Flying Car News, January 20
Drone Saves Swimmers’ Lives
This week’s top Flying Car News: A drone saves swimmers’ lives, AirSpaceX reveals their flying car, Boeing debuts a cargo drone, a world record for drones in a light show is set, 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 Saves Swimmers’ Lives
A Little Ripper Drone piloted by a lifeguard saved two swimmers’ lives off a beach in Australia, by dropping an inflatable rescue pod.
“Mr Sheridan said it took just a minute or two to launch the drone, fly it to the rescue site, and drop the pod. Any other day, reaching the teenagers could easily have taken three times as long.”
AirSpaceX Reveals Flying Car
AirSpaceX revealed their autonomous eVtol flying car called the MOBi-ONE, which will be able to fly up to 250 mph with a 60-mile range at the North American International Auto show in Detroit. AirSpaceX plans to have 2500 Mobi-One’s operating in over 50 US cities by 2026.
“There is an urgent need for innovation in urban mobility, and I believe on-demand air mobility will go a long way toward reducing pressure on roads while improving the quality of life for commuters on the ground” — Jon Rimanelli, founder and CEO of Detroit Aircraft and AirSpaceX
Boeing Unveils New Cargo Drone
Boeing unveiled a new prototype cargo aerial prototype drone which is capable of carrying up to 500 pounds; it will be used as a platform to test autonomous eVTOL technology.
“Our new CAV prototype builds on Boeing’s existing unmanned systems capabilities and presents new possibilities for autonomous cargo delivery, logistics and other transportation applications,” —Steve Nordlund, vice president of Boeing HorizonX
World Record Drone Light Show
During Intel’s keynote at CES, one hundred Intel Shooting Star Mini Drones performed a light show that broke the world record for most drones in an indoor light show controlled by a single pilot.
“Indoor drone flight is difficult because of a lack of access to GPS, smaller spaces and of course, obstacles like walls and ceilings. Intel worked around those difficulties by creating a new system specifically allowing drones to be choreographed while avoiding obstacles, aptly named the Indoor Location System.”
Bell Flying Car Cockpit Experience
At CES Bell Helicopter showed off a prototype for a four-person flying car cockpit, which included a VR flying taxi experience being developed in partnership with Uber Elevate.
“Working with Uber, Bell wants to fly these pods at 150 miles per hour, completing, in a few minutes, voyages that might take an hour on the freeway, for a price comparable to what you pay on the ground.”
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!
And stay tuned for more Flying Car News!
