TRANSIT FOR THE FUTURE ...
- Publish Date
- Friday, 24 June 2016, 7:33PM
Self-driving cars are just the beginning. Other transportation options under development …
✓ Hyperloop – A super-fast train that uses induction motors and air compressors to glide on an air cushion at an astounding 760 mph.
✓ Straddling Bus – This innovative Chinese solution to urban congestion and pollution uses 2-lane-wide buses on tracks 7 feet above street level. That means cars can pass … underneath.
✓ Evacuated Tube Transport (ETT) – Imagine being sucked through a frictionless tube on Maglev trains at speeds up to 4,000 mph. That’s the plan for ET3 Global Alliance’s pod system.
✓ Shweeb – Google has invested $1 million in this human-powered monorail system that uses … bicycles. You can already pedal your way up to 28 mph at Agroventures in Rotorua.
✓ Hoverbike – Based on the same flying principles as a tandem-rotor helicopter, this flying motorbike is controlled through motorcycle-like handle grips.
✓ TF-X Flying Car – The “Jetson” dream is still alive! Boston MA-based Terragfugia describes its invention as a 4-seat hybrid with wings.
✓ Martin Jetpack – One of the safety features is a ballistic parachute that opens as low as 20 feet above ground. This ‘personal jetpack’ is expected on the market by 2017 … at $200,000.