Considering the pollution and congestion on our roads, could it be time for the return of pneumatic tubes for deliveries? A British project called Foodtubes proposed that a network of high-speed pipelines be built underneath the United Kingdom to deliver food shipments from source to city.
Link -Thanks, Marilyn Terrell!
The food would sail along in small capsules at upwards of 60 miles per hour. As many as 900,000 capsules could be in circulation in the nearly 2,000 miles of air pressure pipe, all of which would be controlled by smart grids that would keep food from crashing into each other. To give some semblance of order, the capsules would generally be organized into little trains of about 300 linked capsules, each spaced about a meter apart.
Now, this idea might seem a little nutty - I'll admit it seems rather fanciful. But the people behind Foodtubes point out the UK transports 180 times more water than food everyday, and all of that is done using pipelines with minimal pollution and no traffic jams.
Up to 200,000 food-carrying trucks could be taken off British roads, which would save 40 million tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.
Link -Thanks, Marilyn Terrell!
Exactly... plus all the support personnel for the trucking industry (mechanics, fuel providers, etc.). It's an intriguing idea for sure, but the human cost seems much too high for it to be practical.
On second thought, however, the support industry for the new technology would create new jobs such as the manufacture, installation, maintenance and repair of the tubes and their accompanying machinery, hydraulics, robotics, software, etc. to keep the system running. The people coordinating, loading and unloading the shipments would likely remain, only having to adjust to new types of cargo containers, scheduling and the like... until the robot overlords take over, that is.
http://blog.modernmechanix.com/2006/05/28/pneumatic-tubes-shoot-hot-meals-to-homes/
Ya Think?
i think if you would ask several millions of people in regions affected by the consequences of global warming - and 40 million tons of carbon dioxide is quite a respectable number in that respect - they would prefer "being alive" to "being unemployed" any time.
and nobody said anything about the food having to be liquid. transport-capsules would hold anything from apples to zucchini, and 60mph would not harm it anymore than a truck-drive.
i am sure at some point in time people considered "water out of the kitchen wall via pipes" an unusual idea, gas-pipelines for your heating were downright crazy, and electricity and internet - don't even get me started on how crazy THAT is.
why stop at food-transportation? all kinds of goods could be transported in much more efficient ways than trucks.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Looking_Backward
the robot overlords don't need to transport food at all. Unless they eat humans, of course. And they can do THAT above ground.