Transportation of the future

Based on what we have now and how things have changed, how do you think will we get around in the future? Will we have more novelty personal transportation devices like segways (or jetpacks)? Will we mostly adopt public transportation such as high speed rail? Will we opt for more for airplanes and more flying? Will space travel be a thing for normal people? Will we mostly keep our cars as they are but run them on different fuels?

Just to be realistic, we'll just use the same methods as we do today.
Jetpacks will only burn your arse, if you're not careful enough, and especially older people will never use it, because the older you become, the bigger your height disease will become.

For jetpacks: https://video.adultswim.com/robot-chicken/jet-pack-testing.html

Driving: Horsepower.
Flying: Air Resistance.
Diving: Pressure.
Space: Gravity.

All three of those affect speed. So, we'll focus more on speed than anything else. By 2050, we should reach 900 MPH with driving, commercial jets will replace airplanes and possibly go Mach 2, Diving will not be mastered until about 2100, but will allow for anti-pressure mechanisms and magnetic propulsion. As for space, it depends on when we continue the Space Age. 20 years after restarting it, the Space Station seen in the movie Zenon should be POSSIBLE, even if not built + sent. It'll most likely be situated as a midpoint between us and Mars - which will be our focus due to its insane potential for being terraformed.

Also, Space Age will start again due to aid by Google and its alliance with the third parties focusing on space travel today on the Isle of Mann.

Driving COULD end up being like in Total Recall (2012) where magnetic propulsion IS allowed for hovering, but requires "magnetic locking" on specific roads - because of this, cars most likely would need the ability to change to wheel form on non-rail roads. However, I still believe horsepower will be the focus.

Flying will require upgrades to vehicle parts, for Mach use. It'll also mean the end of "no phones" policies as technology will force commercial airlines to accept use of tech on the plane. And no, magnetic fields of your devices don't affect the plane's controls - that's a lie.

Diving would be allowed mainly for marine science only, due to insane costs. In other words, use of these vehicles for pleasure and war would cost too much - so a "borrowing" system based on necessity would exist.

While I DO agree with the Jonah Brothers that underwater cities could exist in the year 3000, I don't see that starting to be a thing until atleast 2300.

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We CAN "warp" already. We used the finding as to why "time travel is actually impossible" - something about matter being ripped apart if we use the wormhole we found or something? Something like that... Anyway, we used that info to figure out how to warp things. Problem is, we NEED gates - the matter has to pass through objects on the way there, and the recompilation of living things has ethical issues when you realize that "people matter" will be crossing other "people matter". Until we make the Stargates, it aint happenin'.

I strongly believe hovercraft is the way of the future. If science fiction has given us mobile phones and very nearly warp drives, we can surely get hoverboards. Please science we have two years left D:

Plumpyfoof said:

I strongly believe hovercraft is the way of the future. If science fiction has given us mobile phones and very nearly warp drives, we can surely get hoverboards. Please science we have two years left D:

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o.0 What's happening in two years...? D:

Here's my map of the future transportation:

Next 10 years: Personal Jetpacks/Flying/Hovering craft are somewhat possible, but may be reserved for military applications for at least the next 40 years. If you are not rich or famous, It probably won't be affordable.

Next 25 years: Same as above, more compact and cost effective. Rudimentary manned space travel for consumers may be available to more people, still expensive yet attainable.

Next 50 years: Same as above, Manned Space Travel may be consumer accessible and we may have colonies on other planets. Rudimentary near-lightspeed travel may be in it's experimental stages and reserved for the space program(s)/military for decades.

Next 100 years: Teleportation may be possible for non-living objects for limited distances, but this may be experimental and costly. Near-lightspeed travel will be possible, but most likely costly.

If absolutely nothing I've mentioned is possible within the next 200 years, then society has dropped the ball and may be in trouble by this time. This is also a possibility. In the name of science, I hope not.

Rezilia said:

o.0 What's happening in two years...? D:

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I'm guessing that the hoverboard reference that this is referring to the movie Back To The Future which is set sometime soon, but of course made years ago so they're gonna be pretty off in what they think the future is like. I don't think hover anything is really going to go anywhere though. If anything I think it's the cartoons that show moving sidewalks which are going to be more likely to happen. Maybe not normal everyday ones, but like in cities you might start to see some spanning buildings and heavy trafficked areas.

Electric car, though Arab oil sheiks and Western oil companies won't be happy and will do everything they can to stop its development.

Scarf said:

I'm guessing that the hoverboard reference that this is referring to the movie Back To The Future which is set sometime soon, but of course made years ago so they're gonna be pretty off in what they think the future is like. I don't think hover anything is really going to go anywhere though. If anything I think it's the cartoons that show moving sidewalks which are going to be more likely to happen. Maybe not normal everyday ones, but like in cities you might start to see some spanning buildings and heavy trafficked areas.

