The future of urban public transit: solar-powered private pods
What will the future of urban public transit look like?
According to designer Dave Owsen, it's solar-powered and highly personal.
Modeled after the cells of plants, Owsen's transit concept is comprised of private pods designed to accommodate two adults and two children (or a load of cargo).
Using a touchscreen interface, users are able to designate a route. The pods travel to major points within a city using a dual-monorail system.
Owsen describes the system:
Public transportation will feature diverse options depending on the needs of people and businesses. This design replaces bus systems with a more efficient and private "Cells" that also provide incentive for small business shipping and service industry distribution.
I'm not sure how well a system like this could work in a city as dense with sun-blocking skyscrapers as, say, New York, but it's an interesting rethink of how to move people in a more efficient fashion.
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com