NEVADA - Technological history is being made as the world’s first autonomous, passenger-carting, flying drone has been permitted for testing in Nevada.
Ehang 184, capable of taxying a passenger via air for 23 minutes, will be the first with this regulatory approval.
“The State of Nevada, through NIAS, will help guide Ehang through the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) regulatory process with the ultimate goal of achieving safe flight,” Tom Wilczek, Goed’s Aerospace and Defence Specialist said, according to The Guardian.
This opens up the door to possibilities beyond just a thrilling way to get in your morning commute. If successful enough to become commercial, this could cut down not only road traffic and collisions, but also costs in time and labor for transporting goods and, of course, fresh produce.
With hopes of starting the tests later this year, Founder and Chief Executive, Huazhi Hu, told The Guardian that the move would lay the foundation for the 184’s commercialisation and “kickstart the autonomous aerial transportation industry.”
At the mechanism’s unveiling at CES in Las Vegas, Co-Founder Yifang Xiong acknowledged that, as with all new technologies, it would be understandable that users would be apprehensive at first.
“We’re going to make sure we do enough tests, making sure that there’s no danger, people don’t need to have any concerns to take a ride,” Xiong commented, adding that the contraption has extra motors and features to ensure a safe landing, with the computer command center ensuring that the drone will arrive safely and punctually to its destination.
Watch the 184 in action for yourself in the brief video below.
While it is currently only clocked at 23 minutes, this contender is the latest in a race of self-driving trucks and cars to be the first to autonomize the transportation industry.
Who will be the first to ensure that your fresh produce can travel by some sort of autonomous fleet? The Guardian cautions it will most likely be years before the industry is commercialized, so keep checking in with AndNowUKnow while we follow each new cutting-edge step.
