On a previous idea posted by [ShawnBob], [link2], [MB] postulated creating soap bubble vortex rings and we started to discuss whether it was possible.

As seems to be the way with these things, it took a bit of percolating, but it may have dawned on me just how to make that scenario happen.

It would be easy enough to make a vortex ring launcher and try dipping it in a soap solution, although I highly doubt that the airflow wouldn't be too great to allow a bubble to form so I'm not going to try that.

What about a foam cannon though?

I might be able to launch a vortex ring of suds which should remain cohesive long enough for the bubbles, which 'will' pop under the stress, to self sustain an outer layer long enough to wrap into a torus, attain a stable level of rotation, and create a single layer of soap film wrapped around the vortex ring without popping.
Maybe a multiple bubble outer surface slowly merging into a singular bubble over time, I don't know, but so far it works in my head.

Now imagine using low temperature steam to fill the initial foam.
When launched the vortex ring would be temporarily lighter than air and lob high overhead.
As the steam coalesces and cools the torus will shrink and fall Earthward.

Make the vapour visible and explosively fog the distant crowd at your next festival.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 19 2023

or you could use dry ice https://www.youtube...=65GZ1iu1OwQ&t=207s
[a1, Mar 19 2023]

Ballubble_20Gun [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 19 2023]

Another use for soap bubbles Bubbling_20Turn_20Signals
[normzone, Mar 20 2023]

Sandy https://www.google....6LWltZw&sclient=img
By now, you can probably buy a kit (cameras, projectors, software) ready-to-go [neutrinos_shadow, Mar 21 2023]

Dry ice, as per the new [link1] would be cool, but heavier than air.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 20 2023


//dry ice would be cool//
-- Voice, Mar 20 2023


Literally...
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 20 2023


Not even vaguely related, but marijuana smoke filled bubbles can be fun at concert venues ... or could be, once upon a time, back in the day, long ago when ... what was I talking about?
-- normzone, Mar 20 2023


// Dry ice... heavier than air. //

True, roughly 1.5x heavier. But if you loFt the rings high enough they'll sink pretty slowly (as shown in the vid).

I think your basic concept may work at least in the initial creation of a vortex ring of suds, but I'd be surprised if the individual bubbles coalesced into a single layer of soap film wrapped around the vortex ring. You know well yourself how tricky it is to make a toroidal soap bubble, and how short lived they are.

But go ahead - surprise me. Are you gonna build one?
-- a1, Mar 20 2023


Yes, but it is low on the priority list.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 20 2023


It should fall somewhere between building the real-time interactive topographical projection sand-box for the playground, and building the trout ponds.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 21 2023


Cool [link] [neutrinos_shadow].
I already built one from hacking an old x-box kinect last winter. Open source software... life just hasn't let me install it in the playground yet since getting to that point.

The goals keep changing, and I roll with the punches.
It's all I know.

The fluidized-sand floor-is-lava projection-moat with floating islands will really be something for the kids to play hopscotch on someday.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Mar 23 2023



random, halfbakery