Tomorrowland

Scott Hardie | January 6, 2015
Sometimes the way to solve a problem is to solve two problems.

One of the major reasons why we all don't have flying cars is that they're too dangerous for us to operate. We can drive cars and trucks with acceptable risks, but all of the dangers of flying in three dimensions, combined with airborne hazards like other vehicles and weather conditions, make the prospect far too hazardous.

One of the major reasons why self-driving cars aren't available yet is that they have trouble interpreting their environment, with general difficulty understanding what objects around them are people and signs and rocks and trees and signs and everything else. The world is just too complex and frantic for the onboard computer to process, especially at higher speeds, and it will be at least several years before this problem is overcome.

What if the solution is to make computer-driven flying cars? With so few objects in the air, and the cars communicating with each other about their routes and trajectories, the trip would be a lot safer. Taking off and landing safely would remain a challenge, and might necessitate something like on-ramps and off-ramps for an interstate, which would require the cars to be driven by humans on the ground.

There are many other obstacles that remain to both flying cars and self-driving cars, but I hope to see at least one of them become available in our lifetimes. Do you think it will happen?

Samir Mehta | January 6, 2015
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