Friday, September 4, 2009
Battery powered bubble to make taxi man banter a thing of the past
In need of a taxi but not in the mood for the banter? A new driverless taxi has been unveiled which could just solve your problems.
The futuristic looking pod which looks like something out of a Sci-Fi movie is set to be launched at Heathrow airport next year to transport passengers from terminal to terminal.
If successful, the driverless pod is hoped to reduce traffic jams, petrol fumes and the crowds on buses as people can just jump on the battery-powered four-seater cab, select their destination from a screen and press the start button to set the pod in motion.
The taxis will have their own narrow roads to follow around cities, much like tram lines today. With top speeds of 25mph, they have little chance of ever gaining the reputation that today's taxis have for speeding and generally breaking the rules of the road.
Unsurprisingly, the inventor behind the battery-powered bubbles, Professor Martin Lowson, has a background in space travel and worked on the Saturn V Rocket.
However after a night out on the tiles, the one thing I always look forward to other than a plate of greasy chips, is setting the world to rights with the taxi man.
[Image © jtbarrett via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence]
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