Flying car backed by Google co-founder Larry Page takes to skies in early demo

Posted:
in General Discussion
Kitty Hawk, a startup backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, has demonstrated a prototype flying car that could be one of the first to ship, assuming it meets a late 2017 target.




The prototype -- known as the Kitty Hawk Flyer -- was recently flown over a lake roughly 100 miles north of San Francisco, the New York Times said on Monday. The all-electric vehicle seats a single person over eight propellers, and includes pontoons for water landings. In its demo flight the vehicle reportedly "howled as loudly as a speedboat" while it circled 15 feet over the water for about five minutes.

Kitty Hawk is actually working on several other prototypes as well, and charging $100 for an early-access program that will include a $2,000 discount on the final Flyer, plus chances to see or ride the vehicle ahead of time.

The company is currently operating under a Federal Aviation Administration category for ultralights that doesn't require a pilot's license, and enables flying in low-traffic areas. For safety purposes, testing has so far taken place over water -- Kitty Hawk is promising that the finished product will look different and run substantially quieter.



The concept of a flying car has been toyed with for decades, but in recent years a number of firms -- among them giants like Airbus and Uber -- have suddenly leapt onboard. Uber is in fact due to reveal its "vision for the future of Urban Air Mobility" at a Tuesday summit in Dallas, discussing its Elevate project and "a path towards initial urban eVTOL [electric vertical takeoff and landing] operations."

Flying cars have become more plausible thanks to advances in battery technology and automated drones, but rechargeable power still lacks the efficiency needed for long flights, and there are many safety and logistical issues such as where to land, how to keep track of so many low-flying vehicles, and how to prevent mid-air collisions and breakdowns.

Apple, Uber, Google sibling Waymo, and many other tech firms are meanwhile working on self-driving land vehicles. Apple recently secured a California permit to test three modified 2015 Lexus RX450h SUVs, though it's still uncertain whether Apple will stick to developing a self-driving platform or resume designing a complete vehicle -- a decision could be made later this year.
«13

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 59
    That's not a car, that's an electric octocopter. Cool though, but hardly earth-shattering. No auto rotation like on a helicopter, so any battery failure equals certain death. Pass.
    Guxmanstanthemanneo-techairnerdpalominedysamoriawatto_cobrachabig
  • Reply 2 of 59
    This is a nice vehicle but it's just a big drone at this time.

    How about optional ground or sea landing?
    Perhaps an optional roof and seating for 5 or 6?

    Time will tell.
  • Reply 3 of 59
    GoreckiGorecki Posts: 29member
    Thats not a car.

    And Airbus? Uber? Really?

    How about AeroMobil? You can already buy it. Btw, its from Slovakia:)


    edited April 2017 anantksundaramfrantisek
  • Reply 4 of 59
    sricesrice Posts: 120member
    Spinning blades of death to land on some poor unsuspecting surfer - what could go wrong?  I just hope they're get a Go Pro sponsorship "for the action shots".
    caliwatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 59
    linkmanlinkman Posts: 1,035member
    What happens when something goes wrong? Can it autorotate like a rotary wing aircraft (helicopter) that can safely land without engine power? It looks like a decent glide ratio like a fixed wing aircraft is out of the question.
    anantksundaramwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 59
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    A flying car is the last thing we need. The skies are crowded enough as it is. 
    doozydozendysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 59
    volcanvolcan Posts: 1,799member
    A flying car is the last thing we need. 
    Second that!

    We have some really awful drivers as it is, can you imagine if they had a third dimension for their recklessness? Nightmare!
    dysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 59
    That video was the worst.  :|
    macguiwatto_cobrawozwoz
  • Reply 9 of 59
    WARNING:
    Take Off and Land
    FAR AWAY FROM PEOPLE.

    That would be one bloody carnage of laughter, if that thing, landed on that boat.

    edited April 2017
  • Reply 10 of 59
    No auto rotation like on a helicopter, so any battery failure equals certain death. Pass.


