is it possible...?

[Sleepy Mac]

I was sitting on my balcony this morning, having a merry old chat with my flat mate. When all of a sudden, I had it.

 

Can a vehicle be built out of organic materials (preferably still alive); given intelligence via genetic programming and/or molecular computers. Then given locomotion by the intelligence in said organic materials, (probably some kind of plant, built/grown to purpose). What is the most likely form of motion from an ordinarily stationary life form, i.e. a tree.

 

Is it potential energy stored in curled limb/s around a central axis, to give forward motion to wheels within the structure of the vehicle. Or could energy be tapped from the plants own resources?

 

I haven't had much experience in this subject, so I hand it over to you, the science community that has advanced our technologies thus far. Perhaps I can help with the next step.

 

By the way, I'm not sure if I should morally object to my own idea. It is a tad too close to playing God for me. Meh, we're only human, what do we really expect to achieve.

[JustStuit]

Well trees get energy from the sun which we do via solar panels so this is already in use. I think solar panels may be more effiecient than trees per used space but not sure.

The problem lies in that enough energy must be extracted to create a force strong enough to push it, and therefore weight must be used effieceintly, which I don't believe a plant does well (probably worse than a car or a solar car if we are on that subject.) Maybe if we got to genetic engineering or something but I'm not sure.

[Sleepy Mac]

imagine an entirely "natural" transportation device devoid of emissions apart from the oxygen freely supplied (gives a whole new meaning to "free air"). it could meen a cut back in certain mineral mining, including the silicone extraction for solar panels and microchips.

 

Sure a tree may not have the best energy supply but if we did take "the path of God," would it be possible to, up the anti on the trees photosynthetic recepticles (or what ever they use) and storage system? allowing the driver to tap into a greater power source.

 

A solar panel may have a greater power out-put, but it is limited to use during the day (not including batteries) and cannot be sat in, nor can you pick fruit or the like (I'd love to see people whizzing to work in a tree, picking breakfast of each others cars during rush hour, having a chat)

 

Genetic engineering is probably the most surefire way of mapping out a plant with raised photosynthetic and storing abilities.The plants cab and aerodynamics will need specific designing according to terrain and weathers

 

 

Not my first choice, but hey its just a theory right.

 

Do larger/wider leaves acquire more photosynthesis?

[JustStuit]

 

Do larger/wider leaves acquire more photosynthesis?

Not wider for sure - the chloropyll in the center or bottom would not be exposed to sunlight. Wider leaves maybe, but the atp (I think) produced must still be passed through the stem and then a larger stem would be needed. More leaves might work just as well.

[insane_alien]

basically what you want is as much surface area as possible facing the sun. this will give you the most photosynthesis. lots of leaves are best for this, i mean just look at a tree.

[entwined]

Solar panel arrays could be built in orbit large enough to produce all of our needs for power, but the problem is in developing a way to transmit that energy from orbit to the surface.

 

Solve that problem and you have solved the energy problems for the world.

[the tree]

Solve that problem and you have solved the energy problems for the world.

If they were orbiting in such a way that they were always directly over the same point (preferably somewhere uninhabited) then how about a really really big cable?

 

On a more serious note, how about a shuttle going back and forth with some seriously huge bateries?

[RICHARDBATTY]

A tree grows all the time and uses lots of energy to do that, and stores lots of energy in seeds. An animal or plant grown to our purposes wouldn't. Its more a question of how you would utilise the energy produced. It would probably be better to just think of producing an energy producing set of organs. Digestive, respiritory and waste removal systems with something like an electric eels shock system as an output. Feed it waste food and garden matter.

[Sisyphus]

We don't need to build vehicles out of biological materials, because we already have them. They're called horses.