What is Digg?Sponsored by Best Buy
Geek Squad(R) Online view!
bestbuygiftadvice.com - Best Buy(R) Twelpforce(TM) Carolers explain the joys of 24/7 Geek Squad(R) service in this holiday remix.
104 Comments
- CkMaverick, on 01/27/2008, -1/+82The general public is full of morons that can barely handle the non-flying car... The only way I would be in favor of allowing these idiots into these death machines is if they were fully automated to the point where you can select your destination and it would automatically go there.
- likemeorne, on 01/27/2008, -5/+80How come everything sounds so much cooler when a British guy describes it?
- SSUK, on 01/27/2008, -1/+36Because we're the villains in movies, and the bad guys are always cool.
- knobtwiddler, on 01/27/2008, -0/+30this doesn't say a thing about how a flying car works.
- zoxx, on 01/27/2008, -0/+17Come on now, people. Let's shoot for hoverboards before we even THINK about flying cars.
- borez, on 01/27/2008, -3/+18Flying car. Running out of petrol, air rage, braking down, mid air collision, drunk flying etc. etc. etc.
Silly idea. - iticu, on 01/27/2008, -1/+14-coughs- Skynet
- lex0nyc, on 01/27/2008, -0/+12***** the something something A.
- rushiku, on 01/27/2008, -1/+12Flying cars? Really? Hopefully this research will result in something valuable being found, but flying cars...? Air pollution, noise pollution and the near 100% death rate resulting from fender-benders at 1000 feet will keep this ridiculous idea grounded.
- looke, on 01/27/2008, -0/+9Did anyone think that guy just seemed to throw in "canyons" to add to the car's list of uses?
- Tiak, on 01/27/2008, -1/+10They didn't show a prototype, they showed a model. There is a huge difference between a two foot hollow piece of plastic and a 10 foot object that will be able to balance a load including at least one person.
Moller has had a working model that hovers since 1962. This model actually could carry a person, but it is doubtful they will EVER have a real working prototype. - BlackCow, on 01/27/2008, -0/+7Evil will always prevail, because good is dumb.
- jasarien, on 01/27/2008, -1/+8Buried for innacuracy. Video does nothing to explain "How a real flying car works" as the title suggests.
Waste of time. - blinktude, on 01/27/2008, -0/+7did you not see the movie?
it works by flying - GeorgeClayton, on 01/27/2008, -0/+6*Correction: How a flying car COULD work.
- Ramble, on 01/27/2008, -2/+8Because our accent rocks.
- jggr, on 01/27/2008, -0/+6You're really complaining about how it looks? Srsly?
I think you forgot an 's' in your name, ma'am. :) - Zaggynl, on 01/27/2008, -0/+5Hmm, well spoken just sounds very nice.
- HaroldHupmobile, on 01/27/2008, -0/+5In response to those saying a mechanical failure = death: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cirrus_Aircraft_Parac ...
But seriously, an energy storage means much more dense than any petroleum based fuel is needed for this to become practical. - aximbigfan, on 01/27/2008, -1/+5OOOoookkkayyy...
I'm learning to fly soon (but have many hours on the sim), and I see a number of problems with this thing.
1. Prop failure. Prop failure sucks. It occurs when the prop shatters, sending extremely fast shrapnel in all directions, and in most cases, damages the engine by bending the crankshaft.
2. General failure. I fly an RC X-UFO. it consists of 4 fans, mounted around a center hub, with the gyro and avionics inside. If one fan goes, the rest of the fans will act like a lever and fling the aircraft down at very high speed. This car thing has 2 lift fans, and will act exactly the same way.
3. This car works like a helicopter with rotating wings. If something bad happens, it cannot glide, and is unlikely to be able to auto rotate.
4. What happens when you run out of fuel? A: it drops out of the sky like a brick.
I can think of tons of other things with it, but won't go into them now. - diggik, on 01/27/2008, -0/+3Unless I'm mistaken, the only way the air-space agencies will allow them is through full automation as you describe. The free-flight models would require a pilot's license and that's not happening for the average Jill/Joe.
- noverflow, on 01/27/2008, -0/+3Exactly!
