Reaction ferries are really clever

[@TomScottGo]

I swear I'm not green-screened onto this: it's just weird lighting!

[@double4345]

Tom Scott is your shirt green screened? Or Red screened, I bet Matt is wearing a blue screen

[@Oliver-pi4wd]

Tom Scott you are amazing

[@MeAuntieNora]

I didn't even notice until you pointed it out, but there is a bit of a weatherman effect going there haha Cool video!

[@tlowiefkcalb2415]

Btw, the same technique is used in whitewater kayaking, only instead of the wire holding you on the same level you paddel on one side of the boat to both keep you facing the right direction as well as not drifting downstream. I don't know why I wrote that, just some side info I found interesting .-.

[@bbkidfan]

when are you going to do a video on the time travel machine that you use to comment on your videos before they are posted?

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

I had never heard of these either. Very elegant.

[@Silver_Golden]

The moment when two channels you watch cross...

[@DirtyPoul]

And practical as well!

[@elonwhatever]

Is this a crossover episode?

[@markfryer9880]

@@elonwhatever No just a crossover viewing and comment.

[@matevzjausovec4648]

Near my place we have a mill running on the same concept. Just two small boats put together and a water weel in the middle.When ever the deed needs to be done, the boat is taken to the middle of the river and the curent does the rest.

[@6yjjk]

Never thought I'd see Tom Scott do a reaction video...

[@patrickmoody9367]

It's ya boy Tom reacts

[@ag.cousins]

He did indeed

[@adeadgirl13]

Nice!

[@insertnamehere1258]

take my like and leave

[@suedenim9208]

I never thought I'd bother watching a reaction video.

[@PetrHosek]

It's basically a kite. A water-kite, but the principle remains.

[@detachsoup6061]

No a caboe cart..... kites are totally diffrent.

[@detachsoup6061]

Cable cart*

[@Zombie-lx3sh]

@@detachsoup6061 I think it's closer to a water kite than a cable car. Like a kite, it's moved by fluid dynamics and held on by a rope. Unlike a cable cart, there's no motor involved.

[@russcrawford3310]

I was thinking of a sailing boat ... instead of river current against the hull, it's air current over the sails ... same principle ...

[@InventorZahran]

"We floated a kite in a public river..."

[@JohnDotBomb]

You should do a video on the Theory of Inventive problem solving. A Russian engineer spent his entire life studying patents to see how humans made solutions to stuff like this. It's now generalized into a few charts, and is really quite handy.

[@haynakonobayan]

which engineer? would love to see these few charts.

[@Quarto_Quarto]

@@haynakonobayan Genrich Altshuller

[@JohnDotBomb]

@@haynakonobayan Genrich Altshuller

[@lukebm5555]

Cool, I’d never heard of this before but seems fascinating

[@patty109109]

Good thing modern Russians haven’t heard of it ;)

[@aolson5795]

There's a short story by Harry Turtledove called "The Road Not Taken" about FTL travel being incredibly simple and obvious, yet all humans somehow missed it.

[@tissuepaper9962]

Same joke in Hitchhiker's Guide, the secret to FTL travel was found by a grad student who stuck the electrodes into a cup of tea.

[@FreakRecordsCod]

It’s been a long time since I was so exited about a story. Thank you for this.

[@Sashazur]

I love that story! And a big part of it was how even though the aliens had FTL they weren’t as advanced as earthlings in other tech.

[@Valavaern]

@@tissuepaper9962 That was the secret to INSTANT travel; they still had other kinds of FTL~

[@Attaxalotl]

@@Sashazur 1850's weaponry vs the reason I don't have free healthcare (even though it's more complicated than that and we'd actually *lower* taxes by socializing healthcare, but it's a good joke)

[@leodimsch6010]

I think I saw you. ;) a small correction: they do have paddles on board. just in case something happens. I think the very few people who live in Basel use the ferris regularly. I only use them during the carnival or when I'm babysitting young children. what are you doing in Basel? I hope you had a good time. greetings from Basel (I can actually see my house in the background 😂)

[@SYDTrainsFilms]

Woah that's cool I've never lived near a big river and Its one thing that I would like to do. But I live in Australia so I might not Be able to do this

[@DugrozReports]

Just curious -- how is babysitting young children related to the need to use the ferry?

