• Question: what would you like to invent?

    Asked by anyalouise13 to Neil, Jess, Aron, Alexander, Adam on 17 Mar 2014.
    • Photo: Alexander Finch

      Alexander Finch answered on 17 Mar 2014:

      If I could invent anything today, it would be a good way to make lots of energy in a clean and compact way. There are two reasons for this! First, satellites and other spacecraft need lots of electrical power to work. At the moment, this is usually done via solar panels (although for very far away missions, they use small radioactive generators). Solar panels are good, but they are heavy and are quite large for the amount of power they make. I’d like a small box that could create all the power I wanted so I don’t have to worry about power on a satellite!!

      But, more importantly, I think than power generation on Earth is a very big problem that needs an urgent answer. Many problems of pollution and politics are caused by energy generation limitations. I think inventing a machine than can make power cheaply, reliably and cleanly would be very useful!

    • Photo: Aron Kisdi

      Aron Kisdi answered on 17 Mar 2014:

      If I could invent anything today, I would like to invent a transporter (teleportation machine) that can transmit matter from one part of space-time to another part of space-time instantaneously.
      The really cool thing is that while this sounds like scify there is actually some research being done into this!

      Another more down to earth problem is energy storage, a way to store energy in a small space and then be able to retrieve it without losses would be an amazing technology which would enable much-much better robots, much more exciting space missions and it would also make the energy grid much more efficient and clean on Earth!

    • Photo: Jessica Marshall

      Jessica Marshall answered on 18 Mar 2014:

      I would also like to improve energy generation and storage, it is a massive problem for all people on earth. I would also love to be able to stop time for everyone except me so that I could sleep more and have more time for travelling and kitesurfing.

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