I think if futurists from the 50s saw the way things turned out in 2012 — speaking purely in terms of innovation — they wouldn’t be too mad. But there is one area where we truly failed them: flying cars.
There are few retro images of the future that come to mind more than the flying car. Think of the Jetsons! And yet, here we are, suffering through hours of gridlock every day just to get home from work. Sure, some have attempted the flying car, but there are so many walls and red flags between that technology and the masses, that when it does actually happen, we’ll probably be teleporting to the store already. [Retronaut]
ozoneocean
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 4:47 PMI dunno, I suppose if the technology was a lot better and you could have most of the flight controls entirely autonomously computer controlled (“robotic” if you will), with advanced collision detection and avoidance . Controls that can’t be overridden, giving the pilots minimal control over speed, altitude, direction and destination etc so you avoid most potential hazards of untrained civilian controlled aerial vehicles.
But the tech just isn’t up to it yet. You can’t even manage such things in cars! Even with sensors embedded in roads it’s still not ready for prime time.
ogre
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 9:17 PMToday’s aircraft are mostly robotic anyway, but of course, there’s a lot less traffic in the air at the moment.
D.C.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 4:53 PMI kind of like the Minority Report system, it’s not exactly pretty but seems a little more practical for automation purposes.
Jaezass
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 5:16 PMMoller has been promising this for twenty years or more and nothing, nada, zilch. Firstly there’s the start up cost, secondly there’s the letting your average Joe control a missile and third, as Ozonocean said (dude that’s a bugger to get right first go :) there’s the technology, which is no where near close! Gonna be awhile yet peeps.
olearymo
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 9:17 AMscariest thing is, average Joes ARE in control of missiles every day, they just have wheels! :P
Also, I guess people just don’t want it enough? Again, that average Joe… I don’t think they want flying cars, they just want something simple.
But it’ll happen one day surely? By 2015 we’ll have flying DeLoreans… right?
Ed
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 5:31 PMWe invented something better instead: working from home.
Seriously a lot more people will be doing it, leaving the roads to the people who need them (i.e. those who have to work somewhere other than at home).
Joe
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 8:49 PMWe don’t need flying cars, just cars that are all synchronized with auto drive, ensuring a smooth driving / merging ect.. No lights
tom
Tuesday, December 27, 2011 at 10:18 PMflying cars just means the same gridlock, only this time it’s in the sky.
And it’s a lot worse if you have an engine failure.
iTurd
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 3:45 AMPeople can’t drive conventional cars properly on a normal road (sometimes making them fly). Imagine what it would be like with cars that could fly?
Boomzzilla
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 3:52 AMYou see all those loser’s with a jerry can walking to a servo because they ran out of fuel, they will be the ones crashing into your house.
olearymo
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 9:19 AMI think we’ll end up skipping flying cars and going straight to transporters. Maaaayybe with Futurama tubes for the interim.
Josh s
Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at 8:06 PMIt will happen eventually, – think of the transition/improvement of airtravel in the 108 years since flight became possible — now think 100 or 200 years in the future. Not to mention that advancement of technology is currently exponential not linear. Think singularity & beyond.