Flying Cars (1) | Jun Murai (Dean, Faculty of Environment and Information Studies)

2010.06.11

Although it is a bit late, a ceremony was held on April 4, 2010, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of SFC. I would like to thank everyone who was involved in this event. By the way, in my speech at that time, I shared a story that Mamoru Mohri, an astronaut who has flown on the Space Shuttle twice, told for the scientists of Keio. The daytime photo of Earth he showed us, taken by him, was a scene that made him think about human evolution from the sea to the land and the natural environment while viewing Earth from space. Then, the nighttime photo he showed next was as beautiful as the familiar moon at night. In a zoomed-in photo of the United States, we could see the lights of major cities like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. Then, he showed us a zoomed-in photo of the much smaller Japan. We gasped. There, the shape of the "Japan Railway Route Map," familiar to us since elementary school, was clearly visible as a pattern of light. Mr. Mohri said that seeing this view made him feel that science and technology already play a significant role as part of the global environment. The scientists of the Juku in the audience were very moved and encouraged.

The lights shining on the nighttime Earth and the cities that developed alongside railways are undoubtedly the results of humanity's pursuit of various dreams. Of course, neither railways nor electricity can keep running and shining with the inventions of science and technology alone. To realize dreams, it is not enough to have the power of technology; a diverse range of forces must be linked together, or they will not be realized or sustained. SFC possesses, both as a philosophy and in its structure and achievements, the ability to create this circle of forces and to demonstrate its underlying strength.

In my November "Okashira Nikki" (Dean's Diary), I touched on "flying cars." It is a "dream of the 21st century" that has carried over from the 20th century and is becoming increasingly rare, with people asking why it has not been realized yet. Why can't it be done?

It is not that they cannot fly from a technical standpoint. Airplanes and helicopters fly. Even at the Olympic opening ceremonies, people have been flying in personal "vehicles?" for quite some time. Anyone can understand that extensive discussion and decision-making are necessary for new vehicles to fly around in our living spaces. But how many and what kinds of challenges must be solved to make it a reality? Are there too many challenges, making it impossible? Is there no need to realize it? Or should it not be realized at all?

I am going to think about this in various ways for a while, and I hope you all will too. I will return to this topic once my thoughts are more organized. That is why the title is (1).

(Date of publication: 2010/06/11)