July 05, 2017
Thanks to recent technology advances, we are on the verge of entering a new digital era! There’s been lots of excitement in the industry about Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), but what about the other realms of technology that will drastically change our way of living?
The transport industry is such a key influencer on how we go about our lives, but how might this change in the future? When it comes down to the evolution of future transport there has been several speculations in the media, however some of these speculations have now become reality thanks to expert engineers and new technical innovations. Unsurprisingly most of them are to do with human flight.
THE FLYING CAR
There have been several major corporations linked with development of the world’s first ever flying car, and although some already exist this is a niche market to which only the wealthiest of individuals will have access to. As it stands the flying cars currently in the industry are undergoing sufficient testing to ensure the safety of all drivers and passengers are of the highest standards. Challenges like fuel efficiency and noise regulations are under speculation, but overall the design will improve travel congestion in the future and will hopefully lead to a reduction in road accidents. Uber has made it no secret what they want to be at the forefront of this leading transportation technology, and it will be interesting to see who else will step up to challenge.
https://skift.com/2017/07/05/flying-cars-separating-hype-from-real-potential/
I.F.O
Similar to a U.F.O (Unidentified Flying Object), this mode of transport is similar in shape. Designed by PierpaoloLazzarini from an Italian company called Jet Capsule the I.F.O (Identified Flying Object) is basically a two seater drone /copter vehicle. It is fuelled by eight electric engines which have rotating blades like a helicopter, which help this flying object reach a top speed of 120mph. As the I.F.O is only capable of carrying 2 passengers at a time it wouldn’t be suitable for families, however in terms of quick transport from A to B, this could be ideal.
ALPHA JETMAN
The Alpha Jetman is the ultimate revolution in human flight so far, it involves individuals flying a set of rigid jet propelled wings. The Jetman team Yves Rossy, Vince Reffet and Fred Fugen have already had many successful flights and have flown with the likes of Emirates, Redbull and eight of the Patrouille de France Alpha Jets, from the French Air Force. Watch the YouTube video below to see the Jetman team in action.
KITTY HAWK
The Kitty Hawk Flyer is a new electric aircraft that was publically revealed in April earlier this year. The first version has been designed to fly over water, with the idea of creating further versions of the vehicle to fly over both water and land. The team at Kitty Hawk have a vision of a limitless world of opportunity, so the next decade will prove a very interesting one for them indeed!
JB 10 JETPACK
The first flight took place in Monaco in the autumn last year, where test pilot David Mayman took it for a flight around the marina. The jetpack is light weight enough for people to carry around and can fly for around 10 minutes at a speed of 60mph. It uses two turbo jets which run cooler and consume less fuel. The creators of the JB 10 Jetpack hope to create further duplicates so that they are simple enough for people to use for getting to work.
In the next 50 years it’s expected that human flight will be considered one of the most favourable methods of transport that will change the way we live our lives forever!
RESOURCES: https://futurism.com/videos/this-is-5-ways-how-humans-could-be-flying-in-the-future/