[@OuijTube]

Dugroz Reports likely because it’s a nice thing to take a kid down to the river and take the ferry across. A pleasant morning or afternoon outing!

[@lukasg4807]

How long does a crossing take?

[@shlabedeshlub3334]

@@lukasg4807 7ish minutes if i had to guess.. never timed it

[@deandeann1541]

My deceased uncle was the last person to operate such a ferry in my area, until it was destroyed by a major flood in 1936. He described how it worked to me many years ago. Under the ferry were 6 vanes (he called them vanes rather than rudders) and there was a lever (ie tiller) you moved in the direction you wanted to cross. It was the Androscoggin river in Maine, usa, it does not have that much current but the ferry worked fine.

[@samuelbhend2521]

If it's a weak Current, that may explain the need for those Vanes to get more leaverage out oft the Current. The four Ferries in Basel don't need those, as the Rhine there is quite fast and strong all Year round (less Water in Autumn/Winter and more in Springtime/Summer but always plenty strong enough) The oldestof those Reactionferries in Basel was buildt 1853, it was outside the City and doesn' exist anymore. The oldest of the four still running Ferries is from 1854 and they were very important in those Days, as there was only one single Bridge in Basel for over 800 Years. A second one was buildt in 1879 and a third one in 1882....

[@paradox...]

Growing up in Bern, Switzerland, I absolutely loved it every time I'd cross the Aare river in one of these ferries. (The one over the Aare near Bern is much smaller.)

[@DatMilu2K]

Paradox I läbä grad ar Aare :D

[@TheR971]

I know one of the ferry men. We once ate fondue for silvster in the ferry-house. Was awesome.

[@LetsGoGetThem]

why, why not just walk over a bridge

[@hoodio]

es esch de rhii ond ned aare

[@GTAmaniac1]

I'm from Osijek in Croatia and the one here is a lot bigger, it's about the size of a floating house and i remember loving crossing the river on it as a kid.

[@andrebartels1690]

I once traveled with the one with the colorful burgees on it. It's the "Leu" which is Baseldytsch for lion, and it goes from Kleinbasel near the Kaserne over to the foot of the Münsterpfalz. Traveling with a reaction ferry is very smooth, silent, natural and nice. There are associations that help keep the two ferries alive. Basels citizens are very fond and proud of their ferries. All in all, it's a very nice thing :)

[@HotelPapa100]

The Münster ferry is my go-to spot when showing guests around basel: Start at Marktplatz. Up to the Münster. Take the ferry over, have a beer or dinner in Fischerstube, down Rheingasse, over Mittlere Brücke and back to Marktplatz. Basel in a nutshell.

[@funny-video-YouTube-channel]

Genius solution. Things like that can help river communities a lot.

[@DragonBornish]

It's also a technique used in kayaks and canoes to ferry across rivers and other streams. Paddle against the current and angle your vessel towards the side you want to go to. It is great fun. :)

[@someonenew3478]

was going to say this. you do expect to end up downstream on the opposite side because no wire to hold you in place

[@stevecummins324]

Late to this video, but what I were gonna say too. Not just crossing rivers... Is possible to kayak out to the farne islands (northumbria, uk... ) there's videos of the trips here on KZbin.. Fair distance, and on the part between inner farne to the next island (longstone) ... A tide race runs between islands. One paddles forward at a slight angle for a good 10min to get sideways across it.

[@ScholarGypsyOx]

I often do a ferry glide with my powered boat, when crossing the tide/stream.

