4 ms·

Are you just operating under the assumption that no one will invent the seatbelt of flying cars? That cars will just fall out of the sky with no attempt at savi

by soared 10y ago

Are you just operating under the assumption that no one will invent the seatbelt of flying cars? That cars will just fall out of the sky with no attempt at saving a passengers life? Eventually someone will invent a big balloon that pops out of the bottom of cars to catch them as they fall, or a parachute, or something better no one has thought of yet.

xenihn 10y ago
What about the people that it lands on?
tomc1985 10y ago
> Eventually maybe someone FTFY Because it's going to have to be truly fool-proof to withstand the drunks, idiots, and downright malice on roads today. And that parachute system better know how to land on solid ground and not, say, someone's house. I do NOT want anyone but professional pilots piloting big heavy flying things over my head, my stuff, or my house
- sanswork 10y ago
  You're assuming that the occupants will have control of the things. Once you leave the ground autopilot gets a lot easier as you have more space/visibility and fewer random obstacles. And a car is going to be just as dangerous to you flying off the road into the side of your house as one falling from the sky slowed slightly by a parachute.
  - tomc1985 10y ago
    I beg to differ. There is a mile or two of snaky two-lanes roads with unguarded hairpin curves whose edges lead down small embankments with houses (some protected by trees, others not) on my commute home. Despite the high traffic (it's a feeder road connecting an interstate with a boulevard) and the fact that it consistently backs up during rush hour, plus there will frequently be (crazy!!) pedestrians walking up its sides... and I have never, ever seen a single accident or emergency response vehicle because not just because some guy couldn't complete the turn, but at all. No smashed houses, nothing. Sure it's one example but I would argue that a busy road next door and a busy skyway overhead are entirely different things with very different risk profiles. IF the vehicles are self-driving that perhaps it will be safer. I don't think current autopilot technology can handle crowded, low-speed scenarios that you'd see in such a world. Maybe the tech catches up, maybe not
    - sanswork 10y ago
      http://abc11.com/news/raleigh-man-fed-up-after-house-hit-by-car-for-6th-time/1469768/ http://abc11.com/news/raleigh-man-fed-up-after-house-hit-by-... >I don't think current autopilot technology can handle crowded, low-speed scenarios that you'd see in such a world. Why don't you think they can?
      - tomc1985 10y ago
        Your link is just one example, like mine. Guard rails exist for a reason, of course, but I still believe that living under a skyway will be far more risky than living next to a busy road. As for autopilot tech, we're still in the very early stages for autonomous navigation. Absent a central controller or cloud (the presence of which is something I vehemently oppose) we're still learning to pilot vehicles in a mostly-2D plane. Throw in the third dimension, and all the safety stuff that that will entail, and you end up with a plurality of political, engineering, and safety risks. All it will take is one tragic loss of life writ large to kill the industry and set back plans 50 years.
        sanswork 10y ago
        Yes, that was my point. There are plenty of windy roads with no accidents and plenty with lots of accidents. When the accident happens though the problem is the same. A big chunk of metal moving through your house at speed. >but I still believe that living under a skyway will be far more risky than living next to a busy road. Part of this I'm guessing is that you're still imagining a bunch of drunk, or aggressive or just plain bad drivers flying over your head.
        tomc1985 10y ago
        We am already surrounded by drunk, aggressive, and just-plain-bad drivers. I am not so sure technology will make them simply go away.
        sanswork 10y ago
skybrian 10y ago
Airplanes have been around a long time. Commercial aviation is much safer than general aviation, and that's with everyone being a trained pilot. With airplanes, simple things like running out of fuel can be fatal. Yes, it happens. [1] There are small airplanes with parachutes [2]. It's a big safety advance, but it still doesn't always help. You still need training in when to pull the parachute. [1] http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/12/why-would-a-pilot-let-his-plane-run-out-of-fuel.html http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/12/why-would-a-pilot-let-h... [2] https://cirrusaircraft.com/innovation/airframe-parachute/ https://cirrusaircraft.com/innovation/airframe-parachute/

by soared 10y ago

xenihn 10y ago

What about the people that it lands on?

tomc1985 10y ago

> Eventually maybe someone FTFY Because it's going to have to be truly fool-proof to withstand the drunks, idiots, and downright malice on roads today. And that parachute system better know how to land on solid ground and not, say, someone's house. I do NOT want anyone but professional pilots piloting big heavy flying things over my head, my stuff, or my house

sanswork 10y ago
You're assuming that the occupants will have control of the things. Once you leave the ground autopilot gets a lot easier as you have more space/visibility and fewer random obstacles. And a car is going to be just as dangerous to you flying off the road into the side of your house as one falling from the sky slowed slightly by a parachute.
- tomc1985 10y ago
  I beg to differ. There is a mile or two of snaky two-lanes roads with unguarded hairpin curves whose edges lead down small embankments with houses (some protected by trees, others not) on my commute home. Despite the high traffic (it's a feeder road connecting an interstate with a boulevard) and the fact that it consistently backs up during rush hour, plus there will frequently be (crazy!!) pedestrians walking up its sides... and I have never, ever seen a single accident or emergency response vehicle because not just because some guy couldn't complete the turn, but at all. No smashed houses, nothing. Sure it's one example but I would argue that a busy road next door and a busy skyway overhead are entirely different things with very different risk profiles. IF the vehicles are self-driving that perhaps it will be safer. I don't think current autopilot technology can handle crowded, low-speed scenarios that you'd see in such a world. Maybe the tech catches up, maybe not
  - sanswork 10y ago
    http://abc11.com/news/raleigh-man-fed-up-after-house-hit-by-car-for-6th-time/1469768/ http://abc11.com/news/raleigh-man-fed-up-after-house-hit-by-... >I don't think current autopilot technology can handle crowded, low-speed scenarios that you'd see in such a world. Why don't you think they can?
    - tomc1985 10y ago
      Your link is just one example, like mine. Guard rails exist for a reason, of course, but I still believe that living under a skyway will be far more risky than living next to a busy road. As for autopilot tech, we're still in the very early stages for autonomous navigation. Absent a central controller or cloud (the presence of which is something I vehemently oppose) we're still learning to pilot vehicles in a mostly-2D plane. Throw in the third dimension, and all the safety stuff that that will entail, and you end up with a plurality of political, engineering, and safety risks. All it will take is one tragic loss of life writ large to kill the industry and set back plans 50 years.
      - sanswork 10y ago
        Yes, that was my point. There are plenty of windy roads with no accidents and plenty with lots of accidents. When the accident happens though the problem is the same. A big chunk of metal moving through your house at speed. >but I still believe that living under a skyway will be far more risky than living next to a busy road. Part of this I'm guessing is that you're still imagining a bunch of drunk, or aggressive or just plain bad drivers flying over your head.
        tomc1985 10y ago
        We am already surrounded by drunk, aggressive, and just-plain-bad drivers. I am not so sure technology will make them simply go away.
        sanswork 10y ago

skybrian 10y ago

Airplanes have been around a long time. Commercial aviation is much safer than general aviation, and that's with everyone being a trained pilot. With airplanes, simple things like running out of fuel can be fatal. Yes, it happens. [1] There are small airplanes with parachutes [2]. It's a big safety advance, but it still doesn't always help. You still need training in when to pull the parachute. [1] http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/12/why-would-a-pilot-let-his-plane-run-out-of-fuel.html http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/12/why-would-a-pilot-let-h... [2] https://cirrusaircraft.com/innovation/airframe-parachute/ https://cirrusaircraft.com/innovation/airframe-parachute/