# Do you think landspeeder like in Star Wars may one day be possible? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [November 12, 2023, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041 "2023-11-12T21:32:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/21 "2023-11-13T23:31:15Z")
> [@Jackson99](#): > > Well I don’t think the Star Wars landspeeder use anti gravity because you can see dust and dirt being moved around and it does make a lot of noise. The anti-gravity on a SW landspeeder is very quiet. It’s the _propulsion_ that’s loud. A landspeeder at rest makes no noise, but still floats. It’s only loud when you get out in the desert and really open up those jet engines on the back. And a vehicle moving at speed is still going to kick up dust just from the air it displaces as it moves, even if it’s not touching the ground. Especially in the desert. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/22 "2023-11-13T23:44:46Z")
Came here to mention wing in ground effect craft and the possibility of superconducting levitation. Neither would be practical for everyday use but I could see special racetracks devoted to SW-style “pod racing” (for Grand Prix drivers and jet test pilots who have gotten bored with how dull and unchallenging their careers have gotten). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/23 "2023-11-13T23:53:09Z")
> [@echoreply](#): > > If we had technology that would let a car levitate so cheaply that it could be left floating all the time, then it would be worth solving the issues presented by steering a hovercraft. Probably could use some implementation of an etheric rudder. > **[Etheric rudder](https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Etheric_rudder)** > > The etheric rudder was a device for maneuvering starfighters. It allowed them to make sharp turns without the use of attitude thrusters, allowing for precision thrust vectoring and enhanced maneuverability; in the case of 4L4 fusial thrust engines,... ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/24 "2023-11-14T00:18:52Z")
WIGs are better than hovercraft / ACVs in that they can fly some 10-100 feet above the surface rather than tangent to it. But they’re still smooth surface machines. they like open water not in a storm, bays, estuaries, large lakes, very flat land. They would not be good in the rolling terrain of much of the northeast US, much less in the Appalachians or Rockies. ISTM there are two reasons to build a repulsor-tech landspeeder. It avoids the need to build roads and the reduced rolling friction would be good for efficiency. But at least in the subset of movies I saw, we don’t ever see a landspeeder or equivalent vehicle in rough terrain. Maybe those things are ubiquitous on very low-relief planets and unused on the high-relief planets. Earth would not be a great planet for them except in built-up areas. ---
**Author:** ![Jackson99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@Jackson99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackson99)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/25 "2023-11-14T00:26:24Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > magnetically-levitated trains, I guess magnetically-levitated trains would be here before we have landspeeder. But I hear magnetically-levitated trains are super costly I don’t know if this is super costly to build or super costly to operate. And why it is super costly? I guess magnetically-levitated trains will have to be build by the government not the private sector. I hear if there was advance in the technology of magnetically-levitated trains it could bring the cost down. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/26 "2023-11-14T00:31:12Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But at least in the subset of movies I saw, we don’t ever see a landspeeder or equivalent vehicle in rough terrain. The hoverbikes in Return of the Jedi are used in dense forest similar to what’s found in the Pacific Northwest. Though, one might point out that they’re used very poorly in that terrain. > [@Jackson99](#): > > But I hear magnetically-levitated trains are super costly I don’t know if this is super costly to build or super costly to operate. And why it is super costly? Both. You need superconductors for them, and superconductors (at least currently) require cryogenics. It’s not an advance in maglev trains specifically that we need; it’s an advance in superconductors. And a room-temperature superconductor would revolutionize all sorts of things. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/27 "2023-11-14T05:31:30Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Nobody has magnetically-levitated trains, at any practical level. With current technology, they’re just not practical for anything more than a few-hundred-foot run to say “Golly gee, look at the nifty futuristic tech we have!”. The Shanghai maglev is 30 km long. While it only covers a route that is also served by a subway, it’s quick and useful enough that I’ve ridden it approx 30 times. I won’t argue that it’s a financially good deal for the government but it _is_ practical from a passenger POV, not merely a gimmick. I was surprised to discover it’s the world’s only high speed maglev in regular use. I took it as much for granted as the paternoster at my university (chain of continuously moving elevators, that basically don’t exist anywhere any more). ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/28 "2023-11-14T05:39:39Z")
We can do it now. Just put mirrored skirts all around and your car angled away from any onlookers. Boom “floating” car. ---
