The Future of Transportation: Flying Cars

Have you ever looked outside your window and wished you could be part of the clouds? Have you ever gazed into the sky and wished that you, too, could soar high above the ground, without worrying about things like airplanes and turbulence?

People have been dreaming of flying cars since the 1940s, when they featured in an episode of the animated series "The Jetsons," and no one has been able to stop talking about them since. While we're still waiting on our hover boards, the thought of being able to hop in a car and zoom around the sky is still just as exciting as it was when we were kids. And with recent advancements in technology, that dream is closer to becoming a reality than ever before.

In a world where we've seen the invention of everything from smart refrigerators to self-driving cars, flying cars might seem like they fit right in with all of our other advancements in technology and innovation. I mean, we have everything else. We can communicate with people across the globe in a matter of seconds. We can order food for delivery and track its progress en route. We have robot vacuum cleaners and self-driving cars, but don't be fooled. They're not going to be quite so easy to develop.

Indeed, there are more than a few companies out there working on prototypes for the flying car of the future. In terms of practicality and ease-of-use, flying cars are certainly not quite ready for prime time. However, as a luxury item or novelty, flying cars are sure to make waves when they hit the market.

We're on the edge of a revolution in personal transportation, and flying cars are just the start of it.  Imagine taking a trip to work in your flying car, which drives itself, and there's no traffic because everyone else is on a monorail or a hovercraft. When you get to work, you fly right up to your floor and walk into your office.

Flying cars. We’ve all heard about them, thought about them, dreamed of them. They will change the way we live, they will change our lives. And yet they are not here. The future that was promised to us by every sci-fi movie and book is still a long way off. We may have 3D printing and virtual reality, but we don’t have flying cars. Why is that?

It turns out that flying cars are actually quite difficult to achieve, from a technical standpoint. Several different types of technology need to be perfected in order for flying cars to be safe and reliable enough for public use—and the problem isn’t even solved yet.

There are three major problems that need to be overcome in order for flying cars to become a reality:

1) They need to be able to fly without harming people on the ground;

2) They need to be able to land safely when they run out of fuel; and

3) They must be affordable enough for the average person.

The main problem is the need for lithium-ion batteries in order to power the cars. These batteries are expensive and inefficient, which would mean that flying cars would cost a lot more than normal ones. There's also an issue with people's comfort level when it comes to driving in the air, but this seems like more of an issue of familiarity. Flying cars also pose a threat to regular planes in terms of safety, because they would be much smaller and harder to see on radar.

The advent of aviation was a real game changer for how we get around. But now, with all that we've learned in the past 100 years, are we ready to take it to the next level? Flying cars? The future of transportation? We’re not sure yet.

All photos including the lead image are from unsplash.com

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