Racing through tubes in the ground on air cushions? Or maybe it’s time to fly over the city in a flying car? There are many visions of how we will get around in the future. Some are already a reality.
Self-driving cars – mobile living space
Soon, self-driving cars will be a common sight. The car masters every traffic situation automatically. The ride to the office or to visit relatives can be used comfortably by all passengers – to watch films, write e-mails, sleep, etc. At the destination, the driver gets out and lets the car find a parking space on its own. Even children could drive themselves to music lessons or soccer practice. A driver’s license would no longer be necessary. The mercedes-benz F 015 luxury in motion research vehicle already shows what’s possible: inside, it looks like a comfortable lounge. It is not only a means of transport but also a kind of mobile living space.
© daimler
flying vehicles – the end of the road
In the future, transportation will also go high above the ground. Drones could be used not only to transport goods and deliver packages or food, but also to transport people. Some manufacturers are already tinkering with implementation. But there are also plans for real flying cars. Personal aerial vehicles (PAVs) are expected to replace cars on the road at some point in the future. the german center for aeronautics and space has designed the prototype "mycopter. It should be able to take off and land vertically in order to make optimum use of the limited space available in cities. Private companies are also eagerly working on flying cars. By the way, the PAVs should not only be able to detect other road users, but also bad weather and thunderstorms.
© gareth padfield
hyperloop – down the tube
An old form of transportation is being revived: hypermodern pneumatic tube systems could shoot people or goods through the ground at high speed. The whole thing is called hyperloop. In transport capsules, the passengers would race through the tubes on low-friction air cushions at up to 1000 kilometers per hour. Teams around the world are working on realization. The idea was the brainchild of entrepreneur elon musk, who has already demonstrated a keen sense of the mobility of the future on several occasions. He founded the private space travel company spacex and invested early in the electric car manufacturer tesla motors.
© hyperloop transportation technologies
bicycle highways – under their own power
In the midst of the mobile visions of the future, mobility with environmentally friendly bicycles also plays a role. In many european cities, cycle lanes are already on the rise. New, green "bicycle highways" will connect individual parts of the city without the usual conflict between cyclists and motorists. This is what trend researchers are predicting. Even the bicycle models themselves are quite futuristic, even today. Some are made from bamboo, others from recycled cardboard. The share of e-bikes is growing steadily.
© foster + partners
electromobility – wirelessly into the future
In the same way that smartphones and electric razors can be charged wirelessly, it should also be possible to do the same with electric cars – by means of electromagnetic induction. In a pilot project, the german fraunhofer institute built the frecc0 electric sports car, which charges electricity directly from the road while driving. However, this would require many kilometers of coils to be embedded in the roads. At its core, the technology works like this: one coil is integrated in the car, the other on the road, in the parking lot or in the garage. The magnetic coil embedded in the road or parking space forms an electric circuit as soon as you drive over it. Cables are finally a thing of the past.
© ingo daute | frauenhofer