**Author:** ![Jackson99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@Jackson99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackson99)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/29 "2023-11-14T16:41:38Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > superconductors > [@Chronos](#): > > Both. You need superconductors for them, and superconductors (at least currently) require cryogenics. It’s not an advance in maglev trains specifically that we need; it’s an advance in superconductors. And a room-temperature superconductor would revolutionize all sorts of things. What is wrong with superconductors today? And can you explain room-temperature superconductor how that would change every thing? Why do they want room-temperature superconductors? ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/30 "2023-11-14T16:55:58Z")
Incidentally, some OLD pre-Discourse threads on this topic that may be of interest: > [@Star Wars hover car /hovercraft invented](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-wars-hover-car-hovercraft-invented/700259/): > > It looks like a team of people invented hover car /hovercraft like in the Star Wars movie [http://www.searchamateur.com/pictures/star-wars-landspeeder-hovercraft-250.jpg](http://www.searchamateur.com/pictures/star-wars-landspeeder-hovercraft-250.jpg) I never know this would be possible. [[Hover 'Bike' Flies on Pilot's Intuition | Video] ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A4ut_4fG6A) > [@It is the year 2015 no Hologram, landspeeder or Mega vehicle.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-is-the-year-2015-no-hologram-landspeeder-or-mega-vehicle/709878/): > > It is the year 2015 no Hologram, landspeeder or Mega vehicle. I just watched the movie Prometheus ,Serenity and Star Wars :eek: this weaken and got me thinking we are in the year 2015 no Hologram, landspeeder or Mega vehicle. True landspeeder vehicle like in star wars. [http://www.cfastream.info/forum/attachments/landspeeder.jpg](http://www.cfastream.info/forum/attachments/landspeeder.jpg)[[image] ](http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120211051046/starwars/images/0/04/Flash_Speeder.jpg)[[image] ](http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130410040107/starwars/images/1/10/74-Z_Military_Speeder_Bike.jpg)[http://images.latintimes.com/sites/latintimes.com/files/styles/large/public/20…](http://images.latintimes.com/sites/latintimes.com/files/styles/large/public/2014/11/28/star-wars-7-landspeeder.jpg?itok=VJDg8UmM) ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/31 "2023-11-14T16:57:07Z")
The most realistic way to make something that _looks_ like a landspeeder is to obscure the wheels of a wheeled vehicle. While still not practical, it’s at least possible in principle to put a skirt around the bottom of a vehicle that diverts light in such a way that the wheels can’t be seen from the side. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/32 "2023-11-14T17:08:00Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Damn eels; they’re everywhere. Even just 2 posts up from yours. 😁 You don’t seriously expect me to read a thread before posting my nonsense in it, do you? ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/33 "2023-11-14T17:08:33Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I was surprised to discover it’s the world’s only high speed maglev in regular use. One reason for this is the Lathen Maglev Accident. 23 people killed. Caused by human error. > **[Lathen train collision](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathen_train_collision)** > > On 22 September 2006, a Transrapid magnetic levitation (or "maglev") train collided with a maintenance vehicle near Lathen, Germany, killing 23 people and wounding 11. It was the first fatal accident involving a maglev train. > The Transrapid 08 was still doing trial runs but would sometimes carry passengers along the 31.8-kilometre (19.8 mi) test track to demonstrate the maglev technology. The Emsland test track ran from Lathen, near where the accident occurred, north to Dörpen, with a loop at ... If we are going to have maglevs, they need to be at least as safe as other trains. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/34 "2023-11-14T17:12:22Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > I was surprised to discover it’s the world’s only high speed maglev in regular use. I took it as much for granted as the paternoster at my university Sheffield? I went there. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/35 "2023-11-14T18:42:45Z")
> [@Jackson99](#): > > What is wrong with superconductors today? And can you explain room-temperature superconductor how that would change every thing? Why do they want room-temperature superconductors? In a few simple sentences: Practical superconductors would enable major leaps in power density and efficiency. Which would change everything about electric motors, power transmission, batteries, and magnets for everything worldwide. And make using magnetism as a replacement for wheels on rails and many other load-bearing uses. Superconductors today only work at very _very_ cold temperatures, hundreds of degrees below zero. The machinery to maintain those cold temps on both the train and the thousands of miles of track would be prohibitively impossible. So no superconducting trains are possible / practical today. Nor are lots of other awesome but imaginary gizmos. If we could figure out superconductors that work at normal outdoor temperatures, the need for all that cryogenic cooling stuff would disappear. If we could make the material easy to & cheap to manufacture and easy to use that would really help too. All those improvements are pure science fiction today. They’re not wacky-impossible like antigravity is. But they might be impossible. We just don’t know. Yet. Where “yet” is measured in multiple decades and multiple billions of dollars of diligent research. ---
**Author:** ![Jackson99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@Jackson99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackson99)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/36 "2023-11-14T19:14:39Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > In a few simple sentences: > > Practical superconductors would enable major leaps in power density and efficiency. Which would change everything about electric motors, power transmission, batteries, and magnets for everything worldwide. And make using magnetism as a replacement for wheels on rails and many other load-bearing uses. > > Superconductors today only work at very _very_ cold temperatures, hundreds of degrees below zero. The machinery to maintain those cold temps on both the train and the thousands of miles of track would be prohibitively impossible. So no superconducting trains are possible / practical today. Nor are lots of other awesome but imaginary gizmos. > > If we could figure out superconductors that work at normal outdoor temperatures, the need for all that cryogenic cooling stuff would disappear. If we could make the material easy to & cheap to manufacture and easy to use that would really help too. > > All those improvements are pure science fiction today. They’re not wacky-impossible