Attendees look at an EHang 184 autonomous-flight drone that can fly a person. Photo / Getty Images
Attendees look at an EHang 184 autonomous-flight drone that can fly a person. Photo / Getty Images
Imagine if you could avoid peak hour traffic congestion and overcrowded public transport by flying to work in your own personal autonomous passenger drone.
What was once the subject of science fiction is now a reality, with Chinese UAV company Ehang showcasing its rapid transport solution - the Ehang 184.
The passenger vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft uses eight electric motors to power eight propellers, which can carry one person weighing up to 100kg in a small cabin.
With a flight ceiling of 3.5km and cruising speeds of 100km, the Ehand 184 has a flight time of 25 minutes and can cover 30 - 50kms from a single charge - it takes two hours to recharge.
Having come a long way since the concept was first revealed twelve months ago, the personal transport drone has now flown over 200 tests - both with and without pilots.
Co-founder Derrick Xiong said the Ehang 184 was being tested to offer an automated passenger drone that required no licence or previous flying experience.
"Everything is operated from a command centre, which has engineers able to control drones wherever they are in the world," he told news.com.au
"Nothing will be limited by distance, with the drone will sending information of flight paths and live video directly back to the command centre so we know what is going on at all times."
