The future of flying cars: science fact or science fiction?

[Alexa]

I remember Harry and Ron landing into a tree, by mistake. I hope you don't have this kind of tree around !

 

[Montero]

There is a major advantage with a flying car for one person. Traffic is caused by cars occupied by one person. Who needs extra 3-4 places to go to work ? Parents with kids, but only when they are small. Week-ends may be different and maybe still require classic cars for shoppings.

It can also create new jobs, future jobs.

We all have parking places at home and we can use those already available at work. This means we will need special places only if we want to go let's say downtown where the space is usually a problem.

I'm afraid I rather disagree with you Alexa. Traffic jams are caused by too many vehicles on the road - not all of those are one person in a four person car. Depends on where and when you are. I've been on motorways where at least half the traffic, and pretty much all of it in the inside lane were artics and vans.
And a road bound one person car isn't going to be a lot smaller than a four person one as you need four wheels and an engine, so blaming traffic jams on three empty seats in a car - no I don't agree. (Car sharing with 3 other road uses in those 3 other seats, yes, that would reduce cars on roads, but the empty seats themselves are not taking up a lot of roadspace compared to the minimum size of a car.)
There are already covered scooters which are the equivalent of a one person car Covered Scooter, Moped, Motorcycle & Three Wheelers | Scooters & Trikes with Roofs Information which might help in commuter situations - if you had a powered bike lane and maybe one road lane could be turned into two narrower powered scooter lanes.

Also, a lot of people don't have parking - many towns in the UK have only roadside parking at best - particularly where you are talking pre-car roads with terraced houses and there is a heck of a scramble for places and not enough to go round. Trouble with something like this giant drone is that the rotors could be easily damaged so roadside parking in crowded conditions wouldn't be that safe for it. Again, parking at work - erm often no, particularly if you work in an old town centre. At best it is wait for years to be senior enough to merit a place.

As to new jobs - well yes, they'd be new, but not necessarily additional - if people did switch to using the giant drones then they'd probably not want so many cars and jobs would go in car manufacturing. Also, given the current trend for automation, it might not be that many new jobs anyway.

 

[Alexa]

I'm in Canada so parking space is not such a problem, except maybe downtowns.

Personnally, I would't like to share my car with others, even if that could reduce traffic. I did it for a while and really didn't like it. I'm very lucky as we have flexible hours, so I prefer to enjoy it and go to work depending on my humour.

Scooters may be good in summer, but not for me. I adore listening music while driving.

In my opinion, flying cars will be our future, no matter how we may think about it. I suppose it was as hard to believe it right now as it was in the past when cars replaced horses.

 

[SilentRoamer]

In my opinion, flying cars will be our future, no matter how we may think about it. I suppose it was as hard to believe it right now as it was in the past when cars replaced horses.

I agree with you that flying cars will become more integrated into daily human life - they will become more and more ubiquitous in personal transport, goods transportation (already becoming a reality with air delivery drones) but also in areas such as search and rescue and disaster area operations.

However the comparison is apples and oranges and this is why:

Automobiles were a direct replacement of horse and cart, they operated in the same space, carrying out the same tasks, they just did it better and cheaper. They are a like for like technological replacement. The same cannot be said about personal aviation vehicles replacing automobiles because they are not a direct replacement, not as closely analogous as a horse and cart and car comparison.

I do think you are right and they will become more and more prevalent but I just cannot see a decline in the automobile market for a number of reasons:

1. Economic - I think it is always going to be cheaper for a HGV to move goods down the motorway a it is for a delivery drone to carry out the same task.
2. Vested Interests - Many of the companies involved in the aviation industry also have vested interests in the automobiles industry. It is unlikely companies are going to put their own markets out of range.
3. Militaristic - There are always going to be requirements for ground based military.
4. Energy Requirements - See point 1.

So whilst I do agree with you that they will become increasingly part of our future I don't see an all encompassing transportation market at the expense of the current automobile industry.

But I do want a flying car so I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Danny McG]

Late last year, can't find the you tube link now, some geeks in California had fastened a chair to three large drones and were seen taking turns flying across a valley.
Head geek explained it was all ran from a smartphone he had developed.
They were setting different GPS destinations around the near countryside and going there at various heights and speeds.
Basically pre-programmed and the drones worked in unison.
It seemed such a simple operation so surely a centralised system could handle multiple tasks like that? Very similar to the flying car.
Plus I really, really, really want a go!

 

[Montero]

Fun if you really know what you are doing.
Other than that - oh dearie me. Puts me in mind of the Darwin Awards and the guy who flew in a deckchair lifted by helium balloons. Did not end well.

