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Are unmanned passenger vehicles the future?


Thursday, July 17, 2008


Posted by Courtney E. Howard

My renewed love of cable television has me addicted to The History Channel of all things. This evening I stumbled upon a show in which engineers discussed the future of unmanned vehicles.

One insightful professional predicts that military and commercial aircraft will transport passengers with no physical person in the cockpit--if future aircraft even have a cockpit.

There was a time, not all that long ago, that each time you stepped into an elevator, an elevator operator would transport its passengers, the man explained. You don't see that anymore. At the same time, he continued, millions of travelers step onto unmanned trams to be transported throughout a large airport. Most people think nothing of using these unmanned systems today. Experts expect the same to be true of stepping onto an unmanned aircraft in the future.

Will pilots one day be obsolete, replaced by advanced electronics? I wonder.

Post a Comment

1 Comments:
Blogger Phil said...
Naw, it will never happen. Elevators and airport trams operate in a totally segregated environment with no possibility of interaction with third parties, be they people, vehicles or obstacles. Aircraft and land vehicles, on the other hand, operate in extremely complex and unpredictable environments. I doubt passengers ever would be comfortable without knowing that a human would be there to back up the integrated electronic system, no matter how sophisticated, in case of malfunction in such a complex environment.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008 6:05:00 PM EDT  


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Welcome to the lighter side of Military & Aerospace Electronics. This is where our staff recount tales of the strange, the weird, and the otherwise offbeat. We could put news here, but we have the rest of our Website for that. Enjoy our scribblings, and feel free to add your own opinions. You might also get to know us in the process. Proceed at your own risk.

John Keller for MAE
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.


Courtney Howard for MAE Courtney E. Howard is senior editor of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine. She is responsible for writing news stories and feature articles for the print publication, as well as composing daily news for the magazine's Website and assembling the weekly electronic newsletter. Her features have appeared in such high-tech trade publications as Military & Aerospace Electronics, Computer Graphics World, Electronic Publishing, Small Times, and The Audio Amateur.


John McHale for MAE John McHale is executive editor of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, where he has been covering the defense Industry for more than dozen years. During that time he also led PennWell's launches of magazines and shows on homeland security and a defense publication and website in Europe. Mr. McHale has served as chairman of the Military & Aerospace Electronics Forum and its Advisory Council since 2004. He lives in Boston with his golf clubs.

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