British engineer J. A. Purves in his 'Dynasphere' vehicle, 1932 - eviltoast
  • Seraph@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    “So you just conveniently stick your head out the side to see where you’re- sputtered coughing from the swallowed bugs

  • flop_leash_973@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    My view on history because of my age and growing up as a nerdy only child of parents who came of age in the 1960’s has given me a really crazy notion of how amazing the ideas technology driven advancements looks in that time period between 1900 and about 1980. Everyone from scientists, inventors, to authors, and directors seemed to really think we were going to be doing some amazing shit by the year 2000. Maybe not even particularly “better” shit, but amazing shit.

    I guess I was just into my imagination and science fiction back then.

  • Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin@lemm.ee
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    1 year ago

    Ok where do these airless tires keep going?

    I feel like I’ve seen the concept work enough times on demonstrations that I’m justified wondering why I still gotta drag my butt to Mavis every few months

    • NoSpiritAnimal@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Imagine all the conveniences of a pressurized tire, but with terrible balance and constantly filling with dirt and debris. All those nooks and crannies, like an english muffin crossed with an out of balance washing machine.

      They’re great for off-road and heavy duty work applications.

      They suck absolute ass on passenger cars.

      • Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        Couldn’t you resolve that by just covering the airless part? Like just because we don’t have to inflate them anymore doesn’t mean we need to constantly be seeing how not-inflated it is

        • IdleSheep@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          1 year ago

          Wouldn’t that introduce a pretty big layer that can wear down? Any sort of fully opaque cover would have to be flexible to adapt to the road and I can’t think of a material that isn’t going to wear down from that, and at that point you’re just back to inflated tires with extra steps, so you might as well use regular inflated tires.

            • Sanyanov@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              Just covering hard base with some material will make it wear down much faster due to the way pressures are distibuted.

              Pressurized tires are much better in this case, allowing for a better distribution of mechanical stress and less wear and tear.

            • octoperson@sh.itjust.works
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              1 year ago

              Your original intent was to not need to replace tyres. If you still need to replace other parts just as often, you haven’t really improved on the problem.

                • NoSpiritAnimal@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  Again it comes back to weight and balance.

                  You’ve taken a tire that was previously filled with very light air and filled it with rubber or plastic lattice.

                  So not only will the tire ride worse and wear faster due to weight but it will be more expensive to replace more often.

                  You will always have to inflate your tires every few months, because even if the amount of air inside the tire never changes, the outside air temperature will.

                  10 degrees Fahrenheit for every 1 PSI in the tire is the rule of thumb.

      • Patches@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        Of all the reasons to not have airless tires. This is the least likely answer.

        If it were true - we wouldn’t allow regular people to own Chevy 750 15,000 trucks to drive to their office jobs.

        • Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          I mean tbch we probably shouldn’t allow those big stinking trucks for people that don’t have farm labor on the docket

  • xep@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    What are the pros and cons of this against modern single seater motor vehicles like motorcycles? Seems like the giant wheel would be hard to replace and service.

    • PugJesus@kbin.socialM
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      1 year ago

      Pros:

      • Cool way to die

      Cons:

      • Literally none

      More seriously, I believe they’re very fuel/energy efficient, but generally have stability problems.

      • Ð Greıt Þu̇mpkin@lemm.ee
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        1 year ago

        I mean, E-Bikes tho

        In a country with good infrastructure they basically instantly upgrade the accessibility and travel distance one person has within their area.

        Plus they’re just insanely fun to ride on, not having to get off and walk up hills makes it ridiculously easy to pretend you’re in a mariokart game when you’re on a loop of streets by yourself.

        • PugJesus@kbin.socialM
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          1 year ago

          As an E-Bike user, I endorse this statement, but I think a vehicle that weighs a literal ton tipping over might be a bit more trouble than a bicycle doing the same.