Man vs Train

emu-addict

in a thousand years' time do you think artificial leg/arm medical technology will be advanced enough to allow a man to run faster than a train??

John

No

simu

Are you serious, emu-addict? If this thread become muppety, it will be moved to After Hours.

Anyway, while I can't give you predictions of the future, I imagine that the human body would have to be changed quite a bit to be able to support such "add-ons" (think of the energy requirements!) and I don't see why humans would need to run faster than trains. However strong mechanical limbs might be handy (!) if we want to go exploring and mining on other planets.

ApeXaviour

You dont just run with your legs (or arms?) you know.. Can you imagine the stress on your stomach/back muscles? Or say the work was done for you: the movement alone would be too much to stand. Any more adapting and all you've got is a modified car molded to fit human shape..

I don't think this question has been thought through.. It's similar to will humans flying like birds? Even if we attach perfect wings, you're pectoral and upper back muscles would have to be inhumanly enormous. Also there is the fact that we simply aren't built for it, we're too heavy for one, birds on the other hand have a light bone structure. Engine to weight ratio

Moriarty

The US army are actively developing exo-skeletons for infantry so they can carry heavier loads while running farther, faster. It's powered by a highly effecient (and quiet natch) petrol engine atm iirc. They're not expecting anything to seriously come out of it for a number of years, but research is being persued with lots of money being poured into the area.

The military will obviously be the most intrested in this sort of thing, but I can see the likes of heavy industry also taking a look into exo-skeletons for workers in certain fields.

Decent exo-skeletons could be a reality in less than 20 years.

On the other hand, actual internal modification of the body to that extent may never be wanted.. As simu brings up, the power supply would be a big problem, nevermind probable disfigurement of the limbs and skeletal/muscular structure for it to properly work.

Capt'n Midnight

Moriarty wrote:

The US army are actively developing exo-skeletons for infantry so they can carry heavier loads while running farther, faster. It's powered by a highly effecient (and quiet natch) petrol engine atm iirc. They're not expecting anything to seriously come out of it for a number of years, but research is being persued with lots of money being poured into the area.

You mean like in Aliens ?

The Russians have had 7 league boots for ages, simple design using two stroke pistons. When you take a step the compression fires the piston and puts a sping in your step.

I saw a different mechanism with springs and stilts and stuff. You put it on and it increased your stride with the stilts and used the springs to conserve energy , a bit like the way kangeroos do. So could run faster.

Oddly enough, I seen stuff where running down hill can regenerate ATP in your muscles ! - can't find the link but I think it was New Scientist.

Moriarty

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

You mean like in Aliens ?

Well, the stuff they're developing at the moment is more like a basic skeletal structure. Straps onto your back, legs and arms type of thing. Only about 5 feet high.

The type of thing that was in aliens would be more suited to industry I'd reckon. It'd present too big a target for the military without incredibly heavy armor/armaments etc.

DrIndy

Its modelled on a kangaroo - they have a very elastic achiles tendon which stores almost all of their energy used when their foot goes down unlike humans where most of it is lost. Thus in theory, recycling this energy should speed us up.

Its possible.

Exoskeletons sound cool, would certainly make loads of use in civilian practise too for people with nervous system diseases such as MS or spinal cord damage.

Moriarty - don't you mean a fuel cell, not a petrol engine?

Moriarty

Nope, atm I think they're still using a little petrol engine. It's all still really early prototype stuff atm I've been trying to find a link to it but have so far been unsuccessful. I'll have a further look, hopefully I'll find it.

Capt'n Midnight

emu-addict wrote:

in a thousand years' time do you think artificial leg/arm medical technology will be advanced enough to allow a man to run faster than a train??[/IMG]

On June 30 1899 a "Mile a minute Murphy" did over 60mph on a bike.
To put this in perspective the land speed record on March 4 1899 for a car was 57.6 mph.
http://arrts-arrchives.com/mmm.html
http://www.landracing.com/news/history.htm

[edit]found the linkies -
http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=52629
The fastest speed attained bicycling down a glacier is 212.139 km/h (132 mph), by the downhill mountain bike racer, Christian Taillefer of France.

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=43641&Reg=1
The highest speed ever achieved on a bicycle is 268.831 km/h (167.043 mph), by Fred Rompelberg (The Netherlands)

Both faster than any Steam engine, let us remember that the Mallard you hear so much about had a lot of parts damaged (rods?) by that run and still only beat an earlier French diesel by a few miles per hour.

Having said all that TGV's have done over 500Kmph so it's unlikley that HPV's will get that fast on the horizontal. Though there was a US air force nutter who stepped out of a ballon and went supersonic in free fall.

Victor

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Having said all that TGV's have done over 500Kmph so it's unlikley that HPV's will get that fast on the horizontal.

There are different TGV models, I don't think all have done over 500km/h. Of course record speeds in a streak vehicle and in service speeds are different matters.

Capt'n Midnight wrote:

Though there was a US air force nutter who stepped out of a ballon and went supersonic in free fall.

Wouldn't that, erm, break him?

Capt'n Midnight

A Slow TGV
"
a local politician (Philippe de Villiers) arranged for diesel-hauled TGVs in the interim, to spare passengers the hassle of changing trains"

The 515.3Km/hr was done on a modified train - better brakes etc, http://www.trainweb.org/tgvpages/rec-intro.html

Here is an air speed record - That TGV did 320.3 mph
30 Mar 1928 Venice, Italy Mario de Bernardi Italy Macchi M52bis IC 318.62

DrIndy

They are planning a maglev train in germany or were. Those go even faster again as there is no friction from the rails. I have not heard anything more recently - has this been built?

Of note, I like the fact that this has actually into an interesting, scientific discussion despite the original muppet post.

Capt'n Midnight

I think that there is a mag lev going to an airport in china.

maglev has even more expensive tracks than rail