14 replies to this topic

[Earth001]

Im unsure if this topic goes in the OT section but It can be moved.


But really? Its 2012 and we don't have any flying cars? I don't know why I find this to be a common reaction to people living in this century.

Reading this article here from Yahoo
Just look at the comments
http://realestate.ya...the-future.html

All of them are "Where is my flying car" or "where is my this and that." How do you convince someone how technology actually changed in 50 years?

[wjfox]

http://www.futuretim...tm#.UAxEZqOwWoo

[SG-1]

Flying cars like those on Star Wars probably won't happen within the next 200 or more years.

Reactionless drives can't even exist with our understanding of physics. Magnetic cars will though, and probably happen by the end of the century. Room temperature superconductors would allow traffic to flow on a magnetic field. I would imagine all roads having a magnetic field on them. Cars would be able to float at any speed/altitude on the field. Maybe, but I don't know, someone could create a sort of "grid" like the cell phone towers and make them powerful enough to create an entire field over the earth allowing cars to fly at a certain height. ]

For example, you need to get onto a road or lift to reach the field, as it is radiating from towers that are really high in the air. Once you are above a certain height, you are floating on a field that permeates the entire world and you can then adjust your altitude and speed at will.

That is just my vision of the future. Probably you will only see it on roads, but then the problem of traffic comes up. If you only have the width of a road to travel on, you are only moving traffic higher up! Maybe cars will still be used in the next 200 years and trains will ride on room-temperature superconducting rails.

Flying cars like the one Will posted aren't really practical, but its all we have now.

[stevo]

Anybody ever heard the song "where the fuck is my jetpack?"
It's pretty funny. Bob & Tom are always funny though

[Deadbolt]

It's one of the most annoying hip pop culture complaints I've ever heard. We already have flying cars, that is; cars which double as planes. Why on Earth would you expect scientists to have suddenly invented anti-grav just so they can fly in a more aesthetically pleasing way? Scientists aren't magicians. You can't just demand they "science faster". Incidentally, if we had invented anti-grav, flying cars would be the least of the marvels possible.

So, because of them, I've actually developed an irrational hatred for flying cars. I'd much rather see something transformative like human level AI, anyway. Oh wow, something with wheels can also fly! How impressive is that, really?

Edited by Deadbolt, 23 July 2012 - 05:26 AM.

[Guyverman1990]

It will probably come by the end of this century (2080-2090's). Asking this question today is the equivalent of asking where the internet was back in 1912!

Edited by Guyverman1990, 19 August 2012 - 01:20 AM.

[Craven]

http://dsc.discovery...#mkcpgn=fbdsc17

[Raklian]

http://dsc.discovery...#mkcpgn=fbdsc17

Pretty cool, but not practical at the moment.

[EVanimations]

What a world, huh?

Some people are blind, I swear.

Edited by EVanimations, 22 August 2012 - 07:02 PM.

[Italian Ufo]

[CallMeKari]

I honestly don't think we'll ever really get flying cars. Too hard to regulate and keep people safe. We're dumb enough with our normal cars, can you just imagine all the stupid people flying? No thanks.

[Guyverman1990]

What a world, huh?

Some people are blind, I swear.

Flying cars like this are more plane than car.

[EVanimations]

In all fairness, the atomic sciencetank on Mars is more jetpack/rocket-powered hovercraft than plane. Was that thing capable of sustained flight? No, but it did manage to boost itself with enough force so as to crash a few miles away from the landing site. I dunno, but that sounds pretty awesome to me.

[EVanimations]

Screw jetpacks, these are better.

http://static.fjcdn....6d5_4064646.gif

[SG-1]

I honestly don't think we'll ever really get flying cars. Too hard to regulate and keep people safe. We're dumb enough with our normal cars, can you just imagine all the stupid people flying? No thanks.

Yeah but self driving cars already exist and are legal in Nevada and soon California. Flying cars would be self-flying. It would be cool to have a hovercraft four wheeler though. I don't understand how that would work without rails or a strong magnetic field, created by room temperature super-conducting towers, that permeate the entire world over a certain altitude. That or a hovercraft ATV using really strong fans.

Really, that idea seems awesome. Antennas that go really high, create a large field that cars can ride on, way above any bird traffic. People could access it anywhere on the ground via a link between the car and nearest antenna to create a precise "tractor beam" (redirect a part of the field) to lift them onto the flying car plane. Is that even possible? I think it is, but it would be freaking expensive and require a lot of tall towers. Not to mention AI that recognizes cars trying to access it safely.

Edited by SG-1, 04 September 2012 - 12:52 AM.