In his thought provoking paper "Gravity And Other Laws To Be Broken", Professor Swanbrew had proposed that gravitational effects on Earth like planets could be neutralised for largely ferrous objects by careful alignment with the Earth's magnetic field.
By turning an elongated metal object into a bar magnet and aligning it's south pole with that of the Earth's, and vice versa, he considered that a sufficiently strong magnetic field could induce sufficient repulsion to neutralise gravitational effects on the metal object and lift it clear of the ground.
He said that the University had funded a series of experiments to be conducted on a 20-year-old 1.8 tonne Mitsubishi Pajero Station Wagon, as vehicles of this model and vintage had an almost uniquely uniform Ferro-luminescent signature along their whole length.
A series of four specially designed 9.8-volt turbo deep-cycle batteries strategically placed along the length of the car and wired to the iron chassis was to be used to generate the magnetic field while gyroscopically controlled-ion thrusters powered by solar cells were to be used to stop lateral movement.
The professor conceded that from a practical viewpoint, the inability of such a vehicle to point in any but a north-south direction could represent a serious inhibition in its use for general transportation.
However, as the wheels would not be in contact with the ground except when at rest, this objection could be overcome by moving sideways, though this could result in multiple lane use and some confusion for other road users trying to figure out just what direction the vehicle was moving at any given time.
These objections would, he said, be outweighed by less wear and tear on road surfaces, no costs for replacing tyres, and no emission of greenhouse gases.
Transportation companies using road trains between Perth and the eastern states were showing great interest, but as such vehicles were up to 50 metres long, they would need their own right of way, which would not require a hard surface but could be dirt cleared of obstructions.
Having their steering GPS-controlled was an obvious way to go.
Suitable operational altitudes were being debated, but initially it was considered that having east-west traffic travelling at 50 metres altitude and west-east traffic at 100 metres offered attractive safety features. Conservationists applaud the fact that Kangaroos and Wombats will no longer be hit by trucks.
An extension of the principle to shipping was also under consideration. "Had this been available during the 20th Century, the Titanic could have sailed 50 metres above that iceberg" he said.
For commercial reasons the University has kept the progress of its experiments secret, but by chance an aerial photo captured by Google Earth of the car park at the University physics department has provided proof of a stunning success. Professor Swanbrew has so far declined to comment, but said that a press statement would be issued soon.
JPL has shown great interest in using this system to power the launch of satellites and space probes, and has already commenced work of it's own, realising that as the strength of the Earth's magnetic field falls off rapidly with altitude it would be necessary to rely on initial velocity achieved at low altitudes and coast the rest of the way.