Professors envision advanced global travel

Nanotechnology and GPS positioning holds the key to making worldwide transportation a simpler affair, two professors from New Zealand have suggested.

In their new book, "Transport Communications," professors Chris Kissling and John Tiffin suggest that the use of computer chips and global positioning systems could help eliminate the congestion of global transport, The (London) Observer reported Sunday.

The pair postulated that by using new technology, crowds can be monitored -- and planes and ships can be controlled remotely.

By introducing nanotechnology, the authors suggest, goods could be produced and distributed locally, limiting the amount of worldwide transport that takes place annually.

Whether discussing virtual reality-based conferences or nanotechnologically-enhanced clothing that amplifies human abilities, Kissling said he and Tiffin are simply offering a glimpse into the future.

"(We're) trying to help people look into the future: what changes are coming," he told the newspaper, "because more of the same, we think, is limited."

Copyright 2007 by United Press International