Currently you don't die if you snap a belt in your car. A fender bender doesn't end in people and a thousand pounds of material falling on more people. - Biks, on 01/27/2008, -2/+5Again with the flying cars. I agree it would be a cool idea. If you have a mechanical/engine failure while up there, DEATH is the most likely result. At least with a plane or helicopter there's a pretty good chance you'll get back on the ground safely if the engine stops. I also agree with CkMavericks comments, the vehicle would have to be utterly idiot proof.
- borez, on 01/27/2008, -0/+3Have a word with yourself mate.
- inactive, on 01/27/2008, -4/+7Interesting video because it wasn't just animation, they showed the actual prototype so we don't all have to wonder whether this is actually possible. Well done.
- GuacamoleSan, on 01/27/2008, -0/+2This isn't the technology we should be pursuing...Generating lift with fans is 20th century technology
- Tysto, on 01/28/2008, -0/+2Not only does it not show how a flying car works, it's not a "real" flying car. It's a simulation and a model. Buried as inaccurate and getting my hopes up and for reminding me of Moller and for waking up the safety matrons.
- Hayaemsay, on 01/27/2008, -0/+2/me slaps forehead
- krnldmp, on 01/27/2008, -0/+2By the time the propulsion fans had enough safety guards around them to keep people from chopping off arms, efficiency would be even more ridiculous than the vehicle has as pictured. Nevermind all the damage that would be caused by blown over objects and flying debris. Although such a vehicle is certainly great fun for their constructors and skilled operaters, it doesn't have a hope in reality.
- inactive, on 01/27/2008, -0/+2booo no blueprints
- Kamikid, on 01/27/2008, -0/+2I assume for this to work we would need some sort of regulated air traffic control system or else people would be flying these things all over the damn place.
- deflord, on 01/27/2008, -0/+2Not if they are from the Birmingham though /*joke*/
- carpespasm, on 01/27/2008, -0/+2but he didn't mention why they can't go there. Gyrocopters, especially small ones, can go pretty damn much anywhere.
- Hegemony, on 01/27/2008, -0/+2Flying cars are cool and all, but what happens if it breaks down? You don't just coast to a stop like in an old fashioned ground car... nope, you die.
- rowlodge, on 01/27/2008, -0/+2loud little model, then they land with this tremendous force of air like a tornado, who would like to stand next to one, on landing or takeoff ?
- tdous, on 01/29/2008, -0/+1Our *one* accent? There's few round the country that would make science sound very unlikely to succeed ;)
- blqysmg, on 01/28/2008, -0/+1Um, no. Even if the flying car has crap for a power-off glide, today's ballistic paracutes are excellent. Deploy in 0.3 seconds, and will bring the whole vehicle down to a nice, safe landing. I've seen them in action, they work really well.
- VitriolAndAngst, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1Looks like it is going to fail. The thing is almost all fan, has a poor lift to weight ratio which will probably grow worse with size. You could also imagine that you are going to blast pedestrians and make hazards out of loose objects when it gets near the ground.
This is not the best design I've seen. - headband, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1Yet
- BlackCow, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1I think we should worry about having a perfected fuel source that we don't have to worry about how much we burn before we make things like this.
- inactive, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1There's one way to never get off oil.
- Tysto, on 01/28/2008, -0/+1I was thinking, "Yes! Thank god I'll be able to fly this into canyons! If only I could fly into canyons now, I would have discovered some old buried treasure or something! Thanks to this guy, in the future, we'll ALL find old treasure buried in canyons."
- inactive, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1cops will get them.
the only problem is when ***** hits the fans. - jftitan, on 01/27/2008, -0/+181 bucks for Shipping and Handling.... I think that dudes, book is the key to all religions.
- inactive, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1except you could only destroy sheds and outhouses.
- MadOgre, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1I'll wait for the BMW version.
- Grandforks85, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1Did you even watch the video?
- inactive, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1The trouble isn't' making the flying car the trouble is making it idiot proof. We prove daily that we aren't competent enough to drive cars imagine if you let the cell phone chatting bimbo fly a car!
- NetJoe, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1because smaller cowled fans are safer than exposed rotor blades in a confined space. This thing could bump a wall without blowing it's rotor blades to pieces.
- ryan83189, on 01/27/2008, -0/+1It looks pretty small 1000 feet in the air.
-
Show 51 - 100 of 104 discussions
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is