How Close Are We to Building Force Fields?

Sci-fi technology is often more fiction than science, but it turns out there are actually some real-world labs that are working on developing force fields!

Hosted by: Stefan Chin

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[joshuasims]

Electric armor is definitely just as cool as force field.

[myperspective]

I had an idea for a type of sci-fi semi-self-healing / self leveling moldable armor.
1. The inner most layer would be the base layer. It would be a sheet of steel with a rows of loops welded to the outside surface.
2.The second layer would be a layer of permanent magnets fixed to the outside of the base steel sheet. The. magnets would be set inbetween a web of electric magnets which would also be fixed to the outside of the steel sheet in a hexagon grid pattern.
3. The third layer would be a layer of small steel balls of varying sizes.
The steel balls could also be suspended in steel powder or a thick non-Newtonian fluid or a thick gel.
4. The fourth layer would be multiple layers of Kevlar fabric woven together and suspended above the layer of steel balls. It would be loosely laced to the base steel plate. The reason it would be suspended above and Loosely laced to the base steel plate is to allow the steel balls to move freely between the outer layer and the base layer. This layer would act like sand bags. You could add sand or ceramic balls into this layer too.
5. Outermost layer would be a layer of reactive armor.

The permanent magnets will keep the steel balls in place during normal operation.
The electric magnets could be turned on to draw the steel balls towards an area that has been damaged or to thicken the armor in an area that is about to be damaged.

As an added option There could be packets of glue that could be activated and hardened when an electelectrical current is sent to them or they could be activated when punctured.

[nickmudd]

It's like in Star trek: Enterprise with the Captain Archer. They hadn't developed shields yet so they always "polarized the ship plating"

[Ragnarok]

Electric armor sounds similar the polarized hull plating used on the NX-01 from the Star Trek Enterprise series

[Nigimitama]

A simple spell, but quite unbreakable.

Ok it’s complicated as all get out, but this is pretty awesome anyway.

[travcollier]

The more interesting application of force fields is space travel. Protection from micrometeorites and ambient radiation really is needed for any long term space travel or habitation. That application has been the real point of force fields in less pulpy SciFi for a long time.

[Hanneth]

No mention of the UK's force field for APCs? When a bullet, or shrapnel enters the field area, it is zapped with an electric charge to melt the metal, so when it hits the vehicle it is just a molten mass the bounces off.

[dangingerich]

In Greg Bear's Forge of Stars, he had my favorite idea from all of science fiction: pseudomatter. It was something that acted like matter without having mass, building the most of the structure and walls of a spacecraft and was easily reconfigurable. I still have no theories about how to actually make it happen, but it was something I really hoped could come true.

[lovelessbadger]

I'd argue that electric armour sounds WAY COOLER than force field.

[RangerRuby]

I love it so much when Science fiction becomes Science fact thus becoming Science awesome! #PowerofScience

[Master_Therion]

Where do Jedi grow their crops? In a Force Field.

[majesticgopher]

In what world does Electric Armor sound less cool than Force Field??? Electric Armor sounds rad!!

[doxodd]

@ 2:34 doesn't need to be manned technically. Could be applied to a drone or radio controlled car with an antenna poking out of the plasma. Other ideas include rapid redistribution methods via electro magnetic harmonizing (think how a bullet train moves, constantly being pulled forward while being floated on top of powerful electro magnets.)

In practicality I think the cheapest method would be reenforcement of the crews cabin within the vehicle. Cameras leading to the outside point in all directions. Screens placed within.

[andrewbrown]

The electric shield sounds similar polarized hull plating from Star Trek: Enterprise.

[galenrichter]

i mean, if you take the term "force field" a bit more literally, then any magnet makes a force field. magnets make a field (a magnetic field) and that field exerts a force. so really, we already have them, just they're kinda crap :P

[abraruralam]

If energy shields become available, one can imagine that the next big armor would be reflector shields that reverse the vector of the incoming projectile (the repulsion field has to act like a spring, rather than a cushion, longer discharge of the supercapacitors might be the trick). So it's not just that the enemy is immune to bullets, it's passively attacking you.

[keegansmetanko]

It’s amazing how these things we thought impossible years ago are becoming a reality

[gabiballetje]

Tank, shield, makes me think of the old PC game Warheads, at least i think it was called that.
Tanks like, but every game had different size planets that all had their own gravity matching it, making you take into account what the gravity does with your fired shells, edges of screen bounce them, different ammo types with all kinds of funky things, and, different armor/shield types. Absorbing, repelling (that was fun) and so on.

[paxdriver]

Wait a sec.. If plasma blocks radiation and the force field would obscure line of sight, would it appear completely black or completely bright?

[RICOFRITO]

How Close Are We to Building Force Fields?
Me : Let me consult my magic 8-Ball...

(shakes it vigorously)
Magic 8-Ball : Reply hazy, try again.