).
Now, having levitation technology to propel our personal transport would be rather wonderful – especially as it would chance the aural roadscape somewhat - but that's not on the cards for now. Unless you want your Scalextric set to be a little more... floaty.
Scientists at the Japan Institute of Science and Technology (JIST) have devised a way to use quantum levitation to create a Scalextric-size Wiepout track with levitating ships.
Quantum levitation occurs when a superconductor, cooled with liquid nitrogen, is popped above a row of magnets. When the superconductor is warm, the magnetic field has no effect on it, but cool it and it enters a state of quantum trapping (thanks to quantum flux tubes – this is all sounding a bit Doctor Who) and is essentially pinned in place. Unless, of course, there's more than one magnet; like, say, on a course designed for two hover ships to be raced around. In which case the superconductor can, with a bit of Newton attached ('a push'), travel around said course friction free at any angle you so choose. It even works upside down.
In the description for the Wipeout video JIST shows big ambitions: "With this new technology, we hope to revolutionize the world of motor transport; maybe in a near future we could assist to a real Wipe'out race."
The idea of a is pretty awesome (though not so having to deal with liquid nitrogen) but imagine if this is used to develop a new way of getting around. Yes, it would require the entire road network to be dug up and replaced with magnets, but how cool would levitating to work be? The Wipeout video is below and another explaining quantum levitation (by scientists) is beneath that. Enjoy.
:smilewinkgrin: