Planes, trains, and automobiles drove us throughout the twentieth century, but today none of this is new anymore. The transport of the future will travel along magnetic levitation lines, carry us in jetpacks, and fit in a backpack – all sooner than you think. Already now electric cars criss-cross the streets, special tunnels are being built for them, but that’s not all!
Hyperloop
Imagine this: a genius billionaire develops an innovative electric car, founds a company to take astronauts to the International Space Station and invents a highly successful alternative to the banking system. To many, this may sound like science fiction, but in fact it is reality. Elon Musk founded Tesla Motors, SpaceX and PayPal, but his thirst for invention was not satiated: not so long ago, the billionaire presented his idea of an ultra-fast urban transportation system that could “take you from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 35 minutes. The Hyperloop is a kind of steel tube, along which aluminum capsules will move, carrying passengers at speeds of more than 1,200 km/h. And it will run on solar power, of course.
Nuclear powered cars
Despite the fact that almost everyone is intimidated by nuclear power these days, it could very well become a big part of our common future. There it is, an American company that is working on the radioactive transportation business. For years Laser Power Systems has been preaching the benefits of thorium, the radioactive element that is largely responsible for generating heat in the center of the Earth.
While the nations are busy researching thorium for use in nuclear power plants, LPS’ goal is more transparent. The company plans to build a car engine that will run on one small piece of radioactive material. The engine would work by concentrating the heat generated by the thorium and using it to turn water into steam, which would spin a series of microturbines to generate electricity. Thorium is an extremely dense element, so a particle the size of a peanut could power a car for a hundred years. In other words, you won’t have to pay for gasoline.
Supercavitation
In the world of marine technology, no idea is gaining momentum faster than supercavitation. This effect is born when a layer of gas bubbles forms around an object in a liquid (imagine a submarine surrounded by bubbles). The gas reduces friction to almost 900 times its normal value, allowing objects to move through the water very quickly.
It goes without saying that a supercavitating boat would be a huge asset to any navy. In addition to high speed with relatively low fuel consumption, the special shape makes sonar detection difficult. Such a boat can outrun a torpedo.
Martin’s Jetpack.
TIME magazine’s list of the 50 best inventions of 2010 included “the world’s first practical jetpack.” For convenience, we will call it a jetpack. These jetpacks are being actively developed and are no longer a figment of science fiction imagination.
Glenn Martin, a New Zealander, has been working on his jetpack for over 30 years and it is almost ready for commercial sale. It runs on ducted fans and can fly for up to 30 minutes at a time. Its top speed is just under 74 km/h and its flight height is up to 900 meters. Originally, such a jetpack was designed for fire and rescue teams, but now Martin has decided to let people try it out as well.
Cycling City
It would be cool to ride a bike every day, but for many people, such trips aren’t worth the effort. Well, Americans have found a way to make that super-complicated activity easier, too. In 2006, Toronto unveiled plans for a “high-speed, all-season, environmentally friendly and ultra-quiet transit system that will make people healthier.” Almost a bike lane on steroids. The design by Toronto architect Chris Hardwick is a three-lane bicycle tube. The tube is divided in directions, allowing the air to create tailwinds. The efficiency of cyclists will increase by 90% and they will be able to accelerate up to 50 km/h. The Velo-city (Velo-city, that is the name of the project) will also work perfectly in cold conditions, because the cyclists inside the pipe will be protected from bad weather.
When the idea was proposed, it excited the masses, but the project was eventually scrapped due to lack of funding. However, it has not been forgotten. Perhaps in the future we can ride too.
