Flying Car News, March 31
Collaborative Flying Car Simulation Environment
This week’s top Flying Car News: The launch of Udacity Universe, a massive collaborative simulation environment; Aeromobil’s sporty new flying car concept; the largest commercial drone order ever; 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!
Collaborative Flying Car Simulation Environment
At the Intersect 2018 conference this week, Udacity announced Udacity Universe, a massive shared simulation environment for flying cars and self-driving cars, created in collaboration with Unity, Zipline, WRLD, and the Dubai Future Foundation.
“I can look out my window today, and see self-driving cars on the road. Very soon, I will see flying cars in the sky. To make this all work together, we need to create entirely new systems. Udacity Universe is where tomorrow’s pioneering engineers will build these systems.” — Sebastian Thrun
Aeromobil Unveils Sporty Flying Car Concept
Aeromobil, a flying car company based out of Slovakia, unveiled their sporty 5.0 VTOL flying car concept to complement their previously announced 4.0 STOL concept.
“It’s (Aeromobil) hoping to sell the 5.0 VTOL to private owners in a limited series starting in 2020.”
Largest Commercial Drone Order Ever
Top Chinese drone manufacturer DJI and drone image processing platform Skycatch have reached an agreement with smart construction company Komatsu to deliver 1000 custom industrial drones for autonomous construction site mapping and surveying.
“Automation in construction is no longer something to look out for, four or five years in the future. When you go to a job site you should expect to see robots on the ground.” -Christian Sanz
Samson Switchblade Flying Car Testing this Summer
The Oregon-based Samson Sky Switchblade flying car, which already has over 600 order reservations and retails for $140,000, will begin road tests by the end of March; its first public test flight will be this summer; and they will start deliveries by the end of the year.
“The Switchblade’s name comes from its wings, which swing out from the belly of the vehicle like the blade of a pocketknife. They fold into the body when the vehicle is in driving mode, so they are protected from fender-benders.”
Amazon Patents “Yelling” at Drones
Amazon has been granted for drones that can respond to human gestures or voice commands. An example in the patent included a person yelling and waving frantically to try and control the drone.
“The drones would be able to recognize hand and body gestures, human voices and movement, such as a person walking closer to the drone or away from it.”
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!
