Flying Car News, May 12
Uber’s New Aerial Taxi Prototype, plus partnerships between NASA and Amazon, DJI and Microsoft, and more!
This week’s top Flying Car News: Uber’s New Aerial Taxi Prototype, UAS integration pilot program announced, 1374-drone light show sets world record, DJI partners with Microsoft, 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 manufacturer DJI has released a report that 65 people have been rescued by drones in the last year in 27 incidents on 5 continents.
Uber’s New Aerial Taxi Prototype
At the 2nd annual Uber Elevate Summit in Los Angeles Uber released a new flying car prototype common reference model and specification requirements for vehicles that will be eligible to participate in the Uber Elevate network. Uber also announced new partnerships with NASA, the US Army, and evtol company Karem.
“The company envisions thousands of its flying taxis shuttling passengers between rooftop “skyports” and landing sites in cities, each of which will be equipped to handle 200 takeoffs and landings every hour”
UAS Integration Pilot Program Announced
The FAA announced the start of the UAS Integration Pilot Program, which allows private companies in the autonomous drone industry including Uber, Apple, and Google, to partner with 10 US cities to test autonomous drone technology in urban environments.
“Our country is on the verge of the most significant new development in aviation since the emergence of the jet age.”
1374-Drone Light Show Sets World Record
Chinese drone and aerial taxi manufacturer Ehang broke the world record for most drones flow in a light show with their 1374-drone performance in the city of Xi’an.
“The company’s Egret drones reportedly flew 853 feet (260 meters) above the city wall, and presented an aerial display with a 3,937 foot (1,200 meters) length and 328 foot (100 meters) depth in the sky.”
DJI Partners with Microsoft
Top Chinese drone manufacturer DJI has partnered with Microsoft to bring their drone SDK onto the windows platform.
“Onstage at Build, the two companies also showed off what the fruits of this partnership could look like, with a DJI Mavic drone that leveraged the new SDK and Azure backend to scan and identify a damaged pipe from the drone footage, displayed in real time on a Windows 10 app.”
NASA and Amazon Collaborate in France
NASA and Amazon will be working together with DELAIRE in a Paris suburb to test drone air traffic management solutions which coordinate drones with existing air traffic.
“The management system the company is working on will integrate detailed maps, including temporary objects such as construction cranes, weather conditions and birds.”
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