If you’ve traveled through Heathrow Airport’s shiny new Terminal 5 this summer, you may have encountered futuristic pod cars transporting passengers between parking lots and the terminal.
The new, driverless cars were unveiled weeks ago and have been wowing travelers ever since.
The high-tech, eco-friendly pods can travel up to 25 mph and do not require any special tracks or magnetic fields to operate. The cars simply follow lines that can be used for optical navigation.
The electric-powered machines replaced two old, clunky, diesel buses that previously drove in a fixed loop around the terminal.
Now, the driverless pods may be making their way stateside. According to their manufacturer, ULTRa PRT, several airports in New York and California are currently reviewing the technology.
The company is also reportedly communicating with several cities in North America who have shown interest in expanding the technology to replace parts of public transportation systems.
Source: Popular Science
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