Electric Cars, Forget About It

With all the talk about electric cars, I think what we’ve forgotten is that they are still just cars and oh-so 20th century. 

What I mean is that they are not transformative. 

You’re still in a car, traveling around 15-60(+) miles per hour, stopping at stop lights/signs, yielding to other cars and pedestrians, driving over potholes, getting stuck in traffic, and having to fill up on “juice” every few hundred miles. 

And with the cost of oil way done (about half from last year), there may be a positive environmental impact, and that’s important, but that’s about it for this invention. 

So if you can get over the range anxiety and fear of running out of electric power and not finding a convenient place to plug into, and you don’t mind waiting an hour or so for the fill up, well then you can drive on batteries–and all the power to you. 

But like the toy cars and trucks that I played with as a child, they too often ran on batteries, and I’d zoom them around on the kitchen and dining room floor with lights and sirens flashings–now that was exciting. 

And yes, a driverless car (like from Google) is a little more of a step forward in terms of really changing how we travel…but then again, maybe it’s like sitting on a bus, metro, cruise ship, or airplane today–read the paper, snooze, listen to music, or watch a video, but you don’t have to do anything to move the vehicle or navigate the terrain. 

In a way, cars are pretty much just fancy horses with wheels–whether powered by hay, gas, or electric–they are terrestrial and sort of boring on the ride–even with the windows down and music playing. 

In my opinion, it is high time for some travel without the crunched seats, traffic jams, no turn lanes, traffic cameras, expensive tickets, looking for parking spaces, pot holes, flat tires, and all the other nuisances of daily car commuting. 

What I like about the picture in this blog though is that it makes me think of a much greater leap when it comes to transportation–whether by transporter, jet pack, pneumatic tubes, or time/space machine–we can get there effortlessly and lippity-snappity quick.

And the car, it can stay in the garage–or find its place in the Museum of History–for all I care. 😉

(Source Photo: Rebecca Blumenthal)

Helping The Disabled Get Their Groove Back

I love this evolving technology using bionics to help the paralyzed stand and walk again.This technology for exoskeleton suits with motors, sensors, and external power supplies was first developed for the military to run farther, lift more, and so on.However, the application has been expanded to those who have had strokes, accidents, or otherwise have lost use of their limbs and movement.

Additionally, there is potential for industrial workers to use these robotic suits to do their work with less effort and more impact by augmenting their movement with hydraulic and battery power.

What Exso Bionics seems to have really gotten right is that the suit looks almost perfectly sculpted for a human body, appears to go on the person with relative ease, and helps the person move in a balanced and controlled fashion.

While these suits are still pricey and according to Fast Company (April 2002) cost approximately $130,000, Exso is looking get the rates down to between $50,000 and $75,000 retail.

Further, the article notes that other companies are building competing devices, such as Argo Medical of Israel that offers the ability to climb stairs and that activates by gesture without a therapist pressing buttons.  Similarly Rex of New Zealand offers a device that is controlled by a simple joystick.

I think the future for these bionic suits for the military and industrial use will be truly transformative in terms of providing superhuman speed, strength, and stamina to advance our capabilities and increase our productivity.

Moreover, the use of these exoskeletons by people who are elderly, frail, or sick is compelling and provides hope for people to live with greater mobility, self-reliance, and human dignity.