Video: Flying Thing Propels Itself By Flipping Inside Out

Of course they would make it controllable with a f**king iphone application instead of a real controller.

Seriously, if people keep doing things like this, its like literally handing apple a monopoly over the technology industry, and apple is the last company that should have that kind of power.

But the technology involved here is cool. Hopefully the developers wont make this iphone exclusive.
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NORML

A flipping inversion flying floating helium convoluted contraption! How marvelous!

neat toy. i say toy because it has no real purpose other than looking cool. sure its a novel way to get forward propulsion but its probably the least practical fly contraption ive seen.

"the SmartInversion flying object can move through the air indefinitely"

its a balloon. a folding balloon. a helium balloon will float til the helium eventually leaks out. a plane will fly indefinitely if it had the fuel. this will work til its battery dies. then its just a weird balloon.

Dafuq did i just watch...

I don't know what the hell this thing is or does, but I like it.

The video showed, yes, a balloon and what we can do with speeding up frame-rate. I saw nothing on how it flew in real time.

Every time a hand reaches toward an edit console, a kitten dies.

The Fourth Dimension is becoming reality!

Those panels have a lot of surface area... Add some solar cells and batteries, and add a long range transmitter, then you've got some independence...

As for uses, depending on how efficient the movement is, freight? Remote area access? If one can be made really small, going into cramped areas for use in search and rescue?

Goddamn you tate356.

Could it create lift?

Haha, I love it.

Design it... Check
Build it... Check
Test it... Check
Have an Application... I guess we can just ask around.

I have a practical application. Make it <6" and it'd make for a great distraction from long telecons and meetings. I'll keep it right next to my mini zen garden. It doesn't even have to fly, would just be a nifty geometric toy.

This is a neat piece of art, at best. As others have said, it nothing more than a balloon with a large, cumbersome, yet novel way of propelling itself. Perhaps being sensible and just throwing a pair of props on the size of a more reasonably shaped/sized airship would make more sense, but then, it would look fairly boring and run of the mill.

When I first saw this, I thought we were maybe being spoof again by POPSCI and the man who flaps his arms and flies.

It is a kooky looking flying gadget and guide of fun to watch. Perhaps in the long run, something practical will develop.

It looks harmless and in a shopping mall many will stop to watch. It might prove to be a good advertisement tool.

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Science sees no further than what it can sense, i.e. facts.
Religion sees beyond the senses, i.e. faith.
Open your mind and see!

Completely agree with Beefy - "move through the air indefinitely" is not an impressive attribute for something filled with helium.

The general idea is kind of cool... too bad I have no idea what it looks like after watching the video. Between the artistic angles, slo-mo and colors, this video is trippy but useless. A crappy cell phone video would have been more informative with respect to what this thing actually looks like when it flies/floats.

This would look beautiful right wear it is, but as an active lighting system. Lights track it from the ceiling as it flies in the main hall bouncing off its surface like iridescent jelly fish. Maybe the lights will even power its movement, beautiful.

the reason they made it an iphone-controlled device was to make it more commercially viable. it also means that the user can connect with it more easily than having to pay for a separate remote. also, it's just more convenient to have and iphone, rather than a remote. PLUS the company doesn't have to manufacture the remote, thus saving them money. and that's what apple gets for designing a great product. they get all of the side-benefits. and i'd be more afraid of other companies having control than apple. you can do much much worse than apple, i must say.

Jason I dont know if you aware, but many phones have transmitters besides iPhones, and most people use those other phones.

Making harware that works only for iPhones (if it doesnt benefit the phone itself) is basically assuming that iPhones are the standard and everyone who wants to use your device owns one. Its a pretty ignorant standpoint, and really shows how Apple has it's users in their clutches.

Its similar to how some musicians use the word iPhone in their songs instead of just "phone." Then you see leagues of people saying elitist things like "droids are for chumps." Apple is succeeding at taking over the technology industry because of things like this. Theyre an evil company that doesnt care about your privacy or personal property, and only wants your money. And lots of it.

If more developers would embrace open-source instead of feeding Apple, there would be much more competition and therefore more advancement in the technology industry. You can already see it happening: Android device developers are competing in a more open market, and their hardware is already far beyond Apple (Tegra 3, ivy bridge, better cameras and peripherals, near-field communication). The software is exceeding apple as well: custom roms developed by 2nd and 3rd parties unlock masses of features that iOS doesnt have.

Yet the apple elitism still exists, and its hindering the development of new technologies. This is one reason why.
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NORML

It seems something of this sort is more practical in space.

Also, makes me giggle how he's holding the phone up like it matters what position it's at. XD

bezford-this seems to relate to the most basic science that every action has an equal and opposite reaction,i was toying with a similar idea some months back where a manned saucer like craft would use the inertia theory through several motors to throw wheights under control,all together, in one direction producing a pushing force then repeated quickly,possibly using several banks of motors to provide continuos push/lift giving the craft lift/flight...a good example of this force in action is when a person sits in a wheeled chair and throws a heavy weight in one direction so sending the chair and thrower off in the opposite direction.i have some basic drawings showing the craft idea and its workings if anyones interested?

That's really cool.