Ehang, a China-based drone company, has developed an autonomous passenger helicopter that takes off, flies, and lands without human
It’s a self-piloting electric helicopter
The drone maker, claims its all-electric quadcopter, the Ehang 184, is the first in the world that is capable of operating autonomously. According to the company’s announcement, the vehicle is like an oversized drone – built just big enough to carry a single passenger. That passenger supposedly has only to plug in their desired destination, sit back, and enjoy the ride while the aircraft takes off and climbs up to 11,000 feet. If there is a problem, Ehang says the human passenger can take over the controls and pilot the chopper to safety.
The 184 will have a 23 minute flight time roughly allowing a 10 mile flight.
Dubai city is reportedly going to start regular service with Ehang’s 184 drone beginning in July. The self-flying car is reportedly able to fly for 30 minutes per ride and is likely to appeal to Dubai’s residents . Dubai wants 25 percent of all transportation to be self-driving (or self-flying) by 2030.
A rider would add a destination on a touch screen in front of the passenger seat. From there, the drone would lift off and “automatically” fly to the passengers’ destination.
Dubai is aiming to become the world’s first city to have passenger-carrying drones operating in its skies. Speaking at a summit in the city Emirate’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said they are on track to launch them by July.
http://www.ehang.com/ehang184