Stationary vehicles

[The Fishman]

Anyone have any idea of when vehicles with no legs, wheels, wings, propellers, outboat motors, oars, hovercraft skirts or any other form of mobility device will be invented? When will these be popular amongst the populace?

They would be far more efficient than modern vehicles since they consume no fuel. You could argue that they are slower, yes, but you could also argue that from an aesthetic, spiritual point of view it is not the destination but the journey itself that matters. Also, these would be very useful for the millitary since they have no tracks or other moving parts for A-T missiles to target.

[Condottiere 40K]

Have they invented anti-gravity yet?

On the non-fuel consumption, the closest I ever heard was if someone came up with an idea that creates a field in which the vehicle somehow falls towards the preferred direction of travel, without actually doing so.

[The Fishman]

Have they invented anti-gravity yet?

On the non-fuel consumption, the closest I ever heard was if someone came up with an idea that creates a field in which the vehicle somehow falls towards the preferred direction of travel, without actually doing so.

Having anti-gravity systems or some kind of warp drive as you describe does count as a means for the vehicle to move, so they aren't true stationary vehicles.

[Hresvelgr]

I know you're not serious, but this already exists. Called a simulator. It's shaped like a vehicle and resembles one both inside and outside, but has no motor systems and only simulates movement, thus fulfilling the requirement of having a journey but without actually moving. And they are difficult for AT missiles to track, and also quite popular. Isn't the future great?

[John Doe]

I think they already use magnetic field on high speed train that make it to "float".

And this was posted recently

[The Fishman]

I know you're not serious, but this already exists. Called a simulator. It's shaped like a vehicle and resembles one both inside and outside, but has no motor systems and only simulates movement, thus fulfilling the requirement of having a journey but without actually moving. And they are difficult for AT missiles to track, and also quite popular. Isn't the future great?

Cool. People don't tend to use them as vehicles (they don't use them for travel), but they're a step in the right direction I suppose. +rep though!

I think they already use magnetic field on high speed train that make it to "float"

And this was posted recently

Whilst that is impressive, it is still not truely stationary as it uses a magnetic system to cause the object to move. A useful future technology for mobile vehicles, but not stationary ones.

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

[The Fishman]

I'm offended by your suggestion that I'm trolling. I have just as much right to voice my inoffensive questions as you do, no matter what others think of them.


Wouldn't vehicles that don't move be very useful?

[MathiasOfAthens]

Um? Surely there is a language barrier here, if your not trolling, could you write it in your native language so that we can better understand what you mean by the general populace using a non-mobile vehicle to great acclaim?

[The Fishman]

Um? Surely there is a language barrier here, if your not trolling, could you write it in your native language so that we can better understand what you mean by the general populace using a non-mobile vehicle to great acclaim?

My native language is English.

I believe that inventing vehicles that don't move will be a good thing for humanity.

Mobile vehicles:
waste money
pollute the atmosphere
kill children
kill passengers
kill pedestrians
kill animals
require ugly destructive eyesores like roads and airports to be used
politically polarise the population
Lead to commuter settlements in villages
are produced and designed by fascist-influenced organisations such as Ford
Allow for disastrous international conflicts to be waged

Phasing out mobile transport will greatly help in the fight against these problems.

[Condottiere 40K]

That leaves interdimensional, teleportation and hyperspace.

[Blatta Optima Maxima]

Immobile vehicles lack, you know, the ability to move... Which happens to be the point of a vehicle.

[The Fishman]

Immobile vehicles lack, you know, the ability to move... Which happens to be the point of a vehicle.

Who says that has to be the point of a vehicle?

[John Doe]

Who says that has to be the point of a vehicle?

I think what you are looking for is a home. It gets you nowhere in your own confort, you don't even have to pack your bags. Another thing that comes to mind is a good pair of shoes, they fit in the non vehicule category.

[Hresvelgr]

I think what you are looking for is a home. It gets you nowhere in your own confort, you don't even have to pack your bags. Another thing that comes to mind is a good pair of shoes, they fit in the non vehicule category.

Goddammit, I thought I was being clever.

[StealthFox]

If it's stationary it won't be a vehicle, as the point of a vehicle is to move from one point to another.

vehicle "any means of conveying or transmitting," from Fr. véhicule, from L. vehiculum "means of transport, a vehicle," from vehere "to carry," from PIE *wegh- "to go, transport in a vehicle" (cf. O.E. wegan "to carry;" O.N. vegr, O.H.G. weg "way;" M.Du. wagen "wagon;" see wagon). Sense of "cart or other conveyance" first recorded 1650s.

To transport, you need to move from one place to another.

transport (v.)late 14c., from O.Fr. transporter "carry or convey across" (14c.), from L. transportare, from trans- "across" (see trans-) + portare "to carry" (see port (1)). Sense of "carry away with strong feelings" is first recorded c.1500. Meaning "to carry away into banishment" is recorded from 1660s. The noun is attested from mid-15c., originally "mental exaltation;" sense of "means of transportation" is recorded from 1690s.

[Hresvelgr]

Technically speaking, if you were to have a machine that could teleport people, like using wormholes or something, it would be a vehicle in the sense that it transports people, but since the machine itself does not move, it qualifies as stationary.

[.L.]

What about something that moves everthing else?

[Vizsla]

The Planet Express ship moves the universe around itself.
So round about the 31st century is the answer to the OP's question.

[John Doe]

What about something that moves everthing else?

I guess that's what happens in a pipe, whether it's water, gaz or petrol. There is also that capsule thing that works with air suction in a pipe (like in the movie Barzil IIRC, and I think it's in Futurama as well). In canada they transport huge amount of wood just by dumping it in the river.