[@brianjanku4549]

No

[@carolinerose9837]

@@someonenew3478 you might end up further downstream if you can't (or don't want to) paddle against the current strongly enough to prevent it. But if you hold the correct angle, the current can push more sideways than downstream in some cases. You can look for videos of how to ferry in whitewater

[@marsgal42]

Here in British Columbia (Canada) we have a number of reaction ferries across rivers. We also have the longest free ferry trip in the world across Kootenay Lake.

[@dex1lsp]

BC is definitely the #1 place in the world for incredible ferry rides, hands down. Every time I go to visit my family in Gibsons, I really enjoy the ferry from Horseshoe Bay to Langdale and the majestic views of the strait and its islands. And that's just a very basic Lower Mainland commuter line!

[@flyinhigh7681]

Over in saskatchewan reaction ferries are the norm too, though we have much less water to worry about

[@Geoff_G]

There are 5 reaction ferries in BC Canada. Each one also takes cars not just passengers. They're at Lytton, Little Fort, Big Bar, McLure, and Usk.

[@colinfurze]

If only I could hook on to something in space that's not moving I could kinda wake board the world muhahaha.

[@LowellMorgan]

-Archimedes

[@erwinderdoofe]

ever heard of the siemens airhook?

[@cageordie]

Get a light and strong enough piece of string and something in high orbit and you will have trouble staying earthbound. Bad news is you need to get the center of mass to geostationary orbit. So you need around 36,000km of cable strong enough to support 36,000km of cable. Or so.

[@macbook802]

The line would sever the atmosphere

[@macbook802]

Instead of an overhead cable, can the line be submerged? Maybe while anchored to a singular point in the middle of the river, and the vessel can offer up more line to combat the radial physics? The journey would be 3.14 percent faster if my calculations are correct. Damn it feels good to be smart

[@rowansheehan906]

I ponder with this what have we missed question a lot. I love the feeling of envy when i see someone create/simplify something that I feel I was capable of also discovering

[@M9IN0G]

The Rhine ferry between Plittersdorf (Germany) and Seltz (France) works on the same princinple, transporting 100,000 cars, 60,000 bicycles and 30,000 pedestrians per year.

[@EwanMarshall]

@itsMEE1111 I don't think it actually needs to due to the river currents there, but you can as long as one anchors it on the guide rope right to stop drifting back down stream, this is basically how one sails into the wind.

[@M9IN0G]

What do you mean by "upstream"?

[@EwanMarshall]

He means a way to move against the current. Directly would be impossible, but with a speed reduction, at up to about a 45 Degree angle would be possible as in how a sailing boat sails into wind currents.

[@bikersoncall]

@@M9IN0G Upstream is the direction from which the water comes from, down stream is where it winds up or is headed.

[@worldweary5750]

This is my favorite video of yours, Tom. The subject matter on its own is very interesting but I really like how you worded your final thoughts. What else have we missed? Its a fun concept to ponder.

[@jeremystanger1711]

Powered boats can do this too. They can motor up against the current to match the speed of the current. That way they can be stationary with the land and yet move sideways! It can help manoeuvre in tight spaces (Though very few skippers seem to know how to do it, despite its simplicity and usefulness). Funnily enough, it's called ferry gliding! And now I know why :)

[@tjb8841]

Kayakers do this to, using either paddle powder or a wave

[@evanlucas8914]

There's a couple places in Switzerland where people take public transit to work. Then on the way home they take the river. They will pack their work clothes and belonging into a water proof bag and hop into the river. They let the current sweep them downstream until they're within walking distance of their home.

[@rmalmeida1976]

Same setup as the Russian River ferry in Alaska. Used many times to catch my daily limit of sockeye.

[@davidhayes4814]

Sailing boats act in a similar reactive way. They use the reaction from the rudder/hull shape together with wing power to be able to move in different directions. With tacking, they can move against the wind.

[@theobserver9131]

Energy is all about differences and potential. If you think about it, all energy is like this. Taking advantage of differences between two things. Even the financial market works this way. Politicians use differences between people to gain energy.

