The inspiration for this one came from something I read here but I'm darned if I can find it now.

The premise is that if enough people pile into a large inflatable ball, their combined body heat will be enough to generate lift.
Granted this would make for an uncomfortable ride but in the event of an uncontrollable fire in a high rise building, a cramped ride with strangers would certainly beat the alternative.
Strategically placed escape platforms around the building would house enough of these spheres to evacuate an entire floor, and each sphere would have to be equipped with an oxygen tank to keep the occupants from dying of asphyxiation before they reach the ground also an air release valve to control descent.
Obviously this escape system would not be fool proof and not being able to control where one lands may result in some injuries or death but I for one would take my chances.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 09 2004

Dyson Sphere http://www.nada.kth.../dysonFAQ.html#WHAT
[wagster, Oct 09 2004]

Dyson Shire Escape http://news.bbc.co....usiness/1801909.stm
Oh...Er, you said "Sphire". Sorry, my mistake. [jurist, Oct 09 2004]

Could you use the rising hot air from the fire to inflate and pre-heat the balloon (for that's what it is). It would take more than the five or ten minutes you might have to heat the whole balloon with body heat.
-- wagster, Oct 09 2004


What the hell is a "sphire?"
-- bristolz, Oct 09 2004


Make sure the sphere is flame retardant or you could end up with a whole lot of shrink wrapped people
-- Cubical_View, Oct 09 2004


Oh... Dyson Sphere / Fire Escape. Just worked out the sphire bit. D'oh!
-- wagster, Oct 09 2004


Forget about the body heat bit. Make it a double-walled giant balloon, and terminal velocity plus the cushion between walls will save people from any height.
-- Worldgineer, Oct 09 2004


Yeah sphire is just a play on sphere, I can't seem to help myself y'know.
I do try...just unsuccessfully.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 09 2004


Now if you had managed to make it a few billion miles in diameter, while retaining it's fire escape functionality, that would really have been a Dyson Sphire Escape
-- wagster, Oct 09 2004


Wagster has a good suggestion, well the first one atleast.
-- sartep, Oct 10 2004


quite a bit of persphiration involved I imagine.
-- po, Oct 11 2004


Sorry, I still don't get the sphire thing - is it because a tall building might be considered a 'spire'? If that's it, then I'm horribly upset.
-- zen_tom, Oct 11 2004


Dyson Sphere Fire Escape
Dyson SphereFire Escape
Dyson SpherFire Escape
Dyson Spherire Escape
Dyson Spheire Escape
Dyson Sphire Escape

I think that's all that was meant. Of course, the connection to the concept of a dyson sphere seems tenuous at best.
-- Worldgineer, Oct 11 2004


I didn't realize that a Dyson sphere had a minimum size requirement, I thought it was just the concept of trapping all available energy within a sphere.

So much I don't know, so little time.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 11 2004


Zorb!

Sorry. I, too, can't help myself.
-- shapu, Oct 11 2004


Oh like "Dyson' s Fire Escape"! - still couldn't confess to being entirely happy about it, but will let it go... This time.
-- zen_tom, Oct 11 2004


Whew :]
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Oct 11 2004


Oh. I get it. Nice cels, [world].
-- bristolz, Oct 11 2004


What's a cels?
-- Worldgineer, Oct 11 2004


They'd be the separate elements, frames, of animation.
-- bristolz, Oct 11 2004


Gotcha. Thanks.
-- Worldgineer, Oct 11 2004



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