The transportation system remains to be the richest source of the economy that any country benefits from. It has extensively evolved to the point where we get to study different types of vehicle mechanisms and their techniques through different modes of disciplines of study. The future of transportation holds a lot of promise as well as repercussions. Human exploits coupled with the insertion of technology have changed the traditional ways of thinking.
The materialistic ways of thinking have led to a multiplicity of possibilities on the small planet of Earth. Of course, we do not rely on instinct and emotion as much as in the olden days, and more on practical and capitalistic ideals but the creativity of a man’s mind had contributed to the usage of technology in a useful manner.
It makes us wonder what could be the changes that will open us to absurd and creative never seen before phenomena that could shake the pre-existing logic.
The Past and Its Relevance Now
The transportation system, as mentioned is the result of all the external factors that shaped it into what it is today. However, the past’s roots and relevance are also important in understanding why futuristic innovations are influenced by traditionally rooted ideologies.
Speaking specifically, in terms of transportation, historically, it began its journey on a much more traditional basis. Cattle and mammals were the most common use of transportation before the invention of wheels. It is referred to as one of the most important and remarkable discoveries in Mesopotamian India. This was one of the earliest modes of transportation which made it easier for people to travel and commute.
Bullock Carts and horse carriages were much preferred in the 4th and 5th millenniums BCE. During ancient times, minor tweaks or changes lead to the era of accessibility and creating a comfort zone. People necessarily didn’t react as well to change. Anxiety about the future was obvious considering how they were so uncertain about what this change could mean to their way of life.
Mesopotamian India vs Modern India
Transportation has been the stepping stone to the troughs and crevices of modernism. The stark contrast between this aspect in Mesopotamian India as well as Modern India. We aren’t talking about the 21st century with intricate tools and technology but the early 18th century to the 19th century. In Mesopotamian India, the emergence of sailor boats for sending messages and as a political means of communication was a common and interesting point.
It was new and life-changing for the people. In hindsight, the early 20th century saw the effects of the Industrial Revolution, and different discoveries such as the steam engine, combustion engines, and mining which led to modernism.
With the inbuilt ability of steam engines, automobiles were created which were further modified in the modern era. Therefore, there is a huge gap when we look into the development of vehicles and their mechanism, their impending changes which had a major effect on the civilization of humans and the development of transportation.
Advent of Cars
With the impression that the new form of technology has left in our lives, we have come up with new modes of transport which would make commuting and traveling much easier.
Cars have been an integral part of our commute in daily day-to-day activities as well as traveling. It’s an updated version of the carriages that were available in ancient times, with the recent technological elements updated and fitted inside of it. Therefore, the origins of cars were a difficult subject to trace because of the complex structures upon how they were created.
Karl Benz was the one who popularized the idea of cars as a form of vehicle transport. “Benz” the most popular car model was derived from his name. He patented the vehicle and created a model and named a three-vehicled vehicle ‘Motar Car’ known as the ‘Motorwagen’ in 1886.
As a result, the advent of cars was more preferred and popularised. There were different roots from which the word “car” arose. In the 19th century, it was named as ‘streetcar’ based on its physical features and looked like a tram. Before this major development, cars were designed to look like horse carriages and bullock carts. This is how a simple model was tweaked and experimented with to bring forth a complex version of the same.
Present Era
Cars have become the most dependable mode of transportation in recent times. It is being used for traveling long distances with ease, especially by families. Long drives and exploration of different places become common phenomena among people. The evolution to this state hadn’t been a simple process.
Can you believe there used to be a time when buying a car used to be a privilege or a show of wealth? Normalcy had been brought in this era, and humans are incapable of surviving without this automobile. Thereby how did this stark evolution transpire so quickly?
The evolution was possible through the simple trajectory known as technology. In the present era, the use of independent suspensions was introduced alongside fuel technologies for better mileage and speed and petrol sustain. One of the famous models i.e BMW was known to have introduced these elements leading to a new polished and well-structured automobile.
Elements of Transportation
The creation of the Wankel engine was also another technological advancement in the world of transportation. However, this engine had problems in terms of longevity, fuel economy as well as emissions.
The USA was the leading country in terms of domination in the automobile industry. In the 21st century, this shifted to Japan which was advancing in terms of technological accessibility and attained the top position in the production of automobiles.
In the present years, cars and their modulations have gone through a lot of changes and transitions, it is structured and formulated with a lot more technical changes with an eye for standardization, platform sharing, etc.., Over the years there had been a change in the body style of how the vehicle was designed.
Race cars were designed to be sportier with more features applied for speed and accuracy. Domestic cars were preferred more due to their efficient usage especially when traveling long distances.
Transportation was made efficient with the transformation of cars and particular automobiles. It’s not sure to say that changes would have stopped right after development from the primitive to the advanced stage. With that being said, what are the changes that could impact the future workings of the same?
Futuristic Point of View
The innovations in the automobile industry and the world of cars and transportation have been rampant and fast-growing. Realistically, the possibilities of self-driving cars as well as flying cars were awakened.
Here, what intrigues us the most is the aspect of flying cars. What if there is an aeronautical mechanism in cars? The complexity and the question of transportation’s absurdity have the chance to be explored and studied deeper.
Phenomena of Flying Cars
The scope for this to occur does have some debate and is up for some merit. Scientists have quipped that there is enough space above us for ‘flying cars’ to be overturned into reality. Thereby this strange option for travel cannot be ruled out.
How Can They Be Used?
The emergence of this kind of mechanism will lead to faster mobility, especially when travel by air is considered very costly. This gives an incentive for people to cover long distances without paying for expensive airlines. One must not confuse this motive with replacing airplanes with cars that can fly.
This is just a mere attempt to provide better opportunities for the rich, middle class, and the poor equally divided.
Advantages:
One of the reasons, why the reality of flying cars and relevant transport will be preferred is because they won’t be contained or restricted by messy traffic jams, junctions, and roundabouts. If we speak based on logic, with more aeronautic vehicles, there will be less cost of building and maintenance.
Disadvantages:
The negative side effects of any new kind of technology will continue to persist. The most common concerns include mid-air collisions that would result in vehicles crashing into the debris of the earth leading to the death of a lot of people.
To achieve the necessary potential for transportation services, there are also environmental issues such as the use of fossil fuels which will ignite the spark. However, various electronic environmentally friendly ways are being explored to make this a reality.
Conclusion:
There is no end to the multiplicity of aspects and elements that can be structured and developed in the world of transportation. Especially with the advancement of technology being the counter and the central figure to all the changes, it is important to understand how the development of automobiles has helped the propelling of the country.
In cars or be it any other vehicle, there are no stopgaps to what the human mind can develop with options that can be created for traveling long distances with less money spent.
The future is uncertain and more accessibility can be ensured with new technology and certain advancements. It all comes down to how we make use of it.
Last Updated on November 20, 2023 by ayeshayusuf