The bottom of this is basically a belt with very powerful magnets(positive/negitive/positive/negitive ect. polarities). On the bottom area of the top car there is another belt(the top belt)that corresponds with the belt on the ground, positive on positive, negitive on negitive. Then a car on the top belt. Then controling the ground belt and the top belt from the car driver's seat you could move with the car still hovering an inch or two above the ground.
-- Cheese Wraith, Aug 06 2003

Is this basically a mag-lev conveyor belt?
-- DeathNinja, Aug 06 2003


I'm only twelve.
-- Cheese Wraith, Aug 07 2003


Inches?
-- DeathNinja, Aug 07 2003


One letter for every year!

(Brilliant comeback, [CheeseGhost]! I need to use that one.)
-- k_sra, Aug 07 2003


And yes, if too much iron got onto the ground belt it probably would callapse.
-- Cheese Wraith, Aug 07 2003


Inch or two.
-- Cheese Wraith, Aug 07 2003


[Cheesy]: these belts would have to be big, right? If there was more than one car on the belt how would they both use it? Or is it like [DeathNinja] says - it is a conveyor belt and the cars get into it, then ride along as if it were Mr Toad's Wild Ride.

[Reensure] - you clearly have something else up your sleeve here. Buff it up and lay it out for us.
-- bungston, Aug 07 2003


This "belt" would be used as a wheel is used today. Steering would also apply, and there is only one car per belt.
-- Cheese Wraith, Aug 07 2003


This sounds very much like you're using the belt in place of a wheel, and the magnets in place of the spring/damper. Aside from the obvious complexities of getting something like this to work, you'd be left with very little suspension travel. You'd probably want to stay off rough roads.
-- Freefall, Aug 07 2003


if two cars got too close togethet they would stick together which could get messy
-- andrew1, Apr 13 2005


[Freefall] I'm not sure that would be a problem, as long as you've got reasonable clearance and are travelling at a reasonable speed. I don't think the magnets would react fast enough.
-- moomintroll, Apr 13 2005


I don't entirely follow this. Do you, as Freefall suggests, propose having one belt rolling (caterpillar-tread-style) along the ground whilst the car (with a correponding repelling belt) 'floats' above the first belt? I dunno, but I suspect that something horrible and Faradayical (or do I mean Flemingish?) is going to happen at the front and rear of the vehicle where the opposing magnets are moving apart or coming closer together. But I'm half way to giving you a croissant for the general idea of a maglev that carries its own rolling road....
-- Basepair, Apr 13 2005



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