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Rigorous Science

Posts tagged technology

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Q&A Compressed air lighting?

So I've got this civilization that doesn't have electricity, but does have municipal power distribution via compressed air lines. Now, you can do a lot of useful things with compressed air. Even i...

10 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Logan R. Kearsley‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Logan R. Kearsley‭

Question technology light
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Q&A A clock for interplanetary travel

Introduction See background information here. 1000 years after darkness fell on Old Earth, humanity is scattered throughout the solar system. Apart from the Harmonious Republic of Mars, there are...

12 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by kingledion‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by kingledion‭

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Q&A Would it be possible to fly through a rain of missiles?

I'm trying to setup a non-real scenario that doesn't break suspension of disbelief too much past the original idea. But so long as things keep consistency it should be fine. So you are flying a fi...

11 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by gia‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by gia‭

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Q&A What form of anti-gravity is the most feasible?

Many sci-fi words use anti-gravity or artificial gravity to manipulate the weight of their ships making flight much easier. Wikipedia even has an article on it which discusses several attempts to m...

9 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Liath‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Liath‭

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Q&A Can we build a world in 1,000 years?

We have a fleet of sub-light speed generation ships and associated engineering devices/ships. Their original world can no longer support their species, and they must move to survive. The fleet of c...

12 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

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Q&A 3-Level Roadway Engineering

I'm the city designer for a new city we're calling Morrowville. Having some of the worlds top minds, flying cars have been invented, but can only fly a few feet (2-4) from the ground and not everyo...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Anoplexian - Reinstate Monica‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Anoplexian - Reinstate Monica‭

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Q&A Why would spaceships still have acrylic/glass windows when force fields are cheap and reliable?

Force field technology has come a long way. The latest energy-efficient engines can guarantee stable energy output in any situation, making force fields extremely reliable and very cost effective c...

6 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by user6760‭

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Q&A Realistic hovering mechanism for my sci-fi drone

What realistic mechanism could be utilized to allow my drone to hover and move around in a visually pleasing and non distracting way? I am currently working on a short sci-fi film, which, among ot...

6 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by ScienceKeanu‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by ScienceKeanu‭

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Q&A Cybernetic Nucleic Acid

Let's say that a patient is in hospital suffering a terminal disease or at least a physical injury that's very expensive to treat. The only hope of salvation is to have artificial, or cybernetic, ...

7 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by JohnWDailey‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by JohnWDailey‭

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Q&A How can I ensure my Evil Tower is always stormy?

It's been a good year for me as an Evil Overlord. Lots of princess kidnapping turned into sizable ransoms, several of my Doomsday Devices were sold for high prices at auction, and my Minions have b...

14 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Dubukay‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Dubukay‭

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Q&A What would a medieval steam locomotive look like?

My question is pretty simple, if the steam locomotive were invented during the middle to late medieval period, what would it look like? We are just going to ignore how it was invented. My guess i...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by ThunderWazp‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by ThunderWazp‭

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Q&A Could a medieval planet industrialize/modernize if it was conquered by a more advanced culture for 19 years?

In my book series (link here), Aurea (a planet based on Byzantine Anatolia) is conquered by a group called the Tatians, who have access to technology that would not be out of place in Star Wars (fa...

6 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by The Weasel Sagas‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by The Weasel Sagas‭

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Q&A How can I keep an atmosphere on Mars?

Okay, so I'm an engineer who's been tasked with transforming Mars. I don't need to make it perfect for people to be able to walk around free with no life support. But I do need to make life, espe...

6 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Artsoccer‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Artsoccer‭

Question technology
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Q&A Is the concept of my flying carpet possible?

My planet is tidally locked to its sun. It has a slightly thicker atmosphere than Earth. Over the planet's sun-side surface, there would be no wind because that area is in the middle of a big cyclo...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Nihonium2‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Nihonium2‭

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Q&A Is it hypothetically possible to create a giant levee that is a non-physical forcefield or electronic membrane?

What examples are there in science fiction of molecular shields that can cancel out or "eat" certain molecules--and are they plausible? Is it hypothetically possible to create a giant levee that is...

7 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Anthony Worman‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Anthony Worman‭

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Rigorous Science How many spaceships would it take to block the Sun from the daylight side of the Earth?

Think of a giant hemispherical shell, constructed of spaceships, sitting just far enough from Earth to be too far for Earth-based defences and close enough to effectively cast a shadow on the entir...

5 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by TotallyTomatoes‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by TotallyTomatoes‭

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Q&A What do Lunar colonists drive in the 21st century?

