TRANSPORTATION OF THE FUTURE
by Jessica E. Subject
While some members of my family are fascinated by automobiles and other vehicles of the past, I prefer to look to the future, especially concept vehicles from car companies, aircraft, and spacecraft.
Both my previous and upcoming series take place in a part of the universe far from here. And transportation is far more advanced than what we have on Earth. There are hovercraft that run on batteries the way of electric vehicles on this planet. These vehicles cannot leave the planet they are on. In fact, they don't fly any higher than a couple hundred feet off the ground. The space racing jets fly higher in the atmosphere, using hydrogen and ion power cells. While they have the power to leave the atmosphere, they usually don't hold enough power to reach another planet, especially after a race. Then there are the space shuttles, which fly between various planets in the quadrants of my fictional universe.
But what's ahead for the future of vehicles here on Earth?
A couple years ago, when I was writing my Shifter Towers series, I learned about the Hyundai Prophecy Concept EV. And while the company has since redesigned and released it as the Ioniq 6, maintaining the streamlined look that I love, there were features in the Prophecy that I was really looking forward to seeing in a vehicle that weren't included in the Ioniq 6. The most notable being the twin joysticks used to steer the vehicle, taking the place of the steering wheel. Many construction vehicles are already steered in the same way, as well as some helicopters and jets. I think it will be interesting when this way of steering can be found in everyday vehicles.
And last month, I watched a video from NASA about the future of aircraft. Right now, they are working on developing different types of Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) working to deliver packages and fight fires to being used as taxis and ambulances. And they are also in the process of building more supersonic aircraft while developing more complex air traffic control systems and collision avoidance systems.
Speaking of supersonic aircraft, startup company, Boom Technology has already received approval to test their XB-1 supersonic jet over the Mojave desert. The XB-1 is designed to travel at Mach 2.2, which is 2.2 times the speed of sound.
Also, did you hear about the office chair that Volkswagen designed? While not destined for production, the electric-motored drivable chair is heated, has LED headlights, storage compartments, and an infotainment system. If it hovered, it would be like the chairs people spent their days in from the movie Wall-E.
So, while we don't know for sure what the future holds (Why aren't hoverboards like in Back to the Future 2 a thing already?), I am excited to see all the different concepts the various companies and organizations are working on.
What kind of vehicles would you like to see in the future?
Read more about the vehicles in my futuristic universe in the Kaddim Brothers series, and my upcoming release, 4 UNITED, the first book in my Romance Tales from the Quadrants series.
5 comments:
Watching how futuristic films depict transportation has always fascinated me. From Star Trek's starships and transporter (cool stuff back in the day!) to Back to the Future's hover cars/boards, it's amazing to discover that fiction isn't too far ahead of (theoretical) modern developments. We've come a looooong way but have lightyears yet to conquer.
I completely agree, Nancy! Star Trek has always been a favorite of mine! Technology seems to have a fast and slow way of changing. I believe things would advance faster if not for corporations purposely stalling certain projects. But there is also the necessary safety and ethical regulations that must be followed.
Interesting post. I'm still waiting to be able to teleport, but would love to try some of these new methods of transportation.
Thank you, Maureen! Yes, teleportation would be the best form of transportation, but I think we still have decades and maybe centuries to go before we figure out how to break our bodies down into individual particles and then piece them back together. I do love to include the technology though!
I would like to see a car that drives itself. (I know they are working on it.) I'd like to program in my destination, sit back, close my eyes, and relax and leave the driving to the car. Of course, one that flies overhead (away from traffic) would be great, too.
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