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An air bearing (air caster) is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily by supporting the load on a thin film of continuously flowing air. Somewhat analogous to the hovercraft, air bearings commonly replace conventional wheels, casters, and/or rollers on material-handling equipment.

Mechanics and function
The compliant (flexible) air bearing commonly consists of a pliable polyurethane or neoprene disc into which compressed air is introduced. The air escapes from tiny communicating holes located on the underside of the air bearing, creating a thin film of air between the load support surface and the floor. Because the air bearing is flexible, it can deflect as it encounters slight obstacles or fill out as it passes over depressions in the surface.

History
The air bearing was invented in the late 1960s at the General Motors Tech Center in Warren, Mich. The original inspiration for the technology occurred at an auto show when a large sign fell off a wall then “floated” several yards across the show floor on a naturally occurring film of air. After much experimentation, the air bearing was born. One of the GM engineers, Dave Snoeyenbos, struck out on his own in 1968 to commercialize the new technology, which he had licensed from the automaker. The company he founded, Decatur, Illinois-based Airfloat, remains in operation today.

Aloha Stadium could be reconfigured into various configurations for different sport venues and other purposes, and was the first stadium in the United States with this capability. Four movable sections, each 3.5 million pounds[6] and with a capacity of 7,000, could move using air casters into a diamond configuration for baseball (also used for soccer), an oval for football, or a triangle for concerts.

Trivia
Like the hero of Ready Player One, Ernest Cline spent much of his young adulthood working a series of low-paying tech support jobs that allowed him to surf the Internet while on the clock and research his many pop-culture obsessions.

Cline, a huge fan of the Back to the Future film series, owns a 1982 DeLorean that has been heavily modified to look like the time-travelling vehicle from the films.

Cline’s all-time favorite game is Black Tiger, which figures prominently into the plot of Ready Player One.

Advantages/Disadvantages
Because air bearings are virtually friction-free, the force required to move them is very low, often around one to five lbs. per 1,000 lbs. of weight. Air bearings are also omni-directional, meaning they move with equal ease in any direction.

As for disadvantages, air bearings require a smooth, flat, level, and non-porous floor to operate. However, an overlay material such as sheet steel, sheet plastic, or non-textured linoleum can be used as a temporary fix. Air bearings also require a reliable air supply and will cease to operate if the air is interrupted. The volume and pressure of air required for air bearing operation vary according to load weight and flooring conditions.