Flying Car News, December 16
Mercedes Benz Successfully Tests Delivery Drones
This week’s top Flying Car News: Mercedes Benz successfully tests delivery drones, Charles Lindbergh’s grandson announces a flying car startup, autonomous drones make headway against deadly diseases, and more!
Flying cars will be a significant part of the future of transportation. Recent advancements in drone technology, electric VTOL aircraft, and autonomous systems have paved the way for an aerial transportation revolution. We created the Udacity Flying Car News Series, to ensure you stay up-to-date on all the latest Flying Car and Autonomous Aircraft stories!
Drone Delivery
Mercedes Benz used drones to successfully conduct over 100 deliveries of everyday items like ground coffee and cellphones in Zurich.
“The drones then flew to four fixed points in the city, covering a distance as far as 17 kilometers (11 miles) to land on the roofs of specially adapted Mercedes-Benz Vito vans.”
Flying Race Car
Australian startup Aulada announced its prototype for a Flying Race Car, called “Airspeeder,” which is inspired by classic 1960’s Formula V race cars.
“While most engineers and developers think the only possible use case for these vertical take-off and landing vehicles (VTOLs) — which are really just oversized drones, when you think about it — is some sort of aerial taxi service, Alauda is going in a different direction. Its focus is on speed and sport. Its goal, in its own words, is to build ‘the Ferrari of the sky.’”
Swarm Art
Studio Drift partnered with BMW to create a drone swarm art display in Miami. The flying sculpture, entitled “Franchise Freedom,” is meant to emulate the natural flying behavior of birds.
“The 300 drones were mounted with lights and their movements were dictated by algorithms that caused them to fly above the ocean outside the Faena Hotel in Miami Beach in mesmerizing patterns.”
Lindbergh Legacy
Erik Lundbergh, grandson of legendary aviator Charles Lindbergh, announces new flying car startup Verdego Aero.
“Our global economy has been stuck in a traffic jam for decades, but the technology is here to make the dream of ‘flying car’ transportation a reality.”
Drones Defeat Diseases
Autonomous drones are helping defeat diseases like Zika, dengue, and malaria by delivering millions of sterile male mosquitoes to difficult-to-reach areas.
“There’s a new weapon in the war against mosquitoes, and it’s not a vaccine or a new insecticide — it’s aerial drones.”
If you are interested in joining the pioneering generation of engineers who will build the smart transportation systems of the future, discover Udacity’s Flying Car Nanodegree Program today!
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