like antigravity is. But they might be impossible. We just don’t know. Yet. Where “yet” is measured in multiple decades and multiple billions of dollars of diligent research. So the problem is magnetically-levitated trains are super costly to build and operate because of the superconductors have to be extremely cold cryogenic cooling for it to work. But if they found room temperature superconductors that would change every thing and become much cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![Jackson99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@Jackson99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackson99)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/37 "2023-11-14T19:23:12Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@Jackson99](#): > > > > What is wrong with superconductors today? And can you explain room-temperature superconductor how that would change every thing? Why do they want room-temperature superconductors? > > In a few simple sentences: > > Practical superconductors would enable major leaps in power density and efficiency. Which would change everything about electric motors, power transmission, batteries, and magnets for everything worldwide. And make using magnetism as a replacement for wheels on rails and many other load-bearing uses. > > Superconductors today only work at very _very_ cold temperatures, hundreds of degrees below zero. The machinery to maintain those cold temps on both the train and the thousands of miles of track would be prohibitively impossible. So no superconducting trains are possible / practical today. Nor are lots of other awesome but imaginary gizmos. > > If we could figure out superconductors that work at normal outdoor temperatures, the need for all that cryogenic cooling stuff would disappear. If we could make the material easy to & cheap to manufacture and easy to use that would really help too. > > All those improvements are pure science fiction today. They’re not wacky-impossible like antigravity is. But they might be impossible. We just don’t know. Yet. Where “yet” is measured in multiple decades and multiple billions of dollars of diligent research. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > [@Jackson99](#): > > > > What is wrong with superconductors today? And can you explain room-temperature superconductor how that would change every thing? Why do they want room-temperature superconductors? > > In a few simple sentences: > > Practical superconductors would enable major leaps in power density and efficiency. Which would change everything about electric motors, power transmission, batteries, and magnets for everything worldwide. And make using magnetism as a replacement for wheels on rails and many other load-bearing uses. > > Superconductors today only work at very _very_ cold temperatures, hundreds of degrees below zero. The machinery to maintain those cold temps on both the train and the thousands of miles of track would be prohibitively impossible. So no superconducting trains are possible / practical today. Nor are lots of other awesome but imaginary gizmos. > > If we could figure out superconductors that work at normal outdoor temperatures, the need for all that cryogenic cooling stuff would disappear. If we could make the material easy to & cheap to manufacture and easy to use that would really help too. > > All those improvements are pure science fiction today. They’re not wacky-impossible like antigravity is. But they might be impossible. We just don’t know. Yet. Where “yet” is measured in multiple decades and multiple billions of dollars of diligent research. Also why is it only Japan and China built magnetically-levitated trains? I believe Germany did test built just for research only but never built it. As it was only for research. With it being super costly now to build and operate is it some thing only the government can do today because of the cost. In case of Japan and China was it some thing the universities or the government? Was it more research thing than public transportation thingstrong text. What is the state of magnetically-levitated trains or sadly today it’s reach it’s limit with cheaper faster trains? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/38 "2023-11-14T19:43:17Z")
> [@eburacum45](#): > > Sheffield? I went there De Montfort uni. It had two paternosters; the one in my building was the larger; 10 stories. We’d jump on and off them very casually, finding it funny how nervous freshers were at riding them. But it turns out that nervousness is actually justified; there was no safety so, although they are slow-moving, you _really_ don’t want to get a limb trapped. There are no more paternosters at DMU, and I honestly thought they were essentially extinct for the aforementioned safety reasons. But on googling, I’m dead wrong; there are lots. And the one in Sheffield is much bigger in fact. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/39 "2023-11-14T19:54:01Z")
Someone was killed in the Newcastle paternoster. Bringing the conversation back to maglev trains and levitation in general, you really need good safety protocols and a safe failure mode. The Star Wars landspeeder is supposed to be risky, but I doubt they will ever be built unless they can just glide to a stop instead of slamming into the nearby ground at speed… ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/40 "2023-11-14T20:10:21Z")
> [@Jackson99](#): > > I believe Germany did test built just for research only but never built it. As it was only for research. As I mentioned in this post, the maglev train in Germany had a disastrous accident. > [@Do you think landspeeder like in Star Wars may one day be possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041/33): > > One reason for this is the Lathen Maglev Accident. 23 people killed. Caused by human error. If we are going to have maglevs, they need to be at least as safe as other trains. But the accident was not directly connected to the levitation system; just someone forgot that the track was already occupied. A fully certified maglev railway system should have the same sort of signalling protection that any high-speed railway would have, and preferably better. Despite increasing speeds, railway systems are considerably safer nowadays than they were forty years ago [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-landspeeder-like-in-star-wars-may-one-day-be-possible/993041.md?page=3)