The flexible tire idea is from a Michelin tire called a Tweel, which I wrote about in 2005. In the referenced article, I compared it to the smartwheels from Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel Snowcrash.
I like the idea of turning them sideways and using them as a turbine for lift. It's a slightly less radical (but possibly workable) version of Doc's idea for a flying car from Back to the Future.
(There aren't any roads in Back to the Future)
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 3/7/2019)
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!)
is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for
the Invention Category that interests
you, the Glossary, the Invention
Timeline, or see what's New.
Nano-Chainmail 2D Mechanically Interlocked Polymer
'Nemourlon armor of reasonable weight resists penetration by most fragments and any bullet that is not both reasonably heavy and fairly high-velocity.'
Humans Love Helping Other Species
'At the ringside opposite them a table had been removed to make room for a large transparent plastic capsule on wheels.'