[@paulsj9245]

This also works without elevated wire, e.g. on the River Elbe in Rathen, Germany. The tow-wire goes from the ship to one river bank. Otherwise, the reaction ferry (in German: Gierseilfähre) operates in the way described above. Obviously, river traffic is blocked when the ferry is on the opposite side of the wire's anchor.

[@sydhenderson6753]

I think the one in the video is the better solution for that exact reason.

[@swcheshier61]

I am a Swiftwater Rescue Technician and we use this principle often. Love your videos.

[@beachbum4691]

A blinding flash of the obvious, yet there is still advantage in people spelling it out for you. (Actually I hadn't thought of applying the technique to a wide river) Thanks Tom :)

[@ahreuwu]

Your conclusion about they things we might have missed really made me think about Mr Old's Remarkable Elevator!

[@ye4thorn]

Same.

[@zollerboy1429]

Sometimes the ferries in Basel are used for special occasions. I heard that you can e.g. have a river burial in the middle of the Rhine. Also, my mom has played multiple concerts while riding across the river on one of Basel’s reaction ferries.

[@petegoodenough2614]

As a canoeist, there is something called "ferry gliding" where you use the flow of water or force of the wind to move a canoe across a body of water.

[@ottodidakt3069]

the longest fresh water ferry I presume ?!

[@Seltyk]

The question you proposed at the end is a lot like the standard shipping container, which wasn't even made till the 20th century Wendover has a good video on the topic

[@TankDerek]

Some guy named Tom Scott also has a video on the subject, "The Giant Cranes and Robots That Keep Civilization Running"

[@Seltyk]

@@TankDerek who? Never heard of him

[@anomalyp8584]

Completely agree with your analysis!! It's like this with many great inventions....KIS principle to the max...you just have to get the idea!

[@FakJackley]

That boat at 0:54 is just like "Nope."

[@100dampf]

well the ferrys have the right of way, so he could't do anything else

[@alexmueller4047]

HundertDampf do the ferries have right of way, or do they just not stop?

[@100dampf]

as far as i now they have the right of way over all little ships. they can stopp to if it has to be. Sometimes they do it to let a bigger cargo ship pass but most of the times they wait at the shore to let it pass

[@ClarinoI]

@@100dampf I thought the rule on water was that powered craft always must give way to unpowered craft.

[@gonun69]

There's a motorboat school here, I think that's one of their boats. They always do some weird manoeuvres.

[@RossParker1877]

I knew I'd seen the ferries in Basel before the Tim Traveller's video yesterday. Hi Tom and Tim

[@theCodyReeder]

I'm guessing Fermat's Last Theorem is one such case.

[@Gamebuster1990]

Fermat's Last Theorem was solved in 1994 by Andrew Wiles.

[@theCodyReeder]

Was it a simple solution?

[@thenarstar]

Ask the Doctor from Doctor Who.

[@Gamebuster1990]

No, the paper is 109 pages long.

[@vankram1552]

I found I wild Cody! :D

[@mcdome7098]

One of my favorite youtubers talks about the city i live in. Awesome.

[@LaPingvino]

Greetings from Tim's video!

[@lornehoover8424]

I like how you can take a small learning for yourself and step back and make an observation about the human condition. I've seen this in a couple of your videos and it what takes them to being a cut above ordinary. Thank you.

[@Yahntia]

Read about another Swiss project recently. There's a mine in the mountains, and the ore (or whatever it produces) is transported down to the valley in trucks that use the weight to produce electricity on the way down, which is more than enough to drive them up the mountain again when they're empty.

[@actmgr9786]

There are tons of ferries like this in the Netherlands too! They sometimes have propulsion but also have a cable under the water to an anchor and swing back and forth.

[@capslock14]

I knew about this concept long time before but still watched the video to see how you presented the topic. I honestly don't know anyone else who could have made such a great simple short video about it and make people think in the end.. Thank you for producing great videos for us to enjoy!

