'Flying taxi' prototype developed in Spain
Sunday, July 21, 2019 @ 10:23 PM
THE first-ever driverless flying taxi prototype developed in Spain has been unveiled and could be 'on the road' within five years.
With a capsule cabin measuring 1.8 by two metres (5'11” by 6'7”) that includes a back door and upper window, the Aerotaxi is powered by four drones – two above and two below – each of which has four engines.
It is designed for short trips across towns and cities, flies at a low altitude, and could be in use once all the necessary testing phases are complete and the necessary legislation put in place – a process which may feasibly be successfully concluded by around mid-2024.
Presented at the Tecnalia centre for technology in San Sebastián in the Basque Country, the Aerotaxi is one of six prototypes of its kind in the world and is the third in Europe to be developed, with Germany and France having done so first.
The first test flights with people inside are expected to be carried out in the USA and Japan, pioneered in major cities such as Los Angeles and Tokyo.
Two members of the 25-strong project team, Joseba Lasa and Iñaki Iglesias, say the Aerotaxi is designed to carry up to 150 kilos (23st 8lb, or 330lb) – a weight that can be either human or in the shape of goods delivery, or both...
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com