File these awesome boat and watercraft designs under ‘things you’ll wish you had access to this summer.’ Who wouldn’t want their very own personal submarine, or a house boat shaped like a UFO? Some of these wild-sounding creations are concepts – like automated, self-piloted cargo ships and yachts shaped like giant illuminated swans – but others are available to rent or purchase right now.

UFO Houseboat by Jet Capsule

This UFO-shaped fiberglass floating object features a main living area with kitchen, bathroom an storage in its above-water level, while the submerged level contains a bedroom and second bathroom. Or, you could commission one to hold a floating restaurant, gym or hotel reception area. They’re powered by electric engines that push them along at a speed of about nine knots, and their batteries are charged by solar panels, wind turbines and water turbines. The manufacturer, Jet Capsule, will reportedly be ready to start shipping these out via helicopter in 2018.

Quadrofoil: Electric Hydrofoiling Personal Watercraft

This thing looks like a mechanical animal galloping through the water. It also looks really fun to ride in. The Quadrofoil gets a top speed of 21 knots and features an electric engine that can be fully charged in under two hours. They’re available for order now at the company’s website, in three models.

U-Boat Worx C-Explorer 3

This ‘luxury personal submersible’ boat by U-Boat features a 360-degree acrylic pressure hull capable of containing a pilot and two passengers, zooming around underwater for up to 16 hours at a time at a maximum depth of 3,300 feet. Plus, it’s air-conditioned. That’s pretty incredible! While it’s primarily geared toward scientists and researchers rather than the general public, it looks like anyone can order one, provided you have the cash.

Hydrohouse by Max Zhivov

A houseboat, dock, garage and water parking for a hydroplane all come together in a single nautical creation called the HH Hydrohouse, with all parts made from prefab modules so it can be transported by truck. It contains a kitchen, master bedroom and two guest bedrooms and a bathroom, and its upper canopy is one big solar panel array.

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Bold Boats 15 Wild Fantastical Futuristic Nautical Designs

Integrating fairly seamlessly into existing city infrastructure, making use of renewable energy and solving the ‘last mile’ problem plaguing most public transit systems, these designs make some major advancements from the buses and trains already in use today. With some already in development around the world and others representing ideas that could provide inspiration for real-life solutions, these futuristic urban transit systems aim to get around traffic congestion and provide safer, more efficient rides.

Hyperloop for Dubai by Bjarke Ingels Group

Residents of the United Arab Emirates could get from the cities of Dubai to Abu Dhabi in just twelve minutes with the hyperloop transportation system recently announced as a deal between Hyperloop One and Dubai Roads and Transport Authority. Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), the system will carry passengers in 6-person pods contained within a pressure vessel ‘transporter’; the units are small to allow for on-demand travel and reduce wait times.

Self-Driving Bus by Mercedes-Benz

Already tested on a 12-mile route in Amsterdam, Mercedes-Benz’ new line of self-driving buses avoids human error while performing their usual duties, with a driver only present to take over when the route isn’t suitable for automated driving. Short-range radar, satellite-controlled GPS navigation, sensors and cameras help it on its way, and it communicates with the route infrastructure via wi-fi to take advantage of rolling green lights.

Skytran for Tel Aviv

The world’s first magnetically levitating skytTran system is set for development in Tel Aviv to reduce congestion, making routes faster, less expensive, more comfortable and more earth-friendly. Individual two-seater pods feature point-to-point service so travelers can reach specific destinations, and you can request one via a mobile app. Following completion in Tel Aviv, commercial skytrain systems will be rolled out worldwide.

Next Future Modular Transportation System

The self-driving modules envisioned by Next Future can link up like a typical transit system or go their own way on existing roadways, with users ordering them through a mobile app. Like the skyTran, this system takes care of that ‘last mile’ problem, automatically calculating routes. The 8×8’ modules, which hold ten passengers each, can link together in a ‘swarm’ or split up. When they’re linked, you can move from one module to the next to find the one that’s headed in the direction of your destination.

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Navigating The Future 12 Forward Thinking Urban Transit Systems

Technological advancements could enable wheelchair users to stand up to reach high objects, zoom around on sandy and snowy landscapes, power up hills without an assistant and even climb stairs. Lightweight materials like carbon fiber, user-friendly adjustable components, seats customized to the user’s body measurements and electronic features like LED lights, collision sensors and built-in heating systems make these mobility solutions cooler and more functional than ever.

Go Wheelchair: Custom 3D-Printed for Each User

3D printing technology can customize the dimensions of a wheelchair to a specific user’s body measurements as well as giving them a choice of colors and additional components. The appearance can be specified with an app, and the finished product could be delivered in two weeks. “With the Go Wheelchair, we saw an opportunity to really progress the manual mobile category for users with disabilities, and to use 3D-printing technology to solve significant and meaningful problems,” says designer Benjamin Hubert of Layer.

Ultra-Tough Carbon Fiber Wheelchair

“I felt what wheelchairs were horrible medical devices, and couldn’t understand why companies didn’t advance their wheelchairs in the same way bike companies did with their products, says designer Andrew Slorance, who suffered a spinal injury at the age of 14. His desire for a better-looking, higher quality chair led him to create the ‘Carbon Black,’ which adds a lot of bike-like functionality including an optional LED system for night time travel. Minimal and lightweight, the wheelchair is made of carbon fiber and can be quickly and easily dismantled and reassembled for travel.

