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Dolphin Car

A water-land car with dolphin-friendly shape and controls and robotic arms to explore dolphin intelligence and let the dolphins see our world.
  (+13, -1)(+13, -1)
(+13, -1)
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We humans are able to enter the water to explore the habitat of dolphins, but despite their high intelligence, which perhaps is second only to human intelligence on Earth (see link), are confined to where there is water.

The idea is a car for dolphins. The car would be made of a shape to fit the shape of a dolphin's lower half, and made in a way to fit the dolphin's tail, fins and chin.

A dolphin could control the direction and speed of the car by depressing its tail to the side (turn right, turn left) and down or up (accelerate, decelerate), and the fins and perhaps the nose for additional controls such such as robotic arms or perhaps for opening/closing a safety cover.

A dolphin could be taught to enter the car while the car is under the water, and then get out of the pool by driving the car upwards its slope. At first, they could be rewarded by the presence of their favorite fish in another pool, this kind of car could open up much more possibilities for dolphins, perhaps even seeing our habitat (i.e., cities), it would be interesting to see how they would interact and explore with the newly found environment, would they be curious enough to explore other things than fish?

Due to their high intelligence, it is not unlikely that they could learn to control it.

Inyuki, Feb 25 2010

A video on dolphin intelligence http://www.youtube....watch?v=jz3sQsTE5tA
[Inyuki, Feb 25 2010]

hey, if elephants can do it... http://images.easya...Drysdale-200424.jpg
[xandram, Feb 25 2010]

I think [po] did a whale tail...now baked! http://1.bp.blogspo...400/dolphin-car.jpg
[xandram, Feb 25 2010]

Land Shark Land_20Shark
The pedestrian version. [jutta, Feb 25 2010]

[link]






       Despite the impractiability of this idea, it would be fascinating to watch. [+]
gisho, Feb 25 2010
  

       This is so cute I had to feed the dolphin a bun! +
xandram, Feb 25 2010
  

       Baked - I've been using one of these for years. And less of the "second only to human intelligence" if you don't mind, ya lousy biped.
MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 25 2010
  

       [MaxwellBuchanan], if you are a dolphin, then evidently not "second."
Inyuki, Feb 25 2010
  

       The fishbowl moves!   

       Bumper sticker: "So long, and thanks for all the fish".
wagster, Feb 25 2010
  

       Aw, thanks, Inyuki. I'll save you the best of the mackerel.
MaxwellBuchanan, Feb 25 2010
  

       A superterrestrial (vs. submarine). But these trapped dolphins doing tricks for fish don't seem so brilliant. That would be pretty sad to see a human do it. Oh, but we halfbakers are disappointed when we're thrown a meatless fish. We bob for buns.   

       A dolphin walks into a sushi bar. Bartender says 'Hey, what do I look like, an animal trainer?' while flipping tiny fish into the mouths of surrounding humans...   

       Next thing you know, the killer whales will want them. Also, the octopus is supposed to be brilliant. A dry suit for an octopus with breathing gear.
Mustardface, Feb 28 2010
  

       Before a show the trainer notices a dolphin in one of the pools looks depressed. He uses one of those dolphin language translator machines to ask the dolphin what's wrong. A few moments later the translator reports back "I thought they said they were taking me to see the world".
rcarty, Feb 28 2010
  

       Dolphins minds would be intrinsically linked to sonaring their enviroment. So, although mobile, a bit shorted in sensing department.
wjt, Mar 01 2010
  

       [wjt] Good point, but if the car had radar to detect the position of nearby cars, the dolphin would be able to use this via a radar-to-sonar converter inside the car.
hippo, Mar 01 2010
  

       how about a manatee version of this
sukiyaki, Mar 01 2010
  

       I like this... in an extreme sense, every lifeform is given a set of controls, and it has a greater or lesser ability to interact with the world depending on these controls alone.   

       That is, variations in intelligence are not due to variations in some (un)quantifiable consciousness, but instead due to variations in how the 'consciounsness' operator acts upon some quantifiable set of body parts.
daseva, Mar 01 2010
  

       Doesn't Larry Niven's "Ring World" series have these suits for dolphin?   

       I know that I played such a dolphin, in such a suit, in a "Ring World" role-playing game but we could admttedly have invited it for the game.
Aristotle, Mar 02 2010
  

       It's in the Niven story 'The Handicapped' (Neutron Star collection of short stories), Aristotle. The protaganist makes hands for dolphins amongst other things.
DrBob, Mar 02 2010
  

       Two dolphins walk into a bar. One of them turns to the other and says "Ouch! That wouldn't have happened if my fucking sonar worked here."
MaxwellBuchanan, Mar 02 2010
  
      
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