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Uber
Technologies Inc released a white paper on Thursday envisioning
a future in which commuters hop onto a small aircraft, take off
vertically and within minutes arrive at their destinations. The
flyers would eventually be unmanned, according to the company.
It sounds like the opening sequence to "The Jetsons", the 1962
U.S. cartoon about a future filled with moving sidewalks, robot
housekeepers and spaceflight, but Uber sees flying rides as
feasible and eventually affordable.
Uber already offers helicopter rides to commuters in Brazil. The
company plans to convene a global summit early next year to
explore on-demand aviation, in which small electric aircraft
could take off and land vertically to reduce congestion and save
time for long-distance commuters, and eventually city dwellers.
Others have also envisioned such aircraft, akin to a helicopter
but without the noise and emissions. Vertical take off and
landing aircraft (VTOL) have been studied and developed for
decades, including by aircraft makers, the military, NASA and
the Federal Aviation Administration.
Uber is already exploring self-driving technology, hoping to
slash costs by eliminating the need for drivers in its core
business of on-demand rides. On-demand air transport marks a new
frontier, set squarely in the future.
Uber's vision, detailed in a 97-page document, argues that
on-demand aviation will be affordable and achievable in the next
decade assuming effective collaboration between regulators,
communities and manufacturers.
Ultimately, using VTOLs for transport could be less expensive
than owning a car, Uber predicted.
Such on-demand VTOL aircraft would be "optionally piloted," Uber
said, where autonomous technology takes over the main workload
and the pilot is relied on for situational awareness.
Eventually, the aircraft will likely be fully automated, Uber
said.
Hurdles include battery technology. Batteries must come down in
cost and charge faster, become more powerful and have longer
lifecycles.
Regulatory hurdles must also be solved such as certification by
aviation regulators as well as infrastructure needs, such as
more takeoff and landing cites.
Uber plans to reach out to stakeholders within the next six
months to explore the implications of urban air transport and
share ideas before hosting a summit in early 2017 to explore the
issues and solutions and help accelerate urban air
transportation.
(Reporting By Alexandria Sage; Editing by David Gregorio)
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