Flying Cars Might Be A Thing Sooner Than You Expected (As In, By The End Of This Year)

If all goes to plan, a self-piloted flying car will be tested out by the end of this year; (unsurprisingly) it’s meant to be great for avoiding gridlock.

Reuters reports a company called Airbus Group is planning to test a prototype for a self-piloted flying car. Airbus CEO Tom Enders spoke at a digital tech conference in Munich, saying: “One hundred years ago, urban transport went underground, now we have the technological wherewithal to go above ground.”

Last year, Airbus formed a division called Urban Air Mobility that is brainstorming concepts for a helicopter-style vehicle that can carry multiple riders. The idea is to create a vehicle that people can book using an application, similar to Uber, and other car-sharing schemes.

“We are in an experimentation phase, we take this development very seriously,” said Enders. Airbus claims to have environmentalism at the forefront of its ambitions; the new technologies would have to be clean in order to avoid further polluting congested cities.

The company believes using the skies as roads would heavily reduce costs for city infrastructure planners. “With flying, you don’t need to pour billions into concrete bridges and roads,” Enders explained.

Below is an artist’s rendition of what one of these vehicles might look like.

Airbus is interested in making the most of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, to welcome a new era of flying cars.

“In a not too distant future, we’ll use our smartphones to book a fully automated flying taxi that will land outside our front door – without any pilot,” said Enders.

Keen, or terrified?

Photo: iStock and Giphy