    I imagine it has a reserve battery for emergency landings. A developer could hardly forget to include that, even one as impractical as Google.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 59
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    I admire the ambition, but I don't think people, in general, are smart enough for this kind of responsibility. 

    I dont think people, in general, are smart enough to drive. 
    palominedysamoriamacguiwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 59
    mrboba1mrboba1 Posts: 276member
    From all the movies that feature "personal air travel", not a single one has made me want this to become a reality.
    dysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 59
    NY1822NY1822 Posts: 621member
    hahaha...and they use an iPhone in the youtube video...
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 59
    ike17055ike17055 Posts: 121member
    Wow. The negative comments seem so contrary to the attitudes of most readers to a tech site. Think big. And Try looking up the human passenger drone that is being rolled out in the United Arab Emirates right now. Literally a giant quad copter. Its navigation is all GPS driven. Includes collision avoidance radar, and It can fly on fewer than four rotors if needed for emergency landing. The safety issues are at least as solveable as they are for land vehicles. In time, i see these vehicles being commonplace flying above existing major roadways, as a form of a second level, or upper "deck" assisted by the same electronic sensors that will keep terrestrial autonomous vehicles on course and within their lanes. The drone style vehicle is vertical landing and takeoff adding added practicality for some forms of commuting. Not for everyone, or affordable for everyone, for sure, but an important tool, potentially, in expanding capacity of existing corridors.
  • Reply 15 of 59
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    This is simply a little non-Google personal interest side project for Mr. Page, one he can well afford (est. net worth $40B+) to dabble in. I can't imagine he envisions it as a general consumer product. 
    randominternetperson
  • Reply 16 of 59
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    ike17055 said:
    Think big.
    Not all tech is valid. Just like not all beliefs are valid, not all societies are valid, and not all behaviors are valid. Hate to keep hinting at “politics” (it’s not), but the foundation of people’s worldviews will affect how they react to any given situation. “Tech for tech’s sake” tends to be frowned upon in Apple circles, simply because people who like Apple are drawn to the company because they don’t release products for the sake of doing so.
    dysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 59
    frantisekfrantisek Posts: 756member
    linkman said:
    What happens when something goes wrong? Can it autorotate like a rotary wing aircraft (helicopter) that can safely land without engine power? It looks like a decent glide ratio like a fixed wing aircraft is out of the question.
    That is probably reason they present it above lake. Less likely pilot or audience being injured.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 59
    ike17055 said:
    "In time, i see these vehicles being commonplace flying above existing major roadways"

    NOT in our lifetime. The infrastructure cost is too astronomically prohibitive !!

    Proof:
    Can we agree that we should start by paving every major roadway you speak of, and every side road and driven road,
    to a modern level of standard. …..by and large, the roads and bridges in the U.S. are at best, third world grade. ( and I mean bad third world grade, because even so called third world countries, build roads correctly)
    dysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 59
    volcanvolcan Posts: 1,799member
    BuffyzDead said:
    I mean bad third world grade, because even so called third world countries, build roads correctly
    I don't know which third world countries you are referring to but in my experience throughout Latin America, aside from a couple thoroughfares, most roads are not paved or maintained. You get a small landslide or earthquake damage and it will stay like that for years. Hell, they can't even pick up the trash.
    metalcase
  • Reply 20 of 59
    airnerdairnerd Posts: 693member
    No auto rotation like on a helicopter, so any battery failure equals certain death. Pass.


    I imagine it has a reserve battery for emergency landings. A developer could hardly forget to include that, even one as impractical as Google.
    Still have to imagine worst case scenario.  You can have redundancies but if they aren't separated from the main system then you still have a weak-link.  You would need a backup battery with backup wiring, now you are talking about a lot of weight.  As others have said, it will need some sort of auto-rotate or glide ability. 
    watto_cobra
Sign In or Register to comment.