Questions tagged [vehicles]
For questions about implemented technology that can be used for transportation. For questions about the act of transportation, consider using [transportation] instead.
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Uses for a 1950s-era nuclear-powered land vehicle?
I have heard of the Chrysler TV-8 design, an amphibious armored vehicle powered by an onboard nuclear reactor...basically a nuclear-powered tank. The TV-8 never made it off the drawing board; the ...
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Theoretically could a powerful telekinetic person start a vehicle without keys?
The telekinetic in question seems to have fantastic line of sight telekinesis and even great out of sight telekinesis being able to even manage "having a sense of feeling" to said things ...
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How would a quadrupedal species design vehicles?
Back in the early times of my story's world, before humans had even arisen on Earth, another planet over 1,000 light years away held two civilizations of dragons. One was the traditional hexapod ...
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The experience of owning and driving a nuclear fusion powered vehicle
I am using the BattleTech universe for my stories, which has nuclear fusion powered cars. My assumption is that they work similarly to an EV, but with an onboard power plant. So, they'd still be run ...
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Are there advantages to using a quad-treaded/split tracked system for a vehicle?
All real military ground vehicles use a continuous caterpillar track or tank tread, but quad-treads/split tracks are often seen in sci-fi, with their futuristic tanks and settings. (Halo scorpion, C&...
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What would a war robot actually look like? [closed]
As cool as giant robots are and humanoid robots are, they are not the most practical things.
I've seen things like human ships crewed by robots, but looking at this, i mean why? Why not make the whole ...
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Edible vehicles - feasibility now and in the future
NOTE: This question is inspired by my own answer to a previous question.
There is no duplication. See
What do stranded astronauts eat in space
Scenario
On a mining planet where there are vast deserts/...
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self contained fuel source
Is it feasible to have a vehicle powered by fuel that the vehicle produces within its self? This vehicle can be a land vehicle or an air vehicle if you want. It must be capable of transporting at ...
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Post-Apocalypse EV Effectiveness
Setting: It's after the apocalypse. No zombies or major nuclear fallout, just 99.9% of people were killed for some reason (superplague, whatever). During the final days of society, massive looting and ...
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Are there *plausible* planetary conditions where jet aircraft just don't have much advantage over propeller-driven aircraft?
I've seen Which is easier to develop: a piston prop engine or a jet engine? and my own Effects of ~10atm pressure on engine design neither of which answers this.
Would different atmospheric density, ...
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What is the best form of powered vehicular flight within a McKendree habitat?
Background
A McKendree cylinder is a spinning space habitat in the style of an O'Neill cylinder (below), but orders of magnitude larger. McKendree habitats are hundreds of kilometres in diameter and ...
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Speed of a Spider Tank?
Disregarding all the impracticalities of a legged vehicle, assuming one was created, how fast would it be? I know there are a ton of variables, so I’m just looking for a ballpark estimate for a ...
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What might be an effective mode of transportation for Giants?
In my story Giants, humans, and a bunch of other fantasy races live along side each other and i'm curious as to what might be an effective mode of transportation for 10 foot tall Giants with Ancient ...
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What technologies will make the wheel obsolete in the future? [closed]
It will be a major revolution to see an invention that existed for many thousands of years disappear in the far future.
I think that levitating and hovering technologies will make the wheel obsolete ...
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How would you design Turn-Signals on a Flying Car?
When designing a flying car intended for congested city routes with slow traffic, should turn signals indicate all possible directions. In most sci-fi, I've seen designs that have no turn-signals or ...
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A “time capsule” that can last for trillions of years?
The universe is dying because it has exhausted nearly all of its resources. Humans became the last species in the universe because of their resilience and sheer willpower.
And yet, humanity still ...
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Could Bronze-Age Nomads Effectively Utilize Chariots for Warfare?
Horses were first domesticated on the steppes around 3500 BC, but the horse would not be ridden directly into battle for at least two more millennia. Instead chariots ruled the battlefields of the ...
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An entire aircraft carrier group utilizing the ground effect?
I’ve heard there was no upper limit for the size and weight of a ground effect vehicle.
In my world, the people there wanted to design a quick response aircraft carrier that could reach anywhere ...
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Building a formula 1 car within one month?
!
One of my characters wants to participate in a medieval chariot race. The catch is, they use magical chariots that can go at significant speeds, similar to today’s street cars.
So he and his ...
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Navigating a sea of sulfur hexafluoride
Sulfur hexafluoride is pretty awesome. It is a gas six times denser than regular air, and thus you can actually make tinfoil "boats" float on it. It also makes your voice deep when you breathe it in.
...
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Perfect centrifuge crew quarters for a interstellar spaceship?
I want to design a realistic interstellar spaceship that uses centrifugal force for only the crew quarters. But while looking up for designs I found the most common ones are the torus or ring design.
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How nimble can I make my aeroplanes?
Although I'm aware of the real life existence of aerosports involving planes, exactly how nimble can I expect my planes, of a similar size, to be. If I were to design or have a racing course for said ...
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Designing a biological drop pod?
How would a biological drop pod make it into the atmosphere and land safely? I have a race of aliens that use biological tools instead of technology. Their ships are living beings that can travel ...
user71341
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General characteristics of an "aircraft" for gas-planet atmospheres?
In the future gas giants, ice giants, mini neptunes and gas dwarfs have been colonised. The colonisers use either hot hydrogen or vacuum in rigid ballons to keep their cloud cities up in the endless ...
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Could a vehicle levitate through use of ultrasonic sound waves?
This is a bit of a continuation of my previous question, could a form of acoustic levitation be used as artificial gravity?
