Imagine getting into a drone aircraft and flying off into the sunset – no remote control or piloting skills required. That magic carpet story is basically the premise behind the Ehang 184 AAV drone that debuted at CES some days ago. We have literally been scanning the wires for pictures that we could bring to you to illustrate this piece, which was first brought to our attention by Dezeen. Depending on how you see the world, this could be a really awesome idea, or just a really poorly thought-through one.
Here is some basic information to help you decide. The Chinese firm’s 184 AAV drone, shown at CES 2016 in Las Vegas, is 1.84 meters high, has four propellers, eight motors pushing 142 bhp and room for one passenger. It flies in an inverted U shape and takes off and lands vertically: Basically the thing flies upward in an arc and then descends, completing the arc and the inverted U shape. The drone has a landing camera that positions the landing points. Passengers will simply input their destination on the built-in touch screen interface and the drone will plot the fastest and safest course. The drone will only be for short flights of up to 23 minutes and will fly at a maximum altitude of 3.5km, achieving a cruising speed of 62mph.
The spectacular part about the Ehang 184 AAV drone though is not that makes pretty impressive jumps, with controlled descents. No, that would be the fact that unlike remote-controlled drones, the 184 AAV does not require any knowledge of piloting a plane. You will not need any special skills beyond the ability to use a GPS device (at most). Even better, you will not be able to disrupt the awesomeness of the 184 AAV in any way because its programming cannot be overridden, even in case of an emergency. When you arrive at your destination (assuming the best), you do not need a parking space – it can be folded up like, well, a foldable bicycle. Actually, if you do not arrive safely you will also not need a parking space…
In all seriousness though, what do you think of this project? Ehang says it will commercialize this venture within three to four months.
This report was compiled by in-house writers, in combination with a wire report and images from the AFP.
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