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In this standard multi-lane swimming pool, no two swimmers ever run into each other, and no swimmer ever
has to slow down because of a slow swimmer in front of him.
This is because sideways "currents" shunt swimmers into different lanes as necessary, when video monitors on the ceiling determine
that two swimmers are going to collide.
The swimmers can concentrate completely on their strokes, knowing that horizontal motion and "lane wandering" are entirely taken care of by the current generators.
The current can be generated either by underground water jets or by fans mounted at the surface. I would not be averse to a system of hundreds of fans that drop down from the ceiling, blow a swimmer sideways a bit, then float back up again.
Note that this system will increase pool capacity, too: Because the horizontal maneuvering is automated, more than one swimmer can sometimes be in a lane at the same time. The additional revenue for the swimming pool operator can be used to offset the costs of installing the fan system.
[link]
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I like it!
I find it most infuriating being in a swimming lane and having to tread water because the person in front is either dead or doing log impressions. If I try swimming in the fast lane, my ankles are constantly gnawed and bitten by the flipper people who zoom up and down the pool...This would be a great help, thanks [phun]. |
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Surely gonna sting when your arm slams into one of those fans by accident. |
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That won't happen, [Dr.C], they're very discreet. |
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Or, perhaps all the swimmers could wear chainmail swim suits, and giant electromagnets under the pool would pull them from lane to lane. The chainmail also guards against harpoon attack. |
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And then slow swimmers could be pulled under fast swimmers, saving more pool room. |
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In my home town pool, all the boring up-and-downy swimmers (including me) stay over one side, only taking up about 3 metres of width, and do laps that go up one side and down the other of this section. It works well if you all swim at a similar speed but if you get stuck behind a granny, you're treading water again. |
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It doesn't work for those pairs of middle aged women with make up and jewellery on and with their heads craned as high as possible so as not to spoil the hair do who swim side by side so they can natter either. Nor does it work for the constant-back-stroke men (*always men*) who prefer swimming a random, diagonally zigzagging path for some reason. |
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Would the leery pervy blokes be able to lurk at the sides and slip the system monitor a few notes to shunt the more attractive swimmers his way every once in a while? This could provide a revenue stream to make the whole project self-financing. |
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one-person-lanes divided by bouys, anyone? i've seen these since i was a kid |
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Add down drafts for even higher capacity and that 3-D swimming experience. To avoid injury by downdraft fans generate it by bursts of bubbles from the bottom that reduce the density of water and make the swimmer actually drop down. |
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Hm, gotta work on that, Helium balloons? |
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//swimming a random, diagonally zigzagging path for some reason. // Squeak, you say that like it's a bad thing. |
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[Fishrat] Well, it is. 'Cos they're swimming on their backs and can't see where they're going. This means they drift across in front of, across the legs of and into the sides of up-and-downy swimmers, nutting them occasionally and regularly clonking them on the bonce with their flailing arms. |
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(And it really is *always* men. Old men. I have no idea why) |
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//one-person-lanes divided by bouys//
one-person-lane/buoys=barely controlled chaos |
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i think its a great idea with only one problem, sometimes you are swimmign a set and you need to swim past the person in fromt of you if let's say they were swimmign on a slower time than you. You would be forced every time to arrive at the wall slower than oyu had hoped. it would be the same if you were timing your swim. |
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I like the general idea, although i doubt that currents could be created in sufficient strength and on short notice (assuming the system has no preconception about the further path the swimmers are going to take. If it knows that swimmers will hold course and velocity to some degree, it might be able to pre-create the needed vortices). |
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How about a sound -system using 3D sound projection to tell every swimmer to take evasive action, like an air traffic control? |
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Well, a one person lane divided by boys would help the current employment problems, but somebody would find problems with it. |
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