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.
Fundamentally, I agree with you. "Where we're going, we don't need roads." Couple GPS with ad hoc networking with automatic flight controls ant no pilot is ever needed. Why are we all so afraid of the spinning blades? I get it, but I believe that's just another engineering challenge. I see these as far more than just a second level above existing roads. Who needs roads? I like the idea.
I think the "upper deck" vision makes the most sense. Keeps the noise issues minimized as well as the piece of mind of these things not falling through my ceiling while I sleep. And I totally agree these will be piloted solely by computer making all the "people can't drive now" comments laughably short sighted.
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.
You'd think but then he did unleash Android so you can never be sure!
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.
Fundamentally, I agree with you. "Where we're going, we don't need roads." Couple GPS with ad hoc networking with automatic flight controls ant no pilot is ever needed. Why are we all so afraid of the spinning blades? I get it, but I believe that's just another engineering challenge. I see these as far more than just a second level above existing roads. Who needs roads? I like the idea.
At some point "flying taxis" will be a reality. Self-driving vehicles are almost here, so trucks, cars, taxis, limo services, small hop planes, and more will become automated systems. These things aren't having billions of dollars poured into them by accident, it's happening because the technology works, there is demand, and certain companies will be winners in this competition.
And then, there's this... the Moller Skycar has been in development for decades, and by all accounts the guy should've had a working vehicle a long time ago. I don't think he'll ever get it to work: abo
On which planet are you living? certainly not earth! maybe in 100 years right now flight time is 2 mins and you have to wear a wet suit! In 100 years the oceans will be about 4 feet higher and huge portions of this planet uninhabitable. No coral reef left, no arctic ice, 1billion humans refugees and mass starvation and all you can think about is a flying car! Amazing
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.
Fundamentally, I agree with you. "Where we're going, we don't need roads." Couple GPS with ad hoc networking with automatic flight controls ant no pilot is ever needed. Why are we all so afraid of the spinning blades? I get it, but I believe that's just another engineering challenge. I see these as far more than just a second level above existing roads. Who needs roads? I like the idea.
At some point "flying taxis" will be a reality. Self-driving vehicles are almost here, so trucks, cars, taxis, limo services, small hop planes, and more will become automated systems. These things aren't having billions of dollars poured into them by accident, it's happening because the technology works, there is demand, and certain companies will be winners in this competition.
And then, there's this... the Moller Skycar has been in development for decades, and by all accounts the guy should've had a working vehicle a long time ago. I don't think he'll ever get it to work:
And this one I don't know why it's called a jet when it uses a bunch of propellers, but it's pretty slick.
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.
^ I don't lean towards cynicism, but considering the large percentage of poor drivers and the insufficient efforts to discover and keep them from driving, flying cars for the general public scare me, unless we redefine 'general' with a heavy emphasis on qualification. There are some bad pilots around but I'm sure the percentage is much lower.
Certainly there have been some particularly stupid posts about what could happen in arcane scenarios created for the sole purpose of trying to sound smarter than designers. More people are probably at greater risk from skateboarders at outside shopping malls.
There is a high price to pay for incompetence when flying, so there should be a high price for admission, in the form of testing, certifying, retesting, and recertification of your competency.
Let's not exaggerate the ability of having anything of a glide ratio, or auto-rotation landings. It's something but not a given. Even when possible not all ARs are successful or departures recoverable, as in keeping air crew and passengers alive.
Any form of transportation will have unique pluses and minuses. In air travel, we want takeoffs and landings to be equal in number. It doesn't always happen. But it's a little early to write off this version and too late go back to the horse and buggy. (No offense to any Amish folk.)
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.
The question is what happen when a single motor fails, it flips over and dumps off it passenger. This why they only testing over water. does not hurt as much hitting the water from 20 ft high.
This idea has been shown and demonstrated before, does not surprise me Google ripped off someone else's concept.
It's not a Google project. It's a startup company that Larry page took a special interest in as a private investor. Reading isn't that hard.
and wasn't Larry the guy who took the iphone idea back to google, remember google is larry and larry is google they are one and the same, no original ideas just taking other peoples ideas and try to claim them as theirs.
You don't think Larry Page had any original ideas? Look at what they are doing with self driving cars - everyone thought they were nuts when they came up with it and now Tesla, Apple, Uber and everyone else is on the bandwagon. Look at their maps - satellite images of the whole planet combined with street view, reviews, directions of more places than you could ever visit. And translation services - starting with "simple" text translation, adding in AR, spoken translations.
These are all things that still seem like sci-fi to me even today.
If the definition of "fly" includes "just off the ground" in addition to "through the sky," I could see something like this being used a couple of feet over existing highways. Were it successful, it could reduce the cost of highway maintenance. No more repaving, just mow a clear spot, and voila, a "road."
"Flying car backed by Google co-founder Larry Page takes to skies in early demo"
And, at about seven seconds into the video, a woman is using an iPhone!
