The latest innovations, mobile apps, and technology trends hand picked from our Passport team.

The parking garage of the future

This article focuses on how a project in Nashville, TN, and other places throughout the United States, are looking to break ground on the parking lot of the future. The key premise of the parking lot of the future is cars having the ability to be summoned and park themselves.  This feature allows for a reduction in parking space sizes, completely reimagining the location of parking spaces and the introduction of “drop-off zones”.

– Tom Wiese, Sales Associate

Commuter gondolas coming to America. Probably. Maybe?

The city of Austin is no stranger to all things “weird,” so it’s not surprising local government is looking to fund a new high-flying project. With the increasing density of commuters going to and from work, America has to find new ways to get people around, and flying gondolas may be the solution. Imagine bypassing crowded and loud streets in favor of a smooth ride over the city, with your next stop only a few seconds away. However, as this article points out, the potential downside of sky transit is chilling; if an individual gondola breaks down, will that leave passengers stranded in mid-air until help arrives? There’s a lot of research to conduct, but as they say: the sky’s the limit.

– Sara Wasserboehr, Graphic Designer

Autonomous vehicles will mean the end of traffic stops

Self-driving cars are here, there’s no doubt about that. In fact, now that they’re being created and tested, there’s a ton to consider. Uber is even testing semi-autonomous Ford Fusions in Pittsburgh and many brands are battling it out to be the first to launch a fully autonomous vehicle to the general public. However, with the launch of self-driving cars — the end of traffic stops will most likely be in the next 20 years. With the end of traffic stops comes a huge change in how we view public-police encounters.  

– Kimberly Kufel, Content Marketing Specialist

Technology on the metro: Dubai begins using 3D printing to improve public transportation

I’m a 3D printing nerd and this article reflects just that. Dubai is trying to be the 3D printer capital of the world, so it’s no surprise that they’re also going to better public transportation while they’re at it. The printers will be utilized for the Dubai Road and Transport Authority (RTA) to build small and large parts, which will ultimately reduce costs and maintain efficient transportation.

– Marcus Wu, Software Engineer

World’s first passenger drone cleared for testing in Nevada

Drones are certainly here, so if you thought they’d never actually hit the market — you were mistaken. As drones continue to make their entrance into the transportation scene, it’s no surprise that passenger drones would eventually become an actual thing. Ehang, a Chinese firm, has created the first passenger drone, which has the ability to carry 184 passengers up to 23 minutes. The firm has partnered with Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (Goed) to begin testing the drone in Nevada.

– Daniel Bliley, Marketing Director