Imagine life without cars

uber driver

The big benefit from new IT-mediated car services will come if they make it possible for lots of people.

There has been a lot of discussion lately about Uber, Lyft, and all that. The big benefit from new IT-mediated car services will come if they make it possible for lots of people, not just people in Manhattan,  to live without owning their own cars. And if you think about it, you can see how that might work.

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FBI sees driverless cars as a ‘potential lethal weapon’

driverless car

FBI is more optimistic about the benefits of driverless cars when it comes to surveillance efforts.

Self-driving cars are a “potential lethal weapon,” but could make surveillance “more effective and easier,” according to FBI claims in an internal report surfaced by the Guardian.

 

 

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SkyTran – an on-demand levitating monorail

skytran 1

SkyTran

There are many people who advocate for public transportation but there are also those who are accustomed to being able to move about in an individual manner with cars. However, a futuristic on-demand 500m monorail test loop being built at the Israel Aerospace Industry (IAI) campus in Lod, Israel combines the best of both worlds and might have you thinking differently about transit.

 

 

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What a warp drive spaceship should look like

ixs 7

IXS Enterprise

Mark Rademaker, artist,  has unveiled a set of concept images imagining what a spaceship would look like that is  capable of traveling to other stars in a matter of months. His IXS Enterprise design is based on some hard science even though it may look like something from the next science fiction epic and is unlikely to lift off anytime soon. (Photos)

 

 

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Toyota considers building hover cars

hover car

Hover cars will improve efficiency.

Toyota is looking into the possibility of developing vehicles that are capable of hovering just above the road, technology designed to improve efficiency. At Bloomberg’s Next Big Thing Summit in San Francisco, Hiroyoshi Yoshiki, the managing officer with Toyota’s technical administration group, said in an interview that the company had been studying a similar idea of flying cars at one of its “most advanced” research and development areas, but cautioned that the concept was not like actually flying around in three-dimensional space. Instead, he said, the plan is to get the car “a little bit away” from the road to reduce friction, similar to a hovercraft.

 

 

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Winners of the world’s first ‘3D Printed Car Design Challenge’

local motors

Strati by Michele Anoé

An entire car will be printed in September at the International Manufacturing Technology Show. Local Motors, the company behind the project, recently held what was the world’s first 3D Printed Car Design Challenge to choose its final design. Over 200 groups entered the competition, but when the dust settled and the votes were tallied, two designs stood atop the heap. (Pics)

 

 

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11 ways technology may soon grant you superhuman powers

human flight

Human flight

As a child, everyone had a favorite superhuman power – flying, invisibility, comic book character strength and agility. Some of us secretly hoped to cultivate psychic powers like telekinesis, precognition, mind reading, etc., even as teens and young adults.

 

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Electric car travels over 1,100 miles without a recharge on a new aluminum-air battery

phinergy-aluminum-air-battery

Together the Israeli company, Phinergy, and the aluminum giant, Alcoa Canada, demonstrated an electric vehicle (EV) capable of driving over 1,100 miles between charges using a combination of aluminum-air and lithium-ion storage technologies.

 

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Solar Forest provides a charging station for electric cars

solarforest 1

Solar Forest

We aren’t out of the woods yet when it comes to providing a steady supply of clean energy for electric vehicles. So, designer Neville Mars has conceived of an incredible EV charging station that takes the form of an evergreen glade of solar trees. His photovoltaic grove serves a dual function, acting as a go-to source for clean renewable energy while providing a shady spot for cars to park as they charge.

 

 

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The scooter that doubles as a suitcase

suitcase scooter

He Liangcai rides his home-made suitcase scooter.

A Chinese private entrepreneur, He Liangcai, recently obtained a patent for a product that turns a regular suitcase into a rechargeable scooter. According to patent documents China Real Time viewed, accessed via China’s intellectual property database, the suitcase is also equipped with a GPS navigator, a burglar alarm and a horn.

 

 

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

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