Where Does the Future Lie: Flying Cars or Self-Driving Ones?
With all the hype on autonomous cars, flying cars seem more exciting.
In the modern age of driving, traffic continues to increase, road conditions are are in decline and every year millions of vehicles are sold. The "next big thing" continues to be the talk of autonomous cars and the promise of a relaxed ride to ponder the world. (Or just do more work on your way into work.)
Every time I read or hear someone talk of these things it takes me back to the first sentence of this story. Won't we be in the same situation—only just passengers next time? What if that vehicle could just lift you straight up in the sky and leap frog all the barriers of modern travel?
With the advent of modern drones, flying cars have become more realistic as battery technology and flight controllers have rapidly advanced. Self-driving vehicles require 360-degree vision of a horizontal plane full of obstructions, inconsistencies and worst off, human uncertainty. The psychological factors of human behavior in vehicles can range from prehistoric to downright diabolical. Developing a system to sort out all of those obstacles seems nearly impossible. Going upwards seems more innovative than continuing to spread outwards.
Let's assume safety issues were sorted out. Viewing some examples of prototypes should also tilt the scales toward flight.
Kitty Hawk
, Kitty HawkGoogle AC
, GoogleAeroMobil
Fusion AC
, UBER