(Source: Terrafugia)
All along, having a flying car is a dream for many car enthusiasts and aviation enthusiasts, whether it is in the film "Back to the Future" or "Minority Minority Report". Autopilot technology is also a popular topic nowadays.
Now, let us guess and guess which one of the auto-driving cars and flying cars first appeared in public view? In fact, both technologies have been available for some time. However, there does not seem to be any evidence that they have made sufficient preparation for the narrow market space.
So, why not combine these two technologies?
Now, one company thinks of this idea: Applying autopilot technology to the design of flying cars.
This company is called Terrafugia. Since its establishment, it has been dedicated to the development of flying cars. It has been ten years since.
You may not be unfamiliar with this company. It has also been mentioned before Lei Fengnet (search for "Lei Feng Net" public number attention) . Terrafugia was first established in 2006 and was jointly founded by several MIT engineers.
Its first project, called "The Transition," took a total of about two years from prototype design to flight testing. This is a "car" that can be legally on the road, and can switch back and forth between the two forms of car and aircraft. Transition can fly in the air at a speed of 200km/h. The maximum flying distance after filling with oil is about 800km, and the maximum speed on land can reach 128km/h. It is equipped with high-tech equipment such as global satellite positioning system and electronic computer control system. Passengers do not need the difficult driving technology of aircraft pilots. Its innovation lies in the fact that it has a foldable wing that can be automatically deployed with a single push of a button and changes from a car shape to an aircraft shape within 30 seconds. Transition officially entered the stage of commercial operation. After successful test flight in 2009, it has become a landmark product of the company. However, the takeoff of the car required runway taxis, and the price of 139,000 pounds also made most people discourage.
(The picture shows TerrafugiaTF-X)
Subsequently, Terrafugia launched the "TF-X" concept car in 2015 and obtained a special permit issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to allow it to test TF-like drones in U.S. airspace. X speed.
Now Terrafugia intends to join the most popular autopilot technology to its own products. Perhaps no one will doubt its dreams and guts.
Terrafugia believes that the future of flying cars will replace the traditional land vehicles, and automatic driving will gradually become commonplace. Adding autopilot technology to the design of flying cars may open up more market potential and potential for it. If one day a flying car can be popularized, it may be able to solve one of the biggest dilemmas facing our urbanization, that is, the problem of traffic congestion.
The company plans to launch a vertically-flight automatic flying car in the future. This product can help drivers solve some difficult problems, so that you do not need to spend too much financial and energy to test the flight license, in addition, with it, the family does not have to spend big money to build the runway.
Terrafugia hopes that this fully automated flying car will be ready for production in 2025. It may seem that the time in 10 years is not short, but perhaps it is reasonable for some of the challenges that Terrafugia faces. Next, Terrafugia will have a long way to go, such as how to get a vertical take-off and landing flight, some of the technical difficulties in fully automated driving and flight, and licensing and certification from relevant authorities. Regardless, Terrafugia has already made a good attempt on autopilot flying cars. In the future, we may really be able to experience the pleasure of autopilot in the air like we do in science fiction movies.
Via BGR