CB, I see a bit of my post is missing which made it look as though I meant Segways would be long-distance transport. [I'm using a new little notebook, 80211-linked to my ADSL mainframe, so I can sit comfy in the living room, but I tend to bump a few keys now and then and the cursor jumps around and things go wrong with my spastic clicks].
The superconductor tube thingy was more like a Ka-sized transport. Definitely NOT the Segway.
A well-designed little superconductor-levitated, photovoltaic-powered hybrid flying tube vehicle would have all the creature comforts you mentioned, and more.
No more having to focus on making the SUV do what's needed. Leave it to the machines. Better to rant in cyberspace or read some book [cyberbook of course] or chat on the phone, sleep or drink wine, or whatever takes people's fancy, than steer a stupid lump of iron down a concrete road at risk to life and limb if attention wanders for a moment.
The tube stuff is still way in the future, though the Japanese [Hitachi] have been fiddling with superconductor-supported transport for a decade and more. When technology meets economics, we'll see tubes. But I'm not expecting it any time soon.
Wouldn't you like to pop a Segway in the boot, or trunk, of the SUV, so that when you get close to your destination, you can step on and move at 7 times walking speed? Or, have rental units at the destination; I don't see why people would want to own their own one and lug it around if rentals were available at the destination. Simply hop on the Segway, your ID would be debited, the Segway would be software-enabled by Graviton.com and off you'd go. It would be annoying to find none left on a busy day, so having your own might be not a bad idea.
I definitely don't envisage Segways hoping that SUVs don't run them down on the freeways!
Mqurice |
