According to older films and television series, our technology today should be far more advanced than it is! Shouldn’t we have hypersonic cars and holographic cell phones by now? Those antiquated films say we should! The 1902 French film ‘A Trip to the Moon’ was set in the futuristic world of 2002. The film envisioned the world of 2002 as one where humans embarked on trips to the moon and combatted lunar inhabitants. Of course, the year 2002 came and passed and space travel is still not a common pastime for most people. We might not be travelling to space regularly or teleporting to work just yet. However, scientists are doing remarkable things in the world of innovative transportation. Here is a look at some of the emerging technology that could redefine how we move around in the future!
American manufacturing company Terrafugia has been developing a unique airplane since 2006. The Terrafugia Transition is a light, sporty airplane. And by the way, it can transform into a car. Terrafugia Transition has a propeller, a tail, and wings that can be folded up so that the vehicle can become roadworthy. In fact, the compact airplane is so small that it can fit within a standard household garage. On the road, the Transition can drive up to 110 kilometers per hour with normal traffic! The idea behind the Transition is that a person could theoretically fly the airplane somewhere. After landing it at an airport, they can then drive home from the airport all from the same seat! Technically, the Transition is classified as a ‘roadable airplane’ as opposed to a flying car. But it makes the vision of the flying car taking you to school a whole lot more feasible!
If time is a regular concern on your commute, you might be excited about hyperloop. While it doesn't exist yet, hyperloop has been proposed as a high-speed method of transportation. This tubular transportation method would vastly outstrip the velocities currently reached by bullet trains. It could be invaluable in transporting valuable freight such as perishable food and medicine across long distances during times of crisis. Proposed hyperloop routes also aim to be less of a hindrance to wildlife than land, ocean, or aerial travel. Start-up companies such as Hyperloop Technologies are hoping to make this form of travel common by 2050.
For some people, the problem of getting to school isn't so much about inconvenience or travel time. It's about sheer laziness! Have you ever skipped breakfast to make it to school on time? Have you ever missed your bus stop because you fell asleep? Well, thanks to some innovative car companies, those woes might soon be behind you. Welcome to the world of driverless cars. A driverless car is a vehicle that is able to navigate the roadways and sense its surroundings. The electrification of more of the car's components can allow it to drive without a human motorist. In 2010, four electric driverless vans drove 8,000 miles from Italy to China! The vehicles were developed by Vislab, an organization in the University of Parma, Italy. In 2013, Vislab also unveiled BRAiVE, a driverless vehicle that moved seamlessly in traffic on a public route. One day, we might all take driverless electric cars or roadable airplanes to school and work. No more struggling to start that beat up jalopy in the cold of winter! Thanks to the innovative minds shaping the future of transportation, anything is possible!
In the future, will we even need to travel as much as we do now? Could our future status quo be less mobility and more stability? The global pandemic that began in 2020 led to a pervasive rise in the reliance on remote networking. If we did more of our work and learning from home, we wouldn't need to rely on transportation methods as much. This could lead to a decrease in traffic congestion, which could have substantial benefits on the health of our planet.