h a l f b a k e r yNot just a think tank. An entire army of think.
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Furniture, as it is today, is heavy and cumbersome. "Featherweight Furniture" is furniture which is framed by strong but light-weight hollow metal. The tubing is sealed at one end totally, and at the other sealed with a nozzle, which is filled with helium before lifting... This way the furniture has
you and the helium to lift it up, and is easier to move/carry/throw at siblings and parents. Also you can "deflate" the furniture when it is in place so it stays on the ground and when you want to move it, you fill it up with helium again, move it and release the helium.
:p *Featherweight Furniture*
inflatable vase / bong
http://www.pfwoot.com
after the furniture, you need the furnishings. [truthsyrum, Feb 06 2001, last modified Oct 04 2004]
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I think the better invention would be the strong but light-weight hollow metal. There would be an infinite amount of applications for that substance. |
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However, the idea is good... I'm a little concerned about the filling and releasing of helium willy-nilly. I don't think that is consumer friendly enough. |
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I once made an ashtray that was a thick plastic filled with hydrogen so that it could float around. Didn't work too well. |
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why not evacuate the furniture totally? |
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Strong but lightweight hollow metal does exist: |
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Extruded aluminum alloy tubes. I've had some experience with the testing of the 6000 and 7000 series of aluminum alloys. Alloyed with Mg and Si. |
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A lot of bike frames (including the one I own) are made from the alloy 6061. Quite light, yet also sufficiently strong. 6111 is the designation for the aluminum alloy that's used in many automotive applications. |
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It would depend on the strength needed. A lot of the strength comes from the angles at which the pieces of the bicycle are joined. In some instances, this may not be appropriate for use in furniture. |
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For example, a dining room table needs (well, I guess it doesn't -need- it, but it would look appropriate) only four legs. There is a very wide span in a dining room table. If you added bracing, it would interfere with the guests legs. |
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I imagine you could use the spiffy alloys, high-tech composites and optimized design techniques of fancy sports gear to make furniture that's quite lightweight. It would probably cost a small fortune, and you'd keep bonking it around every time you sit on it, and it wouldn't look great... |
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I mean, they already sell inflatable furniture, but it's definitely cheesy low-end stuff. "Quality" furniture is supposed to weigh a lot, apparently. |
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"Seal one end completely, and leave the other a nozzle so you can fill with helium..." Assuming the tube already has air in it, you ::can't:: add more helium to that without having lots of nasty things happen like pressure build up inside tube, et c. And if the tube is a vacuum inside, adding helium only adds weight.... |
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Forget about the metal tube ..composite epons and cloth are stronger by weight thus allowing for lighter structures of the same strenghts ... |
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