[@bernieshort6311]

An outstanding solution to a challenging problem. I was unaware of this system until I watched this video. Thank you.

[@falconseye97]

I love these. They're quick, inspiring, scientific and mystifying all at once.

[@tonyjordan56]

I was clueless about this until now. Thank you for the knowledge and exposure to this clever solution.

[@chubeye1187]

As a kid I used to swim across a fast part of a river, by using the current, and little effort. I have since employed that principal many times getting logs across rivers, by a fix line, or even myself in the wilderness. I thought it was intuitus, it really shows you not to take anything for granted.

[@rubiks6]

I tried to think of the answer before you showed us but nothing came to mind. Now that I've seen it, I don't think I'll ever forget it. Thx, Tom.

[@lcbrme138]

Do they have issues with the front falling off?

[@tordenflesk2322]

It's been towed outside the enviroment.

[@Redingold]

Doesn't look like there's much in the way of waves on the river, so it's probably fine.

[@CanalGuy]

I'm sure they're designed so that doesn't happen

[@Munkenba]

Canal Guy, how ever would they do that?

[@varkokonyi]

What if there is a wave and it hits the boat?

[@robrobinson6544]

Tom, I enjoy your hopeful behaviour. Please never cease.

[@freeman9586]

Switzerland! Nice!

[@willem18241]

Nice is in France, not Switzerland

[@user-tw3gk9mb7z]

P. J. Ray He meant the "Nice" at the end of Marco's comment, it was a joke.

[@freeman9586]

Wow, all the other comments got deleted. Tom?

[@EnsoloCraft]

what? where is basel in germany?

[@emileschneider1]

Basel is very swiss, but special ;) but it is NOT in france or Germany, those towns are called St. Louis and Weil am Rhein (where we go to buy ludicrously cheap food)

[@StarHorseLover2012]

Thanks for sharing ! As a child visiting my grandparents in Basel the Fährischiffly was always a treat. I even had a model, which worked on a stream.

[@maxmoynihan906]

It would've been a pretty sweet video anyways, but then that wrap-up fricken crushed it home! Great job and thanks as always for the learning experience and informative, thought-provoking content.

[@numberstation]

The fact that they dry their washing on the tether wire shows they’re really maximising the potential of this system.

[@veikkakarvonen831]

That's definitely not laundry.

[@rustythecrown9317]

@@veikkakarvonen831 Shirts from the tourists who never made it....like on Everest.

[@riconachbur]

Fondue because Switzerland

[@phlave]

There is a ferry like this in Italy, too. Specifically, the "Traghetto di Leonardo" on the Adda river. It's called that because its invention is attributed to Leonardo da Vinci. It's really lovely, I reccommend the visit if you're ever in Northern Italy

[@tomm.ymacleod9347]

“Fondue restaurant, because Switzerland.” 🤣🤣

[@GretchPoe]

watched this video a while ago, and returning to say that since then I have ridden on one of these in germany while visiting the bastei rock formations! the ferry crossed the elbe river and it used a wire that ran mostly underwater, not above like the one in the video. it was the only way across at that point (no bridges so it was very necessary and useful!) which I was glad for because I had wanted to take a ride on one since seeing this :) thanks for the great video!

[@qwertzu239]

hello from basel love your vids!

[@AnotherSwissYoutubeUser]

hey e andere Basler. :D

[@timhyatt9185]

a remarkably simple and elegant solution to the problem. Just have to make sure the cable is strong enough and the river does the work!

[@Khellendros_]

What are the emergency procedures in case the wire snaps? On board anchor?

[@SpartanMJO12]

The dam downstream

[@pcfreak1992]

They have a water-proof bible for the last prayers.

[@ConradvanderMeer]

Just steer using the rudder to a place downstream

[@Xapper0]

But he said that you'd go downstream pretty fast without the wire, so that would be more like crashing it.

[@megabo3ed]

Shannariano emergency paddle maybe?

[@Zedrackis]

Ive heard of something like this with rafts. But I never considered that the raft would be propelled by the current of the river. The direction of flow just makes that counter intuitive.