 

[Biskit]

Basically pre-programmed and the drones worked in unison.

WARNING: The application has encountered an unexpected tree error. Please go to your nearest branch.

 

[SilentRoamer]

Late last year, can't find the you tube link now, some geeks in California had fastened a chair to three large drones and were seen taking turns flying across a valley.
Head geek explained it was all ran from a smartphone he had developed.
They were setting different GPS destinations around the near countryside and going there at various heights and speeds.
Basically pre-programmed and the drones worked in unison.
It seemed such a simple operation so surely a centralised system could handle multiple tasks like that? Very similar to the flying car.
Plus I really, really, really want a go!

Yeah but a valley is a test environment with flat land and no aerial obstructions, power lines, other traffic. Controlling a single unit is fairly easy, when that has to be integrate with an entire traffic system the difficulty isn't just compounded it is effectively many orders of magnitude more difficult to co-ordinate. Because those drones have a pre-programmed flight route they have 0 calculations to do because there are no variables.

Although with advancements in processing power you never know. It would be nice to see it in my lifetime but I am one of the cynics that belies the next 100 years will be the Golden Age of man.

 

[Ursa major]

Please go to your nearest branch.

Doesn't the application do its own tree searching...?

 

[Danny McG]

I still wanna have a go. How many chances in my lifetime?
Sometimes you can't wait until technology and infrastructure is ready, you just gotta go for it!
"Hey Nelson, want to try this aircraft carrier?"
"No, I think I'll give it a couple of centuries of developnent so I know it's a safe proven technology"

 

[Ursa major]

How many chances in my lifetime?

It seems that it may be just the one....

 

[Montero]

@Ursa - <snort>

And here is the Darwin Award with pictures. 1982 At-Risk Survivor: Lawn Chair Larry

I'd like to try flying in a glider, just the once. I might even, just maybe, try a hang glider..... but other than that give me a chauffeur and a limo (One with a low ecological footprint..... yeah, right, no such beast )
Thought about hot air balloon ride - but we used to live in an area where there were regular flights - and quite a few came down in the field beyond our garden. I heard the yells and the bumps and could see it dragging....
And being in a basket with a lot of other people - not really a solo flight.

I'm really hoping that the day of automated cars will come in my lifetime. Putting my feet up for a long journey - brilliant.

 

[Alexa]

My only concern is winter and its eternal snow. An automated car should not care about snowy days, right ?

 

[Venusian Broon]

Com'in guys! You are not even excited of the perspective of a flying car. Are we SFF fans or not ?

Do you have the same issues with a Corvette, too ?

Actually I personally feel that all these 'future' things, like flying cars for the common people in their commute, jet packs (and silver suited humans having pills for 'dinner' ) etc... are so retro and old fashioned! I mean, weren't they were sort of the future aspired during the golden* era of Science fiction, the 1930's?

Personally I'd prefer a personal portal that allows me to just take a few steps to exactly where I wanted to go (Stargate SG1, I'm blaming you for pushing that idea). Fancy a day at the beach. Dial up Bali, step through and have a nice day, then step back directly home. No traffic jams, no commute, just some weird science that sorts it all out for me

Should still be airfields and recreational flying just for the sake of experiencing it, I've been in a glider and it's a lot of fun.

-----------------------------------------------
* paradoxically quite trashy

 

[Alexa]

I would not say no to a dial up gate during winter. But I still want my flying car, just for the fun of flying !

 

[Montero]

My only concern is winter and its eternal snow. An automated car should not care about snowy days, right ?

Well,

1. Warmer bit of UK vs Canada - snowy days???

2. A proper automated car should come with a sort of docking port in the garage, that can do some mechanical work on it - inflate the tyres, put on snow chains, change to snow tyres. It will also have a robotic arm that will come out, clean the windows, polish the paintwork, vacuum inside the car..... And there should also be onboard catering.

Dial up gate - yes please - but the energy costs....... and sometimes it is more about the journey than arriving (nah.....)

 

[Alexa]

Now that makes a girl dream !

 

[Venusian Broon]

Dial up gate - yes please - but the energy costs....... and sometimes it is more about the journey than arriving (nah.....)

Energy costs?! It'll be powered by magic...erm...I mean future science and technology indistinguishable from. And all run on solar energy or a couple of AA batteries

 

[Ursa major]

a couple of AA batteries

So no using a gate while under the influence, then...


...as it may lead to serious charges....

 

[Venusian Broon]

So no using a gate while under the influence, then...


...as it may lead to serious charges....

Are you positive? Current thinking on this is sharply alternating, if I may be direct.