Transportation
Many of us take public transportation or fly in airplanes on a regular basis, but have you ever wondered how all of these things work? This collection of transportation articles help explain how people get from place to place.
Learn More / Page 3
6 Cool Innovations That Could Change Air Travel Forever
Choosing your seatmates through social media? Facial recognition technology to match you and your luggage? The airline industry has the ideas... but will it adopt them?
Can Police (Legally) Shoot Down Drones?
If Rep. David E. Lifferth, R-Utah, gets his way, police will soon be able to "neutralize" drones that interfere with emergency response.
Dutch Police Are Training Eagles to Capture Drones Right Out of the Sky
Using low-tech solutions for high-tech problems, falconry may prove beneficial in combating all the wayward drones flying where they ought not to fly.
Watch this Flying Spheroid Drone Explore a Glacial Ice Cave
Gyroscopes, carbon rods and flexible joints let the GimBall drone bounce off of and roll against obstacles as it flies on its missions.
Clear Plastic Bubble Would Let Aircraft Passengers Enjoy View from Outside
Windspeed Technologies' proposed SkyDeck could offer an external, 360-degree view for airline passengers, and could be a luxury add-on to existing airplanes.
The FAA Just Approved a Hybrid Airship, But What Is That, Exactly?
This hybrid airship isn't exactly your great-grandfather's zeppelin.
The U.S. Military Wants Vampire Drones
The U.S. Department of Defense really wants a drone that can vanish completely after delivering its payload. Got any ideas?
Airplane Seat Cushions: Stealthy Fart Filters of the Future?
There are so many tweaks we wish airlines would implement, especially if future seat configurations mean stacking passengers with butts suspended above heads.
Dirigibles: Bobbing Along Toward a Comeback
We're not quite at floating cruise ship phase, but modern dirigibles could be rising stars for carting cargo.
Here’s Why Drones and Firefighters Can’t Share the Same Sky
Drone hobbyists love the thrill of glimpsing news as it’s happening in real time, but is it safe for them to be at fire scenes?
With More Drones in Our Skies, We're Going to Need Droneports
Mini airports for drones are being built now, and could help medicine reach remote areas. Urban environments could also benefit. Here's what our future may hold.
Mile Bleh Club: Why Airline Food Doesn’t Taste Good
Studying the perceptions of passengers at 36,000 feet reveals how noise, vibration and pressurized air affect taste.
As New Personal Transports Arrive, Let's Acknowledge What the Segway Got Right
Though often chided as goofy, the Segway set the stage for the current generation of skateboards, hoverboards and other people-moving tech.
Do drone pilots train on video games?
Sure, flight-simulation video games and drone piloting both involve computer screens and handheld controllers, but do these similarities make gaming a useful training platform for real-life, high-stakes military operations?
What's the world's fastest UAV?
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's an unmanned aerial vehicle traveling faster than the speed of sound!
How Drones Work
They're the stuff of headlines, often characterized as evil in the sky. But how do unmanned aerial vehicles actually get off the ground and flying?
Why do you have to turn your phone on at airport security?
Going through airport security is the worst part of flying for most people. Now you may be asked to turn your cell phone on in the security line. Why do you have to do that? And does it really keep us safe?
How Ramjets Work
Imagine whipping through the sky at thousands of miles per hour. This special type of jet engine can do exactly that.
How Skywriting Works
Writing a legible message on paper requires a steady hand; writing one in the sky requires a steady everything.
Should black box data be stored in the cloud?
Why do we still lock away critical data on a box that can go down with the plane? It may be time to think differently about the black box and its contents.
10 Unsolved Airplane Mysteries
Since 1948, more than 100 aircraft have gone missing while aloft and never been found. How is this possible? We'll look at some of these unsolved mysteries, as well as other bizarre airline mishaps.
How can a plane land at the wrong airport?
It happens. And when it does, the consequences can include not only red-faced pilots, but also inconvenienced passengers, endangered planes, damaged airfields and maybe some free peanuts for everyone involved.
10 Non-murderous Things Drones Do Every Day
Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ... drone? Turns out, drones are doing all kinds of harmless -- and even heroic -- things all the time. Find out how drones are changing the way we farm, fight fires and make movies.
How the Hyperloop Works
Ready for a fifth mode of transportation? Elon Musk is. He's sketched out a proposal for a nearly supersonic transportation system that could shoot you from San Francisco to Los Angeles faster than you can watch an episode of "Game of Thrones."
10 Aviation Innovations We'd Be Stuck on the Ground Without
In the world of flight, it's a fine line between flying high and falling fast. Can you name 10 of the innovations that keep planes and their passengers airborne?
The Latest
Machu Picchu: The Secrets of This Fabled Mountaintop City
October 22, 2019
Why Wainscoting Has Stood the Test of Time
October 22, 2019
Meet the Toad That Can Mimic a Snake
October 22, 2019