In that question, I referenced how some scientists use acoustic levitation ...
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What transportation for snow city?
Set on an icy world where weather forecast is alway blizzard everywhere, I am wondering how do modern day people commute if everywhere are buried under several miles of snow? What kind of ...
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In a world where Magic steam Engines exist what would keep people from making cars
I am working a wild wild west mixed with contemorary fantasy setting. So imagine knights in shining Armor, riding along side a train as a dragon flies over and breathes fire down.
on they have what ...
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How to make vehicular combat viable in a Post Apocalyptic world?
I want to create a Mad-Max-esque post apocalyptic setting. Unfortunately after a bit of looking into this, there is one massive issue with the idea of lots of maniacs tearing across the barren ...
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What kind of (probable) traffic accident might lead to the desctruction of only (!) the brain stem and cerebellum? [closed]
This is a question about the real world.
In the story that I am writing, one person suffers the destruction of (most of) their brainstem and cerebellum. Other parts of the brain and body remain ...
user67090
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Best type of vehicle propulsion for rough terrain
I have been trying to design an offroad/all-terrain/rough terrain type vehicle for a story but i am split on what type of propulsion it uses.
The vehicle i envision is supposed to be able to race ...
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Tech required for low-flying/hover vehicle
We're in a nearish-future metropolis and the secret police are starting to take control of the city. They have some new technology, including hoverbike-style vehicles (I imagine them as single-person ...
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The consequence of creating vast amounts of toxic waste [closed]
In my world cars operate on an inverse principle. Instead of fueling the car, the tank is preferably ran empty. As the car runs, viscous, toxic liquid builds up in the tank. When the tank is full, ...
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Flying vehicles powered by superconducting magnets pushing off the Earth's magnetic field [duplicate]
Maglev trains are fun, but who wants to be stuck on a track? Dr. Acme had the brilliant1 idea of ditching the track and simply using the Earth's magnetic field as the base that would repel his ...
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Shape-shifting using particle-sized 'building blocks'
My fictional world has special sorts of vehicles that can shape-shift, using some sort of building blocks which are a few times larger than average molecules. These sorts of substances can rearrange ...
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Would this "self driving" car work?
The great venture capitalist Elian Minsk has decided to start an "autonomous" car driving service.
But who needs complicated AI based systems when he can hire tech support workers in India to drive ...
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Effects of ~10atm pressure on engine design
Take a planet with an atmosphere similar to Earth's but, say, 9-10x as dense. What is this going to mean for the performance and design of the heat engines that are so familiar to us? Higher oxygen ...
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What chemicals can be used as an alternative fuel in an Internal Combustion engine, that are environmentally friendly? [closed]
As most people know, not all animals on earth benefit from humans driving vehicles that warm the globe and produce horrible chemicals, such as Carbon dioxide and Nitrogen oxide.
My question
What ...
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What would a car look like for an animal with eyes on the side of their heads?
Imagine an animal like a cow in regards to eye positioning; they can look forward to lessen their frontal blindspot a bit but assume that doing that for a prolonged amount of time is straining.
What ...
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Atmospheric pressure engine train in the 15th-16th century
With the knowledge and tools required, could an atmospheric pressure engine train be built in the 15th-16th century? If so how effective would it be and what change would it bring to the world in that ...
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Car headlights in a world without electricity
In a world like ours in the 1980s, but which for whatever reason does not use any form of electricity. (Either it does not exist or batteries and generators etc have not been invented.) For purposes ...
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Logical reason why motor vehicles wouldn't be allowed in post-war towns?
So, I am creating a post-apocalyptic world set 97 years after nuclear war, in the former state of California, AD 2059. The Californians, compared to the rests of the wastes, have done well for ...
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Causing motorcycle crashes with a sniper rifle, no evidence left
If you wanted to force motorcycles to crash utilizing a sniper rifle from no more than 800 yards, what part of the bikes would you aim for to not only cause the rider to lose control, but not leave ...
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Can you create a living vehicle fueled by organic material?
In this world, the vehicles are effectively re-engineered insects; enlarged bio-manufactured nervous systems used instead of engines; factory grown lightweight chassis / [wheels]. The fuel station ...
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Propulsion Systems
In my world, 500 years in the future, my population fits anti-gravity engines to salvaged boats as a form of transport. These transports fly close to the Earth's surface and are powered by a highly ...
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Bicycles/human-powered vehicles on low gravity planets/moons?
In this scenario, humanity has managed to colonise some of the solar system, including Mars, some of the moons of Saturn and Jupiter and some of the larger asteroids of the belt. In most places they ...
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Designing drop-pods for humans
With the increasing amount of sci-fi using drop-pods to get their soldiers on the ground I would like to look at the design and how a proper drop-pod should look.
The look and shape of such a drop-...
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Aeolipile vehicle in the 14-15th century [closed]
If this was ever invented, how effective would it be? And how can it be improved upon to perhaps be the first steam train?
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Would a double-decker tri-articulated bus work effectively?
In my setting, the planet is grossly overpopulated. Vehicles are required to carry large loads of people from place to place. Bi-articulated buses are a necessity and have replaced regular buses as a ...
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A road system with no traffic rules - what sort of vehicle is best?
In Britopia there were the Leftists who believed motorists should drive on the left and the Rightists who believed they should drive on the Right. The vote split exactly down the middle and it was ...
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Could a group of scientists repair a truck to run on steam?
It is currently the year 2059. 97 years ago, the Cuban Missile Crisis went hot, and nuclear war between the USA and USSR became a sudden reality. The people alive now are 3rd and 4th generation ...
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