Off-Road Wheelchair for Adventurers

No sandy shore or snow-covered field is off limits when you’re in the Ziesel, an off-road outdoor mobility solution with 4-season rubber tracks and a high precision joystick. Made for exploring cross-country skiing tracks, hiking trails, beaches and dunes, the high performance chair by Mattro even has a fully automated heating system and can transport heavy loads on a trailer.

Transformable Wheel Chair by Caspar Schmitz

With flexible wheels that adapt to a variety of ground conditions, the lightweight and durable polyurethane Transformable Wheel can climb stairs and handle other rough terrain. While this design is just a concept, it’s an intriguing take on multifunctional wheelchairs that give users more independence.

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Advanced Accessibility 12 Futuristic Wheelchair Designs Concepts

The very same evolution-driven characteristics that enable birds to glide effortlessly through the air can be applied to everything from drones to bullet trains to make them faster, lighter, more nimble and all around cooler looking. Avian-inspired aircraft with nature’s most aerodynamic silhouettes, cars with frames modeled on bird skeletons, gull wing fighter jets and even the U.S. military’s current B2 Spirit Bomber look to the skies for design and performance improvements.

Yamaha with Swan Wing-Shaped Paneling

With an overall design inspired by flowing garments on a high fashion runway, the Yamaha 04GEN scooter concept has an elegant birdlike frame and two transparent body panels modeled on the wings of the swan. The likeness is especially evident when the panels are flipped up. The experimental concept model was unveiled at the first Vietnam Motorcycle Show in Ho Chi Minh City, and there’s no word as to whether it will actually go into production.

Lockheed Stratoliner

Designer William Black created the Lockheed Stratoliner in tribute to the bar-tailed Godwit, a bird that holds the record for traveling the farthest without a single stop (7,258 miles.) Designed for long distances, it uses four cryogenic hydrogen turbofans as its engines, emitting zero pollution. The oversized wings and swooping body come straight from the Australian wading bird, as well. Considering that hydrogen-powered flight is still far off from being a reality on such a large scale, this is destined to remain a concept for the indefinite future.

Kingfisher-Inspired Shinkansen Bullet Train

Engineer Eiji Nakatsu, a general manager of the technical development department for Japan’s high-speed bullet trains, also happens to be a birdwatcher, and not just by coincidence. He realized studying the flight of birds could help make trains faster and lighter, pushing the boundaries of innovation in his field. The typical train nose design was creating incredibly loud sonic booms as it emerged from tunnels, and needed some tweaking. Nakatsu recalled the way a kingfisher’s scoop-like beak enables it to dive into water at high speed with barely a splash, and applied the same shape to the train, eliminating the noise problem and enabling it to run at higher speeds.

Swan Plane, Chicken Aircraft & Seagull Jets by Alex Brady

An odd swan-shaped plane, seagull-inspired fighter jets and an aircraft that combines the forms of chickens and dragons are among the fantastical aircraft concepts by British artist Alex Brady. Admitting that they’re 100 percent whimsical, Brady isn’t too concerned about the opinions of experts, who have noted that these creations couldn’t fly without the invention of new propulsion systems. His other designs take inspiration from manta rays, warthogs, wood lice, porpoises and even a pterodactyl.

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As record players enjoy a resurgence in popularity, their designs get sleeker and more modern, incorporating 3D printing, lasers, magnets that levitate the disc so it plays while in mid-air and other high-tech features.

Star Trek Enterprise Record Player

It’s truly a shame that this Star Trek Enterprise-shaped record player is just a model and doesn’t actually work, but the level lot detail is impressive and it would be cool to see someone take the idea further.

DaVinci Audio Labs Luxury Turntable

A luxury turntable for people who can afford to drop a ton of money on the highest end of the spectrum, the AAS Gabriel by DaVinci Audio Labs is designed with thick bases based on the same process that’s used to cut grooves into masters, eliminating noise and vibration.

Void Record Player

‘Void’ by designer Rhea Jeong literally levitates a record in the air using a magnetic control system. A free-spinning red sphere contains the needle, amplifier and speaker. When you turn the record player on, you can control the levitation using touch sensors on the front of the base.

3D Printed Hand-Crank Record Player

Another design bringing together technologies from very different eras is this 3D-printed creation by Oana Croitoru. Made on a MakerBot Replicator 2 for the Ghostly Vinyl Design Challenge, the design is operated via hand-crank.

Flynote

The Flynote also uses an electromagnetic field to suspend the disc above the base of the player. Say the designers, “The levitation technology uses repelling magnets combined with sophisticated electrons to keep floating objects in position. The plastic skin with the electromagnetic motor are provided with an LED crown to light the turntable and the disc while the product is on. Furthermore, those LED have a switch and an independent electric connection to switch them on at any tie and without interfering with the electromagnetic motor.”

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For The Record 13 Modern Conceptual Turntable Designs