Well of course she is. Why would you be surprised? Even if it was a Google company, which it isn't, they'd still show high-end phones, iPhones included. The whole hate thing between the two companies exists only in the minds of fans. Heck Cook and Google's CEO were snapped having dinner together a few weeks ago, something I imagine happens far more often in upper management than we have any inkling of.
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.
The question is what happen when a single motor fails, it flips over and dumps off it passenger. This why they only testing over water. does not hurt as much hitting the water from 20 ft high.
This idea has been shown and demonstrated before, does not surprise me Google ripped off someone else's concept.
It's not a Google project. It's a startup company that Larry page took a special interest in as a private investor. Reading isn't that hard.
and wasn't Larry the guy who took the iphone idea back to google, remember google is larry and larry is google they are one and the same, no original ideas just taking other peoples ideas and try to claim them as theirs.
You don't think Larry Page had any original ideas? Look at what they are doing with self driving cars - everyone thought they were nuts when they came up with it and now Tesla, Apple, Uber and everyone else is on the bandwagon. Look at their maps - satellite images of the whole planet combined with street view, reviews, directions of more places than you could ever visit. And translation services - starting with "simple" text translation, adding in AR, spoken translations.
These are all things that still seem like sci-fi to me even today.
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.
The question is what happen when a single motor fails, it flips over and dumps off it passenger. This why they only testing over water. does not hurt as much hitting the water from 20 ft high.
This idea has been shown and demonstrated before, does not surprise me Google ripped off someone else's concept.
It's not a Google project. It's a startup company that Larry page took a special interest in as a private investor. Reading isn't that hard.
and wasn't Larry the guy who took the iphone idea back to google, remember google is larry and larry is google they are one and the same, no original ideas just taking other peoples ideas and try to claim them as theirs.
You don't think Larry Page had any original ideas? Look at what they are doing with self driving cars - everyone thought they were nuts when they came up with it and now Tesla, Apple, Uber and everyone else is on the bandwagon. Look at their maps - satellite images of the whole planet combined with street view, reviews, directions of more places than you could ever visit. And translation services - starting with "simple" text translation, adding in AR, spoken translations.
These are all things that still seem like sci-fi to me even today.
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.
Fundamentally, I agree with you. "Where we're going, we don't need roads." Couple GPS with ad hoc networking with automatic flight controls ant no pilot is ever needed. Why are we all so afraid of the spinning blades? I get it, but I believe that's just another engineering challenge. I see these as far more than just a second level above existing roads. Who needs roads? I like the idea.
At some point "flying taxis" will be a reality. Self-driving vehicles are almost here, so trucks, cars, taxis, limo services, small hop planes, and more will become automated systems. These things aren't having billions of dollars poured into them by accident, it's happening because the technology works, there is demand, and certain companies will be winners in this competition.
And then, there's this... the Moller Skycar has been in development for decades, and by all accounts the guy should've had a working vehicle a long time ago. I don't think he'll ever get it to work:
And this one I don't know why it's called a jet when it uses a bunch of propellers, but it's pretty slick.
The Lilium is a beauty. Low noise too.
On the 'Jet' subject:
'The electric jet engines work like turbofan jet engines in a regular passenger jet. They suck in air, compress it and push it out the back. However, the compressor fan in the front is not turned by a gas turbine, but by a high performance electric motor. Therefore, they run much quieter and completely emission-free.'
Comments
I don't know why it's called a jet when it uses a bunch of propellers, but it's pretty slick.
Certainly there have been some particularly stupid posts about what could happen in arcane scenarios created for the sole purpose of trying to sound smarter than designers. More people are probably at greater risk from skateboarders at outside shopping malls.
There is a high price to pay for incompetence when flying, so there should be a high price for admission, in the form of testing, certifying, retesting, and recertification of your competency.
Let's not exaggerate the ability of having anything of a glide ratio, or auto-rotation landings. It's something but not a given. Even when possible not all ARs are successful or departures recoverable, as in keeping air crew and passengers alive.
Any form of transportation will have unique pluses and minuses. In air travel, we want takeoffs and landings to be equal in number. It doesn't always happen. But it's a little early to write off this version and too late go back to the horse and buggy. (No offense to any Amish folk.)
These are all things that still seem like sci-fi to me even today.
"Flying car backed by Google co-founder Larry Page takes to skies in early demo"
And, at about seven seconds into the video, a woman is using an iPhone!
Anyway did you know Google is putting over 500 self-driving cars on public roadways, the majority of them Chrysler Pacificas?
Little known fact: Chrysler (Dodge) was one of the first car-makers to ridicule Google's autonomous driving efforts.
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/04/25/525540611/flying-cars-are-still-coming-should-we-believe-the-hype
On the 'Jet' subject:
'The electric jet engines work like turbofan jet engines in a regular passenger jet. They suck in air, compress it and push it out the back. However, the compressor fan in the front is not turned by a gas turbine, but by a high performance electric motor. Therefore, they run much quieter and completely emission-free.'
https://lilium.com/technology/