Flying cars and ‘the technology of tomorrow’ today – seattlepi.com

By Stephen Cohen, SeattlePI

Photo: VALERY HACHE/AFP/Getty Images

It may still be a while before flying cars, like this Aeromobil model revealed last month in Monaco, are ready for the public, and even then they may be reserved for the uber-rich. Perhaps the biggest issue will be figuring out where, when and how they will be able to take to the skies in compliance with government regulations.

It may still be a while before flying cars, like this Aeromobil model revealed last month in Monaco, are ready for the public, and even then they may be reserved for the uber-rich. Perhaps the biggest issue

Speaking of Uber, the ride-sharing company has been one of the industry leaders when it comes to self-driving cars, but its program had to be shut down briefly after a crash in Tempe, Arizona, in March. Apple, Google and Samsung are all working on their own versions of the driver-less vehicles.

Speaking of Uber, the ride-sharing company has been one of the industry leaders when it comes to self-driving cars, but its program had to be shut down briefly after a crash in Tempe, Arizona, in March. Apple,

If mass transit is more your thing, high-speed rail keeps on getting better and better. The world's first bullet trainopened in Japan in the mid-1960s and traveled at a top speed of 130 mph, but Shanghai's Maglev -- a magnetic levitation train -- can go more than twice as fast.

If mass transit is more your thing, high-speed rail keeps on getting better and better. The world's first bullet trainopened in Japan in the mid-1960s and traveled at a top speed of 130 mph, but Shanghai's

Looking further afield, the countdown to widespreadprivate spaceflight appears alreadyto have begun. Companies like Blue Origin, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic (whose founder, Richard Branson, is shown here with the SpaceShip Two VSS Unity in 2016) could start ferrying consumers out of this world in the next few years.

Looking further afield, the countdown to widespreadprivate spaceflight appears alreadyto have begun. Companies like Blue Origin, SpaceX and Virgin Galactic (whose founder, Richard Branson, is shown here

If keeping things compact is more your style, a jet pack (like this one used by "Rocket Man" during a Texas football game in 2014) might be the thing, but it doesn't seem close to being a legitimate form of personal transportation.

If keeping things compact is more your style, a jet pack (like this one used by "Rocket Man" during a Texas football game in 2014) might be the thing, but it doesn't seem close to being a legitimate form of

The water-powered jet pack, however, looks like a lot of fun.

The water-powered jet pack, however, looks like a lot of fun.

Hoverboards are nothing like what we were led to believe in "Back to the Future," as evidenced here by Jennifer Lopez's dancers on their versions, which are really just motorized, two-wheeled, sideways skateboards (and are also prone to spontaneously catch fire).

Hoverboards are nothing like what we were led to believe in "Back to the Future," as evidenced here by Jennifer Lopez's dancers on their versions, which are really just motorized, two-wheeled, sideways

However, there are some legitimate hoverboard options in development, like the Fly Board Air, which designer Franky Zapata rode for a world-record 7,388 feet on April 30, 2016 in Marseille, France.

However, there are some legitimate hoverboard options in development, like the Fly Board Air, which designer Franky Zapata rode for a world-record 7,388 feet on April 30, 2016 in Marseille, France.

We're still nowhere with time machines. Thanks for nothing, science.

We're still nowhere with time machines. Thanks for nothing, science.

Artificial intelligence has allowed for the proliferation of smart homes, like this package from Sky that uses "information from the company's various smart home devices to learn homeowners' habits to then automatically set things like the thermostat, lighting and locks and will check in with users before performing certain functions."

Artificial intelligence has allowed for the proliferation of smart homes, like this package from Sky that uses "information from the company's various smart home devices to learn homeowners' habits to then

You could eventually fill your smart home with all sorts of futuristic items, like Buddy, the companion robot from Blue Frog Robotics. He might be part home security system, part smartphone and part adorable-looking toy, but it will never wisecrack as well as Rosie from "The Jetsons."

You could eventually fill your smart home with all sorts of futuristic items, like Buddy, the companion robot from Blue Frog Robotics. He might be part home security system, part smartphone and part

Not only can you plan trips and get directions using aGPS-enabled device like your smartphone, games like "Pokemon Go" gave users the opportunity to capture imaginary monsters while running into other people on the sidewalk.

Not only can you plan trips and get directions using aGPS-enabled device like your smartphone, games like "Pokemon Go" gave users the opportunity to capture imaginary monsters while running into other people

And while virtual reality hasn't become the kind of ever-present, computer-generated wonderland we all thought it might be in the 1990s, heavyweights such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and Sony are all developing their own VR-related products.

And while virtual reality hasn't become the kind of ever-present, computer-generated wonderland we all thought it might be in the 1990s, heavyweights such as Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft and Sony are all

Flying cars and 'the technology of tomorrow' today

People have been dreaming of flying cars since shortly after the invention of actual cars. It's said Henry Ford himself predicted the combination of automobile and airplane back in 1940.

Well, we have some good news. It may have taken longer than Ford expected, but the flying car is finally a reality.

Sort of ... maybe ...

Kitty Hawk, a Silicon Valley startup backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, was among the flying-car companies profiled in The New York Times last week. There's even some footage of the company's "Flyer" prototype, which looks a little bit like a Jet Ski mated with a drone. According to the piece, the company hopes to start selling to consumers by the end of the year.

"We've all had dreams of flying effortlessly," Page said in a statement to the Times. "I'm excited that one day very soon I'll be able to climb onto my Kitty Hawk Flyer for a quick and easy personal flight."

There are, admittedly, a lot of issues that will need to be sorted out before flying cars become the next big thing, including noise and safety concerns, as well as the development of a potential air-traffic control system designed to handle an influx of consumer-driven aircraft.

But even if it doesn't look like you'll be able to park your very own flying car in your driveway (or helipad or runway) any time in the near future, it got us thinking about other technological advancements that seemed like science fiction only a few decades ago -- say, when Seattle hosted the World's Fair in 1962 -- that are a reality (or close to it) today.

Check out the gallery above to see how close -- or how far away -- some of the technology of tomorrow is today.

Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle news. Contact reporter Stephen Cohen at stephencohen@seattlepi.com or @scohenPI.

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Flying cars and 'the technology of tomorrow' today - seattlepi.com