10 Sci-Fi Techs We Could Build If They Weren't So Damn Expensive

Possibility isn't limited by technology. And it's certainly not limited by human imagination. What makes something impossible is the lack of cold, hard, cash.

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/0...

I want all of these and a flying car.

I'm better off... I'm afraid of heights and most of the listed techs involves falling from them when something goes wrong. :/

pew pew pew

Another Cold War would be nice for this sort of thing.

Great read, most of them are both very fascinating and, um, so very useless. And I liked the mention of Tesla's teleforce. Actually, I spent last half an hour researching it. I am so sidetrackable.

Also, the sea cities reminded me of my visit to the Netherlands. A big part of country actually lies on the reclaimed land. In the middle of sweetwater lake that used to be sea just a few decades ago. Read on, if you wish, it's fascinating.

I want my walking tank!

I think I'd be happy with Manfred Macx's visor.

Quintin_Stone wrote:

pew pew pew

thud thud thud

Edwin wrote:

I want all of these and a flying car.

Well, if it's a flying car you want check out the Moller Skycar. You can preorder one for a paltry half mil. As to when they are actually going to put it into production...

You realize all you gonna get with flying cars is 3-dimensional traffic and some ridiculous mid-air collisions, right? Imagine having look all around you before you change lanes? Wait, what lanes?! *head explodes*

I'll just fly higher than everyone else! I'm pretty sure I'll be the only one to come up with that idea.

I would have liked to see more technologies to prepare for and/or combat the inevitable zombie apocalypse the article so innocuously referred to. The giant gundam is a good start but ...

Novocain wrote:

You realize all you gonna get with flying cars is 3-dimensional traffic and some ridiculous mid-air collisions, right? Imagine having look all around you before you change lanes? Wait, what lanes?! *head explodes*

That's why the average civilian will never be allowed to fly a flying car. If we ever develop one it'll be AI controlled, mark my words.

Someone forward this thread to Richard Branson.

Heretk wrote:

I would have liked to see more technologies to prepare for and/or combat the inevitable zombie apocalypse the article so innocuously referred to. The giant gundam is a good start but ...

Shotgun. All the advanced technology you need for the coming zombiepocalypse.

I'm a long time lurker and finally feel the need to post to thank Edwin.

For years I have been trying to remember a 'life in the future' type book I read in elementary school. I remember the images but didn't remember the title or author and I have had no luck finding it. The floating city in the link is from Future Cities, which is part of the book I was trying to find - Usborne Book of the Future. While trying to find more about Future Cities after finding out the name, I also ran across a blog (Paleo-Future) that has different pictures of The Future from lots of different time periods. I've been on a 70/80s space nostalgia kick lately and am happy I can finally see the book I read so long ago.

Thanks again,

dhelor wrote:
Heretk wrote:

I would have liked to see more technologies to prepare for and/or combat the inevitable zombie apocalypse the article so innocuously referred to. The giant gundam is a good start but ...

Shotgun. All the advanced technology you need for the coming zombiepocalypse.

"Not to s**t on anyone's riff here, but let me just see if I grasp this concept, ok? You're suggesting that we take some f**king parking shuttles (with shotguns), and reinforce them with some aluminum siding, and then just head on over to the gun store and watch our good friend Andy play some cowboy movie jump-on-the-covered-wagon bulls**t. Then, we're gonna drive across a ruined city (with shotguns), through a welcome committee of a few hundred thousand dead cannibals, all so that we can sail off into the sunset on this f**king a**hole's boat (with shotguns)?"

Sorry. Couldn't resist. I'm all for the shotgun as a universal zombie solution. But, when I am fighting my way out of an infested city, I'm gonna need a little more street-sweeping power. Like a gundam mech or a rail gun.

I find it funny that the functional Gundam robot is only 3 times as expensive as a Raptor.

It's interesting to consider that even with Gundam costing that supposed amount, it's still cheaper than a B-2 bomber.

EDIT:

LobsterMobster wrote:

I find it funny that the functional Gundam robot is only 3 times as expensive as a Raptor.

Right on Lobster.

Heretk wrote:
dhelor wrote:
Heretk wrote:

I would have liked to see more technologies to prepare for and/or combat the inevitable zombie apocalypse the article so innocuously referred to. The giant gundam is a good start but ...

Shotgun. All the advanced technology you need for the coming zombiepocalypse.

