I had a concept running through my head the other day about expanding the dimensions in which we grow with (sort of like upside-down tomatoes). I'm thinking of making a giant hamster wheel that will hold my plants and grow them on a hydro setup. I'll be putting 4 500watt CFL's in the center to begin with, and experiment with it from there. Instead of pipes and tubes going directly to the pots from the pump however, the wheel will be integrated with piping along the frame for easy spinning. The pipes will converge at the axle and go to the pump from there. The benefit I think of this solution is lighting and stress training. When the plants are upside-down they're being pulled by gravity. Lighting with CFL's & HPS's can be a tad easier as well; you don't have to design fancy reflector setups, just put mylar on the sides of the wheel and ventilate. You can also wire in bulb housings into the frame for more light below the canopy / on the side buds during flowering, and mount small fans if you feel like it. The spherical grow idea was more of a spherical magnetic-suspension device. But that's for another day and age I think.
This is an excellent way of growing short crops in small spaces. The gravitational pull in every direction forces squat, thick stems and heavy vegitative growth with minimal stretching. That said, I'd imagine anything greater than a squat indica would have problems as you grew unless you could somehow design an expanding radius hampster wheel. (million dollar idea, btw. you got any ideas, Ill help you build it!) This is a very real future of urban gardening currently employed by some. I'm working on a lettuce patch that will be grown this wa.
You know those spherical toys that expand and contract if you pull them out or push them in? 1. Replicate that on a larger scale 2. ?????? 3. PROFIT!