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Issue 8.01 | Jan 2000

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Hot Pod

This century's new developments in automotive engineering have basically all been tweaks to Gottlieb Daimler's original horseless carriage. Pugh predicts that in the next century, advances in nanotechnology, molecular engineering, and artificial intelligence will make motorized hunks of steel and rubber obsolete.

By 2040, Pugh estimates, drivers will no longer have to watch the road, and by 2060 the steering wheel will be optional. By 2100 the car will be a sentient machine, empowered with AI that can communicate with humans and other vehicles. Nanoengineering and home manufacturing will outdate the assembly line. Cars will grow from smart molecules and adapt instantly to their owners' changing needs (see "These Boots Were Made for Driving," page 112). Take a peek under the imaginary hood.

Body Basics

The semirigid passenger cell is a protective capsule around the driver that forms the interior shapes, seats, controls, and safety systems.

The collapsible lattice of artificial muscle forms the vehicle's main structure, holding everything together. It expands and contracts to change shape so the passenger cell can move smoothly and safely through its surroundings.

The pull-through drive system is made of an inverting tube of rapidly migrating smart gas that surrounds 80 percent of the vehicle's exterior. The tube stabilizes the car and creates a cushion layer that allows vehicles to slide by each other. Excess energy created during vehicle operation is released by a layer of heat-transferring molecules on the outer surface of the tube.

The active grip-traction surface is where the rubber - or, in this case, the diamond-fiber cilia - meets the road. A dense array of ciliated hooks (like animated Velcro) grip and release the ground in waves, propelling the vehicle forward. This lets the car climb vertical or inverted surfaces. Ninety percent of the acceleration and deceleration are a result of the traction surface; the other 10 percent comes from the pull-through drive system.

Power Up

There is no engine in the traditional sense - that is, a central fuel burner that powers the entire vehicle. Instead, auto designers will adopt a closed-loop system roughly analogous to the human digestive system, which breaks down food into packages of fuel that can be stored and burned in the miniengines (aka mitochondria) of individual cells. In the car of the future, nanocarriers will distribute fuel to all systems, where molecular engines will burn it on demand.

Energy is generated by a hybrid solar-hydrogen system. A network of capillaries, coated with solar cells, runs across the car surface. Water flowing through the capillaries is broken down into its basic elements. The hydrogen molecules are split into electrons, which are harnessed as energy, and protons, which are recombined with oxygen to form water that flows back to the capillaries. On sunless days, the car can be "refueled" by stopping on a charging pad and absorbing electricity.

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