Transport has always been about developing technology, since the first aboriginal honed the first wheel. But in recent years, IT has come into play, to add intelligence to the way we get around.
Planes include tonnes of tech that make them one of the safest ways to travel – and yet they remain one of the few areas where you are not allowed to take out a mobile phone or connect a laptop.
Trains, on the other hand, are a more primitive technology (on the surface) but are increasingly equipped to support mobile working. Tech also infiltrates cars and even the humble shoes we wear.
Transport tech can help you find where you are going and stay connected while you are on your way there. It also can change the motive power as you move.
Electric cars go back further than Sir Clive Sinclair’s C5 from the 1980s. In fact, before petrol engines were widespread, there was a nascent industry for electric cars, powered by exchangeable batteries, which lasted until the 1920s.
Today’s electric cars are designed to be part of the Smart Grid, evening out peaks and troughs in demand and limiting pollution in the cities – or at least that’s the theory.
Bikes have always had a surprising fascination for geeks too. Our lead image shows tech hero Steve Roberts with his Behemoth recumbent bike, which he developed through the 1980s and 90s, in order to travel around the US, writing and emailing. Roberts is absent from Wikipedia, but this Youtube video from 2000 is a must-see, to hear details such as his head-mounted display and water cooled helmet.
Our quiz covers all the modes of transport we can think of, including boats, boots and bikes. We venture into space and go underground.
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The technologies that allow us to communicate and get information are constantly being improved upon. For example, moveable type was an improvement upon older printing methods, the telephone was an improvement on the telegraph, and television was an improvement on the radio.The trend all along has been toward a more global atmosphere. However, no technology has accomplished this as completely as the Internet.