[@adamwilliams3707]

I never thought that the ferry I use would be this interesting 😂

[@phil538]

Thank you for all the videos. Very much enjoyed and appreciated.

[@waltertomashefsky2682]

Love the Swiss flag on the wire. The Swiss will put their flag on everything.

[@Renard380]

They have reasons to be proud of their country. I envy them..

[@Gnaaal]

It's great when you understand how and why they work without it even being told. Hats of for great engineering.

[@mrtalos]

I really hope that there is something like this for interstellar travel. A simple solution, that after its done, we just go "why didn't we think of that sooner?"

[@Renard380]

There is. It's called gravity assist. Look it up

[@ximono]

@@Renard380 Isn't that what they do in Interstellar?

[@recklessroges]

I loved how, in addition to the usually informative video this one was also inspirational. Great job Tom. Thank you.

[@infrabread]

Oh my God! I live in Basel!!!! I need to keep my eye on your Twitter if I ever want to meet you :c

[@EnsoloCraft]

me too.. was very excited when i saw that tom made a video here

[@OrigamiMarie]

Pretty sure he doesn't tweet about a place until it's way too late to find him there. As he pointed out in a video some weeks ago, he has a total amount of time/energy to spend out in the world, and he has to choose between individual interactions and getting videos made. Most of the time he chooses videos, because that brings the most good to the most people! Disappointing to me too, but it makes sense.

[@arcsomniac]

Absolutely inspiring message! Loving this in late 2022, Tom is a Legend. Just visited Mother Shipton's Cave after seeing that video- even met John the guide!

[@alexanderschoemaker5853]

The 3-d printer is such an idea. For years and years we dreamt of it, then someone came along who made one, and once you see how it works, it's so logical and obvious that you can't believe we didn't have them much much sooner.

[@cdgonepotatoes4219]

Being fair, the earliest 3D printers could've entered commercial use isn't far off from the time they did.

[@PanduPoluan]

Well, 3D printers require beefy computers that can perform all the calculations necessary to (1) build a 3D model, and (2) convert the 3D model to positioning instructions of the 3D head. I think this was rather unachievable before Core2 Duo came out, or whereabout that time.

[@isawadelapradera6490]

@@PanduPoluan A 75MHz pentium could run quake realtime. A printhead moved by two servos is not more complicated than that by any stretch of the imagination.

[@holdingsteadfast]

If a computer no more powerful than a gameboy can take us to space, a pentium can 3d-print us some stuff It takes precision mechanical engineering, not necessarily computing power

[@feronanthus9756]

3d printing started in the late 80s in industrial applications and spent two decades being refined to a point where it was a viable consumer product. The only miracle that happened in the 2010s was the patents expired.

[@brianhinkle5057]

I like this Tom, what a great thought to consider. I/we miss things all the time, helps me keep an open mind and hopefully avoid arrogance. We all miss something due to the lens we view things through, but grasping that leads to great discovery and insights, GOOD STUFF!! Love your videos Tom

[@brandonfrancey5592]

The thing with inventions like this is that there are every few places in the world where things are constant. A strong flowing river that flows year round or a strong wind that always blows. In the places where they exist, people take advantage of them. In windy areas you see windmills and turbines. In the rest of the world we have seasons. Rivers freeze for half the year or wind blows in any direction at different speeds or not at all. Humans are good at adapting to the environment they are in, but put them in a different one and it takes a while to figure out how to adapt.

[@Mike-oz4cv]

You don’t need a river with a constant water level or speed for such ferries to work. Even in temperatures well below 0°C rivers rarely freeze.

[@michaelslater6839]

Simple but Brilliant! Thank you Tom!

[@axebane]

That tower in the background of the opening shot looks as if it's about to fall over!

[@sillysillae]

There's gonna be three of those... Took some time getting used to those monoliths. It's the HQ of Hoffmann - La Roche ( Roche )

[@Moostery]

The peak of engineering is using the most simple solution for the problem at hand.

