Are you not sick and tired of doing the same old commute? The same old journey to a friend’s house. Sick of the dreary old train or car? We all are. So when might things get interesting again? With the world of technology advancing at such an extraordinary rate, what does the future hold for methods of transport?
Maglev Trains
Magnetic Levitation. Not quite ‘Back To The Future’ but close to it. These trains are no longer simply a pipe dream, they are already being utilised in Shanghai and Japan, with South Korea also building one which will operate within the Incheon Airport. Certainly a lot greener than current trains and using minimal amounts of energy, these trains shoot passengers around using magnetic force which both lifts and propels the train. Travelling at speeds of up to 310 miles, the maglev train would be a much speedier and more environmentally friendly version of the trains we already have.
What’s the negative? Simply it’s cost. The more advanced the tech the more expensive it is. The trains have to be directly routed between destinations meaning huge amounts of labour and.
Autonomous Vehicles
Isn’t it already happening. Cars which can park for you are certainly a big benefit for those which struggle, when it comes to parallel parking. The idea behind Autonomous Vehicles, a robotic driver which can look everywhere and do everything for you, theoretically reducing the risk of any injuries or collisions. Cadillac have already been moving forward with this tech and might be getting there sooner than you think. They have announced a project called Super Cruise which lets the car take over.
Urban Transport Pods
This might be around sooner than you think. Milton Keynes have already started planning it. And the above pictured pods are currently on trial at Heathrow Airport. Think a golf buggy that gets you around town easily. The Pods seat one person and will move you around to pre-described routes. The idea is, the person inside uses the touchscreen windshield to navigate around, and effectively use as a tablet.
So what would be the negative? It’s certainly going to make things more crowded if there are hundreds of pods moving about the cities. Once again, however, the biggest problem would primarily be costing and implementation.
Personalised Drones
This could still be a fair few years away, but things are going in the right direction. There are already talks of drones which do delivery, set up via Google maps, so surely it won’t be long before we have a little pod flying us around everywhere. Currently used mainly be the military and security firms. They are a brilliant way to keep tabs on big events and monitor lots of people.
What’s the negative going to be? Safety is one of the main concerns, it would be like having hundreds of helicopters flying around, at some point they are bound to crash. The money side of it is also a stumbling block.
