Contrary to popular belief, this is not a drone. This is the world’s first personal electric autonomous aerial vehicle (AAV).
Revealed at CES 2016, the EHang 184 is large enough to accommodate one passenger and the company claims passengers won’t need a pilot’s license.
Users enter their destination with a smartphone app and the vehicle does the rest. According to EHang, the AAV’s navigation is fully automated through its real-time flight command center. Using navigational data, it calculates the quickest and safest route to reach its destination.
EHang says that using automated flight technology in their design eliminates safety concerns regarding human error that would naturally come with ordinary modes of transportation.
The AAV is equipped with multiple backups in case of component failure. Using sensors that stream real-time data, the AAV can evaluate damage and initiate an emergency landing plan. The user also has the option to momentarily pause the flight and hover in the case of an emergency.
Watch the video below for a more in-depth look at EHang 184.
The power system consists of four arms and eight propellers. When the arms are folded in, the AAV is able to fit into a standard parking spot.
The AAV has no need for a runway because it lifts and lands vertically. Between its size and vertical take-off and landing, it has the potential to make finding a parking (or landing) spot a piece of cake.
EHang hopes that building a low-altitude flight command center will help to improve safety measures. Prohibiting the AAV to take off during extreme weather is one way the command center aims to regulate a safe low-altitude air space.
Even though the AAV can operate in bad weather, this command center could prevent users who are adamant to travel from taking out their AAV when they assume the weather isn’t that bad.
Electric autonomous aerial vehicles could easily be utilized in industries like transportation, shipping, medical care and defense and military. The EHang 184 could be utilized to deliver people and/or payloads to otherwise inaccessible areas.
EHang is a technology company specializing in R&D, manufacturing and sales of unmanned aerial vehicles. Visit their website for more information.
Do you think we’ll see commercial AAVs before we commercial autonomous cars hit the road?
Would a command center be enough to answer the obvious safety concerns, or is this just another flying car concept hamstrung by regulations?
Comment below.