Awakening Flying Machines

[Awaken Returner]

Could Awakened objects fly? We know that Awakened Objects, so long as their material allows it, can move despite the lack of any obvious mechanism like hydraulics or gear systems to substitute muscle and sinew structures. An Awakened rope can move to bind its targets by itself, and an Awakened doll can walk by itself, without the additional weight a workable engine would require. If you created a bird paper-mache with the proper body-ratios and built-in weights to off-set wind resistance, could it fly?

Renaissance and early Industrial ideas of Flying Machines usually failed because of the inefficiency of their designs with regards to lifting power and engine weight. An Awakened flying machine wouldn't need that. You could create Flying Machines that didn't operate based on propulsion technologies or airship concepts. Nalthis could possibly create plane-like vehicles who operated more similarly to living birds. A sufficiently durable organic material could be used for the wing alongside a wooden skeleton with each part being Awakened individually as to lessen the demands for complex commands. You could tell the each part of the plane to respond based on the movement of light-weight levers for precise aerial manoeuvres. The lack of a heavy engine would mean that, given a large enough wing-span, the construct would be able to feasibly fly.

Storage capacity would probably be very limited, but the ability of Nalthis to construct, and possibly mass produce with a more widespread Breath collection drive, relatively early flight designs might prove to be a significant asset. Awakened scouting and logistics planes could help to spearhead Nathean exploration and expansion. Even once they've developed modern designs, the ability to substitute with Breath aircraft weight could lend to some efficient and interesting types of aircraft.

---

Drone technologies might be available to Nalthis earlier than in other worlds. For militaristic capacity you could have Awakened bird-like creatures drop dynamite on target positions (or you could also use lifeless birds)

The usage of lifeless in the Manywar seem to tackle the theme of dehumanised warfare already. With regular lifeless armies you could theoretically have a population whose culture is separated from the very notion of war even when amidst a large scale conflict. Alongside modern-styled Awakened / lifeless drones-the contrast in between older forms of combat like formal warfare against modern-age conflict could also become more quickly readily apparent.

I'm not sure if I'd like to read of a bleak world-war type conflict in a world literally based on colour and life though. 

 

Edited May 1, 2019 by Awaken Returner

[Karger]

I see no reason why one could not awaken something to fly we have seen awakened squirrels before after all and you seem to have answered your own question as to how.

[Awaken Returner]

I guess I should work more on my phrasing, thanks though. I was wondering more on the implications of having early-flight mechanisms in Nalthis through Awakening if the process worked as I had understood it in my reading.

[MountainKing]

Awaken things can fly the example was in Oathbringer

Spoiler

With the cloth in part four

 

Edited May 1, 2019 by MountainKing

[Scion of the Mists]

@MountainKing You need to include what book/series the spoiler is for, otherwise people won't know whether or not to open it.  

[+robardin]

Here's one possible objection: I don't think you could Awaken an object to fly that couldn't already fly.

A certain amount of self-propelling is evidently allowed in an Awakened object, such as Vasher's command to the little straw man to "fetch keys", to the scarf to kill Vahr ("strangle things"), and later Commands we see to "become as my arms"; or in the likely example of Awakening we see in Oathbringer mentioned by @MountainKing.

But that's converting or acquiring the energy for propulsion from a resting state, as if thrown or moved by a person, not "flying" where flight was physically not possible before. I wouldn't think you could Command an anvil to "float above this X except to fall on a coyote" (except maybe on the world Lunituun, where the Shard of Hilarity has settled).

A crane-like apparatus that was essentially a glider minus the engine, which was Commanded to "flap like a bird and take me where I must go" or something, that is intriguing. But it'd have to be something that WOULD fly well enough bearing a passenger, if only no-added-weight flapping was enough, and I'm not sure that's something that exists? Maybe it does?

Edited May 7, 2019 by robardin

[Bookish Ocelot]

This seems like a really cool idea, but how much does awakening obey the rules of physics? 

When I think of awakening a flying machine, two things come to mind. The ornithopters in Dune and the Paperwings in Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen. The paperwings are canoe-like structures with long wings attached. They are made of a strengthened form of laminated paper. I think a paper mache cockpit with similar wings articulated somehow would do the trick. Of course, the matter of controlling it would be a problem. Sample command: "Fly me places, ascending when I say X and descending when I say Y....." continuing with commands for left, right, accelerate, and deaccelerate. 

[Aluminum]

The main problem would be at least for lower heightening breath holders that you have to use very simple commands.

[Karger]

We don't actually know much about how awakening works so I am still holding out hope for a flying carpet.

[Bookish Ocelot]

I mean you could always just modify it to “fly me where I ask you to go.” That eliminates the problem of really complex commands. 

The above would only be effective if you knew where you wanted to go. Sorry, but I want my awakened paper airplane dogfights. 