[@CJT3X]

Came from Tim Traveller's vid! (though I probably watched this five years ago as well 😝)

[@richardmillhousenixon]

I love how Tom Scott thumbnails are just casual educational shitposts. "no engine; still fast"

[@MrGHJK1]

please, more videos from Basel

[@CharlieTheAstronaut]

I have lived close by, next rto the Rhine river, have seen these, countless times, but did not know any of this.... THANK YOU TOM! :)

[@larssturm1420]

Whoop whoop! Basel!

[@StuckiFlavio]

Lars Sturm Het die beschte KZbinr dört!

[@dickhead8775]

Fawlty?

[@baselthierry]

my name

[@abhisheksoni2980]

Tom's last few lines are always pure gold.

[@SirDominic]

I was thinking - oh its just a chain ferry, you could have just gone to the Isle of Wight for that - but that is much more ingenious

[@SirDominic]

Pollock Harbour?

[@SirDominic]

Google thought it was Poole as well. I was just interested to know there were others out there. Autocorrect should be banned at times :P Although i wonder if IOWs edges Poole out of closeness if Tom resides in London

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Dominic Ransom Thank you for mentioning that! A while back I was trying to remember where I'd gone on a chain ferry when I was a kid (am not saying how long ago!). I know that among other places, we stayed in Poole - at the Blue Dolphin hotel (certain things stick in your mind, like Dad picking up the sugar sprinkler instead of the salt for his fried egg...). I remember going over on the "big" ferry to the IoW, not necessarily on the same holiday. It rained. A lot. We pretty much always went somewhere in the West Country - very good times, too! I also remember a "blue lagoon" and I *think* it was in the area around Poole. But I couldn't remember where the chain ferry was. It goes to an island or peninsula? Hey ho, sweet memories :-D

[@johnnysparkleface3096]

I'm glad I took the road of clicking on this instead of skipping it. It has made all the difference.

[@ethanjack4298]

It's like ferry gliding in a kayak!

[@Tjspycorp]

Here’s my idea. Paddle wheel on the waters edge near the dock. This paddle wheel spins up a very heavy flywheel on the dock. This flywheel is usually at max energy given it’s constant power source of the river. The boats all have smaller flywheels in them that have enough power to get them across the river with a good deal of reserve, plus the flywheels can keep batteries charged on board for any electronics necessary for navigation/safety/entertainment. And since there will be batteries on board, you can have a small electric motor for backup if the boat’s flywheel fails somehow. Came up with this because I thought of reaction wheels when I saw the title and so I figured this is what you meant.

[@1stGruhn]

This is a concept I've thought about for a long time: what ideas have we just not thought of yet? How many discoveries were made just because someone saw things a bit differently? What else is right in front of us that we simply don't see.... Can we know that which we've never considered? Our senses are so limited, what else is there that we simply don't experience?

[@LangeOrm]

Sailed it today :) Still works ;)

[@raykent3211]

Essentially it is a linear turbine blade. Or a rotary one of infinite diameter, if that makes more sense.

[@dliessmgg]

Infinite diameter always makes more sense.

[@Rwededyet]

Or a very slow water-skier.

[@EwanMarshall]

it's sailing using water currents instead of air currents/wind. Nothing new to a sailor, sailors of sailboats basically have to take this into account on fast flowing water as they need to air to be the one giving more force anchored against the reactions on the keel/center board to go in the right direction.

[@richardemms3050]

I do love elegant systems like this. Nothing much can really go wrong and there is no reason this couldn't last forever. Another great system using water is the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway. A funicular that uses water tanks to make the car heading downhill heavier to pull the lower one up.

[@JulianFischerJulesBarner]

Welcome to switzerland :) Hope you'll enjoy your stay, are you coming over to zurich by any chance?

