What About The Hovercraft?

I’ve not slept much all year. Fueled with passion and already inspired on deadlines and it’s just the 1st of the year… Snoozed out around 4 or so in the morning, television on – last words as I enter my dream state are “This is Tom Kruse with the hover chair” – I’m not sure, my mind planted “Hover Craft” and visions of disassembling my vacuum cleaner to make some cool and smooth riding vehicle.

Where does the vacuum plug in? Is there a rechargeable power source? Maybe there’s solar powered vacuums. Why am I not sleeping or exploring outer space or hanging with beautiful women on some Tahitian island … I wonder now if there has been much progress on the hover craft mobile mover plans I read about as a child?

Unsurprisingly, I find a Wikipedia page about the Hovercraft, or more modernly called, the ACV or air-cushioned vehicle. They’ve been used throughout the world, yet until January 1st, 2011 I’d not even thought of this technology in two decades. Let’s take a brief look at how the hovercraft has developed through it’s initial course…

Seems some Swedish Scientist in 1716 first theorized about the principles of hoverboats. There’s no wiki references then until 1915, a few efforts towards WWII, but not much more until the early 1950′s, when a dude named Sir Christopher Cockerell discovered what he called the “momentum curtain”, while observing trapped pressure, not airflow, providing lift of a coffee can and a can of cat food.

This reminds me to not work too much under pressure, to always be open to finding alternate solutions to problems, that I should go feed my cats and that I need some coffee… Have an awesome day – Welcome to 2011!

Note to self – Go read rest of that hovercraft article…