The Future of Transport

Transport Communications, a new book by two NZ professors, predicts an end to congestion, terrorist threats and increasing fuel prices through the widespread adoption of nanotechnologies and satellite communications over the next 50 years. Authors Chris Kissling and John Tiffin suggest scientific solutions to present day problems, ranging from those based on current technologies to scenarios that seem straight out of science fiction. “[We’re] trying to help people look into the future: what changes are coming, because more of the same, we think, is limited,” said Kissling. The pair’s predictions include “clever” clothing that helps repair injuries after an accident, airplane passengers being given sleeping pills and stacked horizontally on beds, and smart coatings on vehicles that can absorb solar power, repair scratches and clean themselves.