[@rickkwitkoski1976]

Well, I am not reading through 843 comments but reaction ferries are prevalent in many places I am sure. I live in British Columbia, Canada where the terrain is mountainous and we have many swiftly flowing rivers. Reaction ferries are to be found on many of them. I have had trips across many of BC's rivers on some of these ferries. As a boy, my father hauled tons of sawlogs from our place over an intervening river to a sawmill with a 5-ton truck. We would be the only vehicle crossing when the truck was full. The pontoons of the ferry would sink quite a ways into the fast flowing current and then we would be off for about a 10 minute ride. Lot's of good memories.

[@skroot7975]

I like you Tom. You seem like a great guy.

[@alexisarteev-salazar9247]

I live in Basel and have never understood what these boats were and never questioned them. Thanks for letting me know.

[@Xplayer007]

Flying is just throwing yourself at the ground and missing

[@paulsengupta971]

That's orbiting.

[@OblivionFalls]

I was JUST about to say that, Paul XD

[@Hirosjimma]

I was JUST about to say that, OblivionFall! XD

[@Arcturus367]

hitchhikers.wikia.com/wiki/Flying

[@imveryangryitsnotbutter]

Yeah, but for as brilliant a writer as Douglas Adams was, he wasn't exactly a scientist.

[@Chobaca]

That is one chill ass job!

[@wnnetwork]

thanks for coming to switzerland once :D

[@derAedil]

It's the 2 1/2 time he's in Switzerland ;)

[@NoNameAtAll2]

derAedil and a half???

[@derAedil]

He was standing with one foot in Gemany and with the other in Switzerland. In the video about Lake Constance. :D :P

[@wnnetwork]

i knew i got the reference right :)

[@666nofun]

every scaffold on every river works according to the same principle. In my city (Zagreb) there are about 10 such scaffoldings. On the outskirts of the city where bridges have not been built (due to low traffic)

[@DaHaiZhu]

Escalators. Unlike Elevators (Lifts, for you Brits), Escalators don't/can't have counter weights. But why couldn't Escalators have generators or massive flywheels to generate or store energy of the ones carrying people downward? That could then be used to help drive the ones carrying people up.

[@proefslak]

Well, Tom Scott made a video about another type of elevator: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5itc3dnrMtgj7M so I guess people already experimented a lot with them.

[@fleinze]

Escalators running downwards usually use their motor as a generator an produce electricity when more than two or three people are on them.

[@sandham]

REALLY??

[@qtheplatypus]

Da Hai Zhu escalators do have a counter weight. A the top of the escalator the stairs go under the escalator and head down this acts as the counter weight.

[@heirofaniu]

The entire boat is a sail, that's really clever.

[@PiaJensenRay]

That is absolutely awesome - I went on that exact same one of the ferries last year! Basel is an incredibly nice place to visit during, by the way - I hope you got a little time to enjoy the place! I had no idea how they worked - so this is super interesting! :D

[@TheAlbinoskunk]

the Roche building in the background is one of my favourites in the world. I know lots of people in Basel don't like it (including my grandpa, who lives there) but I think it's beautiful

[@AlexFielder]

You mean stuff like: Water as ballast (instead of concrete) inside washing machines right?

[@halimceria]

omg! why.. just why i didnt think of this before. it's seems so simple, easy and obvious.

[@TheSupperteen]

Things grow in water they don't grow in concrete. And you have the problem of what of the tank brakes?

[@swayingGrass]

Sand or dirt works. You can put them in once they're installed and drain them to lighten the washing machine to transport it just like water.

[@ociemitchell]

What if you used the incoming water to push out the old water and used the old water to wash your clothes? The old water would probably only be a few days old, and you could add a "purge" feature if the operator knew the water was older than this.

[@ociemitchell]

on second thought, there are a lot more moving parts to this. Maybe it is just better to use heavy concrete. And when your friends ask you for help moving, ask if there is a washing machine involved.

[@thevinmeister5015]

That bridge in the background seems like a viable solution

[@veikkakarvonen831]

That's inside the box thinking. Way too complicated. /S