Do We Live In The Future Yet?

[Mr.Confuzed]

^^ Good one!

@Emnasut: I'm still convinced that it's just a picture of your favorite dildo.

 

[may88]

Voted Hoverboards along with 10 others. Not sure a user base of 11 people is enough to make this commercially viable.

Of course you could make your own...

and the flying car is an old concept...

 

[Esn]

Powerlacing shoes

Providing we have wireless electricity everywhere and things don't run out of juice, this is a winner for me. Put your feet in the shoes and hit a button? Yes please. Laces are annoying and rubbish I think. It would need some kind of auto-release catch incase the shoes screwed up. Assuming we still live in a disposable culuture then, people would just throw away broken trainers and get another pair. Maybe we'll be working in sweatshops at that point?

Seriously, just get a pair of these. They're comfy and good for a wide range of weather:

In any situation where I actually need laced shoes (such as sports or hiking), I wouldn't trust a computer to do it anyway.

 

[Emnasut]

^^ Good one!

@Emnasut: I'm still convinced that it's just a picture of your favorite dildo.

Ok, your call. ^^

 

[Iorgy77]

You can buy the shoes just without the auto lacing technology:

http://www.sneakersin.com/nike-hyperdunk-supreme-marty-mcfly-2015-p-70.html?zenid=o08qs3f1ak3cl3p2akkckq81q0

 

[WizardStan]

Nope. I know it looks like a plane, but well the main use would be for flying so it should be aerodynamic It just can drive also (and has to up to 120 kmh for lift off) and is able to take off and land on a normal road. Here's a picture with tests in a wind tunnel:

So it's a drivable plane, not a flying car. There are big differences between the two, and the difference is what usually trips up people trying to come up with a "flying car" design: they end up designing a drivable plane.
Simply put: a plane needs a "runway" for liftoff and landing. To really be considered a car, you need to be able to drive out of your driveway and just take off.
Of course, you also need a pilot's license; a driver's license just won't cut it. The reason for that is that taking off too fast, too slow, wrong angle, against the wind, with the wind, across the wind, no wind, along the trees, all these things can affect the lift you get, and if you aren't trained, you will crash and die. And what happens if you come in to land at the same time that others do? Where do you land during rush hour?
A flying car, like the kind out of movies, uses some kind of anti-gravity tech, unaffected by most wind conditions. You want to go to the store, you pull out, hover up a bit, your car scans the skyway for other cars, and lifts straight up into it when it's safe. You want to land, you simply go home, and settle straight down in your driveway. No need to worry about accounting for wind in your lift. When someone has achieved this, the ability to lift off and land from a standstill and fly without worrying about how the winds will affect your lift (just your course), then you will have a flying car. Until then, such a vehicle with wings is a drivable plane.

 

[Señor RavensFjord]

*ahem*

 

[SomeGuy99]

Seriously, just get a pair of these. They're comfy and good for a wide range of weather:

It needs the awesome noise! Even if it's entirely faked (sound clip).

*ahem*

:lol:

It's a.... step? in the right direction.

 

[OrR]

Nope. I know it looks like a plane, but well the main use would be for flying so it should be aerodynamic It just can drive also (and has to up to 120 kmh for lift off) and is able to take off and land on a normal road. Here's a picture with tests in a wind tunnel:

So it's a drivable plane, not a flying car. There are big differences between the two, and the difference is what usually trips up people trying to come up with a "flying car" design: they end up designing a drivable plane.
Simply put: a plane needs a "runway" for liftoff and landing. To really be considered a car, you need to be able to drive out of your driveway and just take off.
Of course, you also need a pilot's license; a driver's license just won't cut it. The reason for that is that taking off too fast, too slow, wrong angle, against the wind, with the wind, across the wind, no wind, along the trees, all these things can affect the lift you get, and if you aren't trained, you will crash and die. And what happens if you come in to land at the same time that others do? Where do you land during rush hour?
A flying car, like the kind out of movies, uses some kind of anti-gravity tech, unaffected by most wind conditions. You want to go to the store, you pull out, hover up a bit, your car scans the skyway for other cars, and lifts straight up into it when it's safe. You want to land, you simply go home, and settle straight down in your driveway. No need to worry about accounting for wind in your lift. When someone has achieved this, the ability to lift off and land from a standstill and fly without worrying about how the winds will affect your lift (just your course), then you will have a flying car. Until then, such a vehicle with wings is a drivable plane.

You don't need magic antigrav tech for this. The only realistic option you have is using air to propel your self up. All your other requirements canbe fulfilled with some good control software, though. Check out Moller's M200 Neurea which might finally be ready this year or next: http://www.moller.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=102&Itemid=101 You don't even need a pilot license as long as you don't fly higher than 10 feet. Above that hight it seems to be a regulatory requirement in the US so there is now way around it. Flying should still no be much more difficult than driving a car, though.
My favourite compromise is Moller's M400 Skycar which can do vertical takeoff and should be very easy to handle as well as being somewhat fuel efficient. It's probably quite a few years off still, though.

:wub: