Difference between revisions of "Atmospheric mesh"
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Aerial meshes may have a severe impact on the look of the landscape. | Aerial meshes may have a severe impact on the look of the landscape. | ||
Aesthetically pleasing design might become a quite important aspect. | Aesthetically pleasing design might become a quite important aspect. | ||
| − | Its yet unclear how well they could be hidden in the human visible spectral range with holographic displays. | + | Its yet unclear how well they could be hidden in the human visible spectral range (e.g. with [[holographic displays]]). |
Human flight by eye in areas with optically cloaked airmeshes would be impossible. | Human flight by eye in areas with optically cloaked airmeshes would be impossible. | ||
Revision as of 07:19, 25 June 2023
Hypothetical airmeshes are based on robust metamaterial balloons based on gemstone metamaterial technology.
An airmesh is basically a three dimensional mesh network out of vacuum balloon metamaterial floating in the sky
that is anchored to the ground at multiple points.
Anchored such that it roughly stays stationary in translation and rotation.
Contents
Size, structure shape and look
Imagine a cartesian computergraphics grid but in 3D with all the lines being replaced by thick translucent lighter than air metamaterial tubes.
- The grid spacing several tens of meters at least, perhaps more like hundreds
- The tubes several meters in diamter at least.
We're talking BIG here.
Other (optically more pleasing and or for technical reasome better geometries than a simple cartesian may be possible. E.g. the edges of a regular or irregular foam structure, octet truss, …
Basic properties
Airmeshes could serve various purposes. Depending on the purpose it may have very different size and shape.
Aerial meshes may have a severe impact on the look of the landscape. Aesthetically pleasing design might become a quite important aspect. Its yet unclear how well they could be hidden in the human visible spectral range (e.g. with holographic displays). Human flight by eye in areas with optically cloaked airmeshes would be impossible.
Airmeshes sticking far far up into the sky will want to catch lightning strikes. Thus they must be capable of handling atmospheric discharges. {{todo|investigate new possibilities that APM opens up for protection against lightning. e.g. nanotube lightning protectors?)
It might be desirable to design airmeshes such that they can be climbed in some way. Ultra lightweight elevators could be put into the ground anchors going up the center of the floating translucent tubes.
Survival of wind loads
Similar to balloons and zeppelins lighter than air structures need to be voluminous and thus have the problem of a big wind attack surface.
- Plus wind loads do not scale linearly with the wind-speed
- Plus Earth climate occasionally has really bad storms in store
- Plus all the force sums up down at the anchor points
Gem gum metamaterials allow for making lighter than air materials that, when overloaded, reversibly fold up their micro-to-nano structure Like a soft fluffy spread out yarn that gets really strong and tough when pulled apart The issue though that the material then is no longer lighter than air and if too much of this happens the whole thing comes falling down. Who knows how slow or fast.
Eventually possible strategies to prevent destruction by winds
- full retraction in case of an upcoming storm – (can't deal with unannounced pressure waves from very large scale explosions)
- active cloaking against the wind – moving the wind contacting surfaces at wind speed with ultra low friction (stratified shear bearings) – this might work surprisingly well
Using wind power to move against the wind is possible. Sailships and ventomobiles do so.
But it won't reduce the forces on the anchor points.
At least it allows the structure to keep itself in a "nominal" position.
E.g. a straight vertical despite a sideways wind.
This should look very strange and counter-intuitive.
Energy extraction and weather control
For weather control and energy extraction airmeshes need mechanical energy transmission cables integrated into their "filaments"
Wind energy
Inside vertically orientated rectangular or other polygonal rather planar mesh loops there can be integrated medium mover sails. for energy extraction and back-splicing from the weather system. They should be designed to be adjustable such that can be set to let through enough airflow to not disturb the weather system in a detrimental way. Airmesh surfaces might be designed with advanced features for wind cloaking like active surface motion and temporary adiabatic presence cloaking.
Solar energy
Inside horizontally or better sunward orientated rectangular or other polygonal rather planar mesh loops there can be integrated adjustable sunshade sails that work as advanced solar cells. If the airmesh reaches up through the troposphere into the stratosphere (possible?) one has a permanent daytime energy source.
Transport
Aerial meshes for local urban transport will likely be much smaller than aerial meshes for energy extraction and weather control.
Pillar shaped high wind compensating robust metamaterial balloons could be used to lift passenger capsules up through the layer of electric legacy cables from todays age into a higher situated urban aerial mesh for local transport (still way smaller than the airmeshes used for weather control). The passenger capsules / gondolas can then be transported by the airmesh in a gondola or spiderman style albeit with the height kept constant for more comfort and faster transport. The advantage over just flying with the lifting pillar balloon is avoiding the inefficient use of air for propulsion. The high volume of balloons for a given mass (~ factor 1000) may be an issue for air congestion this may drive more inefficient means of transport
Note that with atomically precise technology many things can be transported by just disassembling them to their microcomponents and transporting them through the global microcomponent distribution network or even better using locally "cached" sufficiently identical microcomponents. If you care for the preservation of the exact settings you may use some advanced form of pipe mail included in upgraded street infrastructure too.
Related: Transportation and transmission
Notes
Since static aerial meshes are at all times anchored to the ground (abiding the mobility prevention guideline) ...
One could use non-floating anchoring lines to anchor intermeshed floating lift balloons but this isn't very safe. When an accidentally ripped off cable falls down it could create heavy damage. A better solution may be to connect everything with quite thick (but wind-cloaked) "air-swimming" cables let's call them "air filaments". (TODO: investigate how big these need to be in diameter for a) lifting themselves b) lifting a chemomechanical powerline and c) lifting an elevator)
Related
External links
- http://sci-nanotech.com/index.php?thread/26-aerial-meshes/ (wiki-TODO: integrate this material into this page)
