Blade Runner was mentioned on this site earlier – albeit for a different reason – but do you remember those flying vehicles in the movie? Thanks to Gress Aerospace, those futuristic cars should soon become rather common and most houses will have a landing pad on the roof instead of a conventional garage. The traffic on the roads is already quite difficult at times, but expect it to become a three-dimensional nightmare in the decades to come!

Source: Gizmag

If you think that cars running on E85 – a mix of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline – are healthier and more environmentally friendly, you may have to think again. A scientist at Stanford University in California, USA, set up a computer simulation of the air quality in 2020 according to two different scenarios: one where all vehicles were using standard gasoline, and one where they were fuelled by E85.

He found that, in both cases, the number of premature death due to environmental factors was roughly the same – just for different reasons. Whereas greenhouse gasses and other typical pollutants produced by fossil fuels were significantly reduced in a world with ethanol cars, the levels of harmful ozone were elevated and thus caused severe damage to the respiratory system.

So far, the only proper alternatives to such technologies seem to be electrical/solar power, or even just compressed air.

Ethanol is widely touted as an eco-friendly, clean-burning fuel. But if every vehicle in the United States ran on fuel made primarily from ethanol instead of pure gasoline, the number of respiratory-related deaths and hospitalizations likely would increase, according to a new study by Stanford University atmospheric scientist Mark Z. Jacobson.

Source: Stanford University

It was already known that texting while driving was dangerous, but a recent survey – conducted online by Electronic Arts and AOL for the launch of the new “Burnout Dominator” racing game – has shown that listening to rock music at the wheel can also lead to unsafe driving. The shortlist of tracks that tend to over-energize motorists included Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born To Run’, Motorhead’s ‘Ace Of Spades’, and – quite aptly – The Prodigy’s ‘You Will Be Under My Wheels.’

As no Country song features in the list, it is safe to assume that truck drivers are unlikely to exceed any speed limit. On the other hand, Metal-head motorists could very well be on a “Highway to Hell”!

Source: Reuters

Typing a text message on your cell phone while driving is even more dangerous than phoning at the wheel, as it requires that you take your eyes off the road. As some 20% of the drivers in the USA indulge in this unsafe activity, the state of New Jersey intends to pass a bill that will cost the culprits $100 to $250 if caught. Wouldn’t it be just simpler if drivers used their common sense and realized how much of a risk they are taking for themselves and for others

New Jersey drivers who insist on sending text messages on their cell phones or personal digital assistants may find themselves on the wrong side of the law if legislators approve a new bill.

Source: Reuters

The University of Essex, in the UK, is organizing a special car racing competition. This contest will involve model cars driven by what they call an “evolutionary software” which is able to learn through experience on the track. Although the race takes place with model cars in order to keep the costs as low as possible for the researchers, it will help design Computer Intelligence that will control driverless vehicles in the future. In some 10 or 15 years’ time, you probably won’t have to make any small talk with a taxi driver – as there won’t be any!

Sources: University of Essex and CIG 2007 Car Racing Competition