Flying House: Building Materials for a Future Airship Prototype

Designing a flying house, like any other flying vehicle, will involve novel integration of cutting edge concepts and materials. The road towards this "iPhone of the Sky" begins with gathering everything that may come in handy. Let's start making a list of things that should be kept in mind as of 2012. 

Part 1 


Helium-2 superfluid - Maximum amount of conductivity. A few hundred times more efficient conductor than copper (to such a degree that heat moves through it in waves like sound does). Non-gas, non-wing, non-exploding fuel propulsion systems will require rapid and efficient energy transfer for which we want the most the best conduits (encased in strongest and lightest insulating casing).

we want the house to withstand pressure evenly

Aggregated Diamond Nanorods (which are 491 gigapascals versus normal diamond's 442-446 gigapascal range) - Maximum amount of hardness from hyperdiamonds arranged in new novel ways via metamaterial printing (see below).

Metamaterials - By the time sufficient amounts of novelty seeking bourgeois begin pulling capital for first major flying house prototypes, we'll be able to utilize 3D printing to manufacture designer metamaterial parts.

Iron and nitrogen compound magnet for many of our moving parts like bearings as well as furniture and possibly within propulsion system itself? Iron cobalt is no longer most magnetic material on earth.

simplest example of tensegrity, similar
 to diamond's molecular structure

Tensegrity - Maximum amount of strength for the house's shell via proper mathematical arrangement of support beams in simplest manner. The violence of external elements must be absorbed by the entire house, preferably be harnessed for additional energy, and not be allowed to compromise weaker spots on molecular level. Buckminster Fuller's thought and elaboration on his thought will make appearance again and again in the decades ahead. 

We're all familiar with geodesic domes and material science will allow us to really play with their variants. It may even be possible to create some support beams made out of electromagnetic energy to bypass metamaterials when required. We already have software that calculates and models best beam arrangement. Small crash proof geodesic panic/safety room to survive certain altitude crashes or for possible ejection in case of emergency may be a good addition for extra safety redundancy.

3D Solar panels - Even if electromagnetism and/or zero point energy is harnessed to create a floating on air energy bed beneath the house, it is still a good idea to harness solar radiation to the maximum when possible.

Reactive thermal insulation - It is not enough to have metamaterial insulation that just stops  heat from the propulsion system dead in its tracks. New insulation methods allow to reflect and redirect heat to increase the effectiveness of the propulsion itself.

Reactive electromagnetic energy insulation - We don't want the humans inside (and ideally outside as well) to be fried by all this power we're harvesting and directing. After all, biological organisms have their own energy fields which should be protected and nurtured. Redirection, storage, and protection from energy pollution within the house will be of outmost importance. 

In the future, we will continue the list and tackle each of these separately to start getting a grip on how they can be best integrated.

Inflatable flying robots contribute to development of flying houses

How small biology inspired robotic pet technology can provide ideas for enormous levitating hotels of tomorrow.



Here we see simple robotically guided geometry used to create rather lifelike flying motion. As we speak, thousands of rich kids throughout the world are in the process of getting inspired to get and tinker with these as toys. This will lead to serious efforts to bring about  "air yachts" and "air hotels" in the 2020s.

In the meantime, we will see the kite reimagined so increasingly sophisticated floating robotic critters follow you around as you walk. Singing to you? Impressing you with laser/strobe light displays? Fetching for you? Don't get us started on the quadrocopters (which are not relevant to FHP due to being descendants of the helicopter yet are still relevant in inspiring the minds of young future oligarchs).

Solar technology to power water/oxygen to hydrogen is getting more efficient all the time so the first air yachts and medium sized luxury air toys will be able to land on water to refuel.

The effect when unleashed into the public is rather impressive as humans appear to be innate toolmakers and take delight in overcoming nature.

A number of prominent people in the industry are already designing entire flying hotels. The rapidly growing amount of  bourgeois customers across the globalizing world certainly points to a solid self-sustaining potential market. The multiple efforts to develop and reimagine futuristic gas based floating giants will lead to smaller spin offs using more exotic technologies later in this century (focus of this blog). Most of the flying hotels on the drawing board look like 21st century neo-Zeppelins but some take new aerodynamic directions as shown below:
 

There is also a tendency towards a flying saucer look, possibly stabilized along 4 corners the way a quadrotor vehicle is.

Experiments with biology-inspired gas fueled objects also have some potential for unique steering when scaled up.

Luxury Interiors of Flying Hotels, Zeppelins, Airships, and Houses

As time goes on, the interior of any futuristic sky cabin should:

1) Interactively emphasize the 360 degree dimension of air travel (if and when desired).

2) Provide spaciousness and mobility as stark contrast to 20th century

3) Create a seamless blend of high tech design and grade A comfort (to try to avoid crude effect of improperly embedded luxury [such as diamonds glued on a smart phone])

 

Luxury airships and Zeppelins, the flying hotels and houses already possible

Here are some illustrations of prior, current, and planned structures utilizing age old gas technology. Obviously Flying House Project has the goal of avoiding gas or vacuum powered flight. However, airships and Zeppelins do serve to educate and excite about the possibilities of large stylish and comfortable interiors.