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Yep its the hover boards. I know in 2020 NASA is sending a manned mission to Mars. I think space travel will become a reality in my life time since India wishesn to get into the space stuff and I think Britain has their own space programme.
I am not hyped for underwater cities because well if some a hole deciders to break whatever is keeping the water out we are doomed plus rapture. Air travel, I believe jets will become the norm of air travel.
Dear science, where my hover board its nearly the end of 2013

I don't think hover boards will become a reality anytime soon. I've seen some videos of people making working hover cars and boards (could be fake, didn't look into it) but it just seems very inefficient and results in a lot of safety hazards that I guarantee the government won't allow until those safety issues are resolved.

O07_eleven said:

Oh, and maybe cars will be able to drive themselves.

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They already do.

#research

Hoverboards or the Cellphone thingies that can teleport you anywhere? (Like in Phineas and Ferb.)

Rezilia said:

We CAN "warp" already. We used the finding as to why "time travel is actually impossible" - something about matter being ripped apart if we use the wormhole we found or something? Something like that... Anyway, we used that info to figure out how to warp things. Problem is, we NEED gates - the matter has to pass through objects on the way there, and the recompilation of living things has ethical issues when you realize that "people matter" will be crossing other "people matter". Until we make the Stargates, it aint happenin'.

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...Excuse me? Do you have any actual evidence that this has been done?

O07_eleven said:

Personal automated transportation vehicles, comes in family size too, is this the future? :)

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That's the life, robots doing everything, comfy chairs to carry you around... mmft.

chuckleslucifer said:

I know in 2020 NASA is sending a manned mission to Mars. I think space travel will become a reality in my life time since India wishesn to get into the space stuff and I think Britain has their own space programme.

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I reckon space travel will develop over the next few decades, however no where near what other people are thinking.

It'll mostly be probes or telescopes. We're still a long way off scifi-films' manned space exploration.


High speed rail and fuel efficient transport are going to be the 'big thing' of the next decade. Most countries are working towards connecting their regions better by train - which stimulates economies and allows people to move around more, commute to work, etc.

Fuel efficiency (closely followed by cost efficiency) is what will be debuting on the roads and in the skies. I hope that this takes priority over speed and scifi-style technology, as it is truly beneficial to us.

Magic Fox said:

...Excuse me? Do you have any actual evidence that this has been done?

Fuel efficiency (closely followed by cost efficiency) is what will be debuting on the roads and in the skies. I hope that this takes priority over speed and scifi-style technology, as it is truly beneficial to us.

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It was in an episodes of Through The Wormhole. Unfortunately, it's hard to find exact segments on the web...

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I get so annoyed when you come up with "theories" and "ideas" that always, every time, no exceptions, fail to consider one thing:

HUMAN NATURE

Because honestly, corporations will WANT to decrease car prices, will WANT to develop ways for people not have have to buy as much fuel - or for them to buy alternative fuel, etc. And people will OBVIOUSLY drop the need for speed and desire for "ooh shiny" and "rad" looking vehicles, and instead care more about obeying speed laws, looking plain as Jane, etc.

Yeah, it's NOT going to happen that way.

Maglev.

Yes, it's a thing, and it is real. Anyone in Japan or China will know what I'm talking about for sure, any train enthusiast will also know. It's the fastest, feasible, form of mass transit, and also pretty safe and REALLY awesome. It's also very energy efficient, for those who actually care about such things, and even clean for the environment so greenies can be happy with them. The current models are reaching about 300 mph or more now, and they all look so pretty to the eyes.

As for personal transportation, I'm hoping more walking will happen, I don't like so many cars on the roads, but meh, most likely it will just be more of the same in this arena.

Tbh, compared to a lot of the countries in the world America has a poor infrastructure. Countries like Germany and China (probably the best) has an amazing infrastructure. China has a train that goes over 200 mph. Imagine if America had a transcontinental train like that. Now that would be amazing! Transportation has changed significantly in the last hundred years. From Gerald Ford's creation of the Model T back in the '30s to the Jaguars and Hyundai's we have now, I believe that the transportation of the modern vehicle is rapidly advancing. The roads that we travel on are constantly improving as well. I hope that in the future, that the use of trains will be more heavily implemented. Many underestimate the use of trains, but they can be highly reliable. Also, I hope the use of air travel becomes more convenient and less expensive. I think it would be cool if there was a railway that connected all of the continents. I would love to see that in the future. While I think jetpacks are a cool idea, I don't see them as being practical. There is just too much that could go wrong with them. I wouldn't trust myself traveling long distances with a jetpack.

I think in the next one hundred or so years (sadly when we are all dead), space travel will be more possible for humans. the dream will become a reality! I think that the use of electric cars and fuel alternatives will happen eventually, but not know. It seems like the oil companies have taken the reigns in that direction because they make such a profit. Then they give it to the automobile industries to quiet them down. It seems like an economic cycle to me.

We have a fast train going from Schiphol to Breda, but the one going from Antwerpen (Belgium) to Paris (France) is much faster.