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Is the future of trucking based on a flying or hovering vehicle like these “aero-rigs”? That is the possibility explored by vehicle concept artist riftroamer.
He has designed a series of flying / hovering future transport trucks (if “truck” is still the word when there are no wheels involved. Some of his designs tow flatbed trailers, some tank trailers and some are loaded with square-ish freight parcels. (See riftroamer’s design portfolio here)
The tractor itself — or tractor-plane — is called a “prime mover”.
The designer also works on space flight people transporters and other futuristic concepts, but he also works on ground vehicles and intends to put out a series of water, ground and air vehicle concept designs.
By the way, this future truck was partly inspired by the sci-fi Starringer Trilogy by Jogn DeChancie, riftroamer said.
With the hover aspect of this vehicle, it will be interesting to see how people work out the lifting engineering.
On the one hand, we are only now gettin hoverboards that can lift a human weight for several minutes, and they are giant boxes using embedded rotating (helicopter-like) blades. These can float above concrete and other surfaces, though. Another technological solution is a magnetic undersurface to a vehicle and a magnetic surface — this is also being done with hoverboards.
It is possible to lift huge weights with air though, as is demonstrated with hovercraft. Hovercraft also use a propulsion method to move horizontally (in addition to the pressurization system under their skirts that push them up above the surface). The heaviest hovercraft can carry up to 130 tons of cargo. It’s a Russian Zubr class LCAC. It’s max displacement is 535 tons. The Russians also make the largest civil hovercraft and the helicopter that can lift the most, the Mil mi-26.
