From horses to camels to railroads to Interstate highways, humans have always sought faster and more convenient ways to move around the planet. The next decade or so will see the sort of radical advances in transportation technology that used to take a century. Electric vehicles represent only one of several new and improved modes of transport that will be coming into widespread use.
There are about 100 companies out there developing eVTOL (electric vertical take off and landing) vehicles, but there are only a handful of companies developing the AI that will power them and one day turn them into robotaxis, autonomous delivery drones, and any other airborne function that does not require a pilot. One of the leaders in this field is Daedalean, a company best in Switzerland.
NASA and Uber are working to tackle the future of our urban air mobility (UAM) needs. The focus is on the future for city transport for both people and packages transported by air.
It’s been a little while since we dedicated proper time to covering revolutionary eHang and its progress with electric vertical takeoff & landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Besides the blisteringly fast pace of several aircraft developments, the company is readying its eHang 216 autonomous aerial vehicles (AAVs).
As someone who has recently became an owner of a fairly light and harmless drone, I know that almost everywhere in the world laws about it are absolutely bonkers. In my home country of the Netherlands, I can’t even fly it in my own backyard. Ironically, the King of the Netherlands, Willem-Alexander, may or may not have even gotten a fine for buying a small drone and flying it in his own backyard because the law states that no one may fly above property of Dutch royalty.
We are almost constantly referencing autonomous vehicles. Some say we’re almost there. However, that concerns autonomy on the roads — what about autonomy in the skies? No, I don’t mean the autopilot that large airplanes have used for years. I mean *full self flying*.
An interview with MamaBird — ‘drones that nurture’ — for The Beam #8 — Together for Climate Justice
Continual R&D is bringing autonomous delivery closer to everyday life.
How Rwanda Built A Drone Delivery Service — An Update On The Zipline Story
A team of physicians and engineers in Maryland have successfully delivered a human kidney to a transplant patient using an unmanned aircraft. The process took 3 years to develop.
