The future is now
How many of us faced with yet another train strike or traffic jam wish they could fly above the chaos using their own personal jetpack?
In theory, there’s nothing stopping it from happening. Scientists have been working on prototypes since the early 20th century. In 2016 JetPack Aviation demonstrated a fully functioning vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) personal aircraft with a flight over the Thames in London.
A similar story can be told about the driverless car. In a recent conversation with colleagues opinion was divided about when driverless cars would become a reality on British roads. One believed it would never happen in their lifetime, while another predicted that it would take another 10 years.
The truth is that cars, like planes, can already drive themselves to a certain extent. Equipped with sensors and cameras, a modern car can park itself, avoid collisions and regulate its speed with minimal interference from its driver.
As with jetpacks, the barrier to adoption of driverless cars may no longer be technology itself, but acceptance of a changing paradigm and a certain level of trust and belief from humans, as well as the introduction of regulation to ensure safety.
It’s a further example of the classic technology adoption lifecycle from innovators willing to take risks through early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards.
In Dubai, a self-flying Ehang 184 taxi will begin transporting single passengers and their luggage across the region from July 2017. The same self-driving helicopter drone is also being trialled in Las Vegas. While not a classic cartoon jetpack, the Ehang 184 can potentially fulfil our long-held dreams of avoiding traffic jams on the roads by taking to the air in an autonomous, individual vehicle.
So the future may be here sooner than we think, just not in the exact format predicted.
From a PR point of view, the challenges involved in persuading humans to adopt new transport technologies are no different to any other kind: demonstrate the market need, provide the proof points, gather third party endorsements from those early adopters and explain it all in clear and simple, yet persuasive terminology.
By showing that a new technology is already adding value by providing competitive edge and that it’s already been adopted without risk to societal, organisational or human health, providers stand their best chance of gaining trust, whether they are launching a new mobile bank, a ground-breaking employee engagement platform or a transport drone.
Written by Judith Massey, Executive Director
Communications, Consumer PR, Corporate PR, PR, tech, technology