the_non_categorized_inflatables [the libarynth]

This is an old revision of the document!

-Chinese farmers near the Zhongyuan oil fields in China's Henan province carry back to their homes giant plastic bags filled with natural gass stolen from wells along the road. They use the gas for cooking and heating, causing annual losses of more than 20 million yuan (5 million guilders) to the oil companies.
source: book “Lightness” - The inevitable renaissance of minimum energy structures, Adriaan Beukers - Ed van Hinte
-Floating bridge over the Ganges
“Ramnagar fort is on the Ganga’s east bank, and we live on the west. We crossed the river on foot across the recently completed pontoon bridge, constructed of a series of planks on top of large floating tanks. The bridge creates a bit of a bouncing and swaying sensation as you cross, and the bicycles and motorbikes sharing the bridge made the crossing a bit nerve wracking, but it was really quite beautiful to be able to stand out in the middle of the river and look out at the city curving away along its western bank. Crossing back in the early evening, we got to see, for the first time, the sun setting over the Ganga.”
source: emilindia.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=200…

-Air Cushions, The Urban Search and Rescue team uses these for lifting immensely heavy objects. When deflated, the bags can be inserted under objects, even when there is very little room available. Once inserted, the bag is filled with air via the attached connection and hose which are clearly visible in the photos above. As the bag fills it lifts the load on top of it. source: http://www.buitink-technology.com/

-Worker mouth blowing glass to prepare a flower vase source: http://www.amitgoel.com/venice/image21.JPG
-Simone Decker. Chewing-gum, Venice Biennale, 1999
The bubble-gum series includes shots of wads of gum stretched between buildings, and the giant-looking bubbles. The chewing gum is real, chewed, chewing gum and, in the pictures, there appears to be a lot, but I only used a few packages for the entire series of thirty installations. I blew the biggest bubbles I could and then put the gum very close to the camera, about thirty centimetres away, to make it appear giant. Gum is such a common material that the contrast between these small wads of it and the big sculptures being shown at the biennale — and just the cultural weight of Venice — was great. source: www.sirp.ee/Arhiiv/18.06.99/Images/kirjand1.jpg http://www.walrusmagazine.com/

-Image used for invitation Artist Airshow in the Uk more: http://www.artscatalyst.org/projects/space/airshow.html
-Early in 1962 the staff of the Commander in Chief, Pacific, believing that the buildup in Vietnam required centralized control and management of long-distance communications into, out of, and within the Republic of Vietnam, recommended to the joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington that the responsibility for the operation of the Army's worldwide communications “gateway” station. aource: http://www.history.army.mil/books/Vietnam

Paul Gierow's GATR-com (which stands for “ground antenna transmit and receive) inflatable satellite ball has got to be the most sci-fi invention of the bunch. Designed to provide communications in otherwise inhospitable environments, the six or eight-foot sphere contains a plastic satellite dish that unfolds when the ball is inflated and can be targeted to within one-tenth of a degree. When collapsed, the GATR-com weighs just 70 pounds and fits into two backpacks. The $50,000 ball has already been tested in disaster areas, helping a Red Cross station secure medicine during Hurricane Katrina, and Gierow says he's been inundated with potential clients. We can see why – not only does this thing dial up a T1 speed connection, it's perfect for exercising your Wookiees. Peep a vid of the ball setting up after the jump.
source: http://www.engadget.com