A Flying Leap for Cars
A flying car is suddenly less of a pipe dream or the stuff of cartoons. Giants including carmakers Honda (HMC ) and Toyota (TM ) are developing prototypes of small flying devices. Helped by advances in nanotechnology, microelectronics, and robotics, researchers from the likes of NASA, Carnegie Mellon University, and University of Florida are developing new flight-related technologies, designed to make piloting an aircraft easier than driving a car.
Even Tim Draper, founder of fabled Silicon Valley venture-capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson, which launched the online advertising company Overture.com and others, has recently asked for proposals from outfits developing flying cars. Indeed, while an airborne vehicle may still be 10 to 20 years away, it's already making some VCs see green.
In theory, as everyone begins flying to work, these contraptions could dwarf today's $850 billion auto industry. The devices -- ranging from air taxis to personal flying machines -- could breathe life into aerospace companies' growth or create a whole new generation of startups. Best of all, some versions of this vision could start to come true within several years.
Posted by Dane on April 19, 2005 | 0 Comments
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