Imagine flying over the city in an electric-powered aircraft that has no pilot but can take you from point A to point B in minutes. Sounds like science fiction, right? Well, not anymore.

China-based Ehang has become the world’s first company to be officially allowed to fly passengers in its pilotless air taxis.

Ehang’s air taxis can carry up to two passengers and can fly at speeds of up to 130 km/h and distances of up to 28 km. Passengers can simply select their destination( 目 的 地 )on a touch screen inside the cabin and enjoy the ride without worrying about piloting the aircraft.

The taxis do not require airports or runways. They can take off and land vertically( 垂 直 地 ) from any flat surface, such as a rooftop, park or car park. They can be fully charged in two hours and have low noise levels. They also have some necessary things, such as backup batteries, propellers, emergency landing systems and parachutes in case anything goes wrong.

They could change how we travel around big cities—imagine using them to avoid traffic jams, save time to work or school, or get to places that are hard to reach by car or public transport. And beyond just moving people, the aircraft can be used for delivering goods, such as packages, medical supplies or food. During natural disasters such as bushfires or foods, air taxis could transport much-needed medical staff, equipment or medicines to the scene quickly and safely.

Ehang’s air taxis need to follow the laws and rules of different countries and regions where they might operate. One big challenge will be gaining the trust of the public and persuading passengers they are safe while flying. To do this, Ehang will educate passengers about the benefits and risks of using its taxis while also dealing with possible problems.

About 20 years ago Nissan introduced the world’s first “talking car”. Actually, it was just a recorded voice that would tell you that your door was open, and would continue talking to you until you closed it. Of course, it never caught on.

Times have changed and the talking car of the near future is a car that you talk to, rather than a car that talks to you. You’ll be able to control your radio by giving voice orders, get traffic reports and directions, and send and receive e-mails. To do this, you needn’t push a button at all.

This is good news for those who spend more and more of their lives in their cars. In fact, the new type of cars will be more like offices on wheels, with computers, wireless Internet access, and satellite radio inside. Companies are hoping that time wasted in traffic could be put to better use. If workers are able to check their e-mails, faxes, and meeting time on the way to work, they can spend more time at the office doing more important tasks.

Microsoft, of course, is hoping that every one of those mobile offices will use Windows. “It’s a great goal,” says Dick Brass, VP of Microsoft’s automotive division. “But we’d like to have one of our operating systems in every car on earth. “There are already 650 million cars in the world, and every year about 50 million new cars roll off the production lines. If Brass’ wish came true, cars could become a bigger business for Microsoft than computers.”

When it comes to keeping buildings energy efficient, windows certainly pose a challenge. It was with this problem in mind that a British scientist has created a new type of window—one that’s filled with water.

In terms of conventional windows, most of them allow heat to escape during cold weather, causing the building’s boiler to run more frequently. Besides, they allow sunlight to stream in during hot weather, creating heat that causes the air conditioning to kick in. Dr. Matyas Gutai, a lecturer in architecture at Loughborough University, believes that his “water-filled glass (WFG)” windows may address these limitations.

Each window contains a vertical sheet of water, sealed between two sheets of glass. As sunlight passes through the glass, it heats the water, thus keeping the room itself from getting as hot as it would otherwise. Once it reaches a high enough temperature, that sun-warmed water is pumped out of the window, traveling through pipes in the wall to a storage tank elsewhere in the building. Cooler water is simultaneously (同时地) pumped into the WFG to replace what was pumped out. When the outdoor temperature drops later on, the stored warm water is pumped back out of the tank and into the pipes, warming the room by radiating heat through the walls. Alternatively, it can also be used in the building’s taps, reducing the need to run the water heater.

Although some electricity is required to pump the water back and forth, Gutai claims that his setup still uses substantially less electricity than the heating system and air conditioners that would be required to maintain the same room temperatures under the same condition. In fact, it is estimated that a WFG-equipped building would use up to 72 percent less energy that a similar building equipped with double-glass windows and traditional heating systems.

“WFG turns glass into an opportunity for sustainable construction. It shows us that thinking holistically (整体地) and building components leads to a more efficient and sustainable build environment,” says Gutai.