Sky-high magnetic pods could be the public transport of the very near future
Sky-high magnetic pods might sound like something from a sci-fi film, but it could be the future of public transportation.
"SkyTran," a NASA Space Act company, is a monorail system of two-person pods connected to a maglev (magnetic levitation) track.
Suspended 20 feet (about 6 meters) above ground, the concept is being marketed as a "fast, safe, green, and economical" transport method.
The first system is currently being planned in Tel Aviv, on the campus of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), with completion anticipated for 2016 and further plans to extend the network throughout the city.
And if all goes well it could be popping up in other countries too, with tracks planned for Toulouse, France, and San Francisco.
Tickets will cost around $5 per ride and the company predicts that "many of the users will be transportation tourists and fun seekers."
