Where are the flying cars we were promised?
By 96vidalias
@96vidalias (344)
United States
January 25, 2007 8:27pm CST
By now we were supposed to have robot servants, self cleaning houses and flying cars. They were promised to us in science fiction and even science fact films predicting future marvels.
Well, we got the robots- sort of. There are robots that will vaccuum your floor and then put themselves away. And we got the Dick Tracy two way wrist radio with picture.
But I am glad we never got the flying cars. It's hard enough to watch out for drivers pulling out in front of you to the left and right. Can you imagine if you had to watch above and below as well?
1 person likes this
5 responses
@SplitZip (1488)
• Portugal
26 Jan 07
Have you seen, gosh, what's the name of that thing... that japanese robot? Actually, different japanese servant robots. There are also robots distributing medication to hospital patients in certain countries (I think the US is one of them). They're just like a big medicine cabinet on wheels :)
Sorry I can't remember the name of the robots, at the moment. About the flying cars, yes, I agree, people already cause too many accidents while driving on the ground, now imagine if there were flying cars! But you're right, we WERE promised!
1 person likes this
@SplitZip (1488)
• Portugal
9 Feb 07
I'm still waiting for "stealth" plastic/metallic films on packaging. For once I'd like to open up a bag of chips and not wake up the entired building :\
The robots I'm talking about are actually being used in businesses! Was one of them called assimo or something? It sounded like Asimo or Asimov (would make sense, I guess). YES! Just checked, this is one of those robots:
http://world.honda.com/ASIMO/
What's interesting is that these new robots can learn things without being programmed (specifically), although they're programmed to learn certain things... they're not quite intelligent yet, but they're getting there. They are certainly starting to become sentient, to some degree.
1 person likes this
@96vidalias (344)
• United States
27 Jan 07
I think I know the robots you are talking about. They can dance like a geisha and shake hands but are not really good servants.
Another good use of robots is the ones that can be sent in with a camera to check out a possible bomb. But that's more of a radio controlled car than a robot.
1 person likes this
@96vidalias (344)
• United States
27 Jan 07
P.S. We were also promised soft comforting whooosh sounds instead of everything beeping like it does now.
1 person likes this
@xphile777 (427)
• United States
27 Jan 07
I want the flying cars. Why let a little thing like being dangerous stop us from having them? It hasn't stopped us from driving cars on land and they kill more people than wars do.
The thing with flying cars is they'd need to have mandatory flying car education begin in schools, so people would learn and be better drivers than they currently are with land cars. :P
1 person likes this
@xphile777 (427)
• United States
29 Jan 07
Actually, they are working on a system for "land cars" to avoid coming in contact with each other. Of course, it'll probably be perfected 10 minutes after I'm killed in a car wreck. :P
But, if they can do it for land cars, they can do it for flying cars, so bring on the flying cars! I'm waiting! :P
@96vidalias (344)
• United States
27 Jan 07
If you want one of the flying cars, then you must be one of the people who would be really dangerous flying them. What they would have to perfect first is a system to automatically prevent cars from coming in contact with each other. Why they haven't done this yet with cars, I don't know. I can't understand why lanes of oncoming traffic are just inches apart.
@34momma (13882)
• United States
20 May 07
LOL!! i know what you are saying the damn jetson really had us believing that was the way we would be living now. i know i can use a rosie for sure. and a self cleaning house, OMG please someone invent that right away because if i have to wash one more single fork in the sink i am going to just lose my whole mind
1 person likes this
@96vidalias (344)
• United States
20 May 07
It wasn't just the Jetsons. If you ever catch old films on TCM where they are showing what the houses of the future will be, some of it looks silly now but other things you wonder what happened to that? The one thing they didn't predict was anything like the microwave.
It did look like it would be just a short time until we all had jetpacks and at least cars that would also run on the water.
@harris24982 (530)
•
26 Jan 07
do a search for moller skycar m400
prototype flying car with a price of £324000.00 it will be a while before everyone has 1 though :)
@96vidalias (344)
• United States
27 Jan 07
Yes, I think it will be a while before everyone has one of those. I also recently saw a man get airborne with a hang glider and a huge fan. You had to run along the ground for a minute or so with this 80 pound (Sorry, I don't know what that weight is in stones) contraption on your shoulders. It was pretty unwieldy, but worked great once you lift off.
@listen2me (511)
• United States
26 Jan 07
yes. blame the jetsons lol. me and a friend were having this conversation the other day. they lied and misled, but yeah , im glad there r no flying cars YET, cause you know there coming. picture an80 year old trying to fly a car.whoa!
@96vidalias (344)
• United States
27 Jan 07
Hey, watch it! I am 80 years old myself, and I would be a great flying car pilot.
What we really need is the maid, Rosie(?) from the Jetsons.