[Zath]

This is fun idea.  I absolutely believe that human flight powered by Awakening is possible.  Like you mentioned...

On 4/30/2019 at 11:52 PM, Awaken Returner said:

We know that Awakened Objects, so long as their material allows it, can move despite the lack of any obvious mechanism like hydraulics or gear systems to substitute muscle and sinew structures.

We also know that the strength/force of an Awakened object's movement is fairly substantial-- or it has the potential for that strength.  So, at the very least, a skilled Awakener with enough Breaths could wear a piece of fabric over their arms and give it the Command, "be as my wings."  Voila, human flight.  I'm sure it'd take some trial-and-error to design functional fabric wings, of course, and a very clear Intent for the Command.  Still, the wings wouldn't need any kind of apparatus to hold their shape, and the Awakener's flaps would be greatly strengthened by the Awakened fabric, so it's totally possible. 

And if that's possible, getting an Awakened object to do most/all of the work on its own as an honest-to-goodness aircraft is just a matter of figuring out a viable design and the right Command. 

You might be able to bypass the difficulty of a single, complex Command by making an airship out of multiple Awakened Objects with complementary Commands.

[Karger]

I personally would prefer if you just awakened a large dragonish creature.  It might help with efficiency as well because more lifelike shapes are generally easier to awaken.

[Bookish Ocelot]

Giant paper oragami dragons? Heck yes. 

Another thought would be to build a harness with canvas wings attached and command it to fly. 

Or use one of those giant parachutes from elementary school gym class.

How much exactly can the laws of physics be bent with awakening?

[Karger]

On 6/29/2019 at 11:26 AM, BookishOcelot said:

How much exactly can the laws of physics be bent with awakening?

Not at all.

[Datan Nomlibash]

On 6/29/2019 at 9:26 AM, BookishOcelot said:

Giant paper oragami dragons? Heck yes. 

Another thought would be to build a harness with canvas wings attached and command it to fly. 

Or use one of those giant parachutes from elementary school gym class.

How much exactly can the laws of physics be bent with awakening?

Its mentioned by Vasher that a few ropes can hurl massive boulders insane distances in siege warfare so its not beyond probability that you could awaken some ropes, attach them to a frame with canvas and use them to propel a extremely light weight plane. (IRL there have been pedel propeled planes in real life) also I dont think that awakened objects tire so awakened flight distance might only be affected by how quickly the materials wear out/ brake apart.

On 4/30/2019 at 11:52 PM, Awaken Returner said:

Could Awakened objects fly? We know that Awakened Objects, so long as their material allows it, can move despite the lack of any obvious mechanism like hydraulics or gear systems to substitute muscle and sinew structures. An Awakened rope can move to bind its targets by itself, and an Awakened doll can walk by itself, without the additional weight a workable engine would require. If you created a bird paper-mache with the proper body-ratios and built-in weights to off-set wind resistance, could it fly?

Renaissance and early Industrial ideas of Flying Machines usually failed because of the inefficiency of their designs with regards to lifting power and engine weight. An Awakened flying machine wouldn't need that. You could create Flying Machines that didn't operate based on propulsion technologies or airship concepts. Nalthis could possibly create plane-like vehicles who operated more similarly to living birds. A sufficiently durable organic material could be used for the wing alongside a wooden skeleton with each part being Awakened individually as to lessen the demands for complex commands. You could tell the each part of the plane to respond based on the movement of light-weight levers for precise aerial manoeuvres. The lack of a heavy engine would mean that, given a large enough wing-span, the construct would be able to feasibly fly.

Storage capacity would probably be very limited, but the ability of Nalthis to construct, and possibly mass produce with a more widespread Breath collection drive, relatively early flight designs might prove to be a significant asset. Awakened scouting and logistics planes could help to spearhead Nathean exploration and expansion. Even once they've developed modern designs, the ability to substitute with Breath aircraft weight could lend to some efficient and interesting types of aircraft.

---

Drone technologies might be available to Nalthis earlier than in other worlds. For militaristic capacity you could have Awakened bird-like creatures drop dynamite on target positions (or you could also use lifeless birds)

The usage of lifeless in the Manywar seem to tackle the theme of dehumanised warfare already. With regular lifeless armies you could theoretically have a population whose culture is separated from the very notion of war even when amidst a large scale conflict. Alongside modern-styled Awakened / lifeless drones-the contrast in between older forms of combat like formal warfare against modern-age conflict could also become more quickly readily apparent.

I'm not sure if I'd like to read of a bleak world-war type conflict in a world literally based on colour and life though. 

 

I love this theory. Thank you

[Ethan_sedai]

I like it, but it might be easier to have a command that would cause something to spin continuously and just use that instead of a heavy engine, and use gear shifting stuff for controls.