Cherryflava

Back to the future of getting around

Posted on 17. Oct, 2007 by Jonathan Cherry in Design

Next time you are at Heathrow – you might just be able to give one of these things a twirl.

When Heathrow Terminal 5 opens next year, a network of up to 18
driverless pods will ferry people between the main terminal and its car
parks, where each pod will be controlled by an internal computer and
onboard sensor systems.

Welcome to the pioneering world of personal rapid transport (PRT) -
a feasible technological solution to the chronic problem of traffic
congestion, offering public transport with the privacy of a car.

Basically,
a driverless four-seater vehicle (call it a podcar if you like) that
automatically runs on a guideway over a dedicated network, lighter than
light rail and running on a fraction of its energy, PRT has been the
ambition of a select group of engineers since the late 1950s. But only
now are the first networks being constructed.

Yes it’s very impressive and everything and if it works could be another step to solving urban transportation problems, but will it be able to carry 15 Springboks…and a big, shiny, golden trophy?

More: Welcome to the transport of tomorrow – Guardian

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