Force Fields: The Final Post
As a group, we have decided that force fields, like those in Foundation, are nowhere near feasible at the moment. In foundation the “aura shield” takes the form of a belt that invisibily emits a shield around a persons body and is activated when objects come near the person wearing the belt. The term aura is actually thought of by psychics to be a thin layer of energy that surrounds our bodies. The idea that this energy could somehow be used to protect the physical body is pretty crazy and not feasible, after all we don’t even know if the aura itself is real.
However, through our research we have found there are some technologies having to do with forcefields. One of these is called the trophy system, and is used in tanks,
The trophy system fires projectiles to stop incoming missiles, rockets, grenades, etc to stop them from harming the tank. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TctJhFYTHo
One way to maybe combine this idea, and the idea of an invisible force field could be using high powered lasers to perform the same task for a human. Although this would require quite a bit of precision and power, it is an idea that may take place sooner than a legit power shield.
(Example of a laser destroying a rocket) Most modern day versions of shields have to do with electromagnetism. An extremely interesting advancement made in England in 2008 was a mini magnetosphere designed to protect spaceships from solar storms. Solar storms occur when violent outbursts of radioactive activity actually emit solar particles from the sun which can be extremely damaging to spaceships if not protected well. The way this shield works is by emitting a magnetic field around a certain object. Once enough energy was gathered to be able to use an object as large as a spaceship it was a huge success. Particles from the sun hit the magnetic field and are actually deflected around it, not coming in contact with the void space contained inside the shield which is now filled by a spaceship. The magnetic fields can literally just be turned on in the space ship when expecting solar flares. Of course this shield only works on small particles but it is a way of using energy to protect humans from potentially deadly solar weather.
The main issue with a real force field, like we think of in science fiction is power and also condensability of that power. Powering a personal force field would require an incredible amount of power. In Foundation, the shield is powered by a walnut sized nuclear generator, but today, that is unheard of. Nuclear power has not yet evolved to be pocket sized.
Plus, nuclear power is still very dangerous, so are large amounts of energy, such as those required to make a force field. Although one day we may be able to make something like a force field, it seems highly unlikely because of the dangers of the shield itself.
In the end, it would one day be cool to have force fields for many practical uses, but it will be a long time before we see anything as protective and simple as in Foundation.
Sources
http://www.npr.org/2013/02/04/170482802/are-mini-reactors-the-future-of-nuclear-power
http://www.reiki.nu/treatment/healing/aurashield/aurashield.html
http://www.universetoday.com/20671/
http://www.treknews.net/2011/07/31/science-fiction-or-science-fact-shields-up/
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