The Future of Transportation: A New Era Takes Shape

Traffic congestion is a major problem that affects millions of people around the world every day. It's a nightmare that many of us can relate to, and it's why companies are looking for innovative solutions to make transportation more efficient and sustainable. In this article, we'll take a look at some of the most exciting developments in the field of transportation, including Uber Air, Hyperloop, and a lunar lander designed by Lockheed Martin.

Uber Air: The Sky is the Limit

One of the most promising technologies for reducing traffic congestion is Uber Air, which aims to take us to new heights. Uber has been developing its electronic vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for some time now, and it's clear that this technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we travel. The design seats up to four passengers and could someday move at speeds of up to 150 to 200 miles per hour. But what really sets Uber Air apart is its modular Skyport components, which will allow for easy scaling and flexibility. The Skyport can handle up to 200 flights per hour, making it an ideal solution for urban areas.

The Skyport design is also unique in that it allows for autonomous operation, with passengers able to board and disembark without human intervention. Los Angeles and Dallas have been selected as the first cities to launch Uber Air, along with a third city that has yet to be announced. But before we can get our hands on these flying taxis, there are several safety and regulatory hurdles to overcome. The FAA needs to certify the aircraft, and Uber is pushing for a 2020 rollout date for demonstration flights. If successful, Uber Air could become one of the most affordable forms of transportation, with prices estimated at around $5.73 per passenger mile.

Hyperloop: The Tube That Could Change Everything

Meanwhile, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) is working on a different kind of transportation system – one that's faster and more efficient than any car or plane. The Hyperloop is essentially a vacuum tube that propels passengers at speeds of up to 700 miles per hour using magnetic levitation technology. But what makes the Hyperloop truly revolutionary is its use of vibranium, a new smart material invented by HTT.

Vibranium is essentially a type of carbon fiber that's embedded with sensors and can transmit information wirelessly about temperature stability and integrity. The pod contains two layers of vibranium, providing a backup in case the outer layer gets damaged. HTT's main competitor, Virgin Hyperloop One, has its own prototype pods, including a cargo pod and a passenger pod designed by BMW. But it's HTT that's pushing forward with its vision for a commercial Hyperloop system.

The goal is to have the Hyperloop up and running in just three years, with NASA's lunar gateway serving as a key testing ground. The lunar lander will shuttle astronauts to and from the space station in lunar orbit, providing a vital service for future Mars missions. But before we can get on board (pun intended), there are several challenges to overcome. Safety regulations need to be rewritten, and new systems need to be developed to manage the air traffic density necessary for commercial Hyperloop operations.

What Controls Uber Air Traffic?

One of the most pressing questions on everyone's mind is: who controls Uber Air traffic? According to Uber, current air traffic control systems could accommodate hundreds of vehicles without making any major changes. However, to handle the density of air traffic necessary for this type of flying service to become mainstream, new air traffic control systems will be needed. Uber envisions a system that prioritizes low-altitude operations and uses visual flight rules similar to those used by pilots.

However, developing these new control systems could take years, and it's unclear whether they'll be able to keep up with the demands of commercial Hyperloop operations. For now, it's a puzzle that needs to be solved before we can get on board the Uber Air revolution.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwith seven billion Earthlings and Counting traffic can be a nightmare that's why we're taking a look at the future of transportation your aircraft is outside and will depart in five minutes welcome to what the future on today's show goobers vision for on-demand air travel the unveiling of the world's first Hyperloop passenger pod and a lunar lander that aims to bring us closer to Mars let's get into it the most obvious way to ease traffic is to add a third dimension that's why Ober aims to take us to the skies with uber air uber has been developing its electronic vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for some time now the design seats up to four passengers it could someday move at speeds of up to 150 to 200 miles per hour and travel up to 60 miles on a single charge uber has also shared several potential sky port designs the Skyport components will be modular meaning they could be combined in different configurations and scaled up or down with relative ease the unique design could handle up to 200 flights per hour when they arrive at the Skyport uber aircraft will enter an autonomous queue where passengers can board and disembark Los Angeles and Dallas have been selected as the first to launch cities along with a third launch city that has yet to be announced there are many safety and regulatory hurdles standing in the way of this plan the aircraft needs to be built an FAA certified first uber is pushing to get its flying taxis in the air by 2020 for some demonstration flights and the company hopes to have its paid air service up and running by 2023 uber says that uber air will cost about five dollars and 73 cents per passenger mile at launch however if it can realize its goal of creating a mass-produced automated aircraft that price could fall to as low as a buck 84 there are many companies trying to stake their claim as the future of Transportation comes into focus Airbus and Terrafugia both have their own airborne rideshare systems and development and beneath the surface of the earth a different race for transportation domination rages on I'm talking of course about Hyperloop Hyperloop transportation technologies also known as HTT recently unveiled the world's first Hyperloop passenger pod the 100-foot tube weighs a whopping five tons and has been designed to send passengers whizzing through magnetic tubes at up to 700 miles per hour the pod contains two layers of a new smart material invented by HTT that's called vibranium where have I heard that name before because by bringing him on the strings this titanium all around HTT vibranium is basically a type of carbon fiber that's embedded with sensors that can wirelessly transmit information about temperature stability and integrity the pod has a double layer of vibranium so that there's a backup in case the outer layer gets damaged hgts main competitor is virgin Hyperloop 1 which has its own prototype pods including a cargo pod and a prototype passenger pod in Dubai that was designed by BMW as cool as those pods are it will still be several years before you can take the Hyperloop to work Richard Branson says he wants it up and running in three years but with safety and regulatory hurdles to be overcome it could be even longer than that sometimes the journey is less important than the destination especially when that destination is Mars Lockheed Martin is developing a reusable lunar lander that will live on the moon's surface never returning to Earth instead it will shuttle astronauts to and from a space station in lunar orbit which NASA calls a gateway the lunar lander can carry up to four crew members and enough supplies to equip a lunar encampment for up to two weeks the lander can also use water collected from the ice on the moon to produce liquid oxygen and hydrogen propellant the lunar gateway will serve as a logistical Waypoint making it easier for astronauts to explore the moon's surface both NASA and Lockheed expected this lunar gateway system could be an important learning experience for developing something similar to help explore Mars in the future it's time for a question from one of our viewers richard Perryman asked us on facebook who or what controls the uber air traffic thanks for the question richard uber says that urban air space and current air traffic control systems could accommodate up to hundreds of vehicles without making any big changes however to handle the air traffic density necessary for this type of flying service to become mainstream new air traffic control systems will be needed uber envisions low altitude operations will be automatically prioritized to avoid conflicts while the vehicles themselves will utilize a set of visual flight rules similar to those used by pilots when flying independent of air traffic control uber says that developing these new control systems will take years and it could end up being a limiting factor in uber airs growth what makes you say WTF let us know in the comments that's all for this week thanks very much for watching I'm Jesse Aurel filling in for Andy Altman's we'll see you next time on what the futurewith seven billion Earthlings and Counting traffic can be a nightmare that's why we're taking a look at the future of transportation your aircraft is outside and will depart in five minutes welcome to what the future on today's show goobers vision for on-demand air travel the unveiling of the world's first Hyperloop passenger pod and a lunar lander that aims to bring us closer to Mars let's get into it the most obvious way to ease traffic is to add a third dimension that's why Ober aims to take us to the skies with uber air uber has been developing its electronic vertical takeoff and landing aircraft for some time now the design seats up to four passengers it could someday move at speeds of up to 150 to 200 miles per hour and travel up to 60 miles on a single charge uber has also shared several potential sky port designs the Skyport components will be modular meaning they could be combined in different configurations and scaled up or down with relative ease the unique design could handle up to 200 flights per hour when they arrive at the Skyport uber aircraft will enter an autonomous queue where passengers can board and disembark Los Angeles and Dallas have been selected as the first to launch cities along with a third launch city that has yet to be announced there are many safety and regulatory hurdles standing in the way of this plan the aircraft needs to be built an FAA certified first uber is pushing to get its flying taxis in the air by 2020 for some demonstration flights and the company hopes to have its paid air service up and running by 2023 uber says that uber air will cost about five dollars and 73 cents per passenger mile at launch however if it can realize its goal of creating a mass-produced automated aircraft that price could fall to as low as a buck 84 there are many companies trying to stake their claim as the future of Transportation comes into focus Airbus and Terrafugia both have their own airborne rideshare systems and development and beneath the surface of the earth a different race for transportation domination rages on I'm talking of course about Hyperloop Hyperloop transportation technologies also known as HTT recently unveiled the world's first Hyperloop passenger pod the 100-foot tube weighs a whopping five tons and has been designed to send passengers whizzing through magnetic tubes at up to 700 miles per hour the pod contains two layers of a new smart material invented by HTT that's called vibranium where have I heard that name before because by bringing him on the strings this titanium all around HTT vibranium is basically a type of carbon fiber that's embedded with sensors that can wirelessly transmit information about temperature stability and integrity the pod has a double layer of vibranium so that there's a backup in case the outer layer gets damaged hgts main competitor is virgin Hyperloop 1 which has its own prototype pods including a cargo pod and a prototype passenger pod in Dubai that was designed by BMW as cool as those pods are it will still be several years before you can take the Hyperloop to work Richard Branson says he wants it up and running in three years but with safety and regulatory hurdles to be overcome it could be even longer than that sometimes the journey is less important than the destination especially when that destination is Mars Lockheed Martin is developing a reusable lunar lander that will live on the moon's surface never returning to Earth instead it will shuttle astronauts to and from a space station in lunar orbit which NASA calls a gateway the lunar lander can carry up to four crew members and enough supplies to equip a lunar encampment for up to two weeks the lander can also use water collected from the ice on the moon to produce liquid oxygen and hydrogen propellant the lunar gateway will serve as a logistical Waypoint making it easier for astronauts to explore the moon's surface both NASA and Lockheed expected this lunar gateway system could be an important learning experience for developing something similar to help explore Mars in the future it's time for a question from one of our viewers richard Perryman asked us on facebook who or what controls the uber air traffic thanks for the question richard uber says that urban air space and current air traffic control systems could accommodate up to hundreds of vehicles without making any big changes however to handle the air traffic density necessary for this type of flying service to become mainstream new air traffic control systems will be needed uber envisions low altitude operations will be automatically prioritized to avoid conflicts while the vehicles themselves will utilize a set of visual flight rules similar to those used by pilots when flying independent of air traffic control uber says that developing these new control systems will take years and it could end up being a limiting factor in uber airs growth what makes you say WTF let us know in the comments that's all for this week thanks very much for watching I'm Jesse Aurel filling in for Andy Altman's we'll see you next time on what the future\n"