Tech-Life in Pink

Would you look at that? A self-balancing two-wheeled vehicle capable of reaching speeds of 35 mph, something faster than Segway’s personal transporters which have a 12 mph maximum (you know, like the one used in the movie Paul Blart: Mall Cop). This is from the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility Project (P.U.M.A.) by the General Motors/Segway tie-up.

This vehicle will have advanced sensing and intuitive user interfaces. It will be able to communicate with vehicles around it, that is, vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, reducing the risk of accidents and regulating the flow of traffic.

No price has been released yet for this vehicle, but it’s said to cost 25% of a traditional automobile. Official launch will be at the New York Auto Show this week.

Kind of funny-looking but still awesome. What will they think of next?

First Flight of the Terrafugia Transition ® at the Plattsburgh International Airport.

When I first read the news about the latest flying car developments in February 2009, I was definitely excited. I love driving. I love flying (not that I fly a plane though). So what better way to combine both than to have a flying car!

There’s the Parajet Skycar from Parajet Paramotors, the M400 Skycar volantor from Moller International, and the Transition from Terrafugia.

On March 5th, 2009 the Terrafugia Transition achieved first flight at Plattsburgh International Airport off New York’s I-87, just one hour south of Montreal, Quebec.

Now, you can actually buy your very own Terrafugia Transition Roadable Aircraft, which could go into production next year (2010). The anticipated purchase price is US$194,000 with a US$10,000 airframe refundable deposit. I surely don’t have that money to spend, but just the idea that it is possible to get one soon, makes me happy about it.

A Light Sport Aircraft pilot license will be needed to drive/fly this dual-purpose vehicle. You can become a Sport Pilot in as little as 20 hours of flight time in their specific training course.

Who knows? Maybe someday I will buy one myself.

More information about the vehicle here.