Sunday, December 16, 2018

FUTURE TRANSPORTATION, AGING VILLAGE .... WORLD


Future transportation has continued to intrigue me since my previous post explored developments around the world.   I’m curious about these vehicles from the standpoint of what an older population would enjoy using.  Some adaptations to enhance their safety and provide more comfort would be desired by me. 

For example, those electric scooters I first mentioned previously HERE
are proliferating as are more companies manufacturing them reported HERE.

So what features would we older folks want in order to make them more viable for our use?   I would desire a stability for balance beyond that provided by two wheels, also a seat. 

Paul Drecksler at "Travel Is Life" has featured videos of some more personal transportation vehicles that can be purchased.   How many will become more common possessions in the future remains to be seen.  Obviously, many of these are not likely to be sought after by older folks, but some might be attractive.   Cost viability is another matter that might put such vehicles low on the acquisition list for many. 

I have periodically seen in my community some older riders – one on a three-wheel bike, another on an electric bike.   I’ve been interested in reading about folding bikes and the convenience those could provide with some described HERE

Tesla cars that Elon Musk’s company produces are frequently featured in the news, but he has many irons in the fire producing also vehicles to carry us in to space.  I see one of his cars frequently plugged into a charging station behind the owner’s business.   I also think I saw one of those ELF solar powered cars on one of our residential streets. 

Two vehicles that I could have enjoyed owning but are impractical at this stage in my life are the Icon Sports Aircraft, the Helicycle, but might have been only on a wish list.   I like the idea of a solar powered car, especially where I live in Southern California, but might be nice if it had seating for two. 



Have you seen any of these so-called futuristic vehicles where you live or travel? 
Are there any of these vehicles that you would use, or would if they had what added features?


Speaking of travel ..... how about a trip to Switzerland’s smallest community – Corripo, Ticino!  There are only 12 residents but they want to rejuvenate the town by turning it into a scattered hotel.   Clara Lanini, 76, visiting her brother there says, “Everybody here is old – in their eighties, nineties – everyone’s old!”  She moved away fifty years ago.   Maybe we can't move away from aging.

Didn't I read somewhere that the world population is aging -- NIH:

"The global population of the “oldest old” — people aged 80 and older — is expected to more than triple between 2015 and 2050, growing from 126.5 million to 446.6 million. The oldest old population in some Asian and Latin American countries is predicted to quadruple by 2050."


21 comments:

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    1. Guess that means the Tesla or the ELF for you.

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  2. Personally, the Icon doesn't appeal to me. Without knowing all of the dimensions and running a simulation (or doing a flight test) it is impossible to know, for sure; but, the configuration would seem to put the horizontal tail plane in the turbulence produced by the propulsion system. If the tail plane is, indeed, in the propulsive turbulence, flutter and fatigue are a real issue. One trusts that the designers/manufacturers followed FAA rules in the design, but I would be a bit skittish.
    Cop Car

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    1. I’ll take your word for it since I’m ill-equipped to make such an analysis. I haven’t researched the plane’s flight history which would be a must, but like many things, it looks good at first glance especially for those of us like me who are simply passengers.

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  3. We put our much loved truck on a trickle charger and are driving the car that get's 41 MPG.

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    1. Had to research trickle charger as new term for me. Sounds like truck battery being retained while you’re getting good gas mileage with the car.

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    2. I'm keen on self-driving cars, that is if I reach a point where I'm no longer fit to drive. But I'm not yet convinced they're safe enough and can cope with unexpected situations they haven't been programmed for. Shared taxis would be good too, taking several cars off the road. I think it's obscene that people like Richard Branson are promoting trips into space when so many people are still so poor they couldn't even afford a taxi let alone a space trip.

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    3. I, too, am anticipating self-driving cars when they are more perfected If I become no longer able to drive. Space trip costs as they are currently will be affordable for only the wealthy. Certainly there’s no immediate direct benefit for the poor but then that’s true of many funds that are spent.

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  4. I'm still driving my 2001 Acura coupe and, at my age (85) it's all I can handle. But it might be fun to be taken as a passenger in one of these.

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    1. Most vehicles are geared for those more mobile than older folks but a few might be adaptable. With an increasing aging population, hopefully we’ll see more creations designed to accommodate us as users as well as passengers.

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  5. What a marvel that that wee town in Ticino even exists. I imagine the City Hall is in someone's living room. :D

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    1. I hope we hear more about the city and occupants as I’d like to know if the town survives — looks picturesque, but wonder what it’s like in the winter time.

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  6. My newest car that I fought Toyota (and won) for is equipped with sensors that will gently brake if I am getting too close to the car in front, sets an alarm if I cross a line and handles my high beam low beam along with just about doing the reversing for me.

    So we're nearly there with the self driving. No more would I want. I think.

    XO
    WWW

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    1. Those are really helpful features that benefit all as well as our older population. I haven’t heard more about the self-parking feature lately that was in the news so much for awhile. Look forward to seeing what new auto features will become available in the next decade — if I’m still around.

      One auto expert I’ve listened to on the radio suggests for some older people it makes more sense to lease a car rather than buy a new one. He provides guidelines in his newsletter to determine for whom that would be best. Leasing, then getting a new car would be one way to keep up with the rapidly changing technology. Meanwhile, I keep driving my older Toyota that will likely outlast me, but I don’t have all those features you describe having.

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    2. My five-year-old Lincoln MKZ has a parallel parking system. Since the need for true parallel parking is practically nil in my everyday life, I've only used it once - to squeeze into a space that would have required at least a couple of back-and-forths had I done the parking myself. My passenger was truly amazed!
      Cop Car

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  7. Other than electic vehicles, I have not seen any futuristic vehicles. I think that cities will increasingly switch to public transportation and bicycles for intra city transportation. This will be facilitated by work from home opportunities.

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    1. Will be interesting to see what develops in our lifetimes.

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  8. I havelong been of theopinion that if god wanted me to fly she would have made me a 747 so there are exactly 2 chanced you'd ever get meon/in any of the proposed flying vehicles -the main issue as I see it is the community you live in and what modes of transportation can work therein. Most of the traveling I am even interested in could easily be via car - I'd love to take a cross USQA/Canada train trip as well.

    Merry Christmas!!

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    1. We all have our preferences. I've always enjoyed car travel and would also enjoy U.S./Canada train trip.

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  9. I like train and trolley trips any time.
    A happy holiday to you, she says waving.

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    1. I remember electric trolleys when I was young girl before they were replaced with buses we have today.

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