Will we one day be heading to work in one of these ? Image Credit: Uber
The ride-hailing giant is reportedly working with NASA to develop a traffic signal system for flying cars.
In a press release, Uber explained that the endeavour is part of the company's "vision to enable customers in the future to push a button and get a high-speed flight in and around cities."
The firm's futuristic flying taxi service is expected to be launched in Los Angeles by the year 2020.
"Technology will allow LA residents to literally fly over the city's historically bad traffic," said Uber Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden.
Not everyone however is convinced that flying taxis will revolutionize transportation.
"Flying autonomous vehicle technology is developing rapidly, but it's likely to be more disruptive than transformational," said technology research analysts Kimberly Harris-Ferrante and Michael Ramsey.
"High costs, safety concerns and regulatory burdens are likely to limit the use of this overhyped technology."
Note that the story is actually about "a traffic signal system", whatever that might mean, "for flying cars", (traffic lights suspended from balloons?), not that Über themselves* , which is essentially just a minicab firm isn't it really, are developing a flying car. Classic piece of misleading self-promotion by these Silicon Valley Tech Giants. * I insist on the umlaut
You won't be able to just land on the sidewalk. Presumably you will have to land on designated space either tall building, or open field. I think it will happen but remain limited.
No doubt. I personally believe it might be viable way in the future, but 2020 is pushing it. First fatal crash will result in litigation that will not make this economical.
Every revolution begins with scruples, scorn and failures. Then follows the hype settling down and when the real thing pops up later again, this time sturdy and working great, everyone says it's cool. It's masses thinking. Every cool technology went through that.
I agree, but it took the Osprey years of fatal crashes before the bugs got worked out. So for this taxi to be operational by 2020 just doesn't seem doable to me, however technology has increased, so we'll see.
It always seemed to me that the trickiest part about flying cars would be keeping them from running into one another over major metropolitan areas and raining fiery debris down on us peasants.
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