What exactly is transportation technology?
Innovations in
transportation technology typically arise to address issues of effectiveness,
simplicity, and security. This is why we've seen a transition from coal-powered
trains to ultra-fast bullet trains, from plush aircraft to budget-friendly,
cost-saving models, and from gas-guzzling vehicles to 100% electric cars;
scientists and transportation professionals work together to ensure that new
technologies achieve these goals.
In the same way that
artificial intelligence (AI), data science (DS), manufacturing (M), and deep
learning (DL) are advancing, so too will cars. These areas serve as the
foundation for everything from self-driving cars and space exploration to
ridesharing apps like Uber and Lyft. Transportation technology is one of the
fastest-growing and most hotly disputed industries because of the vast
opportunities it presents. Thousands of new companies are working around the
clock to develop the transportation industry's "next big thing."
Below, we highlight a few promising developments in transportation's near
future.
Technology categories for transportation
The transportation
industry is experiencing a golden age of invention, with new methods of travel
allowing us to travel greater distances than ever before. Below are some of the
most innovative transportation options available today.
Hyperloops
Hyperloops are a
proposed mode of transportation that would employ electric propulsion and
low-pressure tubes to glide along at speeds greater than those of commercial
aircraft, making them ideal for transporting both passengers and cargo.
Passenger tube propulsion by magnets decreases the need for electricity and
hence the cost to operate the system. Speeds achieved by hyperloops are
currently only about half of the originally proposed 750 miles per hour.
However, they are being tested as potential future replacements to conventional
modes of transportation.
Mining and
Construction of Tunnels Below Ground
Elon Musk's concept
of "underground transit" entails exactly what it sounds like:
transporting passengers or cargo through elaborate tunnel networks hidden
beneath the surface of the planet. Boring Company, which Musk conceived of
while stuck in Los Angeles traffic, is in the business of creating tunnels and
other underground transportation routes to alleviate the city's chronic traffic
problems. Underground tunneling, while still in its infancy, is viewed as an
interesting concept that has the potential to reduce traffic congestion and the
overall environmental effects of current car travel. So far, the company has
agreed to a project that will connect traffic in downtown Chicago to O'Hare
airport, and another that will travel from Baltimore to Washington, DC.
Aerospace
Currently, the
aerospace industry is the most exciting sector of the transportation technology
industry. The race is on to be the first company to offer commercial space
flights, and companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic are all in
the mix. Yes, these days you can fulfill your childhood dream of space travel
without training to become a NASA astronaut.
Reusable rocket boosters
are just one example of the incredible technological developments made possible
by the advent of commercial space travel (demonstrated in the video above).
Boosters were originally removed from a rocket ship two minutes after takeoff.
These boosters were one-use only and would crash to the ground in a blazing
heap after their mission was complete. SpaceX's rockets are engineered to land
precisely on the ground upon reentry. Saving money on transportation by making
these rockets reusable has made space travel accessible to the general public
(albeit extremely wealthy civilians at the moment). Furthermore, Los
Angeles-based company Relativity Space is 3D manufacturing rocket ships.
As a result of the
modern "Space Race," transportation technology has been pushed to its
limits, resulting in some of the most impressive innovations of our time. As a
result, we can now imagine a future where people live on the moon, Mars, and
beyond without spending half a trillion dollars on each mission.
Self-Driving Cars
Almost every major
automaker and startup is racing to develop the first wave of self-driving
vehicles for mass production as the race to autonomous vehicles heats up.
Envision arriving in your car, entering your destination into the navigation
system, and relaxing as the car takes you there without your involvement. That
goal appeared impossible to achieve for many years. Now it's actually
happening.
Machine learning,
artificial intelligence, and deep learning platforms are being developed by
companies like Google, Waymo, Uber, Tesla, and Ford to assist vehicles in
determining their immediate environment and responding appropriately. Millions
of data points are being gathered by these cars' sensors, software, and GPS
every single second. Sensors constantly monitor the environment (such as people
crossing the street, nearby vehicles, and animals jumping out into traffic) and
make split-second calculations on how to respond safely and effectively.
Additionally, GPS tracks travel routes to identify the most direct path,
potential accidents, and bottlenecks that can be avoided.
When it comes to
self-driving cars, safety is the main issue currently. On the road, anything
could happen at any time. But how can a car react to each situation the way a
thinking person would? Every major carmaker and startup is teaching these
vehicles to drive responsibly and with human-like reasoning. Although still in
their infancy, autonomous cars have achieved significant advances in
transportation technology that will have far-reaching consequences for the way
we travel in the future.
Drones that cover
the final mile
Technologies in the
transportation sector are used for more than just moving people around.
Technology that facilitates the transport of goods from A to B is also fair game.
Robotics for the final mile of a delivery's journey is one of the most
transformative areas of transportation technology now available to the
logistics sector.
Companies are
increasingly using robots that navigate cities and glide along sidewalks to carry
packages directly to customers' front doors, eliminating the need for human
delivery drivers or postal workers. The employment of robots for package
delivery has become commonplace within a few kilometers of Amazon and FedEx
distribution sites in several cities. Domino's Pizza employs robots to ensure
timely delivery of pizza orders.
Battery-Powered Cars
The advent of
electric vehicles has had a profound impact on travel, both locally and
nationally. The electric automobile, made famous by companies like Tesla and
Nissan, relies entirely on batteries to move its passengers and cargo. An
electric vehicle's battery must be recharged rather than its petrol tank filled
before it can be driven again. The most cutting-edge battery-powered cars of
today can travel between 150 and 350 miles on a single charge. Amazing examples
of transportation technology, these cars are altering the very nature of how
automobiles function and are propelled.