29 ms·
In fact there is! It's called a Gomboc: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6mb%C3%B6c https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6mb%C3%B6c
by isopede 3y ago
In fact there is! It's called a Gomboc:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6mb%C3%B6c https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6mb%C3%B6c
- solardev 3y agoMy d20 needs this
- lapetitejort 3y agoYou could create a d1 with this shape! Much better are more stable than Jorge Luis Borges': https://biblioklept.org/2019/04/02/the-disk-a-very-short-story-by-jorge-luis-borges/ https://biblioklept.org/2019/04/02/the-disk-a-very-short-sto...
- bradley13 3y agoWow, that's unintuitive, but cool. Doesn't help on the moon, though, where the surface is soft, and may contain boulders.
- koliber 3y agoWith a lunar lander you can play with the weight distribution. You can make it more dense on one side. This, together with a self-righting shape, could increase the chances of settling in the desired orientation.
- giantrobot 3y agoWhile it was settling it would destroy all/most of the external fixtures including antennae, engine nozzles, and sensor housings. Bonus the rocking action during settling could puncture the hull or break a windows on a sharp boulder.
- koliber 3y agoAll of that could happen. What if airbags inflated around the lander? The external shape of the lander-with-inflated-airbags and the internal weight distribution could make it self-righting, while shielding the external fixtures and the hull. Just throwing ideas around and role-playing spacecraft designer.
- giantrobot 3y agoAir bags are ok if you don't have humans inside being pulverized as the craft bounces and rolls. If you have people inside bouncing isn't the best.
- roywiggins 3y agoPrior art: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeble https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weeble
- bloopernova 3y agoThat shape must be patented or copyright protected, because all the Amazon listings are several hundred dollars each. The usual knockoffs are conspicuous in their absence.
- planede 3y agoWell, it's an example of a convex homogeneous body that does this. It's much easier if these are not requirements, just have a sphere with an off-center mass.