"Not to s**t on anyone's riff here, but let me just see if I grasp this concept, ok? You're suggesting that we take some f**king parking shuttles (with shotguns), and reinforce them with some aluminum siding, and then just head on over to the gun store and watch our good friend Andy play some cowboy movie jump-on-the-covered-wagon bulls**t. Then, we're gonna drive across a ruined city (with shotguns), through a welcome committee of a few hundred thousand dead cannibals, all so that we can sail off into the sunset on this f**king a**hole's boat (with shotguns)?"

Sorry. Couldn't resist. I'm all for the shotgun as a universal zombie solution. But, when I am fighting my way out of an infested city, I'm gonna need a little more street-sweeping power. Like a gundam mech or a rail gun. :)

I'm still unconvinced that the "zombie apocalypse" would be a huge deal considering they are dumber than a bad of broken glass and can be fooled into walking en masse off cliffs and uncompleted highway overpasses by baiting them with a wind chime. It seems to me that all the high tech you need to defeat a zombie army is the inclined plane.

Paleocon wrote:

It seems to me that all the high tech you need to defeat a zombie army is the inclined plane.

Don't dis the incline plane. I have to use that all the time in engineering practicums.

Thirteenth wrote:

It's interesting to consider that even with Gundam costing that supposed amount, it's still cheaper than a B-2 bomber.

EDIT:

LobsterMobster wrote:

I find it funny that the functional Gundam robot is only 3 times as expensive as a Raptor.

Right on Lobster. :D

Maybe it's because I've never had to realistically consider what to do with large sums of money (being the middle-class fool that I am), but if I were Gates, Branson, or someone else with that kind of bank I would definitely invest the money into building a functional Gundam. Not because I'd want to wage war or anything like that. No, it'd be because it's cool. Hell, these are the kind of people spend that type of money on a yacht just for bragging rights.

Call me a geek if you must but if we're going for bragging rights I'd say a walking tank beats all

Good call Raven. While I was reading that I couldn't help but think that Bill Gates could afford to have just about any of them built, including the ocean pyramid.

On that note, I actually tried to e-mail the dude who's building the Freedom Ship with some questions about the project (trying to be respectful, just picking his brain). E-mail bounced. That doesn't inspire a lot of faith.

Novocain wrote:

You realize all you gonna get with flying cars is 3-dimensional traffic and some ridiculous mid-air collisions, right? Imagine having look all around you before you change lanes? Wait, what lanes?! *head explodes*

GPS + Computer-guided navigation + Wireless communication = no *head explodes*

The FAA is planning on rolling out a similar system for aircraft traffic that basically lets each plane pick their own route. The planes broadcast their own position to other planes to avoid collisions.

I for one would like to see the Military build one of those Way too expensive to Operate 50 ton robot tanks after all you never know when we will have to fight Alien Robots , Angels, Russian super Mechs or even those Darn Power Rangers . We need to be prepared

Paleocon wrote:

I think I'd be happy with Manfred Macx's visor.

Aww, but I want Aineko too.

Paleocon wrote:

I'm still unconvinced that the "zombie apocalypse" would be a huge deal considering they are dumber than a bad of broken glass and can be fooled into walking en masse off cliffs and uncompleted highway overpasses by baiting them with a wind chime. It seems to me that all the high tech you need to defeat a zombie army is the inclined plane.

Watch as inclined planes defeat the FORCES OF GRAVITY!!!

Azure Chicken wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

I think I'd be happy with Manfred Macx's visor.

Aww, but I want Aineko too.

Uhhh... No. I prefer my weakly godlike AIs with no inherent neurosis, thank you.

On the topic of the walking tank, bipedal motion remains a nontrivial engineering challenge. I'd say it's still impossible.

How about a Tachikoma? I'd prefer one of those actually.

Well, the cutesy-AI might be a bit out of reach, but wheeled-leg-constructions are actually proven AFAIK, so I guess it'd be a bit more likely (Disclaimer: I'm not an expert, I just hang around with some.).

dhelor wrote:
Heretk wrote:

I would have liked to see more technologies to prepare for and/or combat the inevitable zombie apocalypse the article so innocuously referred to. The giant gundam is a good start but ...

Shotgun. All the advanced technology you need for the coming zombiepocalypse.

I prefer the killer combo of a gym membership and a metal t-ball bat.