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posted by Fnord666 on Thursday January 12 2017, @08:07AM   Printer-friendly
from the the-future-is-complete dept.

Over the next four weeks, BBC News will be offering a snapshot of the day in the life of a city - looking at how technology is transforming our urban landscapes, now and in the future.

Their first snapshot? What it will be like to commute by jetpack.

We start as urban dwellers around the world begin the day - with the morning commute. In the future, that may mean hailing a jetpack.

"Jetpacks will be part of future cities," Peter Coker, vice-president of innovation at KuangChi Science, Martin Aircraft Company's major Chinese shareholder.

"I see it as being the Uber of the sky."

Martin Aircraft Company, based in New Zealand, already has a working prototype that can fly at 2,800ft (850m) at 45km/h (27mph) for 28 minutes.

And Mr Coker says commuters will be able to hail an unmanned jetpack via a smartphone app.

Futurism is always fun. How would you prefer to get to work, by jetpack, Hyperloop, or VR?


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  • (Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Thursday January 12 2017, @02:25PM

    by dyingtolive (952) on Thursday January 12 2017, @02:25PM (#452942)

    I'm jealous of that. All the apartments within about a mile of my apartment are expensive one bedroom crapsack apartments, or they're two bedroom apartments going for more than double the price.

    I'd consider more than one mile out, but I live in the midwest, so sidewalks are kind of an afterthought and weather has pretty inhospitable extremes. I'm pretty well adjusted to the cold so I don't mind walking when it's between about 0-70F, but 70+ at 90% humidity (roughly half the year) is pretty intolerable for me and my coworkers by the time I get in. The houses around there go for about 300k+ for a tiny one, are surrounded by country clubs and golf courses, and are plagued by the same sidewalk issues that the apartments have. Real estate prices in St. Louis is quickly spiraling out of control. It's expanding faster than housing is being built unless you want to live 45+ minutes away.

    Instead I live in a large, surprisingly nice apartment in a mostly black neighborhood about 10 miles out, and just drive about 10-15 minutes to work. At least I can avoid the interstates around here.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 12 2017, @07:08PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 12 2017, @07:08PM (#453017)

    I don't mind walking when it's between about 0-70F

    You and are are opposites in sensitivities.
    Below 72F, I start getting uncomfortable.
    Below 40F, I'm completely useless.

    but 70+ at 90% humidity (roughly half the year) is pretty intolerable for me

    The Heat index chart [wikipedia.org] doesn't even list values below 80F.
    Where I grew up, a heat index over 110F wasn't uncommon, so it's that to which I'm acclimated.

    Of course, for many job descriptions, -walking- to work in those warm conditions would require showers at a workplace.

    -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

    • (Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Thursday January 12 2017, @08:15PM

      by dyingtolive (952) on Thursday January 12 2017, @08:15PM (#453044)

      It's strange. I've lived where the 'normal' temp range is about -10 - 105 F all my life, and I simply cannot acclimate to much higher than 70 or so. I can deal with as high as 75-80 if I'm stationary, but the moment it goes much higher I just sweat profusely and feel terribly uncomfortable. I tried really hard to get used to it last summer, and did pretty well by the end of it (I could stand walking at about 75 degrees with minimal sweating) but I'm sure I'll have to start over again this year.

      Compared to cold weather, where I can sit comfortably for hours in tshirt and shorts down to 60F, enjoy light movement with no coat or at most light jacket if it's windy/rainy down to about 40F, and moderate activity in a light to medium coat and maybe a hat below that.

      Now that I think about it, I don't think I wore anything heavier than a windbreaker, jeans, and a flannel shirt pretty much all last winter when I was outside.

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