Top secret invention greater than the computer?

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Sunny129

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2000
4,823
6
81
sheesh...if they hadnt given away the fact that it can be put together in 10 minutes i would have suggested finding a waay to harness the energy of nuclear fusion...
 

MadRat

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
11,999
307
126
Guys, its a portable toilet. No longer does one have to duck into a pub for the local john. You can now carry it with you.
 

cvlegion

Senior member
Jan 5, 2001
223
0
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I get the feeling that is a new energy source. Perhaps it is more efficient, more cost-effective and safer. That would effect almost everything especially at these gas prices and the fact that California is about to plunge the whole country into a recession because of the idiots that we call our lawmakers here in this state.
 

IamDavid

Diamond Member
Sep 13, 2000
5,888
10
81
It has to be some sort of Individual Transport. Not Transporter.. The man has already invented things to help handicapped people get around better so he probably started building whatever this is thinking it would be perfect for helping the disabled. Then realized everyone would use it.

And there is 2 different models. The Metro which would probably replace individuals cars and the Pro model will replace transportation vehicles like Semi's, dump trucks, trains.

I think it has to be some sort of anti-gravity hover thinking, not a mechanical based one.
 

Dexion

Golden Member
Apr 30, 2000
1,591
0
76
I personally don't think its a energy source at all. The reason is that any energy source would not emit any "fun" factor to anything unless your addicted shocking your tongue with a 9v battery(or anything larger in that matter).

I personally think its a personal individual hovering scooter, similar to those 2 wheeled scooters that was a huge fab this past year. However, I believe they might have found a safer means of "hovering" and a very environmental mode of transportation. It may have a seat as well as protection(doors, and windows) from accidents, yet made of lightweight material easy enough to put together with a HEX wrench and a screwdriver within minutes. Its mode on energy may be a new fuel source, explaining why its so revolutionary to society. Its also probably "affordable" much more than a cost of a bike, but alot cheaper than a motercycle.

Again this is my "opinion", and it could be totally different than my vision.
 
Feb 7, 2000
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keep in mind that prolly 90% of that article is pure bs. bigger than the internet? sweeping over the world? how many times have we heard that before.
 

Soccerman

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,378
0
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well first of all, it could be BS.

second of all, lets identify all the billion dollar industry.

the biggest of which, is the oil/transportation inudstry (they go hand in hand currently, though fuel cells made by Canada's own Ballard to be introduced I think in 2003 Chrysler and Ford cars may begin our change away from the oil part of that industry, at least in transportation).

what other industry could it take over? well they said bigger then the internet. could it be some form of communication device?

assembled in 10 minutes, it probably means that they made parts (complicated or not, we do not know), that you can assemble in a short period of time.

btw, we have no idea how far along companies are when it comes to quantum mechanics based devices. has anyone ever read Michael Crichtons latest novel, TimeLine? for all we know it could be relatively simple to put together, yet hold some magnificent properties never before dreamed.

you have to realize that Science isn't utilized very well in technology today. just look at all the abstract devices we have today, (a mass spectometer is a perfect example, so is the VASIMIR rocket) that are based upon such obscure principles of physics. we haven't finished inventing everything yet.

a good example of simple physics being employed into high tech areas, are Ion engines.. acceleration of ions using two plates charged with opposite charge. that is extremely simple, yet has only begun to be employed in spacecraft (partly because of it's low thrust, but it has EXTREME efficiency compared to current chemical engines).

teleporters aren't ruled out by simplicity of design, nor by doubt of how quickly we can utilize new science. in fact, the first thing I thought of was transportation industry being changed by teleporters. I've known for quite a while how different everything would be with such a simple device, replacing cars!

the balance of power in the middle east would shift quite a bit (not instantly, but over a few years, as people bought the device), though fossil fuels would still be used alot by 3rd world countries with existing fossil fuel based plants.

in fact, once (or if) fuel cells become a big hit, they could in theory also change power plants. they are already being used as backup generators (recent developement) for buildings, I see no reason for stopping there.

fusion would be nice.. I remember reading a while back (I think in either a Popular Science or Scientific American), that an interesting discovery was made. when you have water in a special container (you'll understand why later), with a small air bubble in it, and you vibrate the water with ultrasonic frequencies, the air bubble oscillates wildly in size. the pressure that it creates is simply amazing, and because it gets to such high pressure, temperatures also increase, and light is created.

I'm not done yet!

one thing none of you has considered is that it could be some sort of easy access to space, or an easy way to design satellites (which could mean more GPS satellites, GPS of course can be used to help build objects like buildings, or bridges.
 

snow patrol

Diamond Member
Jan 24, 2000
8,377
0
76
Maybe it's a joke...I must say, it's very intriuging. Although I'll probably have forgotten all about it by next week.
 

Soccerman

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,378
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"In a private meeting with Bezos, Jobs and Doerr, Kamen assembled two Gingers ? or ITs ? in 10 minutes, using a screwdriver and hex wrenches from components that fit into a couple of large duffel bags and some cardboard boxes."

