Future of public transportation to be tested in Las Vegas

One day flying to work may not be so different from taking a cab. Image from Ehang.

With our streets congested and traffic taking up more hours of our daily lives, who hasn’t dreamed of just flying over it all. If the Drone Taxi test flights prove a success, maybe we will one day.

Since drones have begun to saturate the market, from toys to professional camera-mounted ones, almost everyone is familiar with them. According to a report from TechCo, the Ehang 184, a drone that can transport one person, will be put through its paces in the the city of Las Vegas.

Sin City may not be a technological marvel to behold but, it does have a lot of open space for testing this electric powered flying vehicle. The Ehang 184 will be able to fly at about 23 minutes at sea level. To go faster at around 100km/h, it will need to go to a higher altitude but will only operate for 10 minutes. Right now that operational time limit may not sound much so here’s to hoping that battery life can be extended should the tests prove successful.

Apart from its limited flight time, there is also the obvious dangers that flying entails. To counter malfunctions, the drone is programmed to instinctively land immediately at the first sign of trouble.

Even if the tests prove successful, it will still take some time for the technology to be adapted for general use. At least our long dreamed-of future filled with flying cars doesn’t seem so distant anymore. Alfred Bayle