Popular_Science_Australia_November_2016

A slide that hovers 300

metres above Los

Angeles might seem like

mere novelty, but the

process used to make

the glass could lead to

stronger, more energy-

efficient buildings.

Architects used code

from NASA to analyse

the design, then

employed a new form of

chemical strengthening

to make glass that’s as

strong as steel. “We

could create naturally lit

structures with very low

carbon footprints,” says

SkySlide engineer

Michael Ludvik.

Earthquake-

Proof Glass

M. LUDVIK

SKYSLIDE

LIGO, or the Laser

Interferometer

Gravitational-Wave

Observatory, first ran a

decade ago to detect

gravitational waves—

ripples in space-time,

some of which date to the

Big Bang. This year, an

upgraded system called

Advanced LIGO, which is

much more sensitive,

confirmed one of

Einstein’s biggest

predictions—on its

first run. Observing

these waves lets

scientists plot the history

of the universe and spot

events like supernovas.

A Microphone

for the Universe

G

MIT + CALTECH

ADVANCED LIGO

Artificial log flumes
in theme parks are so
yesteryear. So, a German
ride-design firm has
brought the waterworks
to a natural setting. They
drained (then refilled) a
lake to lay a foundation
for a U-shaped roller
coaster that rockets
into the water at 100
kilometres per hour,
creating a tsunami-like
wave that drenches
riders. Thrill-seekers
swoop through the U
twice before the
force of the splash
slows down the car. At
least, hopefully.

Next-Level
Waterpark

H

MACK RIDES
PULSAR

To beat the heat in the United Arab Emirates, this
museum’s galleries will be subterranean. Meanwhile,
towers inspired by falcon wings will allow rising hot air to
escape, while drawing cooler air into the structure.

It remains to be seen if China’s straddling bus—which

scoots over the top of cars, on tracks embedded in the
pavement—is practical. But it’s a bold idea for cities
congested with traffic and pollution.

Elevator shafts often take up half of a

skyscraper’s footprint, and the steel cables

that carry them up and down limit how high

the cars can travel. These constraints can be

a major buzzkill for forward-thinking

architects, who might want to design taller

and wider. Enter MULTI, an elevator system

that levitates—vertically, horizontally, and

diagonally—atop tracks embedded with

powerful magnets. Scheduled to begin

testing in Germany early next year, MULTI

will allow for arbitrarily taller, wider,

and more creatively designed towers.

Elevators That

Go in Any Direction

THYSSENKRUPP
MULTI ELEVATOR

F

H

F

G

E