Today, trendwatchers, Nora Young mentions research from Rice University into creating Lithium Ion batteries that can be applied to surfaces via thin layers of paint! (Via New Scientist).
Meanwhile, Cathi Bond has all manner of exotic transport lined up. There’s The Transitioncar that converts to an airplane! How about The PAL-V gyrocopter? And then there’s Kahuna Creations’ long board, that allows you to paddleboard, but on land! Check out the videos below, and tell us which one would you pick to tool around with this summer!
People have been talking about flying cars forever! Here’s one that worked, albeit it was neither a good airplane nor a good car:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/11/for-sale-by-owner-1954-flying-taylor-aerocar-yours-now-for-onl/
Second, speaking of human-powered propulsion, have you seen the elliptigo?
It’s an elliptical trainer…for the streets!
http://www.elliptigo.ca/
Hi Anson,
I wonder what it is about the flying car that we find so fascinating. It’s almost as though as soon as cars were available we started thinking ‘yeah, but if only this baby could fly!’. Re: elliptigo. Neat idea, and I get the lower impact. As a cyclist, it makes me wonder what the benefits are compared to riding a bike when you’re ‘clipped in’ – ie when the pedals are attached to your feet. I like the idea of standing up, for sure.
I think humans are bred to be mobile, and the more mobile the better! How else can you explain the Lunar Rover? To quote Jerry Seinfeld (noted Lunar Rover expert): “What are we doing driving a goddamned car on the moon?!”
Here’s a flying car that didn’t “take off”. Take a Ford Pinto and a Cessna Skymaster (two lackluster performers if ever there were any) and you get…this:
http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/132602
What I remember and actually saw and wanted was an amphibian car. Those cars that you could drive right into the lake? They had propellers where the exhaust pipes were and as I recall looked like 1960s Valiants and Falcons. Speaking of Falcons, there is a 1963 Ford Falcon for sale for $4800 down the street from me. The interior is a mess but the body’s great. I wonder how I could get it to fly?
The other thing I’d love to have is an Ultra Light. They’re those super small planes where you basically hang in a little basket and fly over fields. I’d love to do that and buzz people. I could come to Toronto and chase Nora down the street. A problem is they sometimes get caught in power lines. But details details details…