Elijah and His Personal Flying Machine

NASA's "Highway in the Skies" technology may make it possible for any of us to lift our chariots off the highways to the skyways when we need to go to the office, the mall or a restaurant.

As of this writing, NASA's space shuttle Atlantis has just flown its last mission, and there's lots of speculation about where the space agency will turn its attention. Recent inventions, however, may turn the attention from outer space to inner space -- namely, the space right above our heads.

The folks at NASA have come up with "The Highway in the Sky," a computer commuter, system designed to allow millions of people to fly wherever they please, so long as it's under 400 feet in non-restricted air space -- no pilot's license, airport body scan or luggage fee necessary. Inventors are jumping all over this, which means that sometime in the very near future, the 1950s vision of flying cars shuttling people about will be a 21st-century reality.

One such invention is called the "AirScooter," invented by Woody Norris. The AirScooter will be able to fly for two hours at 55 mph and go up to 10,000 feet above sea level. Everything is controlled with a motorcycle-like handlebar, which manages...