Back in 2004, we published an article on what life would be like in the year 2014. We did not predict flying cars by then--and sadly that was a prudent decision--but with any luck we may just have jet packs in the near future.

That article, written by renowned Canadian sci-fi novelist Robert J. Sawyer, depicts a day in the life of an average Torontonian. In it, the subject drives to work in a car, and while that car is full of neat future features--it's electric, drives itself and sports a full multimedia communications system--it still rides on a road. Sawyer's measured and educated prediction is a far cry from the promises made in the '30s, '40s and '50s. The excellent site Roadable Times catalogues many of these ideas; take a look here, here, here, and here.

And there are modern examples too. A company called Urban Aeronautics has pledged to hit the market by 2010. 

Those designs are a lot of fun, but it's hard to actually imagine people flying around in cars. Ford's Model T just celebrated its 100th anniversary, but watching today's drivers will demonstrate we still haven't learned to handle regular cars. Even with developments in automated guidance systems it seems unlikely we'll be ready to take to the skies anytime soon.

Which makes the recent successful, if limited, jet-pack test interesting. The "flight" took place at AirVenture Oshkosh 2008 and consisted of one person hovering just above the ground for 45 seconds. And the jet pack is massive. The inventors say the device will one day reach an altitude of 8,000 feet, although its normal flying height will be 1,500 to 2,000 feet. Flight time will be up to 30 minutes.

While my inner Jetson finds the idea of personal jet packs unbelievably cool, I am not going to get too excited about this yes. It's sad to say, but I am just not sure we can handle them.

Peter Wolchak