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May 6, 2009 6:20 AM PDT

Entecho hoverpod: The future of travel?

by Juniper Foo
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Entecho hoverpod

Entecho's flying saucer could give the Parajet Skycar and Terrafugia's flying car a run for their money.

(Credit: Entecho)

Ever since I had my first taste of an English Channel crossing on a hovercraft and puking my guts out, it's been a mighty long wait to see a more personal form of flying saucer materialize for public use. Now, thanks to Entecho, we could someday join the Jetsons zipping around in a world teeming with air cars.

Aside from wondering if these are as fun as bumper cars at carnivals if one accidentally knocks another flying pod off its axis, Entecho's application utilizes fan-forced flight. Huge hidden blades spin to give the craft lift, with the skirt around it providing directional manipulation. More on its intriguing takeoff technology here.

According to specs, this Aussie initiative can hover up to 5 feet above ground, cruise at a maximum speed of 75 mph, has a range of just under 2 miles, and can seat three comfortably. Of course, this is still in the development stage, though by the time it emerges from its cocoon, the Entecho Hoverpod should be more than ready to deploy solar or even fuel cell technology to power its flight.

(Source: Crave Asia via Gizmag)

May 29, 2007 11:54 AM PDT

The future commuter: 50 years on

by Kevin Massy
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We've recently heard much about the future of the automobile, from how vehicles will soon resemble Cuisinarts to how we might find ourselves getting around in hydrogen fuel cell-powered flying cars.

Amid all this blue-sky thinking, it's instructive to look back at what the last generation of automotive futurists thought we'd be doing by now. This clip from a 1958 Disneyland TV video entitled "Magic Highway U.S.A." gives us a quaintly Jetsonian perspective of what future commuting would be like. While the preprogrammed route and "scanning map" have been realized, we are, alas, still some way off from in-car teleconferencing, in-garage car washes, and segmenting carriages.

Via 2719 Hyperion

March 23, 2007 12:45 PM PDT

Will 'Rocket Belt' fly at $250,000?

by Mike Yamamoto
  • 1 comment
(Credit: Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana)

We hope this isn't a hoax, because it's something we really want. Badly.

Everyone has fantasized about having a Jetsons-type jet pack, most likely while stuck in traffic. That supposedly can now become a reality, with a futuristic setup called the "Rocket Belt" from Mexico's Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana that's built specifically for your personal dimensions.

"The service includes a fully tested custom rocket belt, a machine to help you make your own rocket fuel, hands-on training including 10 flights in your own rocket belt and expert support," Luxist reports. Wait a minute ... make our own fuel? This just got a lot more dubious.

Even so, we'd still be willing to give it a go were it not for the price: $250,000. For that, we could rent a private jet.

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