2 devices

"There are possibly two Ginger models, named Metro and Pro ? and the Metro may possibly cost less than $2,000."

2 different devices.

Bezos is quoted as saying that IT ?...is a product so revolutionary, you?ll have no problem selling it. The question is, are people going to be allowed to use it??

possible conflicts with national security/laws. like mp3 only worse?

Jobs is quoted as saying: ?...If enough people see the machine you won?t have to convince them to architect cities around it. It?ll just happen.?

like any standard, the one that gets the most popularity wins. could it be cars vs whatever he makes?

Kemper says the invention will ?sweep over the world and change lives, cities, and ways of thinking.?

change ways of thinking. again, possibly going really deep into science, or really shallow. often it is most difficult utilizing basic science principles, and easiest utilizing obscure principles..

The ?core technology and its implementations? will, according to Kamen, ?have a big, broad impact not only on social institutions but some billion-dollar old-line companies.? And the invention will ?profoundly affect our environment and the way people live worldwide. It will be an alternative to products that are dirty, expensive, sometimes dangerous and often frustrating, especially for people in the cities.?

Quantum physics has yet to really rear it's twisted head in technology, it would not surprise me that they are working on multiple devices based on quantum physics.

of course, there's that environmental impact one, in combination with being an alternative to dirty, expensive, dangerous, and frustrating devices quote, which most obviously points towards cars (what else is common to MANY people, yet dirty, expensive (esp with gas prices the way they are now), and frustrating, and dangerous at the same time?), and traffic jams in Cities.

IT will be a mass-market consumer product ?likely to run afoul of existing regulations and or inspire new ones,? according to Kemper.

likely to run afoul of existing regulations. sounds interesting no? just like the internet has been a big problem (esp in the states) when it comes to new laws etc, this one will probably carry similar changes to laws with it.

the question remains, is this something so simple that I am overlooking what it is, or is it what is most obvious to many of us, an alternative to vehicles?

and the REAL question remains, who the hell is so twisted to do such a thing, and make people spend their time trying to figure out this riddle.

perhaps this is only a passive poll. your company posts this piece of well made pr, and watches people interpret it. people see in this pr what they want to see, just like those ink blot things for psychology. only this way, you get honest answers, becuase that's what people really think!
 

Floydian

Senior member
Dec 13, 1999
506
0
0
I'm taking a guess at a power source - maybe one like the Tesla Coil? Wireless power? I'd buy that anyday.
Also, he could have laughed because he was amazed (maybe) - it doesn't have to be a humourous thing.
Tesla Coil Information
As far as Tesla goes, he was AMAZING, invented lots of usefull stuff.

(OT, I want a Tesla plasma ball hehe)


Ooops!!! Wrong link......
 

BigToque

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
11,700
0
76
AlphaIVT,



<< it can't be teleportation, your cells would disintegrate and the process of &quot;reviving&quot; them at another location is impossible. >>



I doubt its impossible. I'm sure the process is very difficult, but I don't see why its impossible. My thinking is like this:

Point A (where you are): You are made up of all your atoms
Point B (Where you want to be): There are atoms in this area

If you could get a computer to recognise and store the positions and properties of each atom in your body, the computer could 'copy' your atomic profile to a temporary location. It would then gather information about the site where you want to be, change and recombine the atoms, recreate yourself in Point B and somehow 'erase' the information from the atoms in Point A.

 

kami

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
17,627
5
81
Stefan...

they can barely teleport a single particle of light a few feet, let alone a grain of sand. :) And do you realize the computing power required to store the data of EVERY SINGLE ATOM in a human body to be re-assembled? If they could store all of that to be transported to the other teleporting station (point B) how in the hell would they put that digital data into living cells?
 

kami

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
17,627
5
81
well, i don't know what they'd use to &quot;read&quot; every single atom of a human and then &quot;recreate&quot; them out of thin air (from the data)....

I guess anything is possible, I just don't understand HOW :)
 

sweetca

Senior member
Nov 7, 1999
279
0
76
www.worldofaralon.com
its probably some kind of robot, not transportation. read on:


IT is not a medical invention.
In a private meeting with Bezos, Jobs and Doerr, Kamen assembled two Gingers ? or ITs ? in 10 minutes, using a screwdriver and hex wrenches from components that fit into a couple of large duffel bags and some cardboard boxes.
The invention has a fun element to it, because once a Ginger was turned on, Bezos started laughing his ?loud, honking laugh?.
There are possibly two Ginger models, named Metro and Pro ? and the Metro may possibly cost less than $2,000.
Bezos is quoted as saying that IT ?...is a product so revolutionary, you?ll have no problem selling it. The question is, are people going to be allowed to use it??
Jobs is quoted as saying: ?...If enough people see the machine you won?t have to convince them to architect cities around it. It?ll just happen.?
Kemper says the invention will ?sweep over the world and change lives, cities, and ways of thinking.?
The ?core technology and its implementations? will, according to Kamen, ?have a big, broad impact not only on social institutions but some billion-dollar old-line companies.? And the invention will ?profoundly affect our environment and the way people live worldwide. It will be an alternative to products that are dirty, expensive, sometimes dangerous and often frustrating, especially for people in the cities.?
IT will be a mass-market consumer product ?likely to run afoul of existing regulations and or inspire new ones,? according to Kemper. The invention will also likely require ?meeting with city planners, regulators, legislators, large commercial companies and university presidents about how cities, companies and campuses can be retro-fitted for Ginger.?
 

Playmaker

Golden Member
Sep 17, 2000
1,584
0
0
I'd be guessing it's a personal transportation device that flies. I'd also be guessing we don't see it until at least 2005, a few days after it's release some guy &quot;flying&quot; back from the bar mows down a few kids and the lawsuit puts this inventor and his IT away for good. Then I'll start selling them on e-Bay.
 

kami

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
17,627
5
81
It isn't going to be a flying machine for pete's sake. How efficient is it going to be if it has to keep a 200 pound person up in the air? little thing called GRAVITY...not to mention potentially NOISY depending on the method used....could be kicking up dust and garbage wherever you go...can you imagine rush hour?

How about BRAKING in mid air? People would be crashing into eachother like nuts. And can you imagine the illegal modifications people would make to them? (including me :D) No government would let that be used as public transporatation unless it maybe had some auto-guidance system that has a 0.0% failure rate...and that also would have to be proven somehow.

it's either something really simple that we haven't thought of that turns out to be revolutionary OR something so sophisticated we can't even fathom it at this point.

I have one question though...why wasn't this on any other sites?!


 

Soccerman

Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
6,378
0
0
they can barely teleport a single particle of light a few feet, let alone a grain of sand. And do you realize the computing power required to store the data of EVERY SINGLE ATOM in a human body to be re-assembled? If they could store all of that to be transported to the other teleporting station (point B) how in the hell would they put that digital data into living cells?

who is *they*? that is only some (now old) published results. lots of the US's scientists are locked up in companies, where they have major NDAs etc (IBM is one of the biggest companies like that).

kami, what kind of computer can do that kind of calculation for so many billions of atoms? why, a Quantum computer can. it just seems to go hand in hand, Quantum Physics allows for a form of teleportation in theory, and makes it possible in reality.

also, I'd like to address the fear of Fuel cells not working in Canada. OF COURSE THEY CAN WORK, for crying out loud, you take hydrogen, and oxygen, none of which will freeze in the temperatures we live in on earth, and we combine them to form water, which is in the form of water vapor.

the only worry can be when you shut off the car, the fuel cell will cool down (they do produce *some* heat), and if you don't have some sort of mechanizm to keep everything from freezing, something will freeze (between the fuel cell and the tail pipe probably).

a heater coil is the most innefficient way I can think of, but you can also have it inject antifreeze automatically when you shut down.. there are probably a million ingenious ways to do the same thing.

one interesting device it could be as well, would be superconducting magnets at room temperature, allowing you to have levitation transportation systems.

think about it, they mention 2 devices, one of which costs about $2000. this seems to me, that one is dependant on the other to get anything done, so one could be the superconducting magnets (the part on the roadway), and the other could be your vehicle which has some magnets of its own. it is then propelled using the magnets in the road (tough to describe, but I read another Scientific American that describes a system that would work easily!).
 

kami

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
17,627
5
81


<< kami, what kind of computer can do that kind of calculation for so many billions of atoms? why, a Quantum computer can. it just seems to go hand in hand, Quantum Physics allows for a form of teleportation in theory, and makes it possible in reality. >>


I'll believe it when i see it :p no i'm kidding...I didn't have a problem with computing that data...just how do you GET it...and then what do you use to just &quot;make it out of thin air&quot; when you teleport something. I have no doubt it's possible to process billions and billions of atoms...but wtf are they going to do? Scan the person in?! ;) Or use their photon-laser blasters and zap 'em in? ;) That's just the part I don't understand.



<< also, I'd like to address the fear of Fuel cells not working in Canada. OF COURSE THEY CAN WORK, for crying out loud >>


lol :)
 
Nov 7, 2000
16,403
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Bottom line - teleporting is possible. I think we have ALL seen enough Star Trek to know that. How they do it is beyond me.
 

Imaginer

Diamond Member
Oct 15, 1999
8,076
1
0
If the IT is a Individual Transport thing and if it is a scooter-flying device, then expect change in standards, schooling, and such. Plus, traffic control and drunks too! :Q
 

DesignDawg

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
3,919
0
0
OMG!!!!


<< even the hoverboards in Back to the Future II were actual working models made by Mattel. These boards were rejected by parents and seen to be &quot;unsafe&quot;. >>


AAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! AAAH! AHHH!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!!!! AH AH AH AH AH AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ROFLMAOPIMPOMGWADMFSASOBWITRMWATTTHBIBTTFWRAMBM!!!!!!!!!!! AAHAHAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DUDE. ARE YOU SERIOUSLY THAT DELUSIONAL?!?!?!?! AHAHAHAAA.

Ricky
DesignDawg