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honeyjigga

Is it possible to create some kind of water modulation device for non parachute bridge jumps?

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Okay I think I figured it out

What I am suggesting is possible but probably not worth it due to the massive cost involved. So here is another take on this idea:

I have coined the term 'Ball Diving'

What is Ball Diving?

Ball diving is the ability of dropping from great heights inside a human sized football for the ultimate rush for the thrill seekers of tomorrow.

So what does this device consist of?

A human sized football with see through walls so you can keep track on where your going on your descent. The ball uses a suspension system of pistons driven by elastrometric belts. The ball on the inside is covered by these belts that push and pull upon impact. The belt system is connected to a inner sphere made with see through material where the outer surface of the sphere is cushioned against the inner wall of the human sized football which also has see through material. So a sphere within a sphere. You are locked in to the inner sphere and that is connected to the outer sphere. There are rudder controls so you can move freely on all axis by pedaling. The inner sphere doesn't move on it's axis. Only the outer sphere does so but you can make both spheres move on all axis if you want. Now you ride these things off great heights and land in water. Upon impact due to lots of incredible work on getting the pistons just right you will feeling like you have just hit a small cushion of air when you land on water. Then as you can already see through the material you pedal your self out back to the shore.

Now I imagine such a system could be used to land on water and land. Imagine diving out of a plane at 15,000 feet with skydivers or going to 60,000 or 80,000 feet halo jumps with oxygen being pumped through the sphere. Landing on both land or water.

Imagine as well, built into the sphere is a helicopter blade powered either by a petrol tank inside the sphere or a series of lithium ion batteries similar to the types found in new electric cars with enough power to lift the sphere up vertically up to ten times and then when reached the height on the instrument display you can be dropped. On moment of drop, there's a panel that opens to quickly conceal the blade in a water and shock proof compartment and then you drop to land or water.

Now this would be amazing and actually doable I would imagine, don't you?

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This seems to be a radical departure from your original concept.
Are you sure you've thought this through?

There was something like that in that movie 'Double Team'.
I suggest clipping the scene out and taking it to your nearest rigger as a proposal. Even if they laugh at you you'll have just seen a decent action movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkScRJMMkcE

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Yes this ball concept was an idea I got a long time ago from that movie. But in the movie they are both inside the ball and it only inflates before impact with the ground. This isn't actually very reliable, the air can't fill a ball at the speed it's going when dropped out of a plane in time for you to survive. So my idea is to have the ball already inflated but use piston elastic belt technology which is my own idea. It could work if we don't think about dropping from planes and use it for the time being dropping from bridges over water which is very doable. I saw on that program called 'prototype this' they had created an airbag that deploys just before construction workers fall off ledges when working on buildings. The episode I saw was about a year old and they said at the end of the program they believed with more work on this device they could get it sold to the construction industry within the next 2 years. Their device didn't work too well, someone used it in a controlled environment indoors jumping from a tall ladder. The airbag opens but isn't anything like the concept CG video they were showing. All their device was, was air that was filling a bag cushioned around the body.

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I think with all ideas that people have in this world we should try them unless we wouldn't get anywhere. We didn't sit around thinking what if this and what if that to get to the moon. We just did it. Let's not forget that here.



You seriously denigrate the work of thousands of the brightest engineers and scientists in the world at that time. The people who just "sit around thinking what if" are the people who figure out how to make the whole damn thing work and not just explode on the launch pad.



Seriously, you don’t think they really went to the moon. Do you? :ph34r:

If you woke up breathing, congratulations!
You get another chance.

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Seriously, you don’t think they really went to the moon. Do you? :ph34r:



there is a special place in hell for people that lack the basic physics knowledge along with the motivation and audacity to claim that the Apollo lunar landings were faked. I really hope you are joking. I will assume you are due to the general hilarity of this thread.

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>We didn't sit around thinking what if this and what if that to get to the
>moon. We just did it.

I didn't work on the Apollo program, but while I was at Grumman I worked with some of the people who did. (They designed the lander.) And I can tell you that they did indeed sit around a LOT thinking "what if this" and "what if that." That's sort of why we made it to the moon in the first place.

>I imagine it's possible using electromagnets, gyroscopes and copper
>wiring among many other very advanced technologies.

Those aren't really very advanced technologies.

>We need an electrical and mechanical engineer in this thread.

Well, we have the electrical; do we have a mechanical?

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A small point some here are missing, and one that should be more apparent to skydivers, is the rate of deceleration at the point of impact with the water.

Or just how long it takes your body to go from possibly 100+mph to zero.

If the water is softer or bubbly, which translates to lower surface tension, this should allow one to travel a bit further into the water on impact. This in turn increases the time for deceleration, which is good.

But that does not mean it is 'good enough' to be survivable or even injury free.

But one does not have to come to a complete stop to for most skydivers to understand what a difference even small changes in speed and distance makes on deceleration. This is often experienced first hand with soft vs really hard canopy openings.

In simplest terms the bottom line with water landings as you suggest is exactly how fast your body is moving at the point of impact with the water, and exactly how long it takes your body to come to a stop. One must understand the physics behind this and be able to safely control the variables of speed, distance, time, and deceleration during impact.

So any thrill seekers of 'tomorrow' seeking the ultimate rush dropping from great heights in a Jules Vernes version of human sized footballs will not likely be seeking any thrills the 'day after tomorrow'.

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I believe we would need some experts in physics and chemistry to see if such a thing could be done.

I imagine it's possible using electromagnets, gyroscopes and copper wiring among many other very advanced technologies. We need an electrical and mechanical engineer in this thread.



I have a PhD in physics if that will help.

Having read the thread, I'm not enthused with the possibilities. The science and mythology of electromagnets, gyroscopes, and copper wire is amazing, but we understand the science pretty well, and the hard part is undoing all the damage and time waste the mythology induces.

Give me a concrete idea, and I'll give you a concrete response.

The vast majority of scientists are open minded and creative people. I'd love to violate a "law".

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

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