It is, perhaps, one of the more enduring questions about the future: When will flying cars arrive? I don’t have an exact answer, but I’m optimistic that the first versions will appear within a decade’s time. As the following video clip demonstrates, companies such as Moller SkyCar are still a far way from achieving a working prototype, but progress is being made:
Moreover, if you read this article from yesterday’s New York Times about the cars of 2057, one thing might jump out at you: each company is counting on progress being made in the fields of nanotechnology, semiconductors, sensors and robotics. As I state in my forthcoming book, Jump the Curve, each of those fields is experiencing exponential growth. If one applies this exponential progress to the concept of flying cars, it becomes possible to understand that flying cars are not an “impossible dream” as many people suggest. (Although it is worth pointing out that I believe the capability to manufacture flying cars will far outpace the vehicle’s introduction into society due to a variety of factors including regulatory issues; lawsuits; as well as people’s resistance to change.)
Of course, if you are a conspiracy theorist, it is also possible that the major automobile companies are hiding something as this hilarious video from The Onion suggests:
Mean Automakers Dash Nation’s Hope For Flying Cars
Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, robotics, RFID, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
