What will R/C be like in 20 years?

[kulangflow]

I was reading the blast from the past thread and started wondering what R/C might be like in 20 years. I like to daydream about things like that in those rare times that there is nothing else to do.

-Will they still make NiMH and NiCD batteries?
-Will everything be lipo, li-ion, or something we haven't even heard of yet that is 50C capable with capacity measured in Ah instead of mAh?
-Will anything use brushed motors anymore?
-What will the HV controller specs be like? 20s/200A? It seems there would need to be a limit on voltage at some point due to weight/size concerns, unless the new super-batteries are SHV in a small, light package.
-What will the top speed record be?
-Will nitro go the way of the do-do due to cost?

I'm not looking for crazy predictions, but what you can really picture it being like. Feel free to add to the list!

[bl-is-future]

as my name says bl-is-future. With fuel costs and other things going on, i think nitro will not DIE but definitely be a rarity. With technology advancing so fast ic the shv esc sooner than you may think. that i can see in the next 5 years. Lipos im sure will advance to smaller but more powerful types. BL WILL PREVAIL

[Arct1k]

Hopefully fuel cells will be going strong... Silent, Electric power no recharge time

hopefully not only rc but our land and air vehicles will be perpetual motion where the engine feeds or charges the power supply


I still cant figure out why an electric motor in a car cant also spin a generator to feed the motor (perpetual motion)

[Arct1k]

perpetual motion does not exist as there is waste in any system...

Wikipeadia is a great resource

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_motion

I love these! They are so cool to watch..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crookes_radiometer

[J3110]

Well, presuming we still live in a world where R/C is still a viable luxury for a fair amount of the global population...

-Will they still make NiMH and NiCD batteries?

Yes: Unless they devise a better all-around solution that has all of the benefits and none of the drawbacks(including cost). I believe the supply will depend on the demand.

-Will everything be lipo, li-ion, or something we haven't even heard of yet that is 50C capable with capacity measured in Ah instead of mAh?

Perhaps: I believe the future of batteries may be in the exhotic supercaps being worked on. They will not be cheap, though, by any means.

-Will anything use brushed motors anymore?

Absolutely. For R/C application, I would have to say there would be no point in using commutators anymore as our mastery of the electron is certain to get a jolt within 20 year's time. We may be driving around photon powered vehicles for all I know...sometimes developmental processes progress exponentially, so I gotta account for that possibility. Still, there will be the die-hards that refuse to drop the comm.

-What will the HV controller specs be like? 20s/200A? It seems there would need to be a limit on voltage at some point due to weight/size concerns, unless the new super-batteries are SHV in a small, light package.

I am wondering if we'll even be using voltage and amps by that time. It may be some form of magnetic measurement. Remeber there are still forces we have yet to fully understand and one of which is the detailed behavior of magnetism.

-What will the top speed record be?

On the ground, I'd say it depends on scale. Full scale will certainly be capable of breaking the sound barrier presuming TX/RX range at that time is suficient(think an FPV Thrust SSC) or you could just be oldschool and chase the thing in a jet plane.

-Will nitro go the way of the do-do due to cost?

Not necessarily due to cost. I should hope we are able to find some other method for pepetuating an air pump using a gas piston by then that is more environmentally friendly.


I'm thinking that if we are able to weather all of our impending crises and are also able to maintain a relatively similar lifestyle to what we have now. Just look at how easily priorities changeas I am sure many of you have been into and out of this hobby if not once, multiple times...imagine a global catastrophe...you think the R/C companies are just gonna keep doin the same-ole same-ole?

Donning the rosey colored glasses, I am guessing that the R/C industry will greatly benefit from future transportation developments.
Wireless communication will be overhauled or equipment will just keep getting smaller, better, and more expensive.
You will be able to control your R/C via the ear-mounted omnicomm device that tracks head and eye movement(targeting) and also responds to voice command. It will have a semi-transparent LCD, reflection or projection(directly onto your retina) video feed capability.

Much of the R/C industry will have shifted to military applications, so expect a lot of that technology to get washed back into the retail market to bring more funding in for R&D while we're not fighting one of our bogus wars.

Anyways, I gotta jet, but I could dream about this kinda stuff all day long...then again, the distant future kinda freaks me out at the same time.

[bl-is-future]

there will always be loss of energy even with recharging while operating. I dont see limitless energy but im sure between solar power and battery technology our 1:1 cars will be very energy efficient. Also i have always thought of wind power. You go down the road and wind is created around the vehicle so why not put a generator in that creates energy from a spinning fan from the wind. Between the wind, solar, and battery power you could go a long ways on one charge

Originally Posted by Arct1k

perpetual motion does not exist as there is waste in any system...

It will or what will we do with our stockpile of Dilithium Crystals?

[J3110]

Originally Posted by bl-is-future

why not put a generator in that creates energy from a spinning fan from the wind.

Drag=bad.

[bl-is-future]

Originally Posted by bustitup

It will or what will we do with our stockpile of Dilithium Crystals?

Hardly.. I doubt we will ever see it. So many people have been working on it for years and years and nothing is really even that close.

[Arct1k]

Originally Posted by bl-is-future

there will always be loss of energy even with recharging while operating. I dont see limitless energy but im sure between solar power and battery technology our 1:1 cars will be very energy efficient. Also i have always thought of wind power. You go down the road and wind is created around the vehicle so why not put a generator in that creates energy from a spinning fan from the wind. Between the wind, solar, and battery power you could go a long ways on one charge

Newton 3rd law - Everything has an equal a opposite reaction - Most likely all this will do is increase the drag on the car...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton's_laws_of_motion

[J3110]

WFRCC in 2028:

[bl-is-future]

yeah but so much that it cant create more energy than the drag? See that is the only thing i see wrong, if there is more drag than energy than no go, but if you can even get 10% energy over drag than it is helpful is it not? Obviously you can not create 100% efficiency over the drag.

[J3110]

Originally Posted by bl-is-future

yeah but so much that it cant create more energy than the drag? See that is the only thing i see wrong, if there is more drag than energy than no go, but if you can even get 10% energy over drag than it is helpful is it not? Obviously you can not create 100% efficiency over the drag.

You're adding weight as well. Regenerative braking is about all you can really scavenge without dtrimentally affecting drive efficiency.

Originally Posted by bl-is-future

So many people have been working on it for years and years and nothing is really even that close.

very true but technology grows every day and as it grows, it grows faster and faster..... maybe too fast