Very pretty but ... propulsion? Control surfaces? Sort of basic requirements, one would think? And with a shape like that I'd love to see it in a storm .. would rather less like to be on board.
Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of lighter-than-air flight and consider the area to be criminally under-developed. But that thing needs to be rethought with an eye towards practicality.
I agree with the practical aspects - the video shows a couple good opportunities for very spectacular disasters, but there are things that should be built not because they are practical, but because they are beautiful.
there are things that should be built not because they are practical, but because they are beautiful
Oh, I agree. I love innovative and beautiful design as much as anyone, believe me. And yet I am an engineer at heart, and when I see something like this, questions spring to mind, such as "what is making it move" and "how does it control its buoyancy", amongst others.
The greatest triumphs are a meeting of minds between good engineering and beautiful, functional design. This is a lot of the latter and not a lot of the former. Still, I appreciate the story and hope it inspires those capable of the former to think about how it could be made to work.
Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of lighter-than-air flight and consider the area to be criminally under-developed. But that thing needs to be rethought with an eye towards practicality.