So I my question is quite simple. With current technology or technology that we are likely to gain this century would it be easier for Lunar colonization programs to develop wheeled vehicles or wal...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by skout‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by skout‭

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Q&A What technology must exist for a space station to rely on magma to generate energy?

This is a fairly simple question with a likely rather complicated answer. Basically, I worldbuilding a planet that has become a complete wasteland of ash, rock and flowing rivers of magma. The civ...

14 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by doplin‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by doplin‭

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Q&A Phasing Superhero

Currently I am working on how to explain a character that can "phase" through objects in a similar manner to Martian ManHunter. His abilities are negated by certain (rare) metals. His ability cou...

7 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by HadesHerald‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by HadesHerald‭

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Q&A Looking for a way to power a locomotive in a pseudo-1600s fantasy world

Assuming a world where there were no steam engines available, would it be possible for large passenger or cargo trains to exist? Would it be possible to use horse-engines to power a locomotive? I...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by curious2220‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by curious2220‭

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Q&A Can planes fly on Mars?

My question is very simple, I want to know if the Martian atmosphere is too thin to hold planes up and, if it is thick enough, how high planes could reasonably go. This is considering heat manageme...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by skout‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by skout‭

Question technology
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Q&A Why would human operators have to be close to the drones?

So, in this world, the future's wars are fought by drones and recruit teenagers with attitude, who control and repair drones in a temporary base near the front, and are frequently targets of surpri...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Mephistopheles‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Mephistopheles‭

Question technology radio
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Q&A Could magnetics circuits be invented before electric circuits?

Magnetic fields behave in many of the same ways as electric fields. Could a society develop a magnetic based system of computation before they invent an electric method like modern integrated circu...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Direwolf202‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Direwolf202‭

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Q&A Best Rocket Engine for a 12 Light Year Journey?

I'm writing a Colonization story, and I'm trying to determine which propulsion system would be the best option. The destination is Kapteyn b, 12.76Ly from Earth, and our 40K colonists will be in Cr...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Hewholooksskyward‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Hewholooksskyward‭

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Q&A Applications of Electromagnetism in "Force Fields"

Lengthy Explanation of Why I'm Here: TLDR; "force field" made of electromagnetic radiation. Recently, I've decided to compile a list of possible technologies available in the 22nd and 23rd centur...

4 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by The Eye‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by The Eye‭

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Q&A What is the least expensive way to annihilate humanity?

Suppose an evil genius (in 2015) wants to kill as much of humanity as possible. But he's on a budget; despite his years of stealing priceless historical artifacts, and despite having been selected ...

30 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by The name's Bob. MS Bob.‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by The name's Bob. MS Bob.‭

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Q&A How can I dissolve metal hinges safely?

So, I've wound up in jail again (not my fault - I didn't start that fire, honest!) and I need to get out of here before the mayor has a chance to check his safe. Unfortunately, I left my lockpicks ...

6 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Benubird‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Benubird‭

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Q&A Minimum required technology for a species to reach space?

Ok so first of all, let's imagine a civilisation on a planet. The planet has a relatively low escape velocity, say 6 km/s and maybe an atmosphere 30% - 50% the thickness of earth's atmosphere. Now...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by filedescriptor‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by filedescriptor‭

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Q&A What effects would a change in the nature of human sexuality have on society and infrastructure

Consider a group of humans at a bronze-age to early iron-age technological level colonizing a new earthlike planet. There is just one difference - there exists on the planet something which change...

10 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Monty Wild‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Monty Wild‭

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Q&A How would it be possible to fly with Talaria (winged sandals)?

The talaria is the name of the winged sandals or shoes famously worn by Hermes in Greek Mythology. If someone were to make a high tech gadget which the attached beating wings to a pair of boots, ho...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by VoydDixon‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by VoydDixon‭

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Q&A How to blanket moon with a permanent atmosphere?

There exist numerous theories on why the Moon lacks a layer of air if any, however the main culprits are gravity and the lack of Geo-dynamo simply put the Moon does not have the necessary mass nor ...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by user6760‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by user6760‭

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Rigorous Science How would you designate targets for orbital bombardment?

Throwing big rocks at planets is so passe and any asteroid tug can do that now. The Intergalactic Arms Reduction Treaty forbids the intentional bombardment of a planet's surface with large asteroi...

5 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Green‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Green‭

Question technology weapons
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Q&A Why might a planet or solar system go undetected until discovered by a ship?

I have a scientific research vessel that is exploring an alien galaxy. I would like this vessel to detect and then explore a planet that was not previously known about, which means it (or potentia...

11 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Anthony‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Anthony‭

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Q&A How could a stone age tribe of merfolk tame blue whales?

An underwater stone age tribe of merfolk captured 2 baby whales and killed the adult beast for meat. My sea people would like to tame the young whales and use them as transport when the babies rea...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Seraph Myrmidon‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Seraph Myrmidon‭

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Q&A Could a character survive having a device torn out of their radial artery? + effects

In this society, the citizens are given a bracelet-like device that is connected to the radial artery in their dominant hand. The device monitors their health, offers advice, etc and also serves as...

4 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Mop‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Mop‭

Question biology technology
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Q&A How could an alien mine exist under a planet's surface without humans detecting it from above?

Imagine a human observation and research facility being built on a planet in a distant solar system. How could an alien colony exist beneath the planet's surface, staying completely invisible to h...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by unfa‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by unfa‭

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Q&A Would lower gravity lead to earlier spaceflight?

This is in regards to the Tyranny of Rocket Fuel. Summed up: Heavier ships need more fuel which makes them heavier, etc. You end up with diminishing returns. This is compounded by higher gravity - ...

6 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Andon‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Andon‭

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Q&A Could you float a boat on a gas giant?

A futuristic entrepreneur wants to start a cruise line company and needs to build a cruise ship that will not only float on a gas giant, but be habitable throughout a 7 day trip (for the uber-rich ...

7 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Austin A‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Austin A‭

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Q&A Anti gravity weird idea

I'm not a smart guy, can't find an answer to a question: Everything I see involves a large construct spinning at a slow speed to create gravity. Instead of something large could you not use a, le...

5 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by robert meyer‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by robert meyer‭

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Q&A Hard Sci-fi energy shields

I'm making a fairly hard Sci-Fi story, and I was wondering what the most scientifically plausible 'energy shield' (for ships and stations) would be. My world tries to remain true to basic physics, ...

7 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Oliver Long‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Oliver Long‭

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Q&A Space station around the equator

I want to know what kind of effect a large circular space station would have on the planet if it went completely around the equator in one giant circle? Would it impact gravity or anything? And wou...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by user93310‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by user93310‭

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Q&A What could be done to make a red dwarf become a blue dwarf, then a white dwarf and then finally a black dwarf in a short amount of time?

My civilization is highly advanced Type III and wants to conduct an experiment on a red dwarf. They want to artificially cause it to become a blue dwarf, then a white dwarf and then finally a black...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by user73829‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by user73829‭

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Q&A How to connect rivers with canals in Europe with late medieval technology?

There is an empire expanding from the Netherlands to Western Russia, the empire is enthusiatic about turning rivers into canals for transportation. They don't care about the environment, they jus...

7 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Flarion‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Flarion‭

Question technology
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Q&A Is this reaction realistic enough?

I'm building a world which has, apart from the 'usual' stuff, 2 types of stones (haven't really decided on a name yet). Stone A holds some form of energy but when prompted by Stone B it will rele...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Totumus Maximus‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by Totumus Maximus‭

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Q&A What planetary conditions would make computer and complex electronics useless, or at least difficult to maintain?

What planetary conditions would have to exist to make computers and other complex electronics useless or at least difficult to maintain? Would ionised atmospheric conditions, constant solar flares...

6 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by System‭

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Q&A What mechanism could be used to create an eternal night?

My question is how a species, given sufficiently advanced technology - could block out all - or most - visible light to a generally earthlike planet without rendering it uninhabitable. The only c...

5 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Brizzy‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by Brizzy‭

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Q&A How do you power all the nanobots?

We have successfully put 37 trillion nanobots the size of a red blood cell into the experimental group test subjects' willing participants' bloodstream, but without a power source, the nanobots clo...

18 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Daniel M.‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by Daniel M.‭

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Q&A Breathe in space, with or without a suit?

I've been wracking my brain about a world I'm writing in, how to make some group of regular people able to survive in space for extended periods with or without a suit. I can reduce the amount of t...

9 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by C Bauer‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by C Bauer‭

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Q&A Realistic limits to the transforming abilities of nanomachines?

We all know how fiction likes to play fast and loose with nanomachines. But really, what would they be capable of in real life, assuming you had an utterly arbitrary amount of them? What would the ...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Z.Schroeder‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by Z.Schroeder‭

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Q&A is it possible to detect submarines in a sea from an aircraft? if possible how will it be?

While working on my story, I just came up with this doubt. Is it possible to know or to detect something like a submarine in an ocean from an aircraft with our current technology? I mean to detect ...